Tag: Undo Records (Page 2 of 5)

MARSHEAUX Ath.Lon – Rejected Demos

12 June 2017 /

Following the success of MARSHEAUX’s most recent long player ‘Ath.Lon’, Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou present a limited edition cassette EP comprising of seven rejected demos from those recording sessions.

Entitled ‘Ath.Lon – Rejected Demos’, the release is limited to 300 copies of the revived analogue format pioneered by Philips in 1962 which provided the provided hours of fun as the late 20th Century’s equivalent of illegal downloading. “Home Taping Is Killing Music” bore the legend on the paper inner sleeves of LP releases when the UK record industry lobbied the government to impose a blank tape levy in 1982. But with ‘Ath.Lon – Rejected Demos’, MARSHEAUX readily show how the modern day version of home taping is skill in music.

Driven by throbbing sequences and laced with rawer vocals than normally expected of MARSHEAUX, the tape’s opener ‘Just Don’t’ lyrically references of another outtake ‘How Does It Feel?’. Following on, the metallic textures used on ‘Satellites Of Love’ closely resemble MARSHEAUX’s remix of KID MOXIE’s ‘Dirty Air’ as a prominent guide vocal from producer Nick Bitzenis provides an production insight into the demo process.

The uptempo instrumental ‘Lush’ is like synthpop interpretation of Miki Berenyi’s same named indie combo and it’s a shame that there is isn’t a vocal from the duo’s more deeper voiced Sophie Sarigiannidou to join the dots. The imposing ’Behind’ is a track with lots of potential in its mighty metronomic beat and eerie synths but ends suddenly after just two minutes while the almost punky ‘I Don’t Care’ utilises a LADYTRON styled snarl.

‘Life Goes On’ recalls the crispness of OMD’s ‘Helen of Troy’ although offset with an incomplete wispy vocal and prolonged male voices, but the sombreness of ‘Slowdown’ shows a rarely heard side of MARSHEAUX with an unusual (for them) sub-bass thrown into the mix, although the rhythm track is very bare and sans hi-hats.

Releasing this collection on a cassette has a hissy novelty value but is very restrictive and as anyone with a memory of more than twenty years will recall, the format’s most distinctive analogue audio trait was the horrible noise it made when the tape was chewed!

‘Ath.Lon – Rejected Demos’ acts as a ready companion to the 2012 rarities compendium ‘The E-bay Queen Is Dead’.

It will be interesting if any of these MARSHEAUX demos are developed further, because in the case of ‘Lush’ and ‘Behind’, there may be some synthpop classics lurking within.

MARSHEAUX kindly chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about these rejected demos…

It’s been a year since ‘Ath.Lon’ was released, how do you look back on it and the critical response after?

‘Ath.Lon’ was a special album as it was recorded simultaneously in two cities, while communicating by emails and meeting a couple of times. We had a great response from our fans and people in general said it was much better than ‘Inhale’ album. Looking back, we have to say we are quite satisfied with the result.

So how come you have managed to stockpile seven rejected demos?

While working on ‘Athlon’ we wrote over 25 tracks. Some we put only on ‘The.Ath.Lon’ limited CD box, some in the digital version of the album and the rest of it is going to be released this week on this cassette. There are also some more which we didn’t finish, as time was pressuring us to release ‘Ath.Lon’.

But why cassette? It is analogue but the biggest analogue noise it makes it when the tape chews… 😉

Ha ha indeed. Maybe we are affected by the cassette hype, it is a medium though that both of us love very much. We are going to sell them in our concerts with a pencil that says ”undo rewind”…

Why did you feel these songs did not fit with the character of ‘Ath.Lon’?

As we said before, when we were about to decide which songs would fit on ‘Ath.Lon’, we all had different opinions. For example, ‘Safe Tonight’ wasn’t going to be in the album and it turned out to be our first single. Everything is subjective. ‘Lush’ could easily be a single, but it ended up as one of the rejected demos. Looking back, we remember deciding which songs we were going to use while on tour in Spain last year.

Which ones do you think could have made it into any one of the MARSHEAUX albums and which?

This is a difficult one. Each one of our albums was created and worked under other concept every time. For example in ‘Lumineux Noir’, we would never use any of the ‘Ath.Lon’ tracks and vice versa. On the other side, no other album of ours has a ‘Mediterranean’. It’s one of our favourite songs and could easily be the tribute to YAZOO that we always wanted to do.

You will be playing inside the legendary Hansa studios in Berlin, how did this come about and do you have anything different planned for it?

Yes, we had this offer and we didn’t have a second thought about it, it is fantastic to play in the same space were Bowie recorded his Berlin trilogy and DM recorded ‘Black Celebration’ and ‘Some Great Reward’. We are very excited that we are going to play and also stay there. We hope we’ll catch some of the aura of the space.

This is the day before DEPECHE MODE play in Berlin. Having met as Devotees, have you any thoughts on the new album ‘Spirit’?

We’ll be honest. ‘Spirit’ is the most weak DM album. Even ‘Delta Machine’ was far better than ‘Spirit’. Although ‘Going Backwards’ is a fantastic and classic DEPECHE MODE track, the rest of album is like they are trying to imitate and remember what they were.

What is next for MARSHEAUX?

There’s just been a new video released for ‘Now You Are Mine’, but we’re going to have some time off to relax and from September, we’ll continue touring. We need to rest and think about our next move.

‘Ath.Lon – Rejected Demos’ is released as a limited edition cassette by Undo Records, available only from http://undorecords.bigcartel.com/product/marsheaux-the-rejected-demos-cass-ep-ltd

https://www.facebook.com/marsheaux/

https://twitter.com/marsheaux

https://www.instagram.com/marsheaux/

http://www.undorecords.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
11th June 2017

MARSHEAUX, KID KASIO + RODNEY CROMWELL Live at Norwich Epic Studios

12 November 2016 /

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Athens-based synth maidens MARSHEAUX returned to the UK by gracing the beautiful Norfolk city of Norwich at Epic Studios.

The day was kicked off by a marvellous memorabilia exhibition of items from the Synth Britannia era. Deb Danahay’s collection mainly depicted the early years of DEPECHE MODE circa 1981. Deb shared her very first DM fan club information sheets, photos, backstage passes and newspaper cuttings.

As well as that, there were YAZOO fan club photos, backstage passes and personal notes too while one of the UK’s most devoted fans of DEPECHE MODE, Michael Rose treated eager observers to some excellent pieces of rare memorabilia.

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These included tour programmes from the ‘Some Great Reward’, ‘Music For The Masses’ and ‘Violator’ eras. There were the Bong fan club publications as well, plus letters and assorted promo photographs. And there was the famous jacket Dave Gahan wore on the iconic ‘The World We Live In and Live In Hamburg’ video of nearly from the 1984 ‘Some Great Reward’ Tour, and also the first ever live concert release by the Basildon band.

Stephen Roper provided his keepsakes relating to Gary Numan. He collated a book about the Numan’s imperial era entitled ‘Back Stage-A Book Of Reflections’, which featured contributions from the man himself. More recently, Roper has ventured into gig promotion, hosting a successful live appearance by former KRAFTWERK member Wolfgang Flur.

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The happy crowd milling around the venue consisted of diehard fans of electronica, studded with the likes of Sarah Blackwood ex-CLIENT and DUBSTAR, Anais Neon and Martin Swan from VILE ELECTRODES and George Geranios of Undo Records. Also along for the fun were Keith Trigwell of SPEAK & SPELL and Simon Helm of Nordic friendly music blog Cold War Night Life.

The compère for the evening was the lovely Caroline Rose, who was probably the only person in the venue who could pronounce “Les Disques du Crépuscule” and managed to get the audience properly geared up for the evening’s festivities as well as provided interesting info on the night’s acts.

Guest DJ James Nice graced the gathering with a variety of new and vintage tunes. He recently resurrected the prestigious Belgian label Les Disques du Crépuscule and its sister Factory Benelux offshoot, as platforms to issue a plethora of archive and experimental material, as well as releasing new music by MARNIE, MARSHEAUX, DEUX FILLES and LES PANTIES.

Nice, who is a music publisher and writer, with an accomplished 2010 book ‘Shadowplayers: The Rise And Fall Of Factory Records’, now looks after both labels, curating its heritage as well as taking care of new acts. The sleeve notes for these releases are written by the man himself, but as he told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK in his recent interview: “My notes tend to be honest rather than gushing or pseudo-academic, and that’s probably why I rarely get commissioned to write liner notes for other releases!”

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In front of an audience that had gathered from as far as Switzerland, Holland, Ireland, Liverpool and London, RODNEY CROMWELL took to the stage first. Led by Adam Cresswell, his short but sweet set of tunes including ‘Baby Robot’ and ‘Black Dog’ from debut long player ‘Age Of Anxiety’, chronicled his own personal problems with depression. There was also the terrific bonus of his older ARTHUR & MARTHA track ‘Autovia’ featuring bandmate Alice Hubley on lead vocals.

He was pleased with the early crowd turnout as he had told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK earlier this year: “I think it’s harder to get gigs now… maybe that’s because electronic music’s not as fashionable, because back in the mid-noughties, it was on the back of Electroclash and that hipster thing!”. Well, it was a very successful set too and he managed it without blowing up one of his Korgs, like he had done at the warm-up gig in London the day before!

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The golden boy of 2016, Nathan Cooper aka KID KASIO showcased his talents next during a lively 40 minute set. Cooper has had a successful couple of years, releasing his stunning retro-inspired album ‘Sit and Wait’ with such gems as ‘Full Moon Blue’ and ‘The Kodo Song’, which were both performed to a rather appreciative audience.

Previously of THE MODERN and MATINEE CLUB, Cooper has been involved in electronic music for years and worked with all the big names like Stephen Hague. Most recently, he opened a fabulous recording studio Fiction Studios in London, together with his oh-so-famous actor brother Dominic. Cooper managed to pick up a parking fine during rehearsals, so he amusingly pleaded to the audience to buy at least six CDs to cover his losses! His set went down tremendously well; with massively upbeat and entertaining tracks like ‘The Story Of Kid Charlemagne’ and the über fast ‘The End’, the crowd did not want to let KID KASIO off stage.

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KID KASIO certainly prepared the audience for Greek Goddesses MARSHEAUX, whose hour-long set was simply stunning. The duo are soon to play at the first African electronic music festival in Senegal and kicked off with tunes from their latest acclaimed album ‘Ath.Lon’, accompanied by arty background projections. But the big hits like ‘Breakthrough’ from ‘Lumineux Noir’ were also included and inevitably got the audience pumping.

Apart from being pleasing to the eye, Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou also know how to get the crowd going and a few certainly got involved in a very articulated manner. The audience were dancing and singing to the brilliant ‘Inhale’ and the mood continued with DEPECHE MODE’s ‘The Sun & The Rainfall’. With exquisite harmonies brought by the girls, a few people in the audience actually said they preferred MARSHEAUX’s cover album of ‘A Broken Frame’ to the original.

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After the show, many rushed to purchase ‘Ath.Lon’ with its stunning sleeve, dutifully signed by the duo. The demand was such that certain items on the merchandise stand flew out so fast, that a few missed out on goodies such as the lush luminous sleeved ‘Ghost’ 7 inch vinyl.

The happy crowd was entertained and everybody was having a great time. Now, this is what happens when electronic music events are curated by electronic music enthusiasts.

The organisers give their warmest thanks to all the bands, DJs, venue crew, team, helpers and attendees who made the evening such a great success

http://www.marsheaux.com/

http://www.kidkasio.com

http://www.happyrobots.co.uk/

http://www.lesdisquesducrepuscule.com/

http://factorybenelux.com/

http://www.epic-tv.com/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
Photos by John Newstead and Simon Watson
12th November 2016

A Beginner’s Guide to MARSHEAUX

8 September 2016 /

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Originally from Thessaloniki, Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou moved to Athens and came together to further their appreciation of electronic pop music.

Brought up to the sound of the synthesizer and learning to dance to the beat of electronic drums, they lived on a healthy diet of DEPECHE MODE, HUMAN LEAGUE, OMD, SPARKS, SOFT CELL, DURAN DURAN and NEW ORDER. With the moniker derived from the first syllable of the Greek pronunciation of the girls’ first names, the first MARSHEAUX release was a cover of the early synthpop classic ‘Popcorn’ which emerged on the ‘Nu-Romantix’ electro compilation in 2003.

MARSHEAUX’s irresistible mix of classic pop hooks and digi-analogue synthesis has seen the duo play prestigious support slots for OMD, CLIENT and 30 SECONDS TO MARS… the latter’s frontman Jared Leto is a big fan of Marianthi and Sophie!

As well as recording original material on Undo Records, MARSHEAUX have done numerous cover versions and remixed for other artists including DEPECHE MODE, KATY PERRY, THE HUMAN LEAGUE, OMD, MOBY, MYLÈNE FARMER, MESH, MIRRORS and ANDY BELL.

While popular amongst synthpop fans the world over, MARSHEAUX are still comparatively unknown outside of the cognoscenti. With a restriction of one track per project, this Beginner’s Guide acts as an introduction to the varied portfolio of the Athens based synth maidens from 2003 to the present day…

MARSHEAUX Computer Love (2004)

MARSHEAUXebayQueenKUCD001Of their beginnings, MARSHEAUX said in 2012: “we always thought that we would sound like ERASURE or YAZOO melodically, we would be romantic like OMD, have the aesthetics like PET SHOP BOYS and be clever like SPARKS”. While ‘E-Bay Queen’ is a fairly typical debut album with tracks showing promise rather than being outright classics, the bouncy ‘Computer Love’ largely still remains in the MARSHEAUX live set with its feminised vocoder taking centre stage.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘E-Bay Queen’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Dream Of A Disco (2006)

MARSHEAUX_PeekaBooIs a cover or is it Memorex? This interpolation of ‘Space Age Love Song’ by A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS provided MARSHEAUX with their most immediate number yet and the parent album ‘Peek-A-Boo’ saw the ‘E-Bay Queen’ reach adulthood. One of the marketing masterstrokes came with the packaging which included a paper bag ghost mask. Purchasers of the CD wore the bag, took pictures and sent them to the girls… around 3,500 pictures were gathered. Its success secured a wider distribution deal for Undo Records with EMI Greece.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘Peek-A-Boo’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Fischerprice (2007)

Undo LM.End_1The ironically titled ‘Fischerprice’ was written in response to music critics who had considered MARSHEAUX’s brand of synthpop to be childish and made with toys! Although the track was more of a studio experiment and unlikely to win any songwriters awards, it was good fun. It initially appeared on a CD compiled by Undo Records that was given away free with domestic music magazine ‘Pop+Rock’ in Spring 2007, alongside tracks by FOTONOVELA, NIKONN, IT95, ESTE and TECH SOIR.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘E-Bay Queen Is Dead’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Ghost (2008)

An art piece in the MARSHEAUX catalogue, ‘Ghost’ was initially an exclusive 7″ vinyl release that came in special award winning glow-in-the-dark outer cover! Coupled with the NEW ORDER inspired ‘Bizarre Love Duo’, the pairing of songs harked back to the early days of Factory Records where singles were not included on albums and acted as standalone platforms of artistic progress. However, pressure from their German label Out Of Line led to ‘Ghost’ being included on that edition of ‘Lumineux Noir’.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘Odyssey’ via Les Disques du Crépuscule

FOTONOVELA featuring MARSHEAUX So Strange (2008)

MARSHEAUX’s production team FOTONOVELA had an acute understanding of the dancefloor which ensured their own debut album was filled with enticing electronic grooves. Perhaps a little less song orientated than MARSHEAUX’s usual template, Marianthi added her sexy accented touch to the excellent ‘So Strange’. With a ‘Madame Hollywood’ styled analogue pulse, some superb vibrato synth sent chills before the magnificent climax of a magnificent screaming ARP Odyssey based solo.

Available on the FOTONOVELA album ‘Mistakes Are Good’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Exit (2009)

‘Lumineux Noir’ was a wondrous body of work where MARSHEAUX’s wispy synthpop went up several notches. It led some observers to cite MARSHEAUX as the female DEPECHE MODE. Indeed, released at the same time as the Basildon Boys’ lame ‘Sounds Of The Universe’, ‘Lumineux Noir’ was far superior too. ‘Breakthrough’ and ‘Radial Emotion’ put them with LADYTRON and LITTLE BOOTS respectively, while the tense drama of ‘Exit’ was possibly one of the best songs DEPECHE MODE never recorded.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘Lumineux Noir’ via Undo Records

TAREQ featuring MARSHEAUX Playboy (2010)

TAREQ CocoonGreco Jordanian Tareq Souleiman was previously the lead singer of TECH SOIR and his vocal timbres made him electro’s answer to INXS’ Michael Hutchence, as his cover of ‘Need You Tonight’ proved. Part of the Undo stable, collaboration with MARSHEAUX was inevitable. While Marianthi and Sophie remixed ‘Mosquito’, the best track on TAREQ’s debut album, he covered ‘Playboy’ from ‘E-Bay Queen’ in a more club-focused style and roped in the girls to sing on it too.

Available on the TAREQ album ‘Cocoon’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Eyes Without A Face (2011)

marsheaux ebay queen is deadMARSHEAUX are known for their charmingly delightful covers which have included Synth Britannia staples such as ‘New Life’ and ‘Empire State human’. Originally part of a Buffet Libre covers compilation ‘Peace’ in aid of Warchild, they took BILLY IDOL’s ‘Eyes Without A Face’ into elegant synthpop territory away from its MTV friendly new wave roots. The “Les yeux sans visage” refrain was suitably seductive, while the lead vocals were more sophisticated compared with the former William Broad’s pub singer antics.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘E-Bay Queen Is Dead’ via Undo Records

ROLLA SCAPE featuring MARSHEAUX Heaven Is Real (2011)

Rolla_Scape_st__CoverMARSHEAUX found themselves in funky disco mode on this guest appearance with Constantinos Barbopoulos aka ROLLA SCAPE, an Australian electronic musician based in Athens. While the wispy vocal tones of Marianthi Melitsi were unmistakable, the repetitive and sparse dance flavour of ‘Heaven Is Real’, augmented by rhythm guitar, was quite unlike anything else in the MARSHEAUX catalogue and an enjoyable diversion away from their more obvious synthpop template.

Available on the ROLLA SCAPE album ‘Rolla Scape’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Do You Feel? (2012)

E-Bay-Queen-Is-Dead-marianthiThe interim rarities collection ‘E-Bay Queen Is Dead’ gathered covers and unreleased tracks from the MARSHEAUX archives. Although the artwork paid tribute to THE SMITHS’ ‘The Queen Is Dead’, the concept probably had more in common with the Manchester foursome’s ‘Hatful Of Hollow’. ‘Do You Feel?’ had been recorded for their fourth album ‘Inhale’, but was ultimately not included and revealed the high standards of MARSHEAUX’s output, even when it was passed over.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘E-Bay Queen Is Dead’ via Undo Records

SAORI YUKI Yoake No Scat – Marsheaux remix (2012)

MARSHEAUX added to their vast remix portfolio with a terrific reworking of a track dating back to 1969 by veteran Japanese classic singer SAORI YUKI. Adding infectious melodic synth hooks and melancholic washes of sound to the more organic re-recording with PINK MARTINI from 2011, this brought Kayokyoku, a style of Japanese music that absorbed various Western styles like jazz and lounge, into the electro age with a ‘Melody For a New Dawn’.

Available on the SAORI YUKI single ‘Yoake No Scat’ via EMI Japan

MARSHEAUX When We Were Young (2012)

marsheaux when we were youngAn Anglo-German collective of creative minds from various artistic fields, TWINS NATALIA’s debut single ‘When We Were Young’ was declared by MARSHEAUX to be their favourite song of 2008. So the two parties got together for a special split ‘AA’ sided 7 inch single. Marianthi and Sophie sweetly covered ‘When We Were Young’ while in reciprocation, TWINS NATALIA added a more Teutonic demeanour and fiercer euro-rhythmics to their take on ‘Radial Emotion’ from ‘Lumineux Noir’.

Available on the MARSHEAUX / TWINS NATALIA single ‘When We Were Young’ / ‘Radial Emotion’ via Undo Records / Anna Logue Records

MARSHEAUX Come On Now (2013)

MARSHEAUX’s fourth long player ‘Inhale’ had been a long time coming. And when it appeared, the Greek financial crisis had obviously loomed heavy over its making, resulting in more moodier, mid-tempo numbers taking centre stage. However, the feisty ‘Come On Now’ was as an enjoyable, fully realised cousin of BLONDIE’s ‘Call Me’ that was the most immediate song on the album. By now, MARSHEAUX had become Undo Records’ most prized asset, and ‘Inhale’ became the label’s biggest seller to date.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘Inhale’ via Undo Records

FOTONOVELA featuring MARSHEAUX Close To Me (2013)

A new FOTONOVELA album would not have been complete without the voices of MARSHEAUX given how the two parties are joined at the hip. While one of the two featured tracks ‘Big Black Hole’ didn’t veer too far from the usual MARSHEAUX formula, ‘Close To Me’ delivered some enigmatic pop in a surprisingly higher register than Marianthi and Sophie had reached before, recalling SANDRA’s ‘Maria Magdalena’. The excellent album also featured James New, Sarah Blackwood and Bethany Cassidy.

Available on the FOTONOVELA album ‘A Ton Of Love’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Full Attack (2014)

Appropriately, MARSHEAUX’s career compilation ‘Odyssey’ traced their decade long journey between 2004 to 2014. Released on the prestigious Les Disques Du Crépuscule label and compiled by James Nice, ‘Odyssey’ included a previously unissued song ‘Full Attack’ which was held together by a percussive barrage that had not been present in the girls’ work previously. “‘Full Attack’ is about people that use and manipulate others, and keep doing it till there is nothing left” they said.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘Odyssey’ via Les Disques du Crépuscule

MARSHEAUX My Secret Garden – Extended version (2015)

Having previously recorded ‘New Life’ for the ‘Around The World & Back: A Greek Tribute To Depeche Mode’ album released on Undo, a project covering the whole of ‘A Broken Frame’ was not entirely surprising. The stand-out track ‘My Secret Garden’ contained brilliant drum patterns and a fresh approach to the signature DM sounds. The tune came over as a LADYTRON-like extravaganza, filled with a sex appeal and sensuality that was quite unlike the original. The extended version was even better!

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘A Broken Frame’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Burning (2016)

Recorded in London and Athens, a new approach saw MARSHEAUX’s trademark wispiness blended in with a subtle tone of aggression. The opening song on their fifth album proper ‘Burning’ was a harsh, sexy and in your face, with clear references to darker electronica forms while still maintaining the essence of a good tune. The soft voices mesmerised within the heavier synth havoc and looming percussive mantras.

Available on the MARSHEAUX album ‘Ath.Lon’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX Suffer The Children (2016)

A cover of TEARS FOR FEARS’ first single ‘Suffer the Children’, it was a song written by Roland Orzabal that reflected the Bath duo’s interests in Arthur Janov’s Primal Scream therapy to deal with the traumas of childhood. The mood of the innocent childlike vocal refrain in the bridge of the original was maintained throughout MARSHEAUX’s version. The contrast of a wispy female lead vocal paradoxically added extra resonance to the weighty poetry of ‘Suffer The Children’.

Available on the MARSHEAUX digital single ‘Suffer The Children’ via Undo Records

MARSHEAUX play Epic Studios, 114 Magdalen Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1JD on SATURDAY 5TH NOVEMBER 2016 – also appearing will be KID KASIO + RODNEY CROMWELL

http://www.marsheaux.com/

http://www.undorecords.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
8th September 2016, updated 9th February 2021

MARSHEAUX Interview

19 July 2016 /

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Despite their last album of original songs ‘Inhale’ having been released back in 2013, MARSHEAUX have not been idle, issuing a well-received cover album of DEPECHE MODE’s second long player ‘A Broken Frame’ in 2015.

Riding on the sinewave of its unexpected success, the Athens based synth maidens toured Europe, engaging new audiences in Poland and Sweden as well as performing to the synthpop faithful in the recognised MARSHEAUX friendly territory of Germany. Building further on their profile following ‘A Broken Frame’, Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou made their full return with ‘Ath.Lon’ in June.

The ten new songs possess a subtle tone of aggression while retaining the dreamy wispiness of classic MARSHEAUX. They also reignite the vibrant tempo spark that was perhaps missing from some of the tracks on ‘Inhale’ and artistically harks closer to ‘Lumineux Noir’, a body of work that many observers consider to be MARSHEAUX’s best. The duo will also make their first UK live appearance since 2012 on SATURDAY 5TH NOVEMBER at Norwich Epic Studios, when they play alongside KID KASIO and RODNEY CROMWELL.

MARSHEAUX kindly chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about ‘Ath.Lon’ and the challenges it presented from being a product of two quite different cities…

Your ‘A Broken Frame’ covers album appears to have been very well received around the world. Why do you think this has been?

When we started to work on ‘A Broken Frame’, we thought we should make it as if it was released in that early 80s era, but with female vocals. We managed to create that in full, on the extended version of ‘My Secret Garden’. We couldn’t do it though with tracks like ‘Monument’, ‘See You’ and ‘A Photograph of You’.

With these tracks, we tried something different that turned out really nice. We liked it. It turned out that people liked it too, which makes us extremely happy. We showed respect to the original songs and the listeners felt that. The artwork was like an expansion of the original and the music was faithful to the original ideas. The audience validated our idea and we felt that it was a worthwhile attempt, a really serious work of love.

Are you planning to do any more covers or is that it?

We are going to release a 10 inch limited edition of ‘Get The Balance Right’. This will be the last one from the ‘A Broken Frame’ period. ‘Get The Balance Right’ was DEPECHE MODE’s first single after the release of ‘A Broken Frame’, but it never appeared on ‘Construction Time Again’. So you can tell that it belongs to the same period.

Your set at Electronic Summer 2015 in Gothenburg was very well received by the audience. So what’s so special about Sweden?

People from Sweden have an unbelievable awareness about electropop music. They do appreciate a good concert and they are in no way a ‘dead’ audience. Even in-between live performances, they were dancing to Robert Maelow and THE SILICON TEENS’ singles. It was absolutely fantastic. We were supposed to be backstage, but we spent most of the time hanging around with people. We had a great time at Electronic Summer in Gothenburg.

As a result, you were asked by VNV NATION to support them on their recent tour of Germany. How did you find connecting with their audience in a live context as VNV’s music is quite different from your own?

Their audience was really different indeed. All the venues we played at with VNV were packed and it seemed as if you’d joined a security firm convention *laughs*

Everyone was dressed in black, like a strict uniform. Somehow Ronan convinced the audiences to be there from early on to catch the guest act and during our performances, the venues were fully packed, something we do appreciate a lot. It made us feel warm and welcomed. Ronan is a fantastic person. Mark, as well. He’s so tall – as big as a wall [sic!]

He looks different on stage but when you meet him person-to-person, he’s really funny. They both offered us great hospitality. Maybe they have some Greek blood in their veins? *laughs*

The new album is called ‘Ath.Lon’, how do you explain its concept?

‘Ath.Lon’ is our first album that was being worked in two countries. We worked on five tracks in Greece and the rest of the album was done through a lot of emails and plenty of London-Athens back-and-forth travelling. That is how the title came out.

You chose ‘Safe Tonight’ to launch the album?

It’s a classic Marsheaux track. It follows our tradition for uplifting summer songs. It’s ideal for driving. We love it a lot.

‘Ath.Lon’ appears to showcase a subtle, but more aggressive side to MARSHEAUX like on ‘Burning’, how has that come about?

Actually, only ‘Burning’ is a bit aggressive. All the other tracks are pure pop. We like working on those sorts of tracks – more aggressive – but we always end up with pop songs. It seems that our pop side is stronger than the aggressive one.

‘Strong Enough’ sounds a bit like CHVRCHES, are they the saviours of synthpop?

CHVRCHES are fantastic. You can’t find a mediocre song on their albums and they have managed to have this amazing balance between the strong compositions, the vocals you can’t easily forget and this huge production. We like them a lot and we are very happy to see that they get the success they deserve.

So “It’s The Beginning Of The End”?

Maybe yes, maybe no… we’d expand our thoughts with SMASHING PUMPKINS ‘The End Is The Beginning Is The End’, their awesome theme for ‘Batman & Robin’ back in 1997…

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How did you decide which songs ended up on ‘Ath.Lon’ and others like ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Treasure’ were bonuses?

We tried to make the final ten track listing at least ten times! Each time, we added a different track in. Finally we asked George and Nick from Undo Records to do it for us, so they decided for the final track listing. We gave up, it was hopeless.

Which are your favorite songs on ‘Ath.Lon’?

Sophie changes her mind every time. Now it’s ‘The Beginning Of The End’. It’s the ‘Sorrow’ track of ‘Ath.Lon’. Mellow and epic at the same time, we always try and put a track that is not strictly electropop.

Marianthi loves ‘Like A Movie’, it makes her feel positive and happy.

You’re still doing remixes for other artists and the latest one ‘Dirty Air’ for KID MOXIE appears to have a big DM influence?

KID MOXIE was the last one we did. We stopped doing remixes to concentrate on our new album. But Elena’s original track was very good and we couldn’t resist it.

Have you tried these new old styled synths like the Prophet 12, Pro2 or Korg ARP Odyssey?

We tried Korg’s Monotrons, but they’re like toys. After a while you get bored of them. We prefer messing with our Polysix or Monopoly instead. We haven’t checked Prophet 12 yet though.

After your question, we were intrigued to check the Korg ARP Odyssey though. Although we didn’t like the reissue of Korg MS-20 Mini, the reissue of ARP Odyssey sounds fantastic. It’s stable and flexible and the sound is totally analogue. The mini-keys are not a problem for us as our fingers are small and we are used to our Micro-Korgs after all these years. Maybe men won’t like these mini-keys *laughs*

It’s been a while since you played to UK, but you are returning in November to play in Norwich…

It’s always a pleasure to play, we love to play in front of people who know our songs and what MARSHEAUX is all about. ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK was there for us from the very beginning. You can’t turn your back on this.


You appear more comfortable with live work than in the past?

That is true. Being on stage is not our absolutely favourite part of the procedure. Although with years of having all these lives, it is much better. We always have a ritual before going on stage that makes it kind of easier. Maybe we got to be in front of huge audiences too early, it was kind of a shock. Either way we manage today to have a confidence and be more communicative.

What the world needs right now in these turbulent times is love?

We always loved talking about love in our songs. Love is the driving force in everything. Sometimes it is really hard to express it in a song within two verses and two choruses. We really envy people that can do that fluently. In many occasions, we’ve discussed about OMD using the word love in ‘Junk Culture’ for the first time. It is so weird.

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How do you feel about how the electronic scene is developing now, especially with acts like YEARS & YEARS being called synthpop?

How can you put YEARS & YEARS and CHVRCHES under the same roof? YEARS & YEARS are NOT synthpop. Placing two synthesizers in front of a band doesn’t make them a synthpop band. Synthpop is a lot of other things, not just a synthesizer. Apart from the music, there is also the attitude in a band.

Υou can tell DURAN DURAN’s debut is synthpop, even if there are real drums, bass and guitar on all tracks. We saw an article that said they were “an electronic band with a heavy rock guitarist bolted on”. It’s the same with ULTRAVOX and many other bands.

For sure you can’t say that YEARS & YEARS are synthpop. Maybe the production is electronic, but the entire attitude is not. With a different production, the album would be like Adele! Would you call Adele’s ‘Send My love (To Your New Lover)’ synthpop? No, but with a different production it would stand as synthpop, if we accept that YEARS & YEARS are synthpop. You could make a superb hypnotic electro dance track with Adele’s ‘Send My Love (To Your New Lover)’, which is an absolutely fantastic track.

On the other hand, we are really happy that the electronic scene is growing and growing well through the other music genres. You hear electro hip-hop from artists like Kanye West, or totally electro synth tracks from totally pop artists like Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. This is a fantastic period. So much beautiful stuff to listen to!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to MARSHEAUX

‘Ath.Lon’ is released by Undo Records in a variety of physical and digital formats

http://www.marsheaux.com/

http://www.undorecords.com/

http://www.epic-tv.com/events/tec004-the-electricity-club-ft-marsheaux-kid-kasio-rodney-cromwell/

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
19th July 2016

MARSHEAUX Ath.Lon

13 June 2016 /

A fair few years have passed since Marsheaux debuted with ‘Popcorn’ in their native Greece.

Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou had been bred on the staple diet of all the correct electronic acts of the synth dominated age: DEPECHE MODE, ERASURE, THE HUMAN LEAGUE, OMD and NEW ORDER being firm favourites. 2004 heralded their first album, ‘E-Bay Queen’ on Undo Records, which was duly noted in the “we love anything synth” circles across Europe.

It was followed by ‘Peek A Boo’, which included the magnificent take on New Order’s ‘Regret’. It wasn’t until the third LP, ‘Lumineux Noir’, that the duo got a widespread recognition, leading to festival appearances and securing valuable support slots as well as remixing many of their genre’s peers.

‘Inhale’ was what the Greek songstresses described as “atmospheric electro pop”, and 2015 brought their most daring project yet, a cover of the entire of ‘A Broken Frame’ by DEPECHE MODE. Courageous as it was, the pair managed to grasp the soul of the most unloved DM album and transform it into a new dimension of unconventional sounds and vocals.
And now comes ‘Ath.Lon’.

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The opus’ title, as obscure as it may sound, actually derives from the names of two cities: Athens and London. Both capitals served as a core for MARSHEAUX ‘s new material, with Marianthi moving to London, forcing journeys between England and Greece. The ten tracks were produced by MARSHEAUX themselves, with Undo house production duo FOTONOVELA and Rodrigo Silva-Ramos, while mixed in London by Nikonn and Dominique Brethes at FloW Mastering.

The opening ‘Burning’ is harsh, sexy, in your face, and with clear Numan influences. The soft voices mesmerise beyond control, weaving in between the heavy synth havoc, leading onto ‘Like A Movie’; a classic, cheerfully uncomplicated synth pop tune with a Motorik backbone, modelled on early DEPECHE MODE.

‘Sunday’ steps in with demure vocals over a slower paced track. The excellently layered sounds float above the clouds of regal electronica, before the classic sounding ‘Wild Heart’ enters, with NEW ORDER-esque guitar added to a piece SAINT ETIENNE wouldn’t be ashamed of. ‘Now You Are Mine’ superbly towers above the rest, with confident vocals, packaged within a dose of ‘Ultra’ era DEPECHE MODE, while ‘Strong Enough’ is an effervescent amalgamation of sassy, crunchy and capable synth, laced with the signature sexy rendition from Sophie and Marianthi.

The first single heralding ‘Ath.Lon’ is ‘Safe Tonight’. This light-hearted nod to classic synth is optimistic, sunny and warm. The superb production bursts into being with this subdued, yet powerful number. ‘Let’s Take A Car’ brings the tempo to “fast is best” again, where the girls want to “mess around all night”, driving around the city and making “a fuss… so madly in love”. It’s yet another untroubled track reminiscent of the best early electronica.

The closing ‘The Beginning Of The End’ ominously wraps around the production with excellent tonality and superb vocals. MARSHEAUX really leave the best till last here; including astonishing strings, marvellous synth and the atmosphere of uncertainty and despair, this can only equal an evocative synth track which the audiences have grown to expect from the proficient Greek Goddesses.

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If the above wasn’t enough, MARSHEAUX have treated the grateful receiver to five additional tracks as a bonus. iTunes exclusive ‘Butterflies’ flutters with classic Sophie / Marianthi hooks while from ‘The.Ath.Lon’ boxed set, ‘Happiness’ glows with Greek sunshine, while the tempo slows down with ‘How Beautiful’ and ‘Stay Wild’; the latter laced with excellent synthscapes. A faster pace returns to wrap up the gift with ‘Treasure’, which is bursting with zest and freshness, leaving the listener wishing there was more to come.

The obvious success of ‘A Broken Frame’ seems to have elevated the duo to the comfort of having the ability to look into the future through a lens of optimism and new found confidence. ‘Ath.Lon’ could also stand for “athlos”, meaning achievement for the pair, with this glorious production crowning their twelve years’ of accomplishments. MARSHEAUX do not disappoint, bringing the ever fresh, uncomplicated and honest material, whilst remaining unassuming and true to themselves. It’s another triumph.

‘Ath.Lon’ is released by Undo Records in CD, vinyl and download formats, iTunes version contains the additional track ‘Butterflies’

‘The.Ath.Lon’ limited 2CD box set with four bonus tracks and 14 art prints is available from:
http://undorecords.bigcartel.com/product/limited-cdun62-marsheaux-ath-lon-2cd-box

http://www.marsheaux.com/

https://www.facebook.com/marsheaux/

https://twitter.com/marsheaux

http://www.undorecords.com/

https://www.instagram.com/marsheaux/

Text by Monika Izabela Goss
13th June 2016

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