Shallow electropop and electroclash

IdleRich

IdleRich
Got this 10" recently, more lo-fi and downtempo but it def has that sassy comedy thing going on.

OK, so I was bored, and I looked on discogs... and it says "Lyrics By, Vocals – Tree Carr (tracks: A1)"

And then I clicked on Tree Carr and that took me to "Tree Carr is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist and actress that has played in a variety of London based bands and has appeared in several films. She is also the owner of "Today is Boring" a cult DVD rental shop and film society based in East London."

That name Today is Boring takes me back and it all makes sense cos I think that Gobsausage were something to do with that shop too. Just before those "DVDs in the mail" things put shops out of business (and then the fact of every film you wanted being online put the mail order ones out of business in turn), I used to go to Today is Boring all the time cos it had a great selection of weird films. They also used to do showings of films and they did Twin Peaks too I seem to remember, can't remember the format but I feel I went there every day for a month or something to watch the whole of the first two series. And I'd completely forgotten it ever existed until I read that link above. Weird how that happens.

Right down to its name Today is Boring seemed like a sort of rock n roll dvd library in some way, in my mind I did sort of associate it with the cheap and silly (ok, the even cheaper and sillier), borderline pornographic end of electroclash.
 
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IdleRich

IdleRich
Anyways... how about some more tips on nice electropop sevens, there must be loads more of them out there so hit me up please.
 

chava

Well-known member
Could never get with Peaches either, music for new york hipsters with smelly armpits.
Uh, I remember likeing the first Peaches album in fact but it has aged really badly.

Anyways I quite remember that period. Techno had come to a definite halt economically (distributers going down) and aesthetically (boring Millsian techno) and minimal Kompakt style not really bringing the energy up. It was DJ Hell who had the balls to go that way reusing 80s tropes, but after a few years the faschionistas where all over it and it got embarrasing of course. The best bridge between "deep" (respectable) electro and the electroclash/new wavey/fashion-esque stuff was probably stuff coming out of the clone/bunker dudes from NL.

Best act from back then IMO was adult. who had the punk vibe going on early. I was a huge fan.

 

Leo

Well-known member
pulsinger/potuznik with the goth/electro sleaze crossover, doesn't kick in until the one minute mark.

 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Klaus Nomi cover

R.I.P. lad
Queen of Japan did that version of Kiss - I Was Made for Loving You which is fun
Never understood that Black Lodgeg one, my friend had it but I never liked it. Is it Oh Superman in there? Male Stripper, Laidback, what else?
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
the original kiss version of that is actually pretty good, have it on 7".
I think I have it on twelve somewhere. Certainly the Queen of Japan one I do.
I remember Church of Carbon too, they had a few songs didn't they?
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
A few people have mentioned Adult and I never responded. But yeah they were obviously a cut above some of the dross.
Here they are covering Me and My Rhythm Box from the Liquid Sky soundtrack.



Here the version from the film



People often pointed to Liquid Sky as a big influence on the whole electroclash aesthetic - and as it was about NY hipsters, heroin and an androgynous alien supermodel who said things such as "I kill with my cunt" it's hard to disagree.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Cafe Flesh too I guess



Some guy reviewin Cafe Flesh here... I haven't watched it all yet but he describes it as a mixture of Forbidden Zone, Liquid Sky and Bladerunner in an x-rated world.

EDIT: I have watched the review now and I recommend it, the guy is very enthusiastic but at times he lacks the eloquence or articulacy to find the words he wants so you just get him saying what come across as lists of almost random things to try and express his excitement "Dark, very dark, industrial, x-rated, artistic" and making up for the lack of vocabulary by putting so much stress on every word.

Here's a direct quote "We're kinda in this industrial wasteland where we have this cascading white lighting in the darkness, in the darkness of the night, in the darkness of Cafe Flesh, in the smokey darkness of Cafe Flesh... this is... what a unique... you get a piece... you see those characters in the film in the smoke, what a unique, industrial wasteland, x-rated, theatrical, artistic film" - which many would find annoying but to me shows a genuine struggle to express how exciting he found the film.



If you haven't seen Forbidden Zone it's a weird campy expressoinist film made by more NY hipsters. Danny Elfman was involved if I remember correctly.
 
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Leo

Well-known member
Mitchell Froom, now there's a blast from the past. I had a couple of his records back in the 90s.

Also, for as "important" as it was in the history of early-80s no-budget punk cinema, "Liquid Sky" is a pretty cornball film.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Mitchell Froom, now there's a blast from the past. I had a couple of his records back in the 90s.

Also, for as "important" as it was in the history of early-80s no-budget punk cinema, "Liquid Sky" is a pretty cornball film.
Yeah it's bollocks innit.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
This is the one I liked...memories of Old St roundabout at 3.30am stamped on my brain

One of our friends had a birthday party during lockdown where she hired a place in the middle of nowhere and had a load of djs playing in a chalet and someone played this and it was doing my head in trying to remember what it was. Proper tip of the tongue type thing.
It's a great tune anyhow, something about the vocal, the way it drones its way into your head. When I worked out what it was I pulled out my copy and played it for the first time in years.
 
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