Electroclash. Please educate.

I don't think La Rock by Vitalic fits this topic much. It's techno.

I was really into the album. Then I went to see her live and I though she'd be a real babe and she's not, she's a moose. So it detracts from the music.

As though a woman in her 30s, who doesn't resemble a photo-model (like 99% of us), means she's not entitled to be overtly sexual. Not sure whether to be annoyed, or enjoy, their displeasure. Fuck the pain away kicks serious ass btw.

Peaches looks fine, it's the music that I don't like. And yes it's impossible to read a feature which doesn't mention her looks (even the positive ones go not-conventionally-attractive) - it's also impossible to read one which doesn't slaver over her presumed bravery in being a woman singing/performing about sex. Assuming this is true, why is this still a big deal in rock/pop?? - it implies a degree of sexual conservatism which the rest of pop culture and society seems to lack.

Ian - I wouldn't presume to tell you how to think, but BUY "AMERICAN GIGOLO" NOW! :) There are plenty of other electroclash threads to read here too. Go to the "Unclassified" threads page and do a word search and you'll find them easily.

Who is 'American Gigolo' by?

And would any electroclash hataz care to kick a bit of reality into the midsts? Actually, I'll check out those old threads for some o'that.

"it's big with londoners. it aint with us mancs. and, i'm saying it's romo all over again."

I'm affronted! How DARE you speak on behalf of all Mancs. Being a big main Manchead I say that Electroclash is rather respected up here with the grunting locals. And then you go on to dismiss Romo?! My good god, Orlando and Sexus might have been the only decent Romoey acts out of a big pile of shit, but two good bands is surely enough for the scene to regarded with a touch of fondness and respect. And they all wore suits. And used brass. And did a song where you can hear loads of hangers-on in the studio, clapping and cheering along like ALL the greats (Dexys, Miracles, umm..). So shush your filthy Manc mouth or I'll meet you in Tiger Lounge and blow smoke in your face and give you a penetrating stare.

And while we're on about Romo, could Mcalmont and Butler be classed as such? They sure as hell looked it. And dressed it. And sounded like it. But am I missing some fundamental reason why they weren't ever seen as such? ramble ramble... 'Yes' and 'You do' were oh so gorgeous, rest of album was bullshit, will they be any good this time round? I should really stick this in a new Romey post..

Is it old man Ned thundering over here with a delightfully wry observation sticking out his back pocket?

The gladioli get in the way, I'm afraid.

I'll always love Orlando for 'Just for a second' and 'Nature's hated'. If anyone can help me get mp3s of their album, b-sides, etc, i'll be supergrateful and owe you a favour of some sort.

Also, if you like Sexus, then keep an ear out for Ex-Rental. "End Of The World" sounds like a cross between My Life Story and Sexus. For some this is a hideous thought. I like them, I didn't use to but I changed my mind. Also Sean co-wrote Just For A Second.

(re: McAlmont + Butler's Romo credentials, McAlmont = Romo, Butler = not Romo)

Um, yes, Electroclash. People say "Fischerspooner only have three good songs etc" this is almost correct but also totally irrelevant. They have one AMAZING song, they don't need anymore - haha, they celebrate this fact by doing Emerge THREE times during their gigs. Most punk band since Daphne And Celeste.

Adult have great songs but it all gets a bit much after more than a few minutes. Same for Miss Kitten.

(Also, if Jamie is allowed to plug his band, his friend's band and his girlfriend's band upthread, then I feel obliged to recommend to plug Riviera. HTML always goes wrong for me. Anyway, go to www.iloveriviera.co.uk if you want to listen to MP3 song clips)

I'm surprised that, as far as I know, there hasn't been a 20 year anniversary electroclash revival yet

Well I guess this is it...

still listen to Miss Kittin's mix cd for Musik Magazine, only once every six months now, but it's definitely not out of rotation.

I'm not sure that rockist hipsters discovering the existence of dance music is something that can really happen on a recurring basis

Peaches has been touring/playing festivals (to coincide with her big album's 20th anniversary)... that may be the extent of it.

just in time to release great-grandfatherfucker

My only thought is that it's because electroclash (or whatever it spawned) only just about went away 6-7 years ago

The sexism in the first few posts feels like it belongs to a different era, thank fuck.

This just came out a few months ago and is excellent - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsxaHF8YoO4

Bring on the revival! Especially the live aspects

I feel like electroclash never really lived up to its promise... you had these Larry Tee events, bands like W.I.T. who weren't actually very good.. and you had some really excellent stuff, a lot of which is documented here. But there was this feeling I had in New York at the time that somehow rock and electro were combining, that acts like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Fischerspooner and Felix Thee Housecat and The Knife and Chicks on Speed and The Rapture were going to swirl up a new kind of music, and I guess they sort of did, for awhile, but.. well I don't know what I'm bemoaning exactly. A lack of institutions? Some sort of structure or movement that carried forward?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VNffcygxAQ

Here's a favourite deep cut of mine, a Ross Orton from Add (N) To X one-off

^ I never got an actual audio version of that song but I've DJ'd the Youtube rip many, many, many times

Mmm yeah… it did sort of feel like “here is the next configuration”, and I saw a bunch of young bands that were something like an Iggy glam front person and two Korgs. It filtered into other scenes, early Glass Candy, Lost Sounds. But it hit the shredder of the blog era where everything is a rabbit hole and nothing is a new wave.

^ aka the best time in pop history

I don’t disagree! But very different from the expectations of the previous century.

the Fischerspooner remix of Kylie’s “come into my world” is one of my very favorite tracks of the 00s

for some reason i don’t think of Peaches as electroclash at all, even though she would seem to tick all the boxes.

she headlined this electroclash “showcase” thing I saw in late 2002, openers were chicks on speed, WIT, and Larry Tee was there doing something

for some reason i don’t think of Peaches as electroclash at all, even though she would seem to tick all the boxes.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, May 26, 2023 5:45 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think of her as electroclash more than the other acts you mentioned

The kids are revisiting “indie sleaze” which has slight overlap w electroclash but also includes things as late as like 2010.

Electroclash is kind of like wax trax to lcd soundsystem a nine inch nails or something. Kids totally know the latter almost to the exclusion of the former

Nine inch nails is actually probably even worse in how it soaks up the stolen valor

there was this feeling I had in New York at the time that somehow rock and electro were combining

hot take: the mega success of daft punk, lcd soundsystem, hot chip, etc is proof electroclash and not house music won the day in america

hot take #2: electroclash was abt seeing and being scene and acting sleazy “in da club”. house music is abt staring into strobe lights, dancing with your head in a bassbin, smoke machines, a basement a red light and a feeling

between social media, party photographers, and “festival culture”, electroclash was already fated to win

hot take #3: the world is ruined, young ppl suck and need to get the fuck off my lawn, where’s the remote, i’ve fallen and i can’t get up

punishers and coworkers must die

https://www.dukeupress.edu/raving

I started listening to special interest recently and they're everything I ever wanted and never quite got from this stuff

lol...so not electroclash basically

hot take: the mega success of daft punk, lcd soundsystem, hot chip, etc is proof electroclash and not house music won the day in america

I know I’ve heard Stardust in heavy rotation on some mainstream American radio stations, Daft Punk probably was too — but it was the house D.P. not the electroclash (if there even was any?)

I saw Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem put on some great shows in America but I missed the part where they were in heavy mainstream rotation at all. Granted I basically stopped listening to stations that might play them but am I wrong?

The thing is, Janet Jackson had hits over house beats in the early 90s. C&C Music Factory surely charged higher back in the day than LCD Soundsystem ever did ffs. House has been a normal part of America pop for a long time. Electroclash never was.

*C&C Music Factory surely charted higher

Don’t make me stan for C&C Music Factory again. They invented garage!

Muphry’s Law

random but I like this historic nabisco post (hopefully he doesnt mind me highlighting, 20 years later, an earnest post enthusing about electroclash, but I really like the post)

Article Response: Stylus on Electroclash

Definitely a good point about the genre being well suited to compilations because of the diversity of ideas. For me it was mainly associated with blogs tho, at the time it hit that hipster clout sweet spot they were all chasing after.

Maybe my definition of electroclash is a bit wider than most, but it felt like this, the Two Lone Swordsmen album 'Tiny Reminders' and the 2ManyDjs mix were all instrumental in setting some sort of electro-flavoured agenda for the years to come and arguably defining much of the sound of the 2000s.

So while electroclash as a minigenre was short lived and faddy, I don't think things like LCD Soundsystem, mid-2000s electro-house, hell even something like La Roux's 'In For The Kill' would have been as big as they were without that little electroclash match doing a bit of trickle-up

i heard emerge played a lot. i remember thinking the album was p good. there was a lot of hatred for them because of the supposed advance they got from people who preached the usual deep cult of authenticity electronic music stuff but ironically this hatred itself had nothing to do with music.

Not really anything to do with this thread but a band just popped into my head that I really want to play but can't for the life of me remember their name.

Two blokes. Adored by Simon Price. Had a video that featured someone who looked a bit like Amanda Abington doing some good dancing. In my head the two blokes looked like Johnny Hates Jazz but that might be my brain failing me.

Miss the days when Zongamin turned up on every DJ comp/night out.

I just asked Microsoft's co-pilot ai search:

the answer:

Hurts - Wonderful Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TttjeXZYE8

'Emerge' is a stone-cold banger, honestly. Agree that most of that comp is not electroclash as we olds knew it.

Two blokes. Adored by Simon Price. Had a video that featured someone who looked a bit like Amanda Abington doing some good dancing. In my head the two blokes looked like Johnny Hates Jazz but that might be my brain failing me.

― djh, Tuesday, 25 February 2025 19:02 (four minutes ago)

Orlando?

It was Hurts!

(Ta!)

“indie sleaze” just puts Terry Richardson and the American Apparel guy in my head, would love to never read those words together again.

SXSW, next month

Italians Do It Better x INDIE SLEAZE is bringing the electroclash chaos to Austin

Italians Do It Better x INDIE SLEAZE is bringing the electroclash chaos to Austin 🖤⚡

🕶️ DESIRE (DJ Set) | 🎤 KAP BAMBINO | ⚡ Master Peace | 🔮 Annie-Claude Deschênes | 🌊 Maryze | 🐅 Tiger Bae

📍 Elysium, March 11 | Official SXSW Showcase

Sweat. Synths. Chaos. If you know,… pic.twitter.com/f7oVQZPx8y

— 𝙖𝙩𝙭𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩 (@atxconcert) February 5, 2025

this fisherspooner Kylie rmx is one of my favorite tracks of the 00s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee8RzKjzEHo

My favourite thing about "We Are Your Friends" is how it was always an end-of-the-night tune but I hated it so it meant I could go grab my jacket from the cloakroom before a queue formed.

I love the press release calling this a "global scene" when 99% of people involved in the music of this compilation are white.

Actually where is The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix) on this?

The Fred Falke stuff was way to smooth and housey to be part of the whole Electroclash thing?

I asked Claude Ai to create a 50 track 00s Electroclash compilation, these are results:

ELECTRIC BOULEVARD: 50 ESSENTIAL ELECTROCLASH TRACKS (2000-2009)
DISC 1: THE PIONEERS

Fischerspooner - "Emerge" (2001)
The definitive electroclash anthem that brought the genre to mainstream attention
Miss Kittin & The Hacker - "Frank Sinatra" (2000)
Provocative lyrics over minimal electro beats that defined the genre's aesthetic
Peaches - "Fuck the Pain Away" (2000)
Raw, sexually charged electro-punk that became an underground phenomenon
Ladytron - "Seventeen" (2002)
Cold, synthetic pop with a dark edge and unforgettable hooks
ADULT. - "Hand to Phone" (2001)
Detroit duo's robotic masterpiece of detached vocals and harsh electronics
Felix Da Housecat - "Silver Screen Shower Scene" feat. Miss Kittin (2001)
Glamorous club track that epitomized electroclash's fusion of past and future
Chicks on Speed - "We Don't Play Guitars" (2003)
Art-school electroclash with a punk attitude and tongue-in-cheek lyrics
Tiga - "Sunglasses at Night" (2001)
Iconic cover that reimagined 80s synth-pop through an electroclash lens
Mount Sims - "How We Do" (2002)
Sleazy electro grooves with a distinct Berlin underground feel
Soviet - "Candy Girl" (2001)
New York electroclash with hypnotic beats and detached delivery

DISC 2: EUROPEAN CIRCUIT

Ellen Allien - "Stadtkind" (2001)
Berlin techno pioneer's ode to the city that became an electroclash touchstone
DJ Hell - "Keep On Waiting" feat. Billy Ray Martin (2003)
International Deejay Gigolos label head's perfect fusion of electro and disco
Miss Kittin - "Professional Distortion" (2002)
Solo track showcasing the First Lady of Electroclash's deadpan delivery
Vitalic - "La Rock 01" (2001)
French producer's hard-hitting electro masterpiece that energized dancefloors
Zombie Nation - "Kernkraft 400" (1999/2000)
Stadium-filling electro anthem that crossed over to mainstream success
Alter Ego - "Rocker" (2004)
Minimal yet massive electrohouse track that dominated clubs
MOTOR - "Sweatbox" (2006)
Brutal industrial-tinged electroclash produced by Mr. Oizo
Anthony Rother - "Sex With the Machines" (2001)
German electro futurism with vocoder vocals and machine precision
Uffie - "Pop the Glock" (2006)
Ed Banger Records' electroclash princess with attitude-filled electro-rap
Digitalism - "Zdarlight" (2007)
Hamburg duo's epic blend of electroclash aesthetics with progressive structures

DISC 3: NEW YORK UNDERGROUND

The Faint - "Glass Danse" (2001)
Indie rock meets electroclash in this dark dancefloor favorite
Scissor Sisters - "Filthy/Gorgeous" (2004)
Glam disco-electroclash hybrid that conquered clubs worldwide
LCD Soundsystem - "Losing My Edge" (2002)
James Murphy's semi-autobiographical anthem of musical credibility
Crossover - "Phostographt" (2001)
Larry Tee production that exemplified the NY electroclash scene
W.I.T. - "She's a Dracula" (2004)
Whatever It Takes' vampire-themed electro with female trio vocals
Avenue D - "Do I Look Like a Slut?" (2004)
Outrageous electro-rap duo with X-rated lyrics and infectious beats
A.R.E. Weapons - "Don't Be Scared" (2001)
NYC punk attitude meets primitive electronics
Le Tigre - "Deceptacon" (2000)
Feminist electropunk from Kathleen Hanna that influenced the electroclash aesthetic
Cazwell - "All Over Your Face" (2006)
Openly gay rapper's club track that merged electroclash with hip-hop
Carlos D - "The Vanity Stare" (2004)
Interpol bassist's side project exploring darker electroclash territories

DISC 4: GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

Goldfrapp - "Strict Machine" (2003)
Alison Goldfrapp's sultry vocals over glam-electro production
Soulwax - "NY Excuse" (2004)
Belgian brothers' LCD Soundsystem collaboration with irresistible groove
Röyksopp - "Eple" (2001)
Norwegian duo's melodic electronica that influenced the electroclash movement
FC Kahuna - "Hayling" (2002)
British electronica with hypnotic vocals that captured the zeitgeist
Freeform Five - "No More Conversations" (2004)
UK producer's vocoder-heavy club track with electroclash sensibilities
Zongamin - "Serious Trouble" (2002)
Japanese producer's quirky electronic experiments on XL Recordings
Kap Bambino - "New Breath" (2008)
French duo's aggressive digital punk that pushed electroclash to its limits
Telex - "How Do You Dance" (Playgroup Remix) (2006)
Belgian electronic pioneers remixed for the electroclash generation
Tiefschwarz - "Never" (2002)
German brothers' deep house-electroclash fusion with haunting vocal samples
Towa Tei feat. Kylie Minogue - "German Bold Italic" (2005)
Japanese producer's collaboration with pop princess, reimagined for electroclash clubs

DISC 5: LEGACY & EVOLUTION

Crystal Castles - "Alice Practice" (2006)
Glitchy, aggressive electropunk that took electroclash into new territories
M.I.A. - "Galang" (2004)
Global electroclash fusion that brought the sound to new audiences
Justice - "Waters of Nazareth" (2006)
French duo's distorted electro that evolved the electroclash sound
The Presets - "Are You the One?" (2005)
Australian electro duo combining electroclash with indie dance sensibilities
Simian Mobile Disco - "Hustler" (2007)
British producers who brought electroclash elements to the indie dance scene
Black Strobe - "I'm a Man" (2007)
French electro rockers' bluesy take on the electroclash aesthetic
The Knife - "Silent Shout" (2006)
Swedish siblings' dark electronic masterpiece that pushed the genre forward
Hot Chip - "Over and Over" (2006)
British band's nerdy-yet-cool fusion of electroclash with indie sensibilities
The Rapture - "House of Jealous Lovers" (2002)
Dance-punk track produced by DFA that bridged rock and electroclash
La Roux - "In For The Kill" (2009)
Mainstream pop success that carried electroclash's 80s-inspired synth sounds forward

mostly a much better list, praise the robot, but some weird choices. also basically anything after 2005 is not electroclash and that's p generous. i was gonna say 2004 but 'do i look like a slut' confounds me as i am sure i heard that before 2005, way before, i feel like.

a lot of stuff on there that has nothing to do with it too, like how is house of the jealous lovers electroclash? it may have been played at the same parties but it obv isn't that. same with vitalic tbh which i never thought of as electroclash and, since it came out in 2001, was being played by like hard techno djs before it went overground. i am sure i saw like billy nasty or someone play it before i knew what it was.

that's the thing i guess about these scenes, prob heard a lot of tracks off that felix da housecat album played by a fairly wide range of djs and then when it became 'electroclash' some people are abandoning ship cos can't be associated with something popular/hard-coded.

'nobody will be listening/
to this nonsense/
in twenty years/
love is hard in these troubled times'

― LocalGarda, Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10:56 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

this post was slept on by me and I repent of that. it is lol

xpost yeah I first heard “Frank Sinatra” on a Danny Tenaglia mix for Global Underground from early 1999 (he followed it with Anthony Rother just to show that he wasn’t fucking around)

https://www.discogs.com/release/23559-Tiga-American-Gigolo

how is house of the jealous lovers electroclash?

To me, electroclash’s defining feature was the “open format party”, where basically you’d hear all manner of music all night and a band would play for twenty minutes around midnight. The Rapture isn’t electroclash but that song fit in perfectly at those parties, but I mean, so did old stuff like Joan Jett and Tuxedomoon.

I agree and disagree with ronan depending on the specific point.. the rapture definitely not electroclash, but vitalic had electroclash bangers… a song can be from outside the scene and still become a staple or mainstay. Aesthetically la rock 101 fits and house of jealous lovers doesn’t and it’s mainly in the name … where’s the ELECTRO

Felix I also think of being at once bigger than electroclash and clearly a part of it … he embraced it

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_electroclash_bands_and_artists

...

Gang Gang Dance

...

...

To me, electroclash’s defining feature was the “open format party”, where basically you’d hear all manner of music all night and a band would play for twenty minutes around midnight. The Rapture isn’t electroclash but that song fit in perfectly at those parties, but I mean, so did old stuff like Joan Jett and Tuxedomoon.

i defo agree with that i guess i just don't think of all that music as electroclash, cos the actual tracks i do consider to be it are really specific and clear? but yeah i enjoyed this time, djed at a club like this throughout.

I agree and disagree with ronan depending on the specific point.. the rapture definitely not electroclash, but vitalic had electroclash bangers… a song can be from outside the scene and still become a staple or mainstay. Aesthetically la rock 101 fits and house of jealous lovers doesn’t and it’s mainly in the name … where’s the ELECTRO

la rock 01 was 100 per cent a big track in all clubs that followed electroclash or even during that era. but lots of other odds and ends were gathered into it, like some french house was also but that's also not electroclash. not really policing a definition here more just think electroclash, almost unusually for a dance music genre, is actually quite a small territory and fairly easy to define.

Felix I also think of being at once bigger than electroclash and clearly a part of it … he embraced it

he has a long career and has obv done other stuff but kittenz is p much the cornerstone of electroclash. silver screen shower scene rivals emerge and hand to phone for me as one of the absolutely quintessential electroclash tracks, i guess.

Wasn't Electroclash "music liked by Tony Naylor *and* Simon Price"?

Anyway, last night - inspired by this thread - I went looking for an electroclash compilation in the CD shelves and made so many old man groans I thought about posting about it in the "thread for people in their fifties" thread. Didn't find it. Might have sold it. Can't remember. Because I'm in my fifties.

The Fred Falke stuff was way to smooth and housey to be part of the whole Electroclash thing?

yes, but in the context of NME bands getting blog-friendly remixes, an integral part of "indie sleaze and nu rave"

re: Vitalic as electroclash - You Prefer Cocaine would be the one I would think of aligning beside Emerge/Hand To Phone.

yesss always liked You Prefer Cocaine jusr a little bit more than the other Vitalic stuff for that awesome bit about halfway thru

'Stock Exchange' also in my top 5

I asked Claude Ai to create a 50 track 00s Electroclash compilation,

Why? What was it sourced on? Whose words were used for those summaries? Can we fucking not?

lol yea I didnt want to even broach the subject but why use AI to replace what we come to ilx for

Can we fucking not?

honestly, this is a music discussion board. unless claude can speak for himself I'm not interested in his contribution

Maybe we could set up an AILM and just let it run wild with its own threads and polls.

Lol at the inclusion of M.I.A.'s "Galang". I remember people at the time saying "oh so this is the 'grime' everyone keeps talking about" but I have no recollection of anyone ever suggesting she was associated with electroclash.

Can't believe Simian Mobile Disco Hustler was 2007? First of all I can still hear it in my mind and it conjures great hatred, but also blows my mind someone made that record that late into that scene.

What's the worst track in these lists? We can do best afterwards.

As much as We Are Your Friends is deeply annoying and was ubiquitous, I think Pop The Glock?

Lol at the inclusion of M.I.A.'s "Galang". I remember people at the time saying "oh so this is the 'grime' everyone keeps talking about" but I have no recollection of anyone ever suggesting she was associated with electroclash.

why don't you tell Claude? speaking to humans about it is less than pointless.

We Are Your Friends was 2006 fwiw
German Bold Italic is very much NOT 2005 how dare you Claude imply Kylie was not first with the problematic Geisha cosplay

oops meant Hustler not WAYF...2005-2007 is all one big year tho don't try and tell me otherwise

worst song that I know by name on that comp is CSS but I’m sure the clap your hands say yeah song is worse.

I thought Goose was some 10s jam band?

kinda hate to remind y'all of this one, but...

fannypack, "cameltoe"

No.

God I hated CSS

I like simian mobile disco. They were def bloghouse era not electroclash era tho

Exactly, lol, tho to each their own.

I really thought electroclash was The Faint or something from that era.

“Italians Do It Better x INDIE SLEAZE is bringing the electroclash chaos to Austin”

sonically, I’d say the early/peak IDIB sound was a bit of a retreat from the brashness of Ed banger etc shit in the indie dance world, more soft focus, more compressed frequency range

I feel like dance music contracted a lot in the early 00s with clubs closing etc and all that dance is dead stuff, which was a silly media thing but clearly it stopped being a presence in the charts or whatever. This had a slightly counter effect of everyone huddling together to watch DJs who were playing prob the widest range of shit ever, and a lot of past and present and future all thrown together.

Then once everyone was back in, and I always think fast broadband and stuff was a huge factor of spreading all the good stuff, it's prob settled back into the genre boundaries of old, maybe not entirely like the past but like to some extent, and obviously deep house becoming the dominant thing for years and years sort of reflects that.

"INDIE SLEAZE" seems a really bad idea for a scene name. Makes me think of a couple of bands entirely unrelated to anyone mentioned above.

I like the name because it sounds like something naive kids who didn’t live through it would come up with while trying to describe a gestalt which is exactly what it is

yeah “indie sleaze” is trying to describe a broader scene / timeframe than one specific music genre — a bunch of years’ phases of clothing style, parties that mixed ec-era dance music with live music, plus bands and bloghouse that spun off of them. five years looks coherent looking back 23 years in a way that felt like many distinct 2-year things when living through them.

"indie sleaze" is basically what was gleaned from cobrasnake photos

Generally I thought it was "a big 80s revival"; in certain respects it was better than the actual 80s, and in other respects it was worse