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Electroclash is a style of music that fuses New Wave synthpop and electronic dance music. It emerged in New York and Detroit in the later 1990s, pioneered by acts including I-F and those associated with Gerald Donald, and is associated with acts including Peaches, Adult, Legowelt, and Fischerspooner. It was popularised by the Electroclash Festival in 2001 and 2002 and subsequent European tours, but faded as a distinctive style in the early 2000s.

Terminology and characteristics

The term electroclash was coined by New York DJ and promoter Larry Tee to describe music that combined synthpop, techno, punk and performance art. The genre was a reaction to the rigid formulations of techno music, putting an emphasis on song writing, showmanship and a sense of humour, described by The Guardian as one of "the two most significant upheavals in recent dance music history". The visual aesthetic of electroclash has been associated with the 1982 cult film Liquid Sky.

History

Electroclash emerged in New York at the end of the 1990s. It was pioneered by I-F with their track "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" (1998), and Collider with their 1998 album Blowing Shit Up (though Collider called its own style "electropunk" as the genre had not yet been named). The style was pursued by artists including Felix da Housecat, Peaches and Chicks on Speed. During the early years, Ladytron were sometimes labeled as electroclash, but they rejected this tag. Goldfrapp's albums Black Cherry (2003) and Supernature (2005) incorporated electroclash influences.

It came to media attention in 2001, when the Electroclash Festival was held in New York. The Electroclash Festival was held again in 2002 with subsequent live tours across the US and Europe in 2003 and then 2004. Other notable artists who performed at the festivals and subsequent tours include: Scissor Sisters, ADULT., Fischerspooner, Erol Alkan, Princess Superstar, Mignon, Miss Kittin & The Hacker, Mount Sims, Tiga and Spalding Rockwell. The style spread to scenes in London and Berlin, but rapidly faded as a recognisable genre as acts began to experiment with a variety of forms of music.

Popularity chart

Successful records from the electroclash movement include:

References

1. ^ D. Lynskey (22 March 2002), "Out with the old, in with the older", Guardian.co.uk, archived from the original on 16 February 2011
2. ^ The Electroclash Mix by Larry Tee | Music Review | Entertainment Weekly
3. ^ Larry Tee Biography on Yahoo! Music
4. "The female techno takeover", The Guardian, May 24, 2008
5. "The Great Electroclash Swindle". Retrieved August 10, 2008.
6. Potter, Josh (3). "Walking Mix Tape". Metroland. Retrieved 21 April 2012. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
7. M. Goldstein (22 March 2002), "This cat is housebroken", Boston Globe, archived from the original on 16 February 2011.
8. J. Walker (5 October 2002), "Popmatters concert review: ELECTROCLASH 2002 Artists: Peaches, Chicks on Speed, W.I.T., and Tracy and the Plastics", Boston Globe, archived from the original on 16 February 2011.
9. Ladytron rejected the electroclash tag
10. Phares, Heather. "Black Cherry – Goldfrapp". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
11. Oculicz, Edward (23 August 2005). "Goldfrapp – Supernature". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
12. Quinnon, Michael: "Electroclash". World Wide Words, 2002
13. J. Harris, Hail!, Hail! Rock 'n' Roll (London: Sphere, 2009), ISBN 1-84744-293-5, p. 78.
14. "So-cool U.K. quartet Ladytron brings electro-pop to Gothic.
15. Search song on EveryHit.com database

See also

• List of electroclash artists

• Electroclash
• Synthpop
• Electronic music genres