"Fischerspooner is probably the weirdest band ever"
July 30, 2002 4:07 PM Subscribe
"Fischerspooner is probably the weirdest band ever" according to a Vanity Fair quote on their equally weird and flash-o-riffic website. If you're an electro-clash fan, or just appreciate interactive flash sites, this is for you!
Fischerspooner are tiringly poor, with only one good song. The Rapture are the chosen ones, mate..
posted by boneybaloney at 5:05 PM on July 30, 2002
posted by boneybaloney at 5:05 PM on July 30, 2002
Predictions on the shelf life of the electroklash movement?
If I want to hear moody electropop, I'll break out my copy of "A Broken Frame."
posted by NoMoreLSAT at 5:09 PM on July 30, 2002
If I want to hear moody electropop, I'll break out my copy of "A Broken Frame."
posted by NoMoreLSAT at 5:09 PM on July 30, 2002
woo! i was about to post (when the thread was empty) about the ensuing backlash against electro clash ("all the kids were into it four years ago, man, k7, dave clarke, man."), except i couldn't find any links (searching google for "electro sucks" and "i hate electro" didn't pop up much except broken links and a bunch of rec.music.industrial folks getting their hate on).
so i'll have to thank boneybaloney and nomoreLSAT for doing my work for me.
anyhow, while "electro clash" ha apparently become a catchphrase to get scenesters in the door (and seemingly pretty effective, as, well, just about *every* damn club in SF has adopted an electro night over the past year) i still really enjoy hearing electro, and plus, now i have an excuse to dress like a scenester! (yep, just got my campers.)
still, i wish neo-electro had been chosen as the moniker instead of electro clash (by whoever chooses these things -- rolling stone, i'm looking at you), but well, we can't always get what we want.
i don't know, really, what i'm saying here, except for that i like the stuff, and the nay-sayers are just poopheads who really really want to usher in neo-grunge, which i'm very very happy to put off.
of course, it will be interesting in 3 years when we've finished rehashing all the decades of the twentieth century -- what will happen? will the clock go back to zero? will we do something new?
i'm betting on armageddon; so, hey, think twice before wrapping that flannel around your waist, and maybe hang on to that skinny tie a little bit longer, eh?
posted by fishfucker at 6:12 PM on July 30, 2002
so i'll have to thank boneybaloney and nomoreLSAT for doing my work for me.
anyhow, while "electro clash" ha apparently become a catchphrase to get scenesters in the door (and seemingly pretty effective, as, well, just about *every* damn club in SF has adopted an electro night over the past year) i still really enjoy hearing electro, and plus, now i have an excuse to dress like a scenester! (yep, just got my campers.)
still, i wish neo-electro had been chosen as the moniker instead of electro clash (by whoever chooses these things -- rolling stone, i'm looking at you), but well, we can't always get what we want.
i don't know, really, what i'm saying here, except for that i like the stuff, and the nay-sayers are just poopheads who really really want to usher in neo-grunge, which i'm very very happy to put off.
of course, it will be interesting in 3 years when we've finished rehashing all the decades of the twentieth century -- what will happen? will the clock go back to zero? will we do something new?
i'm betting on armageddon; so, hey, think twice before wrapping that flannel around your waist, and maybe hang on to that skinny tie a little bit longer, eh?
posted by fishfucker at 6:12 PM on July 30, 2002
(also, i rather like fischerspooner, although, yeah, their songs lose their charm after awhile. i'll have to check out the rapture -- thx for the heads up.)
posted by fishfucker at 6:13 PM on July 30, 2002
posted by fishfucker at 6:13 PM on July 30, 2002
Hey fishfucker, I like electro too, but do you really think these new bands and tracks have anything new to offer? If something's made simply to sound like an original sound, then I'd just rather listen to the original sound itself.
And neo-grunge? Why, when we already have Staind?
posted by NoMoreLSAT at 6:24 PM on July 30, 2002
And neo-grunge? Why, when we already have Staind?
posted by NoMoreLSAT at 6:24 PM on July 30, 2002
The Rapture are very, very good. I saw them support the Sex Pistols on Saturday and they were utterly brilliant. Any band with a saxophanist-cum-cowbell player is OK in my book.
Fischerspooner seem to be trying far, far too hard.
posted by nedrichards at 6:25 PM on July 30, 2002
Fischerspooner seem to be trying far, far too hard.
posted by nedrichards at 6:25 PM on July 30, 2002
Hey fishfucker, I like electro too, but do you really think these new bands and tracks have anything new to offer? If something's made simply to sound like an original sound, then I'd just rather listen to the original sound itself.
Even some of the scene's purported linchpins seem to have already disavowed the sound...see Miss Kittin's recent Muzik covermount which is more like down-tempo, sleazy techno...
And neo-grunge? Why, when we already have Staind?
posted by NoMoreLSAT at 6:29 PM on July 30, 2002
Even some of the scene's purported linchpins seem to have already disavowed the sound...see Miss Kittin's recent Muzik covermount which is more like down-tempo, sleazy techno...
And neo-grunge? Why, when we already have Staind?
posted by NoMoreLSAT at 6:29 PM on July 30, 2002
Hey fishfucker, I like electro too, but do you really think these new bands and tracks have anything new to offer? If something's made simply to sound like an original sound, then I'd just rather listen to the original sound itself.
really? i find the neo-electro stuff is typically a lot more melodic, whereas older electro tends to be drum-driven (and heavy on the 808 sounds).
dynamix, for example, says to me : "old school electro" (also says: "WE EFF'N ROCK!) where say, I-F, says "new school singsong electro" (and also: "so ok, we're a little like kraftwerk but with funkier beats. don't hate us.") and then anthony rother steps in, remixes "space invaders are smoking grass" and says "das ist dynamic!" (and then hums a little dark dark moody electro tune to himself.)
i don't know: i think there's a pretty reasonable amount of breadth and innovation. and hey, if you like electro, well, more electro should be a good thing, eh? i mean, if it's no longer recognizable as electro, it's not electro, right?
anyways, mark my words: next big movement? GRUNGE-NO. I think we can look to Smog, and maybe Ladytron to start breaking off a piece. and then maybe we can fight them against the Faint (with action rockstar grip!).
posted by fishfucker at 6:35 PM on July 30, 2002
really? i find the neo-electro stuff is typically a lot more melodic, whereas older electro tends to be drum-driven (and heavy on the 808 sounds).
dynamix, for example, says to me : "old school electro" (also says: "WE EFF'N ROCK!) where say, I-F, says "new school singsong electro" (and also: "so ok, we're a little like kraftwerk but with funkier beats. don't hate us.") and then anthony rother steps in, remixes "space invaders are smoking grass" and says "das ist dynamic!" (and then hums a little dark dark moody electro tune to himself.)
i don't know: i think there's a pretty reasonable amount of breadth and innovation. and hey, if you like electro, well, more electro should be a good thing, eh? i mean, if it's no longer recognizable as electro, it's not electro, right?
anyways, mark my words: next big movement? GRUNGE-NO. I think we can look to Smog, and maybe Ladytron to start breaking off a piece. and then maybe we can fight them against the Faint (with action rockstar grip!).
posted by fishfucker at 6:35 PM on July 30, 2002
Electro is fun. I need to check out Fischerspooner.
The last major electro revival was fun too. Does anyone else remember Clear? The label released several electro-style tunes by heavyweights like Global Communication (as Jedi Knights), u-Ziq (as Tusken Raiders), Autechre (as Gescom), Herbert (as Doctor Rockit), and Plaid (as... Plaid).
Clear is now deFocus.
posted by shortfuse at 6:55 PM on July 30, 2002
The last major electro revival was fun too. Does anyone else remember Clear? The label released several electro-style tunes by heavyweights like Global Communication (as Jedi Knights), u-Ziq (as Tusken Raiders), Autechre (as Gescom), Herbert (as Doctor Rockit), and Plaid (as... Plaid).
Clear is now deFocus.
posted by shortfuse at 6:55 PM on July 30, 2002
By the way, the new Saint Etienne album Finisterre has a couple of electroclashish songs. Works well.
posted by shortfuse at 7:06 PM on July 30, 2002
posted by shortfuse at 7:06 PM on July 30, 2002
I totally dig electroclash since seeing Fischerspooner in '00. Very fun, all flash, wacked costumes and choregraphed dancing. Here's the thing: this music has been around forever -- or only as long as anybody cares, since the late 70s and early 80s. Giving it a new name (rhymes with "electro rash") is full-on marketing and will eventually die out or come into it's own. New Order and Kraftwerk will be considered pioneers of this new-old-music to the continued dismay of aging hipsters ferreting backissues of pre-sell out Details. They're the type that mutter such arcane terms as "synth-pop" and "new wave".
Kids running around today saying "electro-tastic is the new synth-wave" will immediately feel dated when the new name for the old form of stripped down beats and faux-melancholia crawls out of it's hole in the East Village or Hamburg, like a pleather Punxsutawney Phil. You'll love it all over again, for six weeks.
filtered: Miss Kittin, Telex, Fischer to the Spooner, Ladytron (love these kids!), Kogel, Goldenboy. Ah, make it easy on yourself. Pick up a comp.
Looks good, feels good, is good.
posted by raaka at 9:48 PM on July 30, 2002
Kids running around today saying "electro-tastic is the new synth-wave" will immediately feel dated when the new name for the old form of stripped down beats and faux-melancholia crawls out of it's hole in the East Village or Hamburg, like a pleather Punxsutawney Phil. You'll love it all over again, for six weeks.
filtered: Miss Kittin, Telex, Fischer to the Spooner, Ladytron (love these kids!), Kogel, Goldenboy. Ah, make it easy on yourself. Pick up a comp.
Looks good, feels good, is good.
posted by raaka at 9:48 PM on July 30, 2002
shortfuse, Matthew Herbert has complained on his site that when Clear went out of business they owed royalties to all of their artists, that the owners never made good, and that conscientious consumers ought to avoid defocus as a result. They did put out great records back in the day, though. The Morgan Geist album in particular is great.
posted by hilker at 12:04 AM on July 31, 2002
posted by hilker at 12:04 AM on July 31, 2002
hilker, thanks for the pointer, I just read Herbert's post. It reminded me how Ken from the Black Dog once called Clear a leech label, but I figured it might just have been him being bitter about Plaid and the breakup. Maybe Clair will pay back someday using the deFocus earnings? She doesn't seem like such a bad apple. And while a lot of Clear acts were already big, I've liked the newer signings on both labels. (BTW I remember you from idm many years ago. Hi.)
posted by shortfuse at 12:43 AM on July 31, 2002
posted by shortfuse at 12:43 AM on July 31, 2002
I don't hate 'electroclash' per se, just Fischerspooner and the transient stuff. I love Peaches, her stuff endures quite well so far, but any branch of retro-ism does have to take a step forward at the same time or it sucks it's own cock.
posted by boneybaloney at 1:42 AM on July 31, 2002
posted by boneybaloney at 1:42 AM on July 31, 2002
peaches is really fun live but I am not so sure how good she is on her recorded work.
My favorite electro music right now is
Golden Boy with Miss Kitten on ladomat
and most of the stuff on
Detroit's Direct Beat label.
Particularly Aux 88
Also see
Dj Godfather for excellent mixes of electro from the detroit , miami and chicago regions of the earth.
posted by yertledaturtle at 2:26 AM on July 31, 2002
My favorite electro music right now is
Golden Boy with Miss Kitten on ladomat
and most of the stuff on
Detroit's Direct Beat label.
Particularly Aux 88
Also see
Dj Godfather for excellent mixes of electro from the detroit , miami and chicago regions of the earth.
posted by yertledaturtle at 2:26 AM on July 31, 2002
Erm, the set electro and the set electroclash might have an overlap but they don't equate to one and the same.
posted by kerplunk at 3:01 AM on July 31, 2002
posted by kerplunk at 3:01 AM on July 31, 2002
Erm, the set electro and the set electroclash might have an overlap but they don't equate to one and the same.
And your point is?
I say so what they are so similar that they are neraly identical therefore in my own classification system they are the same.
posted by yertledaturtle at 3:42 AM on July 31, 2002
And your point is?
I say so what they are so similar that they are neraly identical therefore in my own classification system they are the same.
posted by yertledaturtle at 3:42 AM on July 31, 2002
A good electro-clash (fine "neo-electro") compilation. It's got a lot of the stuff that people have mentioned in the thread.
Plus the site has a sample of "Sunglasses at Night" by Tiga, which rocks my world on a nearly daily basis.
posted by zpousman at 5:33 AM on July 31, 2002
Plus the site has a sample of "Sunglasses at Night" by Tiga, which rocks my world on a nearly daily basis.
posted by zpousman at 5:33 AM on July 31, 2002
related, casey spooner is the coverstar of this season's butt magazine. includes extra yummy photos by index magazine fav ryan mcginley (probably not work-safe).
also, you can't talk about electro without talking about ADULT.
posted by chromewaves at 8:51 AM on July 31, 2002
also, you can't talk about electro without talking about ADULT.
posted by chromewaves at 8:51 AM on July 31, 2002
Speaking of Adult check out their label Ersatz Audio
They put out alot of good electro, neo electro etc.... whatever you want to call it.
Their newest comp Misery Loves Company was inspired by Gold Chains . The comp features a nice variety of electro synth pop influenced music.
For those of you who enjoy electro and it's derivatives, I highly suggest checking Gold chains and the Misery Loves Company comp out.
Thanks for the links and the suggestions zpousman and chromewaves.
posted by yertledaturtle at 2:50 PM on July 31, 2002
They put out alot of good electro, neo electro etc.... whatever you want to call it.
Their newest comp Misery Loves Company was inspired by Gold Chains . The comp features a nice variety of electro synth pop influenced music.
For those of you who enjoy electro and it's derivatives, I highly suggest checking Gold chains and the Misery Loves Company comp out.
Thanks for the links and the suggestions zpousman and chromewaves.
posted by yertledaturtle at 2:50 PM on July 31, 2002
well, there is at least some degree of backlash against the electroclash genre, or at the very least some tongue-in-cheek humor.
fischerspooner, and electroclash as a subculture, is about hype moreso than quality music, as is the gigolo record label to which they've signed (not to mention the godawful haven of commercial bilge, ministry of $ound, who recently released a rather timely electro compilation).
people have had no trouble jumping up and down on the naysayers of electroclash, saying that they take themselves too seriously. well, when people have been waiting and wanting artists like i-F and drexciya to get a bit of credit, and all they get out of this is a footnote, i figure it's cause to be a little bit pissed. (i-F's 1996 "space invaders are smoking grass" is cited by fischerspooner as the track that originally inspired them, and his "mixed up in the hague" mix compilation introduced a whole load of obscure 80s italo-disco to the djs in this electroclash scene).
as far as clear records vs. electroclash, there's virtually no comparison. clear barely represented a blip on the radar of record sales compared to the gigolo camp. and clear had little to do with electro or the 80s. if anything, clear was helping to shape new sounds in electronic music, rather than a really serious rehash.*
the defocus label is very cool, and i especially recommend CiM, whose 'reference' full-length is full of great bits of electronic music - melodic, quirky, soulful.
* as opposed to the "regular" rehash that is pervasive in electronic dance music.
posted by dytiq at 3:03 PM on July 31, 2002
fischerspooner, and electroclash as a subculture, is about hype moreso than quality music, as is the gigolo record label to which they've signed (not to mention the godawful haven of commercial bilge, ministry of $ound, who recently released a rather timely electro compilation).
people have had no trouble jumping up and down on the naysayers of electroclash, saying that they take themselves too seriously. well, when people have been waiting and wanting artists like i-F and drexciya to get a bit of credit, and all they get out of this is a footnote, i figure it's cause to be a little bit pissed. (i-F's 1996 "space invaders are smoking grass" is cited by fischerspooner as the track that originally inspired them, and his "mixed up in the hague" mix compilation introduced a whole load of obscure 80s italo-disco to the djs in this electroclash scene).
as far as clear records vs. electroclash, there's virtually no comparison. clear barely represented a blip on the radar of record sales compared to the gigolo camp. and clear had little to do with electro or the 80s. if anything, clear was helping to shape new sounds in electronic music, rather than a really serious rehash.*
the defocus label is very cool, and i especially recommend CiM, whose 'reference' full-length is full of great bits of electronic music - melodic, quirky, soulful.
* as opposed to the "regular" rehash that is pervasive in electronic dance music.
posted by dytiq at 3:03 PM on July 31, 2002
dytiq...as one who owns literally thousands digits worth of electronica tracks, I have to disagree with you about Ministry of Sound. To find out what a scene has to offer that you're unfamiliar with, MoS comps offer the best value and selection. Basically every garridge track off the new Ayia Napa CD is great.
As for Fischerspooner, I'm feelin' "Emerge", but other than that and FC Kahuna's "Machine Say Yes", I feel like I'm listening to a Depeche Mode album with more bass.
posted by Kevs at 7:24 PM on July 31, 2002
As for Fischerspooner, I'm feelin' "Emerge", but other than that and FC Kahuna's "Machine Say Yes", I feel like I'm listening to a Depeche Mode album with more bass.
posted by Kevs at 7:24 PM on July 31, 2002
do not allow yourself to be programmed
how does one refer to an electro-clash fan? clasher? clash-head? ec-kid?
how's about some safe cex?
or is suicide an option?
(where) does folk-tronica fit into this?
posted by asok at 4:45 AM on August 1, 2002
how does one refer to an electro-clash fan? clasher? clash-head? ec-kid?
how's about some safe cex?
or is suicide an option?
(where) does folk-tronica fit into this?
posted by asok at 4:45 AM on August 1, 2002
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posted by lbergstr at 4:22 PM on July 30, 2002