In describing the music of Britains’ Lush, the terms “ethereal” and “dream pop” have often been used, though like most bands, Lush don’t really like having their sound labelled like that. But no matter what you call it, Lush’s music doesn’t at all seem like something to provoke a the kind of audience reaction that … Read more
Few bands manage to walk the line between commercial and underground dance music as well as Britain’s Messiah. With tracks such as “Temple of Dreams” and “Thunderdome,” Messiah have managed to create music that stands up to both the club and home listening environment. Their songs are catchy and often make use of recognizable samples, … Read more
When Geoff Barrow started doing remixes and creating backing tracks for Neneh Cherry, the fact that he wasn’t himself working under a band name led many people to refer to him simply as “the guy from Portishead.” The name stuck, so when he teamed up with vocalist Beth Gibbons to focus on his own music, … Read more
A longer version of this article was originally published in Music From the Empty Quarter (March 1994) Since their emergence just over a decade ago, Sleep Chamber have proven to be one of those bands you either love or despise. Their fusion of highly repetitive, electronic composition and heavy S+M imagery is definitely not for … Read more
Back in the early 80’s, a new wave of affordable electronic instruments became available, but no one in their right mind would use them too extensively because they sounded to synthetic. But now, after digital technology has made it possible to recreate sounds so realistically that you’d swear you were hearing real instruments, many people … Read more
Twenty-four-year-old Oliver Lieb truly represents the future of electronic music. Under the name Spicelab, the German musician has created “Lost In Spice,” a collection of long, instrumental electronic tracks that don’t really fit into an existing genre. The songs have definite elements of ambient, but there is also heavier, more industrial-like sonic experimentation. Most importantly, … Read more
Since they emerged in 1987, the Stereo MC’s have proved to be masters at fusing together a variety of styles of dance music. On their latest LP, Connected, the Stereo MC’s take this even further by getting away from using breaks from other people’s music and using more live instruments. Like groups such as Massive … Read more
When 808 State toured America in 1991, techno and rave music was still very much underground here and the group’s shows provided many people with an introduction to the music. But when the group returned this spring, headlining a package tour with Meat Beat Manifesto and Supreme Love Gods, it was a different situation entirely. … Read more
Sunscreem have become known as one of the strongest live dance acts, thanks to the heavy gigging they’ve done around their native England. But this past summer, they put their performance skills to the test by doing four American dates with New Order. It’s a big jump from clubs to large seated venues, but Sunscreem … Read more
By incorporating the sounds of homemade instruments into his brand of electronic dance music, Richard James has become the rave generation’s newest hero. The music James makes ranges from atmospheric ambient to intense hardcore techno, with the consistent thread being the unique, often eerie sounds created by his own musical gear. James stresses that he … Read more