Evolution of dance music
continues
By 
Greg
Dew
Columbus Wired Columnist
8/15/02
The
future of dance music may have arrived in my mailbox the other day.
True, it is still electronic, but to those with a discerning ear to
the genre, Fischerspooner’s “#1” is a retrofit evolution.
.
The knock long leveled against the dance version of electronica,
techno (we can break this down further but to the casual fan it is
all echno), is that the songs seam to repeat on an endless cycle,
the break between songs is difficult to detect and although there
may be lyrics, revelers find it difficult to sing along.
In the July 2002 issue of GQ, musician Miss Kittin (a.k.a. Caroline
Herve) is quoted as saying “People enjoy the fact that in electronic
music now there is a song structure back, including choruses,
melodies and vocals.” Miss Kittin is a member of this new electro
movement, a movement said to be lead by Fischerspooner.
This got me interested enough to investigate further. Fischerspooner
has been described as recreating the early ‘80s electronic sound.
The live shows a glam Broadway musical. Stylized. Brilliant.
Finding the album proved to be difficult. So much so that it was
ordered from a British website and shipped to my home address.
(Particularly galling considering the members met at the Chicago Art
Institute and have a created quite a buzz in New York.)
The album, for the most part lives up to its hype. It is a dark,
harsh
journey into the world electronic sounds. It has a punk feel to it,
which is where the contested name electroclash probably pulls its
name. The lyrics are catchy, although probably still a little
abstract to inspire fans to sing along as they get down in dance
halls. The sound does have a distinct ‘80s aura to it. Think early
Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys or New Order.
The best song probably is the one getting a lot of play in the dance
clubs of New York and Europe, “Emerge.” Just the sound invokes
images of strobe lighting, runways and artistic dance. The lyrics
are catchy and the vocals evoke the haunting, computerized style of
Laurie Anderson. The album generally hits on all other songs and
culminates with a “bonus” track several minutes after the final song
called “Megacolon.” It is descriptive enough for me to conjure
images of the toilet scene in “Trainspotting.” Disturbing, yes, but
it is whimsical and well worth the wait through the silence.
“#1” is to be released late this summer in the US although a date
has yet to be set.
