A man who cites Yoko Ono as ‘his most inspiring modern artist’ was always going to have an eclectic feel for music. Mark Moore, who first achieved fame as the driving force behind dance/sampling pioneers S’Express, is now part of another groundbreaking movement – the thriving electro scene in London.
Strangely enough for a DJ of his stature, these days he prefers smaller, more eclectic clubs, which he says are ‘better for the soul’. Sounds like he’ll fit right in with the notoriously discerning dance community in Sydney, when he visits this week…
Muzik magazine cited ‘The Theme from S’Express’ as kick-starting the UK house scene. Do you know how many times other artists have incorporated it into their music?
I used to actually keep track of it, I’d write down in a notebook whenever I heard the track being sampled. But I just lost count, besides – I’m not going to go to sample heaven myself, so it would be hypocritical to get tough with people for sampling my work!
The term ‘electroclash’ has been critisised and abused by both press and punters. Does this phrase have any relevance today?
When I hear ‘electroclash’, I think of the Larry Tee label, in New York (this is where the phrase was originally coined) – although it can be applied to other things as well. ‘Electro’ refers to electronic dance music; it’s usually inspired by the 80s, with a large portion of punk. I prefer the word ‘nu-electro’, which is a broader expression that covers a fusion of electro-disco and house; it’s basically a 21st century twist on the original electro sound.
So why do you think electro has undergone a recent resurgence?
People have lived through 15 years of house music, which has admittedly changed and grown over the years – but the scene has blanded out now. The electro wave is a response to the segregation in clubs today – rather than having to go to five different clubs to hear five different kinds of music, you can go to an ‘electro’ night and hear a meld of punk, rock, disco and house.
On your website, you say that the electro mentality would exist without the music. What is this mentality?
It’s a very friendly, creative, open-minded culture that I’m seeing. People are forming bands on whim, making crazy clothes, holding poetry meetings…I didn’t see anything like this in the house music scene when it first started. It’s kind of a reaction against the whole ‘superclub’ culture that used to exist here in London.
Do you think you have a knack for ‘discovering’ people, having worked with people like Sonique, William Orbit, Billie Ray Martin and Carl Craig before they were famous?
Sometimes I spot them, or we bump into each other – then other times they come and find me! I first knew of Billie Ray Martin when she approached me in a club and said ‘I should sing in your band!’ which was S’Express. I thought she was an absolute nutter, but when we got her into the studio I could not believe that the sound I was hearing was coming out of her mouth!
What can you divulge about your current projects?
Apart from the Dead or Alive remix, I’ve also been working with Billie Ray Martin on a new recording. May this year saw the first release of my new project Needledust on the Novamute label (a double A-sided record entitled ‘Wuh!’ and ‘Speedfreak’). Needledust is an electro-disco outfit with a nod and a wink to Giorgio Moroder and Patrick Cowley.
Princess Julia, who is playing with you at ‘kink’ this weekend, has done a recent remix of Dead or Alive’s Spin Me Round, as have you. Do you ever collaborate with Princess Julia?
Julia and I sometimes DJ together; we both did separate remixes of Spin Me Round, as we both know Dead or Alive lead singer Pete Burns quite well. Julia is such an icon in the London scene, when I was younger I’d walk into the trendy New Romantic clothing shop that she worked in, and pretend to look at clothes, when really I was looking at her! She’s stunning – I used to cut pictures of her out of magazines.
Mark Moore & Princess Julia Australian tour dates:
12th July – Kink @ The ArtHouse, Sydney (BUY TICKETS)
17th July – Baja, Kirra Point
18th July – Connections, Perth
19th July – One Love @ The Prince, Melbourne
