Moonshine/Stomp

From the onset this release made my ears prick up. Its minimalist style is so simple yet amazingly effective that it captures the very essence of electronic freedom, call it electronic anarchy. Blazing synth melodies tear over the top of chugging electro influenced beats while vocoded voices echo deeply emersed in warm bass and layered pads, it’s captivating.

For those not familiar with term Electroclash, it was never actually intended to describe a musical genre. It was the name of an annual festival established in 2001 that took place in New York. Larry Tee was the organiser of these events and as a result the actual term Electroclash is trademarked to his name. These Electroclash Festivals brought together like-minded people to celebrate the integration of performance and punk attitudes, rock n roll influences and minimal news beats that are this new electro/techno/punk hybrid.

The first Cd of this compilation, labelled ‘x-treme’, is clearly the more energetic of this double release. The feel is closer to the dance floor than Cd 2 and this is evident right from the start with its searing technoesque synth introduction. Opening with Tobel Von Cartier’s ‘Extreme Fashion’ it’s clear that the tracks that follow are going to open the listener’s ears to a whole new sound. Essentially the music centres around octave changes, this is mostly evident in the bass lines and lead parts. It makes the music feel like it is changing even though the elements of each track stay rather constant. In saying that this style of music is far from monotonous. The movement between changes accentuate the abrasive nature synonymous with this type of sound. Most of the tracks contain vocals, which add to the feeling of the music immensely. If not for most of the vocals these tracks would lose a large amount of personality and it is that personality that makes this music so likeable. The general themes surrounding the music are fashion, seduction, sexuality and attitude. It is the attitude that gives this style of music a definite edge, something that is rarely seen in most dance music at the moment. With artists like FPU, SLAM, Mount Sims and Ladytron, the ‘x-treme’ Cd 1 has something for everyone into the harder tip of the sound.

Cd 2 ‘Plastique’ is more on the listening side of the sound, the tempo is slower than the first and the sounds are closer to those of the eighties electro synth pop than to the dance floor orientated Cd 1. With tracks from Ex-Shakespears Sister, Siobhan Fahey and New Order the sounds take a walk back in time but with a firm grasp on the future. The production techniques are what make these tracks so different. The sounds are essentially the same as the mono-synths synonymous with 80’s pop but the production surrounding those sounds have rocketed synth pop into the new millennium. The beats on this CD are generally 4/4 but occasionally a broken electro beat makes an appearance. The flow of this Cd is a little more diverse than the first as it isn’t trying to hold the distinct dance floor sound. Other artists include Crème de Menthe, BIS and Felix the Housecat.

This is a really strong release. The mixes are generally short which is understandable when as the tracks are so diverse within themselves. Both Cd’s are great examples of the Electroclash sound and are testament to those who feel a need for change in dance music. This is a true example of what underground artists can achieve without the influence of market hungry record labels.