2011 was a busy year for OMD following on from the release of History Of Modern. It was also the year that saw the Messages site feature some great articles, stories and interviews.
Our 2011 Review covers the highlights, from the release of History Of Modern (Part I), the American tours, Eric’s Club performance, 30th Anniversary of Architecture & Morality as well as OMD’s live performance at Liverpool Cathedral last month. More inside »
Some artists take a sympathetic approach to the remix opportunity and offer beat enhancements, extra melodic parts and instrumental breakdowns to compliment a track in a far more classic tradition. RICHARD X, MARK REEDER, PET SHOP BOYS, THE MANHATTAN CLIQUE and FREEMASONS have proved to be fine purveyors of this more accessible song based interplay.
But one duo who outstrip them all with their digi-electro style are Athens based synthgirls MARSHEAUX. Together with their producers FOTONOVELA, Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou combine their best synthpop sensibilities with both feet on the dancefloor to deliver some of the best received pop styled remixes of the last ten years with many established artists among their portfolio.
Andy McCluskey has previously declared his love of MARSHEAUX and this led to a partial collaboration for a cover/remix of the classic She’s Leaving
Read more about MARSHEAUX’s remix work, which also features HURTS, MIRRORS, KATY PERRY, THE HUMAN LEAGUE, DEPECHE MODE and MOBY in this in-depth feature: http://www.electricity-club.co.uk/html/marsheauxbest.html [via The Electricity Club]
HANNAH PEEL will be known to synthpop fans as one of the musicians with JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS. However, she first became known to the synth world via her debut EP Re-Box released on Static Caravan in 2010. It featured musicbox covers of Tainted Love which was made famous by SOFT CELL, NEW ORDER’s Blue Monday, OMD’s Electricity and COCTEAU TWINS’ Sugar Hiccup. An edition of 300 were pressed onto 7 inch vinyl and promptly sold out.
As well as her cover version of Electricity, Hannah’s own Organ Song was sampled for Bondage Of Fate
http://www.electricity-club.co.uk/html/int_peel.html [via The Electricity Club]
The Quietus celebrates Architecture & Morality’s 30th Anniversary as writer John Dolan looks back on the album along with commentary from Andy McCluskey.
A lazy but widespread criticism of the English synth pop scene of the early 80s was that it was soulless or lacking in human warmth. While there certainly were acts who came across as detached or alienated (Cabaret Voltaire, The Normal, John Foxx) if anything, the opposite was generally true. There is an almost baroque level of (exquisitely judged) romantic melodrama to Soft Cell’s ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’; despite Gary Numan’s dead-eyed automaton image, Tubeway Army’s ‘Are “Friends” Electric?’ is quite clearly a very fragile and keenly felt song about heartbreak; and the early releases of Blancmange, Depeche Mode and Eurythmics were torrid with the emotion expressed… no matter how affected the delivery was.
http://thequietus.com/articles/07491-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-architecture-and-morality
Electricity
Electricity
Since the release of HISTORY OF MODERN
Prior to OMD’s plans for the recent North American Tour, Lori Tarchala had the opportunity to chat to ANDY McCLUSKEY in an exclusive two part interview about OMD past, present and future.
In Part 2 Andy chats more about the material for ENGLISH ELECTRIC, covers OMD’s tough path in paving a career in America in the mid ’80′s, the reformation of the band and the genesis of HISTORY OF MODERN…More inside »
Since the release of History Of Modern
Prior to OMD’s plans for the recent North American Tour, Lori Tarchala had the opportunity to chat to ANDY McCLUSKEY in an exclusive two part interview about OMD past, present and future….. More inside »
Statues was wonderful but Green
During Talking Loud And Clear
It drew time for OMD and a number of fans who had been sitting down came up plus more sales must have occurred at the door because there were a lot more than what we earlier were expecting. The lights went down, Dazzle Ships (Parts II, III And VII)
When New Babies: New Toys
Well, Dallas was a repeat city so that meant the Stanlow
I couldn’t help but smile when, right before Mr. M was about to sing, a fan near me must have figured out what song he was about to hear because I suddenly heard a “OMG!” I got a bit emotional hearing it for the last time. It’s just an unforgettable song to experience and when it was near the end and I looked over to Mr. H, the lights looked like they were swirling around him, stunning! Afterwards, Mr. M thanked us for coming out to their “secret Dallas gig”. But for a small crowd, we still made a lot of noise and I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered March’s gig. The best up to that point of the tour and one of THE best when the tour was finally over! More inside »
