This Is Tech-Pop: 21st Century Electro and New Wave

Fischerspooner - "Emerge" - Probably the most well-known song on the compilation. Fischerspooner are from NYC and the guy/girl voices in this song are immaculate. (11/10)

Console - "14 Zero Zero" - A semi-interesting song by an interesting group from Europe. (6/10)

Zoot Woman - "Nobody Knows (Part One)" - Very soft sound.. almost like a synth-ballad. Believe it or not, but there is a Part 2 to this song, featured on their own album. Part 2 is very different but also much better! (8/10)

Tiga/Zyntherius - "Sunglasses At Night" - An awesome electro version for an awesome 80's hit. Tiga is hot stuff, and his new song "Hot In Herre" is a cover of a terrible song, but the dub mix proves what Tiga can do. Tiga is the greatest producer and DJ in the entire electroclash movement! Nobody beats Tiga!!! (10.5/10)

Soviet - "Candy Girl" - Goodness, an 80's vibration has overtaken myself with this song! The male singer is perfect. The beat is very comparable to that of 80's italo disco. I bought their entire album because of this one song, and it is one of the best synth-pop albums I ever owned! (11/10)

Circ - "Destroy She Said" - Female vocals with a dance beat.. Very cool mixture of beat, vocals, and effects. (9/10)

Green Velvet - "Genedefekt" - Green Velvet (AKA Cajmere) is a must for this compilation! Although "La La Land" is his best song, this one makes its obvious appearance. (8/10)

Waldorf - "You're My Disco" - Here we go with another awesome song that absolutely blew me away on the first listen. Sounds like a production out of the original synth-pop era in the 80's. It has a very un-appealing and absurd synthesizer noise at the beginning and mid-break of the song, but beyond that, this is a wild song to listen to! (10/10)

Tomcraft - "Overdose" - Hmm.. DJ Tomcraft has done some very experimental stuff lately in Europe and has actually had a top 5 hit with "Loneliness" from early 2003. I am beginning to consider this a possible favorite song on the compilation. Tomcraft is doing for the 00's what the founders of synth-pop did for the 80's. His new album features this song and all his other big electro hits! (11/10)

Swayzak - "State Of Grace" - More awesome synth-pop!!! This is another song that mistakes itself for an 80's dance club smash. I've heard this beautiful voice far too many times before. Top song on the compilation! Swayzak is sexy and needs no introduction here! This song is absolutely not their normal sound.. they are very experimental and dark.. this is a softer release by them and for their true clash sound, try "Ikea" which is a b-side and appears on Tiga's DJ Kicks mix. (11/10)

Yellow Note Vs. Pukka - "Naked, Drunk And Horny" - Definately the funnest song on the compilation. A very happy sound involved here. (9.5/10)

Golden Boy / Miss Kittin - "Rippin Kittin" - One of the best electroclash songs ever. You should already know this one! Anybody who Miss Kittin collaborates with becomes an instant star in the electroclash world! Very dark vocals! (11/10)

Felix Da Housecat - "Happy Hour" - Miss Kitty's good friend is here with an excellent song. Very 80's! One of FDH's best productions! (11/10)

Crossover - "Extensive Care" - A song that builds on you and then it takes over your mind. This song reminds me of a movable new wave hit from the 80's.. (10/10)

F.C. Kahuna - "Machines Says Yes" - (8.5/10)

Selway - "Pozition" - A bit like Tomcraft's incorporated sounds with some synthesizers thrown in. John Selway AKA Memory Boy is a friend of mine and I must commend him with all of his music, but "There Is No Electricity" by Memory Boy is by far his best production and it competes with the best of Fischerspooner and Miss Kittin. (7/10)

Ladytron - "Playgirl" (Zombie Nation Mix) - This has grown on me. I originally despised any mix other than Felix Da Housecat's, but now I am beginning to think just as highly of the Zombie Nation mix of Playgirl. This is a very catchy mix, very different from the Felix mix or any Zombie Nation production. A quick plug to "Kernkraft 400" by Zombie Nation from 1999: one of the originators of modern synth-pop, and a #1 European hit! (10.5/10)

Toktok Vs. Soffy O - "Go!" - Nothing groundbreaking, just nice to listen to. Their entire album is fair at best in my opinion. Quite popular in UK. (8.5/10)

Mirwais - "Naive Song" (Dave Clarke Mix) - Hmmm, probably one of the 2 songs I didn't really jump for on this compilation. Dave Clarke is big in Germany and has done a production in partnership with none other than Chicks On Speed. (6/10)

F.P.U. - "Ocean Drive" - Damn right, finish this compilation with an awesome cover version. "Crockett's Theme" has been covered so many times, but this is the one! This is the best version I ever heard of this song! Jan Hammer has let someone outdo himself! F.P.U.'s album is fine, and so is the Tiga White Linen mix of this song (once again Tiga takes his own voice and implements it into this instrumental song). One of those songs with a title that fits quite well. Without a doubt! (11/10)

This is the best compilation to start from because it gives you a little bit of everything. And the songs are almost all awesome and innovative. Worth every penny!


21st century liquid sky?   July 21, 2003
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I am not going to endlessly compare Electroclash to New Romantics, Europop, Synthpop and other bubblegum pop styles of of the early 80's. Some songs on this collection combined Techno, House, funk with New Wave. That sounds great to me.Waldorf's fun song is one of the better tracks but it is not a New Romantic "mix." He is probably not old enough to know what the movement was about. Visage was a NR. Vicious Pink Phenomenon was a NR. The first Duran Duran album is a New Romantic classic. Not even Cee Farroh could cut it as a NR. Waldorf is a 21st century disco. There is nothing subversive about "Your My Disco". The catchy and totally danceaable song did not take me back to the glory days of lipstick kisses. Back then, to be a New Romantic was to be unique, and it was for a fan to be more fabulous than the actual bands. A club was a giant fashion show for the elite. The music was second and the blitz kid's wardrobe was first on the list because it was perhaps the only way to pass the fashion police doorboy to get in a real New Romantic venue if you did not have any inside connections. "Emerge" by Fischerspooner is nice. I wish it was a short version. The only factor I did not like about this song is the phony annoying female. It sounded like a pitched up voice of the male singer. This song, on the other hand, is closer to New Wave than 90's Techno but more complex than most 80's hits as far as the rhythm goes."Naked, Drunk And Horny" is the most standout. Think of it as Laury Anderson with a 21st century youth appeal high on body fluids. Yellow Note Vs. Pukka captured most of the current clubgoers' hormonic "needs" throught the world. The electronic voice manipulations are tasty enough to prove my point. If the singer's cuteness matches her playful robotic voice, she will be a big star.You will also hear the totally awesome "14 Zero Zero". This song is probably the closest you will get to take you back in the 80's. The music is full of sythetic attitude to convert even the jaded Techno fans but I wouldn't hold my breath. It reminds me of Telex meets Information Society and Zapp. You will not be disappointed unless vocoders are not your swing.Overall, at a "used" price, this cd is worth buying. It would have been a classic if the compiler included the following songs: "Hot Room" by Lind Lamb, "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" by I-F, "I Don't Care" by Dexter, short versions of "Life On MTV" by Miss Kitten/Hacker and "Get Me Off" by Basement Jaxx and Peaches. The compilation as it stands does not have enough drama a la "Liquid Sky".


The More Radio-Friendly Side of Electro--   May 18, 2003
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is a very good compilation of the new sound of ElectroClash (or Tech-pop, or whatever it's known as this week).
Having said that, it is very much the softer side. There is Miss Kitten, but she's singing what equates to a rather pretty little melody (regardless of the murderous lyrics). There is Green Velvet doing 'Genedefekt', But it is the version without the trade-mark off-kilter vocals. Just about the only thing on here which is even a little more challenging is Fisherspooner's 'Emerge', but come on, it's on so many collections now that even my mom could sing along with it.
Now, I'm not saying that this isn't a great collection, because it is a lot of fun, packed end to end with catchy tunes that in all fairness would be getting a lot more radio play in a more fair universe. However, just know that it is called 'Tech-POP' for a reason on the cover.