Re-Cap - the wonderful world of electro...

OK so there has been something of a time-lag in updating the ole blogger, so it's only right to dip into some of the music that's been flicking all sorts of switches over the last few months.

One of my main fascinations has been proper genuine home-fried electro like momma used to make. Everything from some fairly cringeworthy 80s nonsense up to the Drexciya related Detroit darkness. Out of a whole lot of Last.FM'ing and general digging (and some choice reccommendations) I've unearthed these particular favourites:

Dopplereffekt:. Having heard their wobbly behemoth 'Calabai You Space' on Rephlex I did somewhat pigeon-hole these guys into the loose, un-groovy side of electro. Then I heard the 'Gesamtkunstwerk' retrospective LP and that all changed. Completely stripped bare electro that speaks volumes with so little and piles the funk on heavy - this ticked so many of my boxes I had to get a new red pen. The whole sequence of tracks ooze an 80s dystopian vision of the future so cold and robotic, yet ultimately so alluring. Maybe it's something about that stern female narration, maybe it's just the freaky synth hits, but this is erotic machine music. Also check out Elecktroids for more future electro goodness, with a slightly warmer approach.

Video for Dopplereffekt: Scientist (different version to the one on Gesamtkunstwerk)

Maggotron:. This is proper vintage fodder, full of synths that ape Kraftwerk, dramatic string-synth hits, vocoders, and songs about intergalactic missions to bring the boogie to distant planets. 'Mission Electro'? I think so...

'Welcome To The Planet Of Bass'

Egyptian Lover:. You can't fail to love Egyptian Lover. On one level he's a hilarious example of everything that was bad taste about the 80s, on another he knows how to wrangle some serious funk out of a drum machine, and then to cap it all off he's prepared to stand there and talk about being a Freak-A-Holic while rocking the kebab-shop owner look, and positively rip it out of himself. Sometimes you just don't want music that takes itself seriously (least of all when it comes to 80s electro funk).

Classic video for 'Freak-A-Holic'

World Class Wreckin' Cru:. The stomping ground of Dr Dre in his formative years, you can't find a better snapshot of early 80s hip hop, when it essentially meant the same as electro. Many of the same hallmarks (minor keys, punchy basslines, token scratches) make groups like these a dime a dozen in the old-skool field, but they stood out for me for pure attitude. Check 'He's Bionic' and try telling me Dre got better with age...

'Surgery'

Zapp / Roger:. This is where taste really gets pushed to the limit. You know you shouldn't but who can help but get their freak on a little when 'More Bounce To The Ounce' gets on the boombox? The man did have funk by the absolute bucketload, and he wasn't afraid to do something as unforgivable as absolutely butchering Marvin Gayes classic 'Heard It Through The Grapevine'. It almost makes me love him more. Almost.

Sketchy video for 'I Can Make You Dance'

Computor Rockers:. One of the highlights of Ed DMX Krew's Breakin' stable, these guys completely carry the torch for classic electro. In fact they have hardly altered the blueprint at all, but seem to apply modern production tricks in the same way that the kids were fucking with synthesisers and drum machines back in the day. Good, simple, groovy fun times.

'Nuclear Vibrations'

Twilight 22:. I only know two tracks by this crew but lordy are they heavy! On top of particularly sick electro grooves you get tough socially conscious rap that brings to mind classic Run DMC. Mix in a light dash of eastern meoldies and you have a completely bizarre but utterly brilliant slice of 80s classic. Check 'Electric Kingdom' and 'Siberian Nights' for some serious future-shock!

'Electric Kingdom'