Electro

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(DJ/rap artist, b. 1960) As a DJ, Bambaataa (b. Kevin Donovan) was at the forefront of the rise of hip hop in the late 1970s. In 1982, he released ‘Planet Rock’, which borrowed from Kraftwerk’s ‘Trans-Europe Express’, and essentially invented electro. In the mid-1980s he collaborated with both John Lydon and James Brown. His debut album, Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere) arrived in 1986. His immeasurable influence on progressive black music ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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‘Spaceman’, 1996 Another case of Levi’s jeans popularizing a song into a hit single – something they had done, not only with new songs, but also with reissues of classic soul songs in the 1980s – Babylon Zoo’s ‘Spaceman’ was an electro-pop hit that appealed instantly to a mid-1990s crowd, but would seem dated and clumsy today. Jas Mann (pronounced ‘jazz man’) was the group’s driving force, and he/they were pretentious ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1984–95) Mick Jones followed his stint as a founder member of The Clash with the genre-hopping BAD. He enlisted filmmaker Don Letts on ‘effects’ and adventurously married punk, hip hop and electronica on 1985’s This Is BAD. The album’s single, ‘E=MC2’ scored highly in the UK. Jones recruited old chum Joe Strummer for the similar No. 10 Upping Street (1986). An excitingly innovative outfit at the outset, BAD succumbed ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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One of the great chameleon figures in rock, David Bowie has also been among the most influential. Born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947, his earliest records with The King Bees, The Mannish Boys and The Lower Third were unsuccessful. In 1966 he changed his name to David Bowie and combined his songwriting with an interest in stage and visual arts. The Rise Of Ziggy Stardust It was not until 1969 ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Dance/vocal group, 1999–present) Like Blondie before them, Goldfrapp are often mistaken for a mere solo artist. They are in fact a duo – captivating vocalist Alison Goldfrapp certainly steals the limelight, while Will Gregory dwells in the shadows on stage. Something of a mix between electro, burlesque, the surreal and good old-fashioned pop, their sound has evolved from the minimal neo-opera of debut Felt Mountain (2000) into a more seductive, synthetic ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(DJ/turntablist, b. 1958) Born Joseph Saddler in Barbados, Flash was the inventor of turntablism – the use of a DJ’s equipment as a musical instrument. He started out in the Bronx in the early 1970s becoming the first DJ to manipulate records by hand, cutting and mixing songs into each other. Blondie’s ‘Rapture’ opines ‘Flash is fast, Flash is cool’; Flash returned the favour in 1981’s ground-breaking ‘The Adventures Of Grandmaster ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 2005–present) London ‘new rave’ trio of Jamie Reynolds, Simon Taylor-Davis and James Righton burst onto the scene in 2007 after gathering an underground following. Following a string of releases on vinyl, they were picked up by radio before their debut album Myths Of The Near Future (2007) was released to much hype. It didn’t disappoint, reaching No. 2 and winning the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. Their blend of dance ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 1980–93, 1998–2007) Formed by the remaining members of Joy Division after Ian Curtis’s suicide. Bernard Sumner (guitar, vocals), Peter Hook (bass) and Stephen Morris (drums) with Gillian Gilbert (keyboards, synthesizers) added extra groove and technology to the angular post-punk beats of their former band, thus heavily influencing the ‘Madchester’ and dance music scenes of the late 1980s and 1990s. The darkly throbbing anthem ‘Blue Monday’ came from 1983’s essential ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
99 Words Read More

(Vocal/instrumental group, 1988–present) Nine Inch Nails – Trent Reznor (vocals), Aaron North (guitar), Jeordie White (bass), Alessandro Cortini (keyboards) and Josh Freese (drums) – are the latest line-up of Reznor’s ever-popular band. Somehow walking the thin line between electro and metal, mainstream yet eternally credible, they are one of America’s least deified rock bands, but a five-album, double Grammy-winning career shows they are not totally forgotten. Rap superstar Eminem, on debut ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal/instrumental group, 2006–present) A Liverpudlian duo formed by a pair of Eno and Kraftwerk fans, Andy McCluskey (bass, vocals) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards). Their supporting cast varied as they produced a series of fine electro pop albums, including Architecture And Morality (1981) and Dazzle Ships (1983), and a string of brooding hits which married intelligence and innovation: ‘Enola Gay’ (1980), ‘Souvenir’ and ‘Joan Of Arc’ (both 1981) and ‘Locomotion’ (1985). The ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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(Vocal group, 1977–85, 2009) Originally consisting of John Foxx (real name Dennis Leigh, vocals), Chris Cross (Chris Allen, bass), Billy Currie (keyboards, synthesizer), Steve Shears (guitar) and Warren Cann (drums), Ultravox were one of the first new wave bands to utilize the synthesizer. Foxx departed after three albums to be replaced in 1979 by Midge Ure, formerly of Slik and The Rich Kids, under whose influence a more accessible and commercial ...

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, general editor Michael Heatley
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Electro is currently enjoying a huge renaissance, but, despite the current hype and mainstream acceptance of the music, it has always enjoyed a strong cult following. This is due to the music’s many different strands and its constant need for reinvention. At its most basic level, electro differentiates itself from house and techno by the fact that it doesn’t use a continuous 4/4 kick drum. Employing off-beat drums, as well as ...

Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music, general editor Paul Du Noyer
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