Electroclash

History and character

Electroclash emerged in the late ’90s as a fusion of ’80s electro, new wave and synth-pop with techno, retro electropop and ’90s dance. The cultural origins cited are the Netherlands, France, Austria, Germany (Munich) and the United States (Detroit and New York); the center is considered to be Munich, where the label International DeeJay Gigolo Records, founded by DJ Hell, is the genre’s “germinal nucleus”. The term was popularized in the United States by Larry Tee, who gave it its name with the Electroclash 2001 Festival in New York (October 2001).

Among the first big hits: “1982” and “Frank Sinatra” by Miss Kittin & The Hacker (1998), “Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass” by I-F (1998), “I’m a Disco Dancer” by Christopher Just (1997), “Save the Planet, Kill Yourself” by Chris Korda (1993), “Missy Queen’s Gonna Die” by Toktok vs. Soffy O (2000), “Emerge” by Fischerspooner (2001), Tiga & Zyntherius’s remake of Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night” (2001). Other artists: Peaches, Chicks on Speed, ADULT., Electrosexual; Ladytron are often associated but rejected the label. Felix da Housecat (“Silver Screen Shower Scene”, with Miss Kittin) is often cited by the press of the time.

Electroclash arose in part as a reaction to the rigid formulas of techno: it puts songwriting, showmanship and humor at the center, with influences from punk and performance art. It joins the pulsing sections of techno and house with the raw energy of rock and new wave: spoken or coldly, ironically sung vocals, “cheap” analog synths, 808/909 drum machines, glam aesthetics, sex and fashion. The later revival passed through labels such as Veintidós Rec. (Spain) and the Italian Rapid Eye Movement Records; its legacy can be heard in French electro house, indie dance and the new wave of “indie sleaze”.

Scales and keys

Cold, “new wave” minor, with simple melodies and spoken vocals. Examples in A minor (Am = i, F = VI, G = VII, C = III), E minor and C major.

Natural minor (Aeolian)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. W H W W H W W. On A: A B C D E F G.
• Chords: i Am, ii° B°, III C, iv Dm, v Em, VI F, VII G.
• Use: “cheap” synth riffs and sequenced basses over i–VI or i–VII; spoken vocals on top.
• Listening example: the cold mood of Miss Kittin & The Hacker.

Phrygian

• Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. On E: E F G A B C D. Chords: i Em, bII F, III G, iv Am, v° B°, VI C, vii Dm.
• Use: dark, minimal riffs, half-step basses.

Dorian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. On A: A B C D E F# G. Chords: i Am, ii Bm, III C, IV D, v Em, #vi° F#°, VII G.
• Use: funkier, more “disco” grooves (Christopher Just, Tiga).

Major (synth-pop)

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. On C: C D E F G A B. Chords: I C, ii Dm, iii Em, IV F, V G, vi Am, vii° B°.
• Use: covers and pop tracks (Tiga & Zyntherius), synth-pop choruses.

Minor pentatonic

• Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7. On A: A C D E G. Use: bass riffs and simple vocal melodies.

How to choose

• Cold and ironic: Aeolian with repetitive riffs.
• Dark and minimal: Phrygian.
• Disco and funk: Dorian.
• Pop: major.
• Rule: the synth riff should sound “played with one finger”: simple and ostinato.

Harmony

• Minimalist: 1–2 chords or a riff; the song lives on voice, rhythm and attitude.
• Harmonic rhythm: slow (one change every 2–4 bars).
• Voicing: fifths and octaves in the synths, simple triads; pads absent or cold.
• New wave references: i–VII–VI, I–V–vi–IV in the more pop tracks.
• Cadences: rare.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• 120–132 BPM, 808/909 drum machine, straight grid.
• Two approaches: syncopated electro (broken 808 kick) or techno/house four on the floor; often alternating within the same track.
• Sequenced bass in eighth or sixteenth notes; hats in sixteenth notes; clap on 2 and 4.
• “Punk” energy: no swing, everything very direct.

Drums

Convention: 16 sixteenth-note steps; quarter-note beats on 1, 5, 9, 13.

Kick

• Electro: steps 1, 7, 11 (r-electro). Four on the floor: 1, 5, 9, 13 (r-4otf). 808 or 909 kicks, lightly processed, often saturated in a “lo-fi” way.

Snare and clap

• Steps 5 and 13: 808/909 clap and snare, sometimes heavily reverbed (gated) as a nod to the ’80s.

Hi-hat and percussion

• Closed hats in sixteenth notes, open hat on the offbeat in the 4x4 sections, 808 cowbell, electronic toms (Simmons-like) in the fills.

Dynamics and groove

• Flat drum-machine velocities; the “character” lies in the raw sounds.

Interaction with bass and vocals

• Sequenced bass following the kick; the spoken vocal leans on the snares.

How it changes by section

• Intro: drum machine alone; verse: drums + bass + vocal; chorus: synths and doubled vocal; break: drum machine and vocal.

Fills and transitions

• Electronic tom rolls, stops, vocal samples, filters.

Sound choice

• 808, 909, cheap drum machines; deliberately “dated” sounds.

Typical mistakes

• Production too polished (it loses the attitude); swing; too many elements.

Programming example (1 bar at 128 BPM)

• Electro version: kick 1, 7, 11; snare + clap 5, 13; closed hats on all 16 sixteenth notes (velocity 80, accent on the eighth notes); cowbell 11 and 16.
• 4x4 version: kick 1, 5, 9, 13; clap 5, 13; open hat 3, 7, 11, 15; closed hats in sixteenth notes.
• Many tracks alternate the two versions between verse (electro) and chorus (4x4): it is an easy way to create contrast without changing tempo.
• Sound: 909 or 808 with tape saturation and a touch of bitcrusher (12-bit) for the “cheap” character.

Bass

• Sequenced bass in eighth or sixteenth notes (sawtooth or square, SH-101, Minimoog, MS-20), often distorted and raw.
• Notes: tonic, octave, b7; ostinatos.
• Register: 50–300 Hz.
• Sidechain: absent or light.
• Indicative recipe: Korg MS-20 V or Mini V, one sawtooth, filter with medium resonance and short envelope, eighth-note ostinato on the tonic with the high octave on the last eighth of the bar; then distortion (Fruity Blood Overdrive) and fast compression.
• Mistakes: bass too clean and “modern”; deep separate sub (electroclash has a drier low register, 50–150 Hz).

Harmonic instruments

• “Cheap” analog synths and ostinato riffs, stabs, cold pads; occasional new wave electric guitars.

Melody and vocals

• Vocals: spoken, whispered, sung in a cold, ironic way (Miss Kittin), often in English with a European accent; performance art and provocation (Peaches).
• Melodies: simple, ostinato, synth-pop.
• Effects: vocoder, distortion, telephone filters, 1/8 delay, ’80s plate reverbs.

Instruments

• TR-808, TR-909, analog synths (MS-20, SH-101, Juno, Minimoog), vocoder, electric guitars, vocals.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Korg MS-20 V — Raw basses and riffs: Pulse wave with drive and resonant filter: “punk” basses and riffs.
• Jun-6 V — Cold riffs and pads: Sawtooth/square with chorus, half-closed filter: new wave riffs.
• Mini V — Sequenced bass: Sawtooth with filter and short contour.
• Vocoder V — Robotic voices: Vocoder for cold, robotic voices.
• Prophet-5 V — Synth-pop stabs and leads: Chord stabs and simple leads.

Song structure

• Pop/new wave song form, 3:30–5:00; longer club versions.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

• Raw, direct, “lo-fi chic”: drum machine up front, distorted bass, dry and close vocal; less loudness and less polish than EDM.
• References: Miss Kittin & The Hacker, Fischerspooner, Tiga, Peaches.

Kick

• EQ: high-pass 30 Hz, +2 dB at 60 Hz, −2 dB at 300 Hz; saturation (tape or light bitcrusher); mono.

Snare and clap

• EQ: high-pass 150 Hz, +3 dB at 3–5 kHz; gated reverb or 1 s plate.

Hi-hat and percussion

• High-pass 500 Hz; saturation; panning 20–40%.

Bass

• High-pass 35 Hz, distortion, compression; mono below 150 Hz.

Synths and guitars

• High-pass 150 Hz; chorus or phaser; 1/8 delay; guitars at ±60–80%.

Vocal

• EQ: high-pass 100 Hz, −2 dB at 300 Hz, +3 dB at 3–4 kHz; heavy FET compression (6 dB); distortion or telephone filter (band-pass 300 Hz–3 kHz) as an effect; short or no reverb; 1/8 delay.

Backing vocals

• Cold doubles and vocoders.

FX

• Noises and samples at moderate level.

Buses and groups

• Drum bus with saturation; Synth bus; Vocal bus.

Sidechain

• Absent or minimal.

Master

• Chain: EQ → tape → glue → limiter.
• Indicative targets: −10/−8 LUFS integrated (working estimate for the era), −8/−7 for modern productions; true peak −1 dBTP.

Common mistakes

• Excessive cleanliness; vocal too reverberant; master too loud, killing the drum machine’s transients.

Reference tracks for the mix

• Miss Kittin & The Hacker — Frank Sinatra (1998); Fischerspooner — Emerge (2001); Tiga & Zyntherius — Sunglasses at Night (2001).

Typical automation

• Filter on the riff that opens slowly over the course of the verse; “telephone” filter on the vocal engaged only on certain phrases; gated reverb send on the clap in the fills.

Reference to the Italian scene

• The electroclash revival had an Italian label, Rapid Eye Movement Records (cited by Wikipedia): useful listening for an Italian producer who wants to measure up against the European scene.

Reference listening

• Chris Korda — Save the Planet, Kill Yourself (1993)
• Christopher Just — I'm a Disco Dancer (1997)
• Miss Kittin & The Hacker — Frank Sinatra (1998)
• I-F — Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass (1998)
• Toktok vs. Soffy O — Missy Queen's Gonna Die (2000)
• Fischerspooner — Emerge (2001)
• Tiga & Zyntherius — Sunglasses at Night (2001)