🔗 Share this article How Electro-Clash Brought Back Glamour, Filth and Fun to 2000s Music Johnny Slut understood his club night Nag had reached a tipping point when he noticed Cilla Black moving to the beat. “I believe that’s the one occasion I got extremely pumped,” he chuckles. “I was playing the reimagined edit of the song My Neck, My Back – and there was Cilla.” An International Wave of Electro-Clash A new sound of digital production surfaced globally in the 2000s. German artists introduced group Chicks on Speed and innovative an influential DJ. French acts brought forth Miss Kittin, The Hacker, and other performers. The UK spawned Ladytron and a noisy trio. Canada showcased a producer and Peaches who reinvented her style with a Roland groovebox. NYC had Fischerspooner and a DJ-producer who created the term electro-clash. Vocals were witty, sometimes raunchy, and theatrical. The sound blended techno with a rough-hewn edge. “Production wasn’t as easy,” explains an originator. “Artists made releasable songs in your apartment.” A Reaction to the Mainstream Industry Electroclash felt like a counterpoint to polished mainstream DJs. According to a key figure, it was music by “outsider artists … fed up with a establishment” that restricted what electronic had to be. The scene quickly found an following. Nag Nag Nag featured not only the genre but also R&B tracks. It turned out to be an immediate success, drawing in famous faces like Kate Moss, Alexander McQueen, and Boy George. Legacy and Revival Despite hype, electroclash never produced a mainstream superstar. Several performers struggled on traditional shows. But its legacy spread chart hits through artists like Sugababes, Goldfrapp, and even Madonna. In America, but, electroclash faced a backlash. Larry Tee argues it was because the business wasn’t supportive “girls, gays and theys.” Lately, but, the style has seen a revival. New artists and parties are using the name. An original artist performed her debut album to rapturous audiences, including new listeners. “I think the new audience understand it,” comments an insider. “It was like the counterculture.” The sounds of electroclash feel relevant in the present. Its themes – gender fluidity and independent spirit – feel more timely than ever.