Electroqueer

Step Into The "Supernatural" With Doe Deere

I could get into serious hot water now for proclaiming that Doe Deere is my favourite disco diva of the moment. While most music bloggers are going on about Swedish popster Isabel Guzman, I keep finding myself blissly distracted by the pop/discorock frenzy that Doe Deere has whipped up in the way of debut album "Supernatural".

With the stunning "One Touch" already at the top of my playlist, it was with rather excited anticipation that I opened my copy of the album to review in hi-fi.  Combining edgy pop infused with a healthy amount of 80s-esqe pounding rock and perfectly executed dreamy synths, every one of the five tracks on "Supernatural" is superb.  "Mona Lisa" is a white-hot dream that conjurs up audio tidbits of Laura Branigan's "Self Control" (similar to Christian George's "Strangers", but less obvious). "SF Disco" imagines our Deere prancing around atop a bar in the Castro whilst winning our bambi hearts with her "get down on the floor" commandments. "What U Like" and "Supernatural" are also very strong tracks and for a five track album, you won't be disappointed in Doe Deere's debut effort.

You must go out and buy this album now on Doe Deere's MySpace where you'll be met with a cute message from the poptastic lad-e with antlers. She's so adorable.  I love everything about her.  Just like every good artist these days, she's done it all herself without compromise, without a big label and has made a set of tracks that isn't so scary like it's title suggests, but rather a cool set of tracks that are inviting, frisky and all-in-all - rather genius.

You may now all start talking about Doe Deere ladies and gentlemen...And don't forget if you're a member of the EQ Facebook Group, you can still download the brilliant "One Touch" for a limited time only.

My Thoughts On Sam Sparro's "Self Titled Debut"

I have only bought Sam Sparro's debut self-titled album on Tuesday and I can't stop listening to it.  I've literally played it about eight times and as soon as the final track finishes, I start it all over again!  I'm obsessed.  I was worried that Sam's album might have the horrible shelf life of Calvin Harris' "I Created Disco" album, but oh how contrary that is.  Sam has made a rather good disco freak record and I'm in love.

Aside from having the smash hit "Black And Gold" as the second song, there are a number of potential singles here.  "21st Century Life" gets me dancing immediately as Sam discovers the joys of modern technology and the electro anthem "Sick" certainly will give hardcore electro fans a spark of delight.  The tracks in the middle of the album like "Waiting For Time", "Recycle It!" and "Cottonmouth" aren't the best tracks on the album, but "Hot Mess" sees Sam conjuring up a modern, yet retro-grade Prince record while "Cut Me Loose" is pretty much your "getting ready" soundtrack for the next three months of Saturday nights. 

My favourite song on the album is "Pocket" - hands down.  I absolutely love this electro diddy and Sam's take on the old saying that "you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer" is fresh and inspiring.  You'll especially love the track "Sally" as we see Sam dishing out some good advice to a call girl while still managing to pay homage to The Police's legendary 80's track "Roxanne".

Despite having a secret song at the end of the album (I usually hate it when artists do that) this album is pretty amazing.  The secret song talks about how Sam spent too much money on a fabulous pair of jeans which has left him penniless and hungry and lord knows how many times I've done that...So Sam, you're forgiven for the secret song thingy because the rest of the record is suprisingly soulful and full of wit and personality - which you rarely see in electronic records these days. 

You should all go out now and buy Sam Sparro's record.  EQ approved.

My Thoughts On Madonna's "Hard Candy"

Y'know I'm a pretty big Madonna fan.  Well not to the point where I buy anything and everything that has Madonna written on it, but I always manage to spend hundreds of pounds on her concert tickets and I have a rather sizable catalog of Madonna remixes and rarities so I think it's safe to say I'm a pretty big fan.  There has only been one time in my life where I felt overwhelmingly starstruck and that was when she stood next to me for about 4.5 seconds outside the stage door after a performance of "Up For Grabs" in 2002.  I almost fainted.

When Madonna hinted she was going to work with Timbaland on her new album "Hard Candy" I was a wee-bit disappointed.  I've always seen Madonna as one to nurture new musical talent as demonstrated by her collaborations with Stuart Price, William Orbit and Mirwais.  I even defended her "American Life" album when the critics called it her worst work to date, but quite frankly I thought it was one of her best - my only criticism was that the title track wasn't that great, but I stuck by her.  "Nothing Fails" and "Mother And Father" still move me.  Working with Timbaland, Pharell and Justin Timberlake seemed to be a strange move for Madonna in my eyes.  Radio is over-saturated with Timbaland hits.  And that's ok - it's just not what I prefer to listen to, but I think the industry can learn a lot from him.  It was with caution I took on the fact that Madonna was going to work with this team and I would await the final product before casting any judgment.

Well the day has arrived and "Hard Candy" has dropped.  And the verdict.  Eh - it's ok.  I've listened to it about three times now and the only standout track to me is "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You".  It's gorgeous.  I really want to like "Miles Away" too (the ending of this song is actually stunning), but I feel the song got lost in the production a bit.  I actually think the track would sound much better as an acoustic song that focuses on the lyrics.  There are some really cool electronica bits on "Give It 2 Me", "Dance 2nite" and "Heartbeat" that I like, but they will take me awhile to get used to, I find the whole beat pattern on the album as a whole to be rather repetitive.  I really don't get "Incredible" at all and "4 Minutes" is a good collaboration, but it's not really Madonna now is it?

Perhaps this is Madonna's attempt to secure and maintain the interest of the younger more commercial audience who buy records and hey that's ok.  I'll continue to shell out hundreds of pounds on her upcoming tour, but I'm hoping that the tour will see her revisit some of her classics -I don't really think showcasing this album live would work very well unless Stuart Price is involved.  That's just my opinion. 

I've been wrong before and there will probably be a plethora of people who will disagree with me regarding "Hard Candy" but for now, it's not an album I'll wear out like "Confessions On A Dance Floor", but rather a collection of songs that will pop up when I have my iPod set to random.  Perhaps Madonna is saving her really good songs for her new contract with Live Nation and didn't feel the need to push herself as an artist for this last record with Warner Brothers - just a thought. 

I hardly ever say this either, but bring on the more gay-friendly remixes please.  I still love you Madonna.   

   

   

EQ Interviews Ming & Ping : "We'll Make A Spicy Dance Party For You!"

Meet Ming & Ping. They are an electronic duo of identical twins from Hong Kong living in one of my favourite cities in the world - San Francisco.  I became fascinated with Ming & Ping after a particular EQ favorite turned me onto their great 80's tinged electronica and with one listen to their fantastic album "Causeway Army" I instantly became a fan.  I think you'll like this lovable duo as much as I do.  Make sure you check them out on MySpace and visit their incredible website where you will get a feeling how this creative duo are seamlessly merging art, music and diversity into one very sexycool package.

EQ:  Hey guys - Now we know you guys are twins...How do we distinguish who is Ming and who is Ping?
Ming: <laughs> I am Ming.  Before we formed as a duo, we actually looked quite similar.  Our producer Bao convinced us to have more unique colors and style.  So I am Ming and I usually wear more black and magenta colors.

Ping: And I am Ping, I wear more light colors like white and blue and silver. This is the idea that our producer come up with to help form our image public.  But now, we dress like this always – quite natural for me to buy white trousers at the store or an electric blue tie, you know?  Hehe.

So tell us about your new video "Legends Of Nothing".  What's it all about?
Ping: <laughs> So the "Legends Of Nothing" video is the vision of our producer.  When we wrote the song, we were only thinking about very abstract images and Bao helped us to create this scene to represent our ideas.  Ideas like the in-between space of sleep and wake and inside/outside.  So we made a very stressful feeling video to represent that kind of struggle for control!

EQ Interview with Róisín Murphy : I Made £65 in 15 Minutes, You Do The Sums!

So I got to chat with the current reigning queen of electronica Róisín Muphy and needless to say, I was pretty excited.  In this interview with EQ, Róisín talks about her recent busking experience, who she would like to get on her "casting couch" and some of the interesting items in her closet.  Personally, I'm thrilled to find out that she kept the gorgeous mirrored dress from the "Sing It Back" video.  Enjoy EQs.

EQ: Hello Róisín - Welcome to EQ.  Our first question is something that we've always wondered about since you started promoting "Overpowered".  What reactions did you get from the on-lookers when you did your photo shoots wearing your outrageously fabulous costumes?!
Róisín Murphy:  Actually, I was quite surprised how little the people of London seemed to react, in London I guess they have seen it all before. Or maybe they were just scared and decided to keep out of harms way, which is just as well because had I fallen on anybody in that Victor & Rolf dress I could have killed them!

Having said that, you toned it down a little when you went on a busking adventure in London!  How was that actually?  Did people recognize you or did they think "Oh just another busker on the street?".
I think most of the crowd that gathered did realise it was me, and for a busker I was quite dressed up. Still, I reckon the wide-eyed little girls in the crowd just liked it not knowing who or what I was.

Would you go busking again?
Possibly, It was a nice experience and many people said they were very touched by it, plus I made £65 in 15 minutes, you do the sums!

Kleerup Is Too Brilliant And You Know It...

Robyn's mad scientist and partner-in-crime Kleerup officially amazes me with the release of his tracks "Longing For Lullabies" featuring Titiyo and "Tower Of Trellick" that are available now from iTunes.

Kleerup is one of those dudes one the music scene that I am a little too afraid to talk to. Whenever I've seen him perform live with Little Miss Powerhouse he just has such an intensity about him that just says "I'm too-brilliant-for-you-and-you-fucking-know-it-so-step off" kinda vibes about him. And it's not in a cocky way at all - he just has so much talent oozing off of him in a throbbing electrical aura that it makes me want to bow down in respect. I'm sure he's nothing but a teddy bear in real life (just like Robyn), but for now I'll shyly admire him from a distance until he comes up to me and say's "Hey - who the hell are you?" at the next afterparty...LOL.

Here's the beautifully simple video to "Longing For Lullabies" that I am obsessed with at the moment. I hope you love it as much as I do. Please make sure you support Kleerup by purchasing his tracks. I would definitely love to hear a full-length album from him because he is 50% of the reason why Robyn is so massively successful at the moment...And even if Robyn wasn't around - this guy would still have me in audio fixation.

Longing For Lullabies featuring Titiyo

And don't they just look too fucking adorable in this candid photo..

EQ Inteviews Blake Lewis: "Ghastly and hilarious, I laughed out loud."

In my rather obvious and feeble attempt to get the release of the video to "How Many Words" by Blake Lewis sped up the other day, I somehow managed to get him to answer a few interview questions instead - and his responses are rather informative! 

In this exclusive interview with EQ, Blake Lewis talks about the origin of his new single, who he is big upping for this season of American Idol and what it was like to work with some of the legendary names on his uber fantastic debut album "Audio Day Dream".  Enjoy EQs!

EQ: Hey Blake, thanks for chatting with us. So tell us what's been the reaction so far industry-wise from "Audio Daydream"?
Blake Lewis: The reaction has been great so far.  I have been blessed with amazing fans that respect my art. It has been interesting coming off such a phenomenon of a television show like American Idol and trying to break out in the world of radio.

We loved your performance of "How Many Words" recently on the new season of American Idol. Was this song a standout track for you on the album? What is the inspiration behind the tune?
This was my pick for a single the day I got a rough mix back.  I was trying terribly hard to make this my first single and I couldn't’t be happier that it’s finally out there now.  "How Many Words" is about my last girlfriend I had before American Idol. In the chorus it says, "This loves black and blue".  "Black" is for Blake and "Blue" is her last name.  She is a beautiful, talented woman that I kept breaking up with and getting back together repeatedly over the course of two years.  It came down to me not liking the man I was becoming when I was with her and her lack of support in my music career made me let her go.  Thus, "How Many Words" was born.

And you know I am dying to know – how’s the video coming along?!
I have received many treatments for the video and wrote one myself.  Just waiting for the label to give the go ahead and trying to find the right person to see my vision through.

EQ Interview With September : "Kylie is Always on My iPod"

So you should know that September is blowing up at the moment!  She's blonde, she's Swedish and she knows a thing or two about quality dance music.  Her new single "Cry For You" is tearing up the UK airwaves as we speak.  This starlet-in-the-making has already had a taste for US success too, and a penchant for good ol American hamburgers!  EQ was able to tear her away briefly from all the madness and got her to answer a few of our silly questions.  Enjoy our little chat and make sure you download "Cry For You" now (physical drops on 14 April) and if you haven't heard some of September's other stellar tunes, make sure you check her out on MySpace.  We're quite diggin "Flowers On The Grave"...

Well hello September and welcome to EQ!  So you must be pretty excited that "Cry For You" is getting quite a good response from the UK market.
Yes!  I have been waiting for this a long time now so I'm very happy!  It has always been a dream and a goal of mine to break in the UK market!

So what are your thoughts on the current Scandinavian pop invasion that's happening in the UK now?  Robyn, Basshunter, Alphabeat are all taking over the UK charts.  And now you...
I'm proud!  There is a lot of music going on in Sweden and for it being such a small country, I think we're doing very well right now!

As a Swedish female artist, was it empowering for you to see Robyn have such great success?
Yes!  She has opened doors for a lot of other Swedish artists too.  She is great!

EQ Interview With Temposhark Part One : "It's Emotional, Dramatic, Sexy, Dark..."

Hello EQs!  Well if you live under a rock, you probably don't know that Temposhark are one of THE hottest bands at the moment and they will be releasing their beyond brilliant and highly anticipated electronic album 'The Invisible Line' in March.  EQ got to chat with Robert Diament, lead singer of the band to chat about their sound, what it's like to work with Imogen Heap and some of the background of their tracks in Part 1. 

EQ: Hello Robert - care to introduce yourselves to the readers?

RD: Hello! I'm Robert, lead singer/song writer of Temposhark. The other members are Luke on keyboards, Mark on bass and Mathis on drums!

So how exactly did you come up with the name 'Temposhark'?  I heard the name was born out of subconsciousness - is that true?

Yes I woke up one night in the middle of a dream and calmly said "Temposhark".  I have no idea where it came from!  It was weird but I just knew it was the right name for the band.  We wanted something strong, we were into the idea at the time of music being a weapon…so it kind of suited that whole theme.

So your new album 'The Invisible Line' is finally coming out in March - how would you describe it's sound?

It's emotional, dramatic, sexy, dark, reflective…All different musical elements from big strings to electronic beats and keyboards to rock baselines.  We like big riffs and sing-a-long choruses.

You started your own label 'Paper and Glue' for it's release right?  What's been the most difficult part of putting out an album on your own label?

I first set up my own little record label using my student loan from studying in London!  We put out a number of EPs with remixes done by friends.  We just kind of did it as we went along.  We'd write 3 or 4 songs then put them out straight away!  So those early EPs are quite embryonic and you can hear how much our sound has grown when you listen to the actual album.  I love running our own label because we're in control of the music and the artwork and also we can move quickly if we need to, which keeps everything fresh.  It's also really rewarding because when you read an email from someone who is listening to your music on the other side of the world, it really means something to us because we've created it and worked hard to make it all happen.

How did you come up with the amazing artwork for the album?

I work a lot with a great UK designer called Tom Lardner.  We've done all the EPs together, crazy sleeves like a die cut question mark on gold packaging for the 'Neon Question Mark' EP or the black drip for 'Little White Lie' EP and the black rose for 'It's Better To Have Loved' single. I told him how the album title 'The Invisible Line' sums up how I feel about music – how we are all connected to each other and the amazing way that music can travel around the world uniting people.  An artist I love called Tracey Emin wrote about her birth and invisible lines that connect the past, present and future in her book 'Exploration Of The Soul' and it really resonated with me, that idea.  Spinoza the philosopher also talks about it.  So I had that idea.  Tom came up with this image of shapes floating in front of my face as if they were traveling, and it just felt right.  It suited the theme and its really simple.  I really like simplicity in artwork.  Simple and bold.

I have to admit, the first time I heard opening track 'Don't Mess With Me', I thought, "Wow, that's really in your face and egotistical.  I love it!"  What's the story behind this track?  Life experience or are you role-playing a teeny bit?

I wrote that song as a character.  It's so funny how people think it's me, like literally me!  It's a comment on the ridiculousness of egos, of some people I'd been around in the music industry.  I love that track.  I love how it divides people.  Some people either love it madly or can't stand it.  I'm also happy we chose it as the opening track. I think it makes you listen 'cause it's a bit different.

What I like most about the album is that lyrically, you don't hold back - especially on 'Little White Lie'.  Do you think that being so upfront lyrically is going to get people to sit up and listen to the music?

I just write what I'm feeling. Sometimes it's playing a character, other times its directly describing good and bad events from my life, but at all times it's deeply personal to me.  I think that's important.  I think being honest and truthful and channeling your subconscious emotions is very important as an artist.

You actually released 'The Invisible Line' awhile ago on digital download for your fans - why did you do this so far in advance of releasing the physical album?  We're you worried that maybe it would leak before it's official release or is that a good thing in your eyes?

We just pre-released the album on iTunes because we could!  The record was finished and there were a lot of people who wanted the album straight away.  So we just thought, what harm is it going to do?  And as it turned out, yes the album did leak way ahead of schedule anyway, so I'd rather there was a high quality version of it up on iTunes or wherever… so at least people can hear it how its meant to sound.  I don't mind leaks though, as long as people are listening that's all that matters I guess. But I still buy music.  I've always bought music and will always. I think its important to support other artists because otherwise they won't be able to keep supporting themselves to make more…I just bought two albums in Berlin last week by Final Fantasy for example, as I've been meaning to get his CDs for like a year and never got around to it!

I might have to check out Final Fantasy then!  How did your collaboration with Imogen Heap come to fruition on 'Not That Big'?

I'd been a fan of hers since her first single 'Getting Scared', when I was 17 or something!  I'd got to know her over those following years, asked her to sing with us and she was up for it.  I love her band Frou Frou with Guy Sigsworth too.  Imogen's one of the great artists of our time. Unlike many other artists, she continually shines brighter and brighter with every album she does.

EQ: Stay bookmarked for Part 2 of our chat with Temposhark very soon where we take some EQ reader questions, Robert talks about the one and only Madonna and his reaction when we compare the band to Nine Inch Nails! 

Until then, make sure you check them out on MySpace and run to iTunes and download their digital album if you can't wait for the physical release in March!  Check out EQ's album review of 'The Invisible Line' back in August right here too!

Continue reading Part 2...

EQ Loves Madonna

You know - we could probably write a whole blog just about Madonna, of course not half as good as our favourite Madonna blog, Madonnalicious, but nevertheless we could go on and on about her.  Truth be told, we hardly ever write about Madonna.  It's not like she needs any more publicity is it?  EQ has always been a place to talk about new artists and music and nothing we could ever say about The Material Girl would really amount to anything.  She's genius.  We remember buying her 'Like A Virgin' cassette in sixth grade and having to hide it from our mother cuz the cover was too racy.  Whenever the queen releases concert tour dates, we practically bankrupt ourselves into getting decent seats at as many multiple shows as possible. 

So her new album is coming out soon...It has a candy-theme.  We've heard rumblings that the album is going to be shit and we haven't been really impressed with the unfinished tracks that have leaked online and the catastrophe that was 'Hey You'.  But something tells us Madonna has another ace up her sleeve.  She always does.  We'd be rather surprised if the album was really shit to be honest.  She's Madonna after all.    

Madonna recently had a listening party at Warner Bros for staff only and we're quite impressed with the decor of the room, see below.  As for what the staff actually thought about the album (lucky buggers got to hear it first), you can read a little story over here, via Madonnalicious.

So having said all this nonsense above, we've decided to write about Madonna more on EQ.  She's so EQ anyways, it's not even funny.  She's an EQ legend.  She's actually another reason we started EQ - she's made electronica fucking awesome again. 

And...for those of you who didn't catch it, here's a snippet of Darren Hayes singing 'Dress You Up' at his New Years Party. We have to say - Darren tore this track up. It was the most fabulous part of his show...we hope it's a permanent fixture on his upcoming 'Side Two Tour'.

The EQ Chat With Paleday : "Creamier than a gay cow and hot enough to melt the balls off Madonna's confessional mirrorball".

So we had a chance to catch up with Anthony Jackson-Stubbs from rising disco funk band Paleday and we have to say - it's one of the funniest chats we've had in a long time!  Paleday's new disco single 'Eurotramp' drops next week on 14 January and we urge you to buy it - it's a fabulous throwback to an era when music was quality, fun and glorious - and that is something that both Paleday and EQ believe there isn't enough of in today's music scene.  So go throw on a feather boa, turn on the disco lights and get to know one of our favourite bands of the moment, Paleday!

EQ: Well hello Anthony and welcome to EQ!  First of all, can you go ahead and introduce the band to the readers?

Anthony: Hey! Happy New Year. So, I'm Anthony, co-writer, co-producer and lead vocalist in Paleday. Usually to be found dressed in white to highlight my virginal gorgeousness.  Diamante optional. Dressed in black, we have Dr. Stephen, Paleday's resident intellectual, and also my best friend, co-writer and co-producer.  And in searing red, we have the sizzling Sam.  Not seen in the pictures but equally important in the live band is Alex on guitars, who puts us in mind of a young Barry Gibb.  On bass, and happier with 6 strings than 4, is the supremely funky Phil.  Whilst holding us altogether with a rhythmic section second to none is Steve R.  Six people guaranteed to make the boys, girls, and everyone in-between swoon, whilst playing the most accomplished disco-pop that 2008 will hear.

Excellent!  So how did you come up with the name Paleday?  Was it a rather pale day outside when you decided on the band name?  Give us the scoop!

Actually it was looking rather pale inside!  I'd just split up with my partner (was it someone in the band, I'll leave you guessing) and I came downstairs where my friend Pauline said I was looking rather pale. I replied that it had been something of a pale day. The rest is history.

Awwww.  We can feel that your music has a bit of legendary Culture Club vibe to it?  What sort of ties do you have to the band?  Without doing any research at all, we seem to think that one of you used to be in Culture Club?  Is that true?

Sam did indeed do a stint as front man of the newly reformed Culture Club in 2006, with several of the original members.  Sam was fantastic too – you can find clips of their showcase on YouTube – but unfortunately it didn't pan out.  Both Sam and Paleday garnered a lot of new fans as a result and it's a shame the Culture Club project didn't work out as Sam is a highly talented performer and was a breath of fresh air for them.  Our live sound is mixed these days by the guy who mixed our album, Jimmy Sarikas; Jimmy did a lot of the live sound for Culture Club's worldwide tour, so yes, I guess we have some links. You won't find any of us sweeping the streets of New York though!  Well, unless it's for groupies!

'Eurotramp' is a fantastic tune – we love it to bits!  Which one of you is the biggest eurotramp and why?  Don’t be shy – tell us the truth!

Why thank you kind sir. We're very proud of the track too. Us, eurotramps? How dare you! <laughs> In fact I suppose that Sam and I probably top the eurotramp charts, although we have very different tastes, and indeed methods, of euro-tramping!!  No one is particularly safe when we're on the prowl, but they'd all have a spectacular time on their way to Paleday groupiedom!

And we hear that 'Eurotramp' is getting a release date and getting lots of airplay lately – tell us more about that!

'Eurotramp' is released as a digital download single on Monday 14 January and will be available on iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, emusic and other leading digital retailers. We've had play on Smooth and Capital radio already and much more on the way. We're also climbing the Music Week commercial club pop charts, entering the top 20 this week and receiving fantastic feedback from clubs and DJs around the UK!

Great news!  I have to say, we had such a great time at your launch party at the Soho Revue Bar.  Where did you get all those dedicated fans?!  Your launch party was the best one we went to this year!

Glad you enjoyed the party!  It's really important to look after our fans, after all, without them, we'd be playing to the dog (not that she doesn't enjoy it).  Our fans seem to cover a wide demographic, but they have one thing in common – they love having a good time!  Our live shows always bring out the best in us and the best in the crowd.  The launch party was of course full of people particularly into us, but we've done gigs where the majority of the crowd are into metal, or heavy indie rock, and they look at us before we start, clearly thinking “what the f***?!”.  But invariably by the time we've finished, they're dancing along, trying to steal our feather boas.  It's a bit like going to an old disco, and trying to be too cool for school pretending you're not enjoying the cheesy records.  But then they put on 'Dancing Queen' and everyone gets up!  We have that sort of effect.

Why do you think the live pop scene is dull these days?

Same thing really - people take everything too seriously.  I'm all for some meaningful singer-songwriters and focused indie-pop, but sometimes people just want a bloody good tune that they can sing along to, with a decent beat, something that makes them feel something - elation, love, whatever, and makes them smile.  There's a lot of commercial pop that sort of does that, but more often than not, it's manufactured, not live, and you feel that you're being cynically marketed to.  We're not that.  We play live, we do what we enjoy, and we're a bit like an old-fashioned band in that respect.  And the tunes are big, and real.  I don't think it's any surprise that when they do Live 8 revisited or any of those big old multi-concerts, they invariably wheel out Dame Elton or someone similar.  Can you actually think of any new bands that put on a show, like Abba, or the Bee Gees?  Paleday put on a show. We put a bit of the theatrical back into gigs – who wants sticky floors and black peeling paint anyway?

We couldn't agree with you more Anthony!  You recently just played to the staff and celebrity guests of OK! Magazine too for Christmas – how did that go over?

Hmmmmm.  We were looking forward to this "most glamorous" of parties.  It was singularly the least glamorous event we have ever had the misfortune to perform at.  Basically an awful combination of Big Brother and Hollyoaks "celebs" trying to outdo each other in terms of getting drunk and getting photographed, all being run by a PR guy who just screamed down at everyone all the time, like a male Edina from Ab Fab only substantially less attractive.  And you know how you think they edit Big Brother to make the contestants seem even more vile?  They don't, some of them are really like that.  Nikki, the whiney one, actually stole one of our microphones whilst we were performing, and started singing nonsense into it.  Terribly bad form.  I even had abuse screamed at me by another BB girl dressed as a Barbie, literally inside an oversized Barbie box, because our taxi driver wouldn't let them steal our car.  And as for the one who was screaming drunk, smoking like a chimney and at least 6 months pregnant...yeaurgh!!!  The only thing that needed airbrushing more than the fake tans were the manners, and the whole 'Not OK!' party was a 'celebrity' experience we won't be rushing to repeat. We didn't even get paid, but we did come away with a free Cheeky Girls badge, so I suppose every cloud has a silver lining. (Actually the Cheeky Girls were amongst the few nice people there, bless them.)

Hmmmm, sounds like I might have to lose my invitation to that party should I ever get invited!  So tell us about your album coming out soon – what can we expect?

It's called 'Love The Groove'.  We hope to get it out by March. It's essentially finished and was mastered by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road Studios.  That same week he mastered Kylie's new album.  Ten tracks of ultra-pop.  Creamier than a gay cow and hot enough to melt the balls off Madonna's confessional mirrorball!  There's a lot of disco on there and fans of Chic, The Bee Gees, Scissor Sisters and Mika will love all of that.  We have a couple of more mid-tempo numbers which are seriously radio-friendly groovers.  And there's one massive ballad on there which I wrote for my Dad who sadly passed away at the start of 2007, which in the finest tradition of such things is hopeful, optimistic, sad enough to make you cry and heart-warming enough to make you smile.  Maybe it will be Christmas number 1 in 2008.  So although we do love a disco, we're not by any means a one-trick pony.  In fact we already have enough material for another two albums!  Overall, there isn't a duff track amongst the bunch, and without fail, whilst there are subliminal messages and darker intent in some of the verse lyrics, it's possible to hum the tune and even sing along to the chorus by the end of the first listen to any of the tracks.  Classic pop!!! There's even a quirky track at the end called 'If I Lived On The Moon', a little in the style of 'Daydream Believer', that references The Clangers.  Blue String Spaghetti anyone????   

If you could throw the ultimate Paleday disco party – who would be on the guestlist and getting ‘Funky in your disco’?

Us of course, because we never miss a party! All the disco greats – Chaka Kahn, Gloria Gaynor, Nile Rodgers, rather a long list in fact.  Brian Ferry because my mate Pauline wants him to be her butler.  Ken Dodd.  The Clangers.  Absolutely no Big Brother contestants.  Dot from Eastenders.  The odd bit of eye candy (both male and female – we have to cater for the whole band!).  Bobby the pool boy - long story there...

We’ve decided that were going to make a drink called Paleday for our next EQ party.  What are the key ingredients?

Pink Taittinger champagne, vodka and a large measure of Fabulosity. Shaken AND stirred. No olive. Can't stand 'em. Oh go on then, give us a twist....

I'm salivating already!  That’s it – thanks Paleday.  Anything you’d like to tell the EQ readers before we sign off?

Please buy 'Eurotramp' as a download on Monday 14 January.  Please email your favourite radio station and ask them to play 'Eurotramp'.  Please tell your favourite club or music venue that you'd like to see us perform live there.  Please join us at MySpace as a friend.  Please tell all your friends about Paleday. Please keep reading the fabulous Electroqueer.  But most of all, please please please remember that life is toooooo short.  So smile!  And we'll see you, woo you, snog you and entertain you in 2008!!!!!

Antigone : Electroqueer Of The Year 2007

Antigone is a name you won't forget if you are a loyal reader of EQ.  She's sassy, smart, stylish and most of all, she's a woman in who is putting out some of the best electronica that you will hear in the coming months ahead in 2008.  Amidst all the other electronic divas who shined brightly in the spotlight this year (ie: Roisin Murphy / Robyn), Antigone brings a little something different to the table and that is why we have named her our 'EQ Of The Year 2007'.

Our musical love affair with Antigone did rightly start with Darren Hayes mentioning her in one of his blogs this past year.  Darren and EQ have been, for the most part, on par with our musical tastes, so going to check out Antigone on MySpace was a task that couldn't have been any easier for us.  What we were pleased to find was a lush blend of electronica that we haven't quite heard before.  To say it made our ears perk up is a huge understatement.  Her sound is a little left-field, it's a little disco, it's a little house, it's a tad burlesque but most of all - it clearly works.  Having perfected her triumphant command of house music as part of the group Etherfox with electronic maestro Justin Shave, Antigone knows how to deliver tunes to get people dancing in the sweatiest of discos worldwide.  Combine that with her thought-provoking lyrics from her new solo material, you are bound to easily fall under a trance from the moment you press play.

Having only released one track thus far in the way of the the whirly and very danceable 'Funky Dancers' (download it here), this track sets firmly in our list of top tracks for 2007 and we literally could not stop listening to it on MySpace this year.  It didn't matter that we had to be online and logged in to actually hear it - it was that good.  After seeing and reviewing Antigone's debut London performance at the Soho Revue Bar - we were convinced that Antigone had that special something that set her apart from all the other acts we were closely following this year. 

Some might argue that it's a little premature to big-up an artist who hasn't even put out the album yet and has only just released one single, and that certainly is a fair remark to make, but with Antigone, much like her music, all the rules are thrown out the window.  Take one listen to her tracks 'Promiscuity' and 'Uberwoman' when the album is released and you will understand what we keep going on about.  Nothing will prepare you for the disco triumphant track that is 'More Man Than Man' and the luxuriating and sparkly gems that are 'Mirror' and 'Hello Yellow'.

Some of you probably will be quite fickle with Antigone's music and that's ok.  It's not the type of music that is going to be embraced by the Timbaland mainstream sound that dominates pop today.  However for those of you that appreciate pop music which thinks outside the box like Bjork, Siobhan Donaghy, Kate Bush, Garbage, Tori Amos and even Madonna to a certain extent, Antigone's brand of electronica will surely please your sensory pulses to an elevated sense of bliss.  If she breaks out into the wide open it wouldn't surprise us.  If she remains the dedicated and hard-working/no-compromising indie songstress she is now - it's all good.  Antigone can't really do no wrong.

Hearty congratulations to Antigone - you won us over with your brilliance and mighty tunes and that is why you will reign royale goddess supreme over this blog for as long as we keep on bloggin.  You truly have captured the spirit of Electroqueer this past year and we wish you all the biggest success in 2008.  Expect heavy coverage of Antigone in 2008 when her "beyond amazing" album 'Antigoneland' drops and please visit all the links below to submerse yourself in the captivating workings of the wondrous and seriously-edged artist that is Antigone. 

Antigone on the Web:

:: Antigone MySpace - For all the latest developments in Antigoneland

:: Official Website - More on the vixen here. 

:: Etherfox Website - Learn more about Antigone's disco beginnings

:: EQ Live Review and Interview - Get to know Antigone and her show more...

:: XOLondon Interview - Extremely insightful interview and profile.

:: Top photo credit - Claire Reynolds

The EQ Chat with Bubbles & Cheesecake: "We're Like Martha Stewart On Acid With Matching Products and Music!"

I had a chance to catch up with the soulful and unique brand that is Bubbles & Cheesecake a few days ago and below you can hear our chat about all things B&C in this downloadable 30 minute podcast interview including;

• How Allee Willis and Holly Palmer came up with their kitschy name!
• Their thoughts on the gender war that broke out on YouTube in reaction to 'It's A Woman Thang' !
• Delving into the diverse musical backgrounds of the two ladies - Did you know Bubbles wrote 'What Have I Done To Deserve This' by The Pet Shop Boys, the 'Theme To Friends' and even the hit musical 'The Color Purple'!  Cheescake has even sang with David Bowie and Gnarls Barkley!
• Their thoughts on blogging and social networking and what's happening next in their crazy handmade world!

I really enjoyed chatting with these fun gals and am looking forward to experiencing the many fun things Allee and Holly are bringing to pop music in the future.  If you haven't yet experienced the multi-media fun fair Bubbles & Cheesecake have to offer, make sure you check it all out on www.bubblesandcheesecake.com to get your taste!

Stream Bubbles & Cheesecake Chat with EQ

Introducting Matthew Duffy

EQs - may we introduce you to Matthew Duffy.  He's an electro god in the making and we are absolutely loving his latest single '#1 Enemy' which is getting a bit of attention.  Matthew is New York based and has been working on making music for quite some time.  His first electronic album 'Here I Come' was released in 2004 which spawned a Billboard hit called 'Electric Shock' and the deeply-layered electronic track called 'Little Bird' - both of which videos you can see below. 

We sorta stumbled upon Matthew's great sound by accident.  We were browsing some YouTube videos and found 'Electric Shock' which then led us to stalk his MySpace page in which we then found out that Arjan wrote about him ages ago.  We love it when stuff like this happens!  It certainly is fuel for an electroqueer obsession and Matthew seems to be the latest target!  So all last week, we've been playing 'Here I Come' and his latest album 'The Healing Machine' non-stop in the loft and the office, both of which are available on iTunes and on CDBaby if you prefer physical format - you really should be taking a listen.

So - to help you all understand our little obsession with Matthew, here's a little video vault for you and if you can - download his albums.  They are pretty much electro-luscious and we quite particularly love his cover of Jody Watley's classic 'Still A Thrill' which we've been secretly hoping someone would cover for quite a long time!  Check out his website as well - we will be making sure to bring you any new Matthew Duffy news as it develops...we'll be keeping a close eye on him.

#1 Enemy	Little Bird
Electric Shock	Look out for more Matthew on EQ!

Stefy Interview: "I Wanted To Be A Race Car Driver!"

Could you imagine if Stefy Rae turned out to be a race car driver instead of the brilliant electropop songstress she is today?  No, neither can we!  We are glad she chose to follow her Bolivian grandmother's advice and take to the stage to sing about evil girls named Chelsea and innocence lost in the OC.  So what happened when Raj and Samuel banded together and asked Stefy Rae about performing in the UK, her rather uninteresting Wikipedia page and what it's like being compared to No Doubt...well, you'll just have to continue reading to find out...

Electroqueer: Well hello Stefy – welcome to EQ! Let’s get cracking on some questions…When you were younger did you have any notions that you would end up becoming a bloody amazing popstar?
Stefy Rae: Haha!! No I had no notion of becoming a popstar. I wanted to be a race car driver.... oh well....

EQ: When we read your bio, we found out that you had quite a sparky Bolivian grandmother…how did she influence your dream to become a singer?
SR: Everytime she would visit she would say, "Stefy do you want to make money?"  I would reply, "Yes!" her answer was always, "Well then sing!"

EQ: Some commentators have called you the 'new No Doubt'. Is it annoying to be called the 'new No Doubt', when really, you want to be known for being Stefy – not a carbon copy of another band?
SR: It does get annoying!!! Don't get me wrong I love love love Gwen but when I'm making music I'm not sitting there saying ok what would No Doubt do??

EQ: So tell us about your new electro ballad ‘Orange County’. Is it somewhat deeper than just about a couple of teens who watch MTV all day and talk on their cell phones?
SR: Orange County is about two kids that screwed up early in life. She gets pregnant, they drop out of high school, he gets a job, and all innocence is lost. They end up saying, "Where have all the good times gone?"

EQ: At the moment, your Wikipedia page is rather short and boring without any interesting trivia. Do you have any weird facts you can tell us about yourself, so we can start a Stefy trivia section on Wikipedia?
SR: Any weird facts?????  Umm...I'm a compulsive out-of-control buyer. Help me please!  I also hate feet and have a thing for Mickey Mouse!

EQ: Also – your Wikipedia page says that "it is unknown if Stefy will make another album". Do you have an exclusive for us? Are you planning a follow-up to your brilliant first album?
SR: I am definitely making a second record.  I'm actually in the studio at the moment!!

EQ: We’re you surprised at how well received ‘Chelsea’ was in the UK?  Did you have any idea that the UK audiences would embrace your brand of orange county electro-pop?  Did you go on the obligatory trip on the London Eye while you were here?
SR: To be honest I was terrified to perform overseas!!! I didn't know what to expect... I was surprised at how the UK embraced us with open arms.  No I'm very unfortunate to have not ridden the London Eye.. :(

EQ: So is there a real life girl named ‘Chelsea’? Do you ever run into her at the mall? Perhaps you’ve already had your revenge?
SR: LOL!!!  No real Chelsea in my life. It's more about a type of girl. That pretty girl that steals your boyfriend for the hell of it. I've had one too many of those!!!

EQ: Any other plans to come back to the UK for some more shows? We loved your performance at Popjustice!
SR: Thank you!!  Hopefully soon. We are gonna finish up this second record and start touring again soon!

EQ: In our iTunes, there is a version of 'Chelsea', recorded in Spanish. Avril Lavigne recently recorded 'Girlfriend' in about twenty languages. Have you considered the idea of giving up on English-language pop and just recording everything in Spanish from here on in?
SR: I don't know if I would ever give up English-pop...but definitely want to do more stuff in Spanish.

EQ: What’s been your favourite video you’ve made so far? Any funny stories to share from the set?
SR: My favorite has to be 'Orange County' because I wrote and directed it myself.  Funny story...My brother filmed the whole video with my laptop's webcam. He would follow me around with it through the streets of LA at 2am.

EQ: We've been listenting to 'The Orange Album' while writing some of these questions.  We've also listened to an Israeli popstar and some singer from New Zealand. What have you been listening to lately?
SR: I've been listening to a lot of Beatles and Velvet Underground. Also some underground stuff like FM Wolfgang.

EQ: So is being in a band with a bunch of guys all it’s cracked up to be?  Be honest...
SR: Yeah they look good and are hot on stage but try touring with guys...Oh My GOODNESS. I don't think I ever want to get married.

EQ: Do you think new wave and electronic music is here to stay or just a passing fad – will we be listening to guitar rock again in a few years? (We hope not).
SR: Hopefully it's here to stay, but music will always change.

And finally, what is your definition of the word ‘Electroqueer’?  Strange question, we know!
SR: Guys who are Electric... haha!

Thanks to Stefy Rae for chatting with us!  Raj and Samuel promise to take the whole band out on a field trip to the London Eye next time they come and play some more gigs in London - hopefully very soon!  If you haven't caught the Stefy fever yet (and really you should), you can get acquainted with some of their fun videos below and of course you can always stalk them on MySpace for up-to-date info on what they are up to.  Download 'Orange County' too, it is definitely one of our favourite electropop songs to come out this year!

Chelsea	Orange County
Hey School Boy

Download Vivek Shraya's Cover of 'Seven Nation Army'

Ever wished there was a funky fresh electro remix of the classic White Stripes song 'Seven Nation Army'?  Well your wish has been granted as EQ fave Vivek Shraya has done an very cool cover of the song that he is offering up as a free download on his MySpace page.

Check it out and give up some support for electro music by purchasing his fantastic album 'If We're Not Talking'.  And if you missed it before, you can catch up on our review of Vivek's album from last June where you might also find another treat...

The Elektrons New Single - Get Up!

It's animatronic.  It's infectious.  It's old school 80's hip-hop.  It's a fresh electronic jam.  It's the new single by those guys who brought you 'Dirty Basement'.  It's the Elektrons with 'Get Up'.  Normally we wouldn't dig this sorta song, but the electronic elements really bring you back to the days of Salt N Pepa, The Stereo MCs and The Beastie Boys.  It's like old, but totally new - check it out as it's available now to download.

Oh, and EQ got new shades yesterday too - we wanted a pair of protective eyewear specs like Justin Shave has, but we looked to funny in them!   Whaddaya think?  No comments on the pout.

Stefy Does A Rather Good Electro Ballad - Listen to Orange County

Remember Stefy and their infectious electro stomper 'Chelsea' from awhile back?  Well, Stefy Rae and her band have just released a new video for 'Orange County' which is a touching electro ballad about life in California.  At first we thought it was just going to be another throwaway pop ballad, but the synths kicked in on the chorus and well, it kinda got us excited.

So check out Stefy's new video and also get acquainted for their last video to 'Hey School Boy' which we somehow missed along the way!  And if you haven't picked up 'The Orange Album', then you're missing out on a solid electro effort by this fab American foursome.  More info here.

Orange County

Hey School Boy

HSF interview with Siobhan Donaghy

If you are a loyal reader of Electroqueer, you will no doubt already know that we are a big fan of Samuel  - owner of fabulous blog The Hot Stuff Files.  Unlucky for us, Samuel has decided to take a break from the blog, but that surely doesn't mean that his amazing blogging is done and over with.  Samuel will be guest blogging on EQ from time to time and injecting his one-of-a-kind wit and entertaining perspective into EQ in the upcoming months - and we couldn't be any more excited.  In fact, we are pleased as punch.  So to commemorate this exciting collaboration, Samuel has agreed to let EQ host his amazing interview with the lovely Siobhan Donaghy.  This interview is still one of our favourite blog posts to date and if you haven't bought 'Ghosts' yet, you really are missing out on a great piece of musical art.  Take it away Samuel... 

Hot Stuff Files: Hello Siobhan. How are you?

Siobhan Donaghy: I'm very well thank you.

HSF: Does it ever feel a bit annoying that 'Don't Give It Up' has failed to get into the top forty - and yet Mutya's 'Real Girl' managed to go to number two?

SD:  You've got stuck right in there. (Laughs). Not really, I think Mutya's song is obviously a Lenny Kravitz and she's spent much longer in the Sugababes and had far more exposure than me. And I've made a challenging pop record so I kind of quite expect it to be harder.

HSF:  Is it annoying then at this stage to still be compared to Mutya and the Sugababes?

SD:  I don't think people compare me to them, especially not musically and I think people make comparisons in the sense of how I'm doing, but I don't know what that means to me or if it means anything to me. I'll make the records that I want to make and let the hits fall where they may.

HSF:  So you wouldn't be too concerned about how the charts go, then?

SD:  Not the singles chart. I think it's really important to get my album out there and I think I'm more of an albums artist than a singles artist. I think that's not something I dictate, I think that's something radio dictates for all of you and I could have made this much easier for myself and I could have made a throwaway pop record - but I didn't want to.

HSF:  Does it feel a little annoying that Radio 1 refuses to play you?

SD:  Yeah they do! (Laughs) Um, what can you do? If Radio 1 refuses to play me what can you do? There's nothing you can do. You can't make them play you, so it's something that you're completely powerless to and I don't worry about it. I take the rather zen approach.

HSF:  Do you ever read the fan forums, on your site?

SD:  Yes! A fan runs them and every so often I'll go on and tell them what I'm doing and what not. And they can send me messages on there.

HSF:  On the fans forums people are saying that there's a lack of publicity for the releases...

SD:  There is! (Laughs) But if radio don't want to play the single - that's missing - then me and my record label can plug away and Parlophone have been brilliant, doing everything in their power, but you just can't make people let you come on their show. There's not a lot of pop TV left and that's one thing - so you're heavily relied on by radio. But radio's not the be all and end all.

HSF:  Now on the BBC, you did a cover of Paulo Nutini: is this kind of because they don't play you that you just play covers?

SD:  No. It's a shot on the Dermot O'Leary show and they do two. It's pretty standard. People come and play their new song and also a cover version of something, so I did 'So You Say' - the new single - and Paulo Nutini - 'Last Request' so that's what everyone does.

HSF:  And does it show something about you as an artist that you're on Radio 2, and not the Jo Whiley show where they do the single and the cover as well?

SD:  I don't know. I mean Dermot O'Leary really supports the project and he said he'd been trying to get me on for a while, so I guess that's why we're on Radio 2. But I don't know, you know. I guess you just make the record that you really want to make and then, I don't know. I didn't deliberately try and make a Radio 2 record, just as I didn't try and make a Radio 1 record. I think you've just got to try and make the best record of your career and then see what happens. And at the end of the day it's a business - and not a predictable one at that. You just have to try and do your best.

HSF:  Dermot O'Leary, he's going to be presenting the next series of the X Factor. What do you think of shows like this where they judge talent as how you perform on the day, in the room?

SD:  I think that for a genuine artist they develop over a number of years and I think it's very hard to dismiss people in about thirty seconds. Obviously there are some people that are genuinely hopeless - there's no two ways about it - but if you've got an unforgiving show then I think the one thing that's good is that it does show the true nature of this business. And that's what this business is about - it's very cut-throat. It's the reality of it. I guess it's just a shame that it takes a bit of the magic away from people not knowing how a record is created and what goes on behind the scenes. It's taking a bit of the magic away for the public.

HSF:  So do you prefer the behind the scenes part of record making or the promotion side?

SD:  I think no one prefers the promotion. (Laughs) I love being in the studio recording and I love doing the live performances, but I don't mind the promotion at all. It's just that I definitely prefer the writing, recording and live singing to everything else.

HSF:  And when you were in the studio, is there any song that you made that you thought was amazing that didn't make it on to the record?

SD:  Yes! There was a song called 'When Silence Breaks' and that didn't make it on to the record but it didn't kind of sit with the general vibe, and at the end of the record it was the last piece of the puzzle, but for me I wanted a really cohesive piece of work that, not necessarily told a story morbidly, but I kind of had a story in my head throughout the whole thing and this particular song just didn't fit. But that doesn't mean we can't use it for something else.

HSF:  Are you already looking at the next album? Or is it right here - this album!?

SD:  I think I have to concentrate on this album for now. I've been in the studios for quite some time: on and off for a year and a half for the last two years and its a long time to be in the studio and I think that I just want to concentrate on this record for now and then after three or four months start doing a day a week or three days every two or three weeks but I definitely don't want to go back in to it just yet. It's hard to concentrate on that and anything else - I like to just be focused in on making a record if that's what I've got to do.

HSF:  And when you're in the studio - do you find it easier to be in complete isolation rather than having a swarm of people around you?

SD:  The best thing about this record for me is that we wrote and recorded this where he lived - he's got a five hundred year old manor in the North of France and that was just about as isolated as you can get, with no neighbours and we didn't have any TV or radio and it just seemed like a really kind of idyllic place to make a record. In London you've got studios above and beneath and to your left and to your right, and I think there's a lot of cross pollination and I mean, that's fine, but for the kind of record I'm wanting to make, I think this is the way forward and it was just nice to be making it out of leisure. And I made half of this record without a record deal, so it was a really relaxing way to make a record.

HSF:  So do you see music as being really fun?

SD:  I think it brings out all kinds of emotions, really intense ones as well, so it's why I love it so much. It's no secret that James Sanger - who I made the record with - has got a bit of a reputation and his mum died and he became a heroin addict before I came out to work with him, so that made for a really intense experience making this record - moving out and living with his family. It was very difficult, but I think it really was the making of this record. We didn't really see eye-to-eye a lot of the time and that's why we made the record that we did.

HSF:  And so a bit of that went in to 'Med-e-ac'...

SD:  Yes (laughs and explains how to pronounce it) absolutely, 'Mediac' is probably the main song that came out of that subject matter.

HSF:  But what does the title actually mean? '

SD:  Mediac' is a military term for a medical evacuation usually in a helicopter airlift.

HSF:  If you hadn't gone down the pop route, what career do you think you would have followed?

SD:  Well I've always seen myself as a landscape photographer, but I don't know. I've always been fascinated with David Attenborough and his work - and that's sort of everyone's ideal job, isn't it. I've also had a subscription to New Scientist magazine for about six years - so maybe I would have looked to having a job with them.

HSF:  Is it every hard for you to look at people like JoJo - coming from the Sugababes at such a young age - and then do you wonder why are they doing it?

SD:  I don't know, when I was in the Sugababes I wasn't particularly driven. It just happened that my best friend's brother-in-law founded the All Saints, and she told him I could sing. And I was like twelve years old at the time. I was just like how most kids were, and I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life, so I just went along with it. It's kind of what I've always done until I really got the music bug when I was sixteen and that's when I knew it WAS what I wanted to do with my life and as I left school at fourteen and was home tutored - it's not until much later on that you realise exactly how ridiculous it was. It's not the average upbringing but even at that young an age you do realise what you're doing and my parents were completely against it - but I was having none of it. At the end of the day they didn't want to completely hold me back if that's what I wanted to do and as it was what I was planning to do, they just had to let me do it and I most certainly don't regret it.

HSF:  So what's the best thing that's come about through the career then?

SD:  I think just the interesting people that I work with and the fact that essentially I am self employed and have been able to travel the world with all my friends. And I feel that I've been able to have so many opportunities at a young age. It's brilliant!

HSF:  What's your favourite place that you've been to?

SD:  Probably Thailand. It's getting quite well travelled now and I probably won't go back but I've been there a few times - and for three months I've been there - and I stayed in a bamboo hut on a lake and trekked up mountains and through underwater caves. Plus we partied a lot, did stuff that young people do...

HSF:  But staying in places like Thailand, do you think that you're an ordinary English person - not going to Spain and sunning on the beaches as is the 'norm'...

SD:  No! (Laughs) My friends are all ordinary people; I had a normal upbringing, went to a state school on the edge of London and I think it's a sign of the times that we can afford to go further afield, and of course, we stayed in £1.50 a night beach huts which made it more accessible.

HSF:  Are you worried about global warming?

SD:  I think everyone's worried about global warming and the number one thing is aviation fuel and obviously they write about it a lot in the New Scientist. A lot has to be done and no one wants to be the government that starts taxing everyone to compensate for the way we've been living for the past hundred years, but at sometime, someone has to do it.

HSF:  Going back to the album: does it feel a bit annoying that the album was leaked on to the Internet so early before the release?

SD:  I think again that's a sign of the times that you can put as many restrictions as you want on the record, but it's going to leak and sometimes it can be to your benefit because we're really proud of this record and I think that the main thing - when radio can be so difficult these days - is just getting the exposure and sometimes that means leaking your album and the hardcore people that love your record will still go and buy it.

HSF:  So you don't physically have any problems with the people that are leaking it on to the Internet?

SD:  It's such a massive problem, with something like 12 billion pounds worth of music downloaded last year, it certainly wasn't JUST my record. You're talking about a hell of a lot of artists that are losing out financially because of this and the record companies in particular are really suffering. And who knows what will happen? It's a transitional period for the record companies - and things will change - I just don't know how yet.

HSF:  What would you say to the people who are leaking YOUR records on to the Internet?

SD:  I don't think it's a personal vendetta against me, so I wouldn't say anything. I know it's not a personal thing. They're not saying 'we hate Siobhan so we're going to leak her record', they're saying 'they own it, they love it and they want other people to listen to it' so really there are pros and cons to this but then, it's not an ideal world in general, is it (laughs).

HSF:  Last week Big Brother started - would you ever think of going on Celebrity Big Brother?

SD:  No! (Laughs) I've already said no. I got asked to go on The Games as well and it's not me. At all. Most artists are quite insecure and I'd be the first to put my hand up and say I'm not perfect; quite funnily I don't want that televised.

HSF:  What about Celebrity Masterchef?

SD:  I'm quite interested in cooking. I'd probably go on Gordan Ramsey's The F Word, but I'd be literally going on there to cook and study under someone who I think is brilliant, but other than that I'm not interested in shoving myself off on to a reality TV show... ...though maybe I should, it would make it easier for us (laughs)!

HSF:  Mika seems to think that big girls are beautiful with his latest single...

SD:  Is THAT the title of his latest single...

HSF:  Yes, 'Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)'...

SD:  (Laughs)!

HSF:  Is everyone beautiful?

SD:  Well not everyone. But I look at it in a different way, is everyone beautiful on the inside, and, no. But aesthetically, of course, it's the imperfections that the most interesting about people.

HSF:  Do you think there's an element of patronisation with the title of his song?

SD:  I have to say, I haven't heard the song - and I don't know anything about it but there is a general thing where people jump on the bandwagon and go 'power to big people' and of course that shouldn't be the point. The whole point is power to everybody. Everyone to their own. We should be embracing everyone of all shapes and sizes and not just one thing, where before when people sang about skinny people we shouldn't now be singling out skinny people. The whole thing is we should be promoting a healthy lifestyle.

HSF:  That's a great view of society... (Laughs)... And back to music and what's your favourite song on your album?

SD:  I think it's a song called 'Goldfish'. It kind of seems to be kind of like a grower that when people get it - they REALLY get it. And for me it is a good representation of the whole album. It's also my favourite vocal take that I've ever done, so I like it for that reason as well.

HSF:  Would this be your third single, then?

SD:  No. (Laughs) The favourite single is never one of the singles... I don't know what the next single is going to be. It will either be something like 'Sometimes', 'Coming Up For Air' or 'Medevac'.

HSF:  Will there be a tour on the back of the album?

SD:  Yeah. We're looking at a couple of supports at the moment that are happening in the autumn and also a tour of my own in the autumn. We might also be playing G.A.Y. Kelis is playing and we're looking at supporting her.

HSF:  Is there anyone in the world of pop that you've met and quite dislike?

SD:  To be honest, not really. I've always been surprised because everyone I've met has been very friendly. And I remember the first TV I did with the Sugababes, and that was CD:UK and Victoria Beckham came up and said hi to us and she was so funny, down to earth, and lovely. And ever since then I've never understood why people dislike her. I've never got it. She's just so easy to like when you meet her.

HSF:  You mentioned CD:UK. Is it a bit sad how we've got Popworld leaving us and how everything pop - seems to be evaporating?

SD:  There will always be pop music but it is a shame. Those shows were great and people loved them but they are finishing and that's that. There will be a new wave of shows that pop up, I guess in their place.

HSF:  So everything isn't bleak then?

SD:  Of course not!

HSF:  Thank you Siobhan Donaghy!

Originally posted at The Hotstuff Files – a now defunct pop music website (but still muched loved and missed by EQ and readers alike).

Darren Hayes Interview Part 2 : "Blogging has completely reinvigorated my faith in the music industry."

Part 1 | Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with Darren Hayes.  In this segment, Darren opens up about his documentary 'Too Close For Comfort', shares his thoughts on the addictive activity that is blogging, talks about some of the other electro acts he is big upping and let's us in on what he buys from eBay!  Funtastic!

Electroqueer:  Not to long ago, you released a very personal documentary about yourself on DVD called ‘Too Close For Comfort’.  Do you feel any different now than you do from when you were filming that documentary?  Why did you feel it was important to release that footage?

Darren Hayes:  I think it was important because it was like a piece of me that had been shelved, yet again by the powers that be (or used to be LOL!).  It was incredibly cathartic to let go of the pain I associated with my past, especially the awkwardness I felt about the stumble that was my solo career in America – and just admit that I was at least aware that things weren’t necessarily a bed of roses.  I was tired of having to keep my chin up.  Letting my walls down for the camera gave me permission to mess up and be real.

EQ:  One of the things we love about you is that you blog quite frequently on your MySpace page.  What do you think about blogging?  Has it gotten you into trouble yet?

DH:  Here’s how I feel about blogging - it has completely reinvigorated my faith in the music industry.  For me, it has removed the gap between the façade of ‘celebrity’ and the reality of artist.  I get to relate directly to my audience and share my feelings, thoughts and fears.  And they to me.  It has allowed me to get to know the people who support me and makes me feel like a human being again.   I can sell out a show in minutes just by telling my MySpace friends about it.  As opposed to waiting for them to find out.   The only downside is – It’s addictive and I’m worried when I get busy that I’ll let people down if I can’t keep up the intensity.  I’m loving it though!

EQ:  You’re touching on a few political subjects on ‘Bombs Up In My Face’ – Tell us a little bit about this song.

DH:  It’s a track that is angry, that’s for sure!  Sonically it’s built on drums that are made up from sounds and beats recorded on the day of the July 7th terrorist bombings on the tube in London 06.  Shave had recorded the radio broadcasts live on an old reel to reel tape.  He used those sounds to build up the rhythm section.  Lyrically it’s about a fear really.  A fear of this anger I have inside me which I think is a reflection of what it feels like to be alive today in the current political climate. 

EQ:  So you started your own record label ‘Powdered Sugar’ – whats it like to be your own boss now and to call the shots.  Heaven or hell?

DH:  Both.  I can’t lie to you – I have days when I’m exhausted and I’m in tears.  I’m finding out all the awful bitchy competitive things about the music industry now I’m in the driver’s seat.  But by and large it’s a joy to know that all my hard work and that of my team is for a truly good and sincere cause.  For music. 

EQ:  One thing we learned this past year is that your fans are amazingly dedicated!  What is the craziest story you heard from one of your fans?

DH:  Oh I’m crazier than my fans!  That’s for sure.  So none really.  There’s a bunch of people who regularly fly all around the world to see me perform.  That amazes me.  I feel so guilty!  But very grateful.  A woman in New York has her entire back covered in tattoos of me.  That’s pretty wild!

EQ:  Tell us about some of the other acts you’ve been talking about lately like Temposhark, Antigone and She Said Yes.

DH:  Well Temposhark are just fierce determined little fuckers and I love them.  Their album is gorgeous and I’m a fan.  Antigone makes better records than most people in her field and I desperately want her to break into the wide open.  She Said Yes is a band that features my fellow Australian friend Tania Doko on vocals and my ex drummer Karl Lewis.  Tania was the singer in a pop group in Oz called ‘Bachelor Girl’ but did the old electro transformation and has me under her spell now.  She’s currently performing at the Fringe Festival in a Pet Shop Boys inspired show called ‘Seriously’ and word is that the boys ie: Neil Tennant and co. love it!

EQ:  What are some of the current albums you’re listening to these days?  Any recommendations?

DH:  I get all my music tips from you Raj!  You introduced me to Robyn who I’m OBESESSED with now.  Apart from that, I love the Rhianna album (well the first few songs).  And lots of old and rare Prince.  I’m really not loving a lot of new music at the moment to be honest.  There’s a few things that everyone knows – but mostly it’s remixes and one off songs.   Hasn’t been a whole album since Imogen Heap’s ‘Speak for yourself’ that I’ve been that passionate about. 

EQ:  What are the sorts of things you buy on eBay?  Do you ever see how much your memorabilia is going for these days?

DH:  Never!  But I buy lots of 80’s things.  I buy lots of 12 inch mixes and rare Prince records and bootlegs on vinyl.&nb