Chicks on Speed
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| Chicks on Speed | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Munich, Germany |
| Genre(s) | Electroclash Electro Music Experimental Music |
| Label(s) | Chicks on Speed Records K Records |
| Website | Official site |
| Members | |
| Alex Murray-Leslie Melissa Logan A.L. Steiner Kathi Glas Anat Ben David |
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Chicks on Speed is an electropop group which started in Munich in 1997, after its members had met through the Academy of Fine Arts there. Chicks on Speed's core members consist of:
- Alex Murray-Leslie (Bowral, New South Wales, Australia)
- Melissa Logan (Upstate New York, USA)
- A.L. Steiner (Miami, Florida, USA)
- Kathi Glas (Munich, Germany)
- Anat Ben David (London,uk, Israel)
Grouped around Chicks on Speed is a large and ever-changing collective of musicians, producers, graphic artists, designers, film and video makers, and so on. Though usually considered part of such musical genres as electroclash, Chicks on Speed actually started as a multidisciplinary art group who applied punk-inspired DIY ethic to performance art, collage graphics and home-made fashion (they have created their own stage costumes with cheap and recycled material such as plastic bags and gaffer's tape, for example).
They originally got their name when they earned some extra money at art galleries by hanging paintings on the walls and someone quipped that they worked like "chicks on speed".
They had their own club nights at Munich's Bar: Chicks on Speed had created an installation piece which was called I Wanna Be A DJ, Baby, where they stood behind DJ decks and smashed records while a sound collage tape was playing. For this project they also put together a "box set" with a T-shirt, a cassette, a paper record and a fake interview for their "band", at this stage still imaginary. During this time period they met Upstart (a.k.a. Peter Wacha) of Disko B record label who helped Chicks on Speed to actually get started in music.
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[edit] History
Logan and Murray-Leslie were art students at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, when they met in 1997 at one of the Academy's parties. They began working as a group to create art exhibitions and host illegal parties. Those parties included a performance piece titled I Wanna Be A DJ, Baby. At this point CoS was essentially a "fake band", including mock T-shirts, records and cassettes. Melissa and Alex then met Kiki Moorse (a member until 2006), and invited her to join Chicks on Speed. In this period, COS also met Upstart of record label Disko B. This meeting would see the medium of music merge with the Chicks' multimedia explorations.
[edit] Music
A cassette titled Analog Internet was the first piece of music released by Chicks On Speed. The cassette was released in 1997, though it seems widely agreed that the first COS single was a cover of the song "Warm Leatherette", originally by Daniel Miller (as The Normal), released in 7" form. The single was released in 1998 and four further singles (Smash Metal, "Euro Trash Girl", Mind Your Own Business(originally by Delta 5 in 1979) and Glamour Girl over 1998 and 1999) preceded any actual album releases. In March, 2000, two CoS LPs were released; the first, titled The Un-Releases, is not considered an official album; it is described instead as a "collage" of various songs in various forms by the trio. CoS' debut, Chicks On Speed Will Save Us All appeared later in the month and featured all five of the previous singles as well as a new one, "Kaltes Klares Wasser", a cover of a song by the German all-women punk band Malaria. All six of these singles proved popular and in October of 2000, The Re-Releases Of The Un-Releases was issued.
Several EPs were issued over the next few years such as Chix 52, a collection of B-52's covers and Fashion Rules that heralded the arrival of the 2003 second album 99 Cents. The album produced three more singles, We Don't Play Guitars, a collaboration with Canadian artist Peaches, which was well-received around the world, a cover of Tom Tom Club's Wordy Rappinghood which saw a number of guest stars including Le Tigre, and Flame On, a hidden track on the album. By this time CoS have already been collaborating with Anat Ben-David, an unofficial band mamber working with them since 2002.
In 2004, their third album, Press The Spacebar was released. The album was a collaboration with the Spanish band The No-Heads. To date no singles have been issued from the album, though interestingly it includes a new version of Culture Vulture, a song from their previous LP release on 99 cents.
The Chicks are currently finishing a new album, which is scheduled for release in January 2007, with a 12" single release of ART RULES! featuring Douglas Gordon in November 2006. Anat Ben-David who has collaborated on the new album will become a proper member of Chicks on Speed for the new release project. A teaser Internet release of the song My Space is available through their MySpace site.
[edit] Outside of Music
Logan and Murray-Leslie have always classified COS as a "project" where others would classify them a band. They own a record label, Chicks On Speed Records, together with Peter Wacha and Juergen Soder, releasing recordings by Le Tigre, Kevin Blechdom, PLANNINGTOROCK, Ana da Silva of The Raincoats, DAT Politics, Susanne Broksch, Kids on TV, Anat Ben-David and Angie Reed.
First and foremost, their interests lie in art, something that also characterizes their live performances. Their solo art exhibitions include Kunstverein Wolfsburg 2004, Kunstraum Innsbruck 2005, CAC Vilnius in 2007. Other exhibitions are Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum 2007, Switch On the Power, Vigo, Spain 2006. XMas, Sell-Out, and ChicksTV. They played at the Turner Prize Retrospective at the Tate on Oct. 1st 2007, and at MoMA in June, 2006, as part of a special evening with Douglas Gordon. Their work with Gordon includes a performance at the Centre Georges Pompidou in February, 2007, collection TBA-21 hosted a performance in Vienna in April, 2007, and an exhibition at Yvonne Lambert in Paris on September 19th, 2007. They have been responsible for cover art for various other artists, particularly ones signed to their label and Mego Records in Vienna.
The Chicks also specialize in merchandise and fashion. They design clothing for their performances (Kathi Glas) and collaborate with fashion labels, for example Garcia Marques from Japan in 2007 and with DAA (Designers Against Aids). There is demand for their merchandise and fashion design in shops worldwide.
Logan and Murray-Leslie have published one book, titled Chicks on Speed: It's A Project, at Booth-Clibborn Editions. The book contains historical pieces of information about the band and their art from their beginning stages onward.
[edit] Reception
There have been a lot of emotional feelings towards Chicks on Speed in various places around the world. Their fans view them as arty, melodramatic, unique and revolutionary. At one point they were an opening act for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and James Brown. However, almost every night they were booed and had urine filled bottles thrown at them by the audience.[citation needed] They were replaced by Stellastarr*. At a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Hyde Park, London in June 2004, unluckily, a urine filled bottle hit Alex Murray-Leslie who then left the stage.[citation needed] The Chicks on Speed were on stage for approximately 10 minutes.
In June 2006, Chicks on Speed created waves when, during the Oxygena Festival in Cordoba, Spain which they were headlining, the festival staff cut the power on their act and guards dragged them offstage because of low audience attendance.[citation needed] The Chicks believe that this was an act by the promoters of the festival to claim insurance from a cancelled headliner.[citation needed]
[edit] Solo activities of the members
Melissa Logan has appeared in German theatre plays Versaut (with costumes by Kate Lloyd-Hughes and Chicks on Speed; at Kampnagel Theatre, Hamburg, 2001), Alles wird in Flammen stehen (Frank Gehry Tower, Hamburg, 2001) and a "propaganda operette" L'Amerique (Hamburg, 2003), for which Chicks on Speed provided the song Class War. L'Amerique's "soundtrack" (with music by Les Robespierres featuring Melissa Logan) has been released on Chicks on Speed Records in 2004.
Alex Murray-Leslie just completed working on a compilation of some 60 women in cutting edge music from the late 70s to present day, titled Girl Monster, which was released on Chicks on Speed Records in September 2006. The 12" single, featuring Peaches and Scream Club, Client, Chicks on Speed, Vivien Goldman and Kids on Tv is available in August. Along with Anat Ben-David the Chicks have contributed a new song on the compilation, Plastic Surgery.
Kiki Moorse, once founding member, has now departed CoS to pursue a career in DJing. She also has a new music project, called Bad French, with Andreas Reihse of Kreidler.
Anat Ben-David is a conceptual artist based in London and is currently working on her album to be released on Chicks on Speed records in 2007.
A.L. Steiner is a photographer/videographer based in New York City. Her work is exhibited and published internationally, and she is the co-editor/curator of Ridykeulous. She writes, curates and performs as needed.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- The Un-Releases (2000)
- Chicks on Speed Will Save Us All (2000)
- The Re-Releases of the Un-Releases (2000)
- 99 Cents (2003)
- Press the Spacebar (with the No Heads) (2004)
[edit] EPs and singles
- Warm Leatherette (with DJ Hell) (1998)
- Euro Trash Girl (with Mäuse) (1998)
- Smash Metal (with DMX Krew) (1999)
- Mind Your Own Business (with Pulsinger, Gaier/Reents) (1999)
- Glamour Girl (1999)
- Kaltes Klares Wasser (2000)
- Split 7" with V/VM (2000)
- Chix 52 (2000)
- The Chicks on Speed / Kreidler Sessions (with Kreidler) (2001)
- Fashion Rules (2002)
- We Don't Play Guitars (2003)
- Wordy Rappinghood (2003)
- Flame On (with Mika Vainio) (2004)
- ART RULES! (featuring Douglas Gordon), forthcoming release, 2006/07
[edit] References
- Piers Martin, Chicks on Speed in The Face Vol. 3, No 38, March 2000
- Steven Wells, International Punky Art Rockers: Chicks on Speed in NME, 8 January 2000
