When asked to name five artists who shaped the electronica
landscape in 2002, assistant professor of ethnomusicology Robert
Fink was hard-pressed to supply even one standout artist, much less
five. Arguably UCLA’s leading source for all things
electronica, Fink soon came to the realization that 2002 was a
relatively down year for the genre.
“We’re on the trough of the wave right now,”
Fink said. “People are still waiting for the next big thing
in electronica dance music.”
Electronica was not only left in the backburner commercially in
2002, it also experienced little progress artistically. The only
movement able to capture any ounce of attention during the past
year is the retro-chic Electroclash, popularized by artists such as
A.R.E. Weapons and Fischerspooner.
“The new techno trend that’s going to explode onto
the music scene is Electroclash,” fourth-year business
student Garick Lee said. “It basically sounds like old retro
video games.”
According to Fink, who remains skeptical about the crossover
potential of Electroclash, the style is more than just a soundtrack
to Atari and early Nintendo.
“Electroclash is a self-conscious attempt to imitate the
style of early ’80s artists like Kraftwerk and Gary
Numan,” Fink said. “I’ve seen DJs mix albums
where they’ll alternate back and forth between the
Electroclash new songs and Gary Numan’s “˜Cars.’
The sound is frigid, robotic, mechanical and artificial. It can be
considered minimal but it’s much more retro.”
There’s that word again ““ retro. The music world has
always enjoyed an occasional blast from the past, but this
obsession with retro really reared its ugly head in 2002.
“You had the Strokes trying to be the Velvets (Velvet
Underground) and Justin (Timberlake) worshipping Michael Jackson so
I guess it’s only natural for electronica music to move in
that direction,” third-year sociology student Jennifer Javier
said. “I personally don’t like the fact that every band
and record has to match a certain time period.”
Like the Strokes and the King of Pop’s number one fan,
Electroclash does differ from their originators to some extent in
aesthetics.
“The major difference is that while the early ’80s
stuff ““ very dark, very European, very arty ““ had some
seriousness behind it, Electroclash seems to be more toward
kinky-fetish imagery,” Fink said, “whip cracks and
girls in leather.”
Fourth-year psychobiology student Diana Lee points out that
despite electronica’s quiet year, artists of house, drum
‘n’ bass and trance continue to dish out records as
always. However, those once edgy sounds no longer generate
excitement due to their assimilation into pop culture.
“Obviously it’s more mainstream,” Lee said.
“They play it on the radio and in clothing stores. It’s
a marketing ploy to get people in an energetic mood to buy more
stuff. It’s also mixed into pop music like Justin Timberlake,
which is pretty much a bad sign.”
Fink notes that unlike pop and rock, electronica has
historically lacked legends like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan,
who fans can turn to when the creativity well is dry. Thus,
electronica has to rely heavily on continuous innovation.
“There’s a really weird love-hate relationship
between America and dance music,” Fink said. “America
likes to jump into the latest dance craze but also bashes it the
minute a white guy with a guitar comes along.”