female lead singers in synthscene?? [Archive] - The Electrogarden Network Music Forums

seraphim

June 6th, 2002, 09:55 AM

I agree with Bogart here, I don’t see why this topic is discussed as often as it is. It’s right up there with “Guitars in Synthpop”. There are plenty of bands either using the male/female combination or solely using female vocals. Granted the number of male fronted bands is greater than the number of female fronted bands (I’m guessing, I actually haven’t counted) but there are still tons of them out there, just pick up the wonderful double disc compilation that Side-Line put out a while ago called “Venusa XX - Collection of Femina Vox”. This compilation showcased many female fronted bands, such as: Aiboforcen, No comment, Deep Red, Collide, Claire Voyant, La Floa Maldita, Neverwood, In the Nursery, Sara Noxx, Hexedene, Regenerator, Internal, Sadovaja, Technoir, Hungry Lucy and 17 others that I can’t recall right now.

~epsilon minus

June 6th, 2002, 10:05 AM

and the next Venusa XX is on the way! (we should be on it...)

~dekad

June 6th, 2002, 10:10 AM

You want a female lead singer ?
Try this french band called Celluloïde...

http://celluloide.online.fr/ (http://celluloide.online.fr/)

~cliffwalk

June 6th, 2002, 11:52 AM

WOW... being new here I didn't realize that Women singers were bad too. Yowsa. If I ever do a full-length release in a real-live studio that I wouldn't be afraid to bring one of my female singer friends too there's absolutely no question I'll have female vocals all over my music.

Then again, I majored in voice, I love the voice, male and female. It's a beautiful instrument. That and I know some female singers that I used to play Jazz with that could take some of the stuff I'm writing now and tear it up with a fury.

Why is there even disagreement on the sex of the singer? This arguement I understand SO MUCH LESS than the Guitar vs. All-Synth debate. Can someone enlighten me on the counter arguement? I don't get the joke.

Dave

~KissTheStar

June 6th, 2002, 12:10 PM

I can tell you where part of this comes from:

There is a certain segment in the synthpop world that believe that the whole concept of "Synthpop" is dependent on a male front. I have personally heard this argument that "women do not belong in this genre" and "the technology aspect of electronic music is better suited for a man. Women just are not interested". I of course think this is absolutely ridiculous and a load of crap. However, there is a part of the community at large that does feel this way. I have seen it first hand and I know a few female's in the scene who have experienced it. So the negative sentiment for women in Synthpop is a valid discussion.

You are right Cliffwalk ... the counter argument is a joke!

~Craig

~Human Clone

June 6th, 2002, 12:10 PM

Male, Female is not an issue. It is all about the music.

NoirTech

June 6th, 2002, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by glo
hi guys....

i know many men don't like female singers...i was wondering how you guys felt about mixing synth with strictly female voices....

glo

Many men? Iouno.
I've seen one very vocal girl in here saying how much she dislikes female vocals in synthpop music.
I on the other hand...am a BIG fan of female vocals in electronic music.

~epsilon minus

June 6th, 2002, 12:18 PM

Evidently, that's not true for everyone. In my experience, things are rarely "about the music", or at least, more rarely than I'd like.

~Human Clone

June 6th, 2002, 12:31 PM

Bogart, unfortunately I have to agree with you. Those narrowminded rivetheads, if it is not a male voice run through a processor they won't listen to it. I am so tired of that ¤¤¤¤e.

You guys were amazing at the Reverb with Dubok, Cesium and CF. I unfortunately did not attend the Darkrave for I was in Montreal.

Electrogardners check out Epsilon Minus they are awesome!!! Flawless programming and sensuous female vocals.

~glo

June 6th, 2002, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by catslastdance
I can tell you where part of this comes from:

There is a certain segment in the synthpop world that believe that the whole concept of "Synthpop" is dependent on a male front. I have personally heard this argument that "women do not belong in this genre" and "the technology aspect of electronic music is better suited for a man. Women just are not interested". I of course think this is absolutely ridiculous and a load of crap. However, there is a part of the community at large that does feel this way. I have seen it first hand and I know a few female's in the scene who have experienced it. So the negative sentiment for women in Synthpop is a valid discussion.

You are right Cliffwalk ... the counter argument is a joke!

~Craig

what a bunch of CRAP...i agree...women have a place as much as men do. screw men!!!!

glo

~Human Clone

June 6th, 2002, 12:32 PM

Ooops, I didn't know that I wasn't allowed to say ¤¤¤¤.

~Bornslippy

June 6th, 2002, 01:07 PM

There's a lot of synthbands with female vocals out there, you just have to search around.

1. Republica
2. Dubstar
3. Krush
4. Stacey Q j.k
5. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam j.k again
6. ComputorGirl.
etc.

~epsilon minus

June 6th, 2002, 01:10 PM

Originally posted by Human Clone
You guys were amazing at the Reverb with Dubok, Cesium and CF. I unfortunately did not attend the Darkrave for I was in Montreal.

Thanks! Too bad you missed the Darkrave set, it was pretty intense. Played to a good packed room, and the set was tight. !Bang Electronika were excellent as well. Very solid night.

~Eyuva

June 7th, 2002, 01:11 AM

I like female vocals... over the usual trance dance synth sounds especially :)

seraphim

June 7th, 2002, 02:13 PM

I just "re-discovered" this great band from Chicago and thought that I'd pass it along. They're called "Scarlet Life" and yes, they have a female singer. Definitely not the stereo-typical band that is discussed perhaps in a "synthpop" forum, they're more somewhere between trip-hop and dance. Using electronics, stand-up bass and a scratch DJ to accompany Chandra Clarks angelic voice. If you have a minute or two, they're definitely worth checking out.

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/259/scarlet_life.html

NoirTech

June 7th, 2002, 02:50 PM

That some good stuff Seraphim. Thanks for sharing.

~glo

June 7th, 2002, 02:54 PM

hey Erick, whose that kid in the avatar? is that you!!! haha

Synthpopalooza

June 7th, 2002, 04:14 PM

Ok, here's my female-fronted list:

ENTROPY 64: http://www.entropy64.com ... Collen Curtis has a stage presence that recalls Stevie Nicks. And the music is a nice belnd of New Order esque synthpop and contemporary stylings on the order of Garbage. They just released their debut album "Dynamical Systems", pick it up off A Different Drum if you like it.

NURVIS: http://www.nurmix.com ... I did mention them in an earlier thread I think. I believe some of you guys ran into Paul at synthcon ... :)

ATTIC BASE: http://www.atticbase.com ... a three member outfit from Utah with Melissa Mello on the vocals. Check out their song "Electric Butterfly", it's got a lot of female sass to it! Their new album Night Vision is available at Kinetic Response (or at A Different Drum's website).

EQUATRONIC: http://www.equatronic.de ... I am doing a remix for this band actually. Erasure-esque stuff

ETHERSTRINGS: http://etherstrings.da.ru ... here's a first: Female vocoder vox. Mixture of synthpop with Enigma and Jarre-esque new age stylings

AUDITY: This is a Christian electro drum-n-bass outfit from Nashville, with some synthpop influences, and ethereal female vocals from the talented Lindy Gerlach. http://mp3.com/lindygerlach ... I recommend the tracks "Wandering Mind" and "Safe and Sound".

Also check out the latest two female bands signed to Ninthwave Records: Spray and Xero-G. http://www.ninthwaverecords.com

Lastly: Here's a few choice bands for you: Lakeshore Driving, Neu-rotica!, Paris by Air, Colecovision, and just about anything that has Chrissy Franklin in it (this includes Echoing Green, Bliss Baby, and You and Me Both). Don't have time to post all the links, so just go to my station at http://mp3.synthpop.fm and have a look for these bands.

NoirTech

June 7th, 2002, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by glo
hey Erick, whose that kid in the avatar? is that you!!! haha

That's mini-me! Other wise know as Cole...my son. Though...I think Michelle wants to use that avatar...so I might be going back to my old one soon.

~WaterDragon

June 9th, 2002, 03:31 PM

I've heard just as many off-key sounding male as female vocals. I don't think this should be an issue, even though I'm one of the ones that lean more towards the male fronted bands. Not that I see anything wrong with female fronts,I like plenty of female fronted/backed-up bands. It's just I think that male vocals are more of what my ears are tuned to. But it really is an inane topic. No offence.

~Eyuva

June 9th, 2002, 05:55 PM

oh yeah, forgot the Japanese band Two-Mix :p

~spi

June 9th, 2002, 11:19 PM

A new female fronted synthband that I found out about is Somegirl which is signed to ADD. They have a cool track titled Defeatist on the "How to make a new friend 2" compilation.

-steve

Synthpopalooza

June 10th, 2002, 02:02 AM

Somegirl!

Yes I do know this band! Yes yes yes!

In addition to being a female fronted band, they are also (along with me) SKULLS!!!!

What this means is ... they appeared on the recent Red Flag Skulls remix compilation, contributing an excellent rendition of "On The Highway"

As far as female fronted synthpop ... here are the three all time classics: Yazoo, Berlin, Eurythmics. I think a lot of the female acts can trace their way back here.

I also forgot a couple of names, a bit more mainstream but still (generally) synthpop: Bjork, and Ladytron.

7red7

June 10th, 2002, 02:17 AM

Originally posted by WaterDragon
I've heard just as many off-key sounding male as female vocals. I don't think this should be an issue, even though I'm one of the ones that lean more towards the male fronted bands. Not that I see anything wrong with female fronts,I like plenty of female fronted/backed-up bands. It's just I think that male vocals are more of what my ears are tuned to. But it really is an inane topic. No offence.

True it's all in preference, but an inane topic??? Not really, theres plenty of substance here...I think it's a great topic to discuss and see what other people like, even discover some new bands I've never heard of...Female singers (no matter what genre) are cast aside next to male singers a lot of times...Females need some props too :)

~PTInc

June 10th, 2002, 02:57 AM

Originally posted by Avil
I just say...No thank you.
You all know why.

ITS CUZ THEY DONT HAVE BALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~nurmix

June 14th, 2002, 07:09 PM

Well, I'm a little biased since my band (NURVIS) features a female vocalist. Even so, I would have to say that I think either male or female vocals can work. It really just depends on the vocalist's ability, and whether or not it's a good match for the music.

One thing I will say, I generally don't hear female synthpop singers doing the phony English accent thing that just about all male synthpop singers do (and I'm talking about American acts here, not the real English ones).

It doesn't necessarily bother me too much, but sometimes it's just a little over the top.
<heheheee>

~Natamon

June 14th, 2002, 10:40 PM

(Posting in reply to Glo's last comment)

Alright,break it up-spread out!Natamon is here! :D

First of all,there are some really talented women in synth,BUT,there are some really STINKY acts out there,with flat,cliche' vocals that blow kites!!
Annie Lennox,Allison Moyette,Liz Frasier and Laurie Anderson are some of the very few women I think have a great voice.They also sound like themselves,and not a handful of other women.
I find that if a female voice fits the music,it will sound nice.But,if thier voice doesn't even fit whatever the band is trying to express,then it can ruin the whole sound.
I am very much a chick,and am most fond of male vocals in anything.But i do have my exceptions,as stated above.
And,I don't think a female should replace a male vocalist,after he has left a band.It sounds,more often than not,bad as bad can be.
Incidentally,I also sing,and still like male vocals more.I like the ressonance,and the tones men have.
So,in conclusion,I say, don't screw men!Make love to them,cause they sound so very nice,and help us ladies sound better as they keep us contented. :)

~vasyachkin

June 14th, 2002, 11:35 PM

i like female vocals and i thought about this a little (since i am new at synthpop)

i guess its either because synthpop is mostly for gay people :)

or because its mostly for chicks ?

hehe, for example on psytrance forum we have like 1% ladies otherwise all guys. here we have i don't know 50/50 ? its surprising to find women online in masses like this. perhaps its the ladies that opt for male vocals because i don't know any guys who don't like female ones :)

Synthpopalooza

June 15th, 2002, 01:22 AM

Attic Base is one of the more interesting acts out there, not just because of the female fronted vocals on some songs, but the fact that there is a lead male vocalist too, and the atmosphere of the songs changes depending on who is singing.

http://www.atticbase.com is the link ... on their mp3 site (http://mp3.com/atticbase ...) I recommend checking out "Electric Butterfly" which is my favorite AB song of all time.

7red7

June 15th, 2002, 02:15 AM

Originally posted by vasyachkin
i like female vocals and i thought about this a little (since i am new at synthpop)

i guess its either because synthpop is mostly for gay people :)

or because its mostly for chicks ?

A bit stereotypical and harsh wouldn't you say???

~SFARAH

June 15th, 2002, 03:45 AM

Hey how about Dust of Basement? Brigiita's voice matches perfectly with the more lower tone of voice of the male vocalist. They combine really well, I've never heard anything like them.

~glo

June 15th, 2002, 10:15 AM

Originally posted by Natamon
(Posting in reply to Glo's last comment)

Annie Lennox,Allison Moyette,Liz Frasier and Laurie Anderson are some of the very few women I think have a great voice.They also sound like themselves,and not a handful of other women.
I find that if a female voice fits the music,it will sound nice.But,if thier voice doesn't even fit whatever the band is trying to express,then it can ruin the whole sound.
I am very much a chick,and am most fond of male vocals in anything.But i do have my exceptions,as stated above.
And,I don't think a female should replace a male vocalist,after he has left a band.It sounds,more often than not,bad as bad can be.
Incidentally,I also sing,and still like male vocals more.I like the ressonance,and the tones men have.
So,in conclusion,I say, don't screw men!Make love to them,cause they sound so very nice,and help us ladies sound better as they keep us contented. :)

I agree Natamon...oh my god, Liz Frazier has the most angelic voice ever...i love Alanis' voice and the best female voice goes to Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde...the strongest!!!!

~cliffwalk

June 15th, 2002, 11:00 AM

I hate sound about 20 years older than I am but I still stand by what I'm about to say. Karen Carpenter, to this day, has one of the purest, most natural, voices to ever grace pop music. Had she stayed alive and kept her voice in shape the kind of music she'd be making today would be outrageous. What a haunting and perfect instrument.

As far as raw power and lust and ....oy.... Aretha Franklin. I LOVE so many female vocalists but I'm yet to hear a singer top the amount of passion one note from that lady can push out.

The others you've mentioned are beautiful musicians and singers but if I was to go straight to the top of my list I have to go back a ways.

~vasyachkin

June 15th, 2002, 06:45 PM

7red7 i don't see how its harsh, i can see how its stereotypical but most stereotypes are true anyway (oops another one).

glo what is your fascination with female vocals? is that purely professional ? or do you like girls too :) hehe

7red7

June 15th, 2002, 09:26 PM

Originally posted by vasyachkin
7red7 i don't see how its harsh, i can see how its stereotypical but most stereotypes are true anyway (oops another one).

Well the stereotype is obvious, and agreed that most stereotypes are true (how else would they become stereotypes), but to label it mostly for gays or chicks??? I just think it's a bit harsh to imply that we're all either gay or females...Sorry, JMHO :)

~Hajas

June 16th, 2002, 03:00 AM

I think the main problem is the music itself, not the female vocals.

Paris by Air & Chandeen are very good bands with female vocals.

Freddy

~Eyuva

June 17th, 2002, 05:26 PM

DJ Philip - Moments (feat Marsha X) = pure ownage IMO.

~Eyuva

June 17th, 2002, 05:32 PM

Originally posted by vasyachkin
7red7 i don't see how its harsh, i can see how its stereotypical but most stereotypes are true anyway (oops another one).

glo what is your fascination with female vocals? is that purely professional ? or do you like girls too :) hehe

female vocals rule in vocal trance, but not in synthpop, cept for maybe Eurythmics (Sweet Dreams & Here comes the rain)...

Come to think of it, there aren't many male vocal trance groups I like, only one I know is Daddy DJ, I like maybe 4 of their songs.

To me, and a lot of people might argue with me on this, vocal trance just sounds like dance floor synthpop. Kinda like updated 80's dance sound with female vox, & nice synths.

7red7

June 17th, 2002, 06:15 PM

Okay, I gotta agree there...Female vocals in trance/techno sounding dance music, oh it's bliss!!! T42 & Sharp did an awesome job with Melody Blue (movin on) :)

~Tekkrokk

June 22nd, 2002, 05:51 PM

Two bands:

Yaz and (early) Eurythmics.

Remember how great they were? Synthpop needs more women!

7red7

June 22nd, 2002, 07:03 PM

Alf rules!!! She has such a great voice, it's magic to hear her sing:)

~NukleoN

June 25th, 2002, 12:25 AM

I have to say I do like synthpop with female vox...Paris By Air, Freezepop (refreshing non-chalant female vox), Berlin, Eurythmics (the older stuff), Claire Voyant and Spray (very Blondie-esque) top my list.

~t-e-d

May 29th, 2003, 02:37 PM

www.saranoxx.com

~cliffwalk

May 29th, 2003, 06:55 PM

I like woman singers in general regardless of the genre. The male vocal instrument is so familiar to me that I like hearing timbres I listen to instead of try to mimic. It's a texture thing.

Going to sleep now, I think... yes sleep... very wise at this juncture.

Bye!

dave

~ERIC31

May 29th, 2003, 10:59 PM

I always have and am constantly looking for new groups to listen to.

Ever since I first heard Yazoo, I was hooked on that. ENCOUNTER, POSH, DATA are just a few that I really like. I like that 80's style with female vocals.

~kellyrenee

May 29th, 2003, 11:28 PM

I love female vocalists, from Madonna to Jewel to Poe to Alison Moyet.

Here's a few classics that I love with women vocalists:
Book of Love!! Classic all the way. Boyyyyyy uh huh. Boyyyyyyy uh huh.
Dubstar
Waterlillies
Sunscream
Yaz
Ladytron - check out Light & Magic ... awesome album.

~Efreak

May 29th, 2003, 11:48 PM

Originally posted by kellyrenee
I love female vocalists, from Madonna to Jewel to Poe to Alison Moyet.

Here's a few classics that I love with women vocalists:
Book of Love!! Classic all the way. Boyyyyyy uh huh. Boyyyyyyy uh huh.
Dubstar
Waterlillies
Sunscream
Yaz
Ladytron - check out Light & Magic ... awesome album.
kellyrenee, you just named almost all of my favorites. But as for "Book of Love", Id like to go with "Witchcraft" & "Lullaby" from the album, "Lullaby". Awesome!
I'd like to add that "I am Gothic" by Spray is a great song with female vocals. :) There are many more, but do you think I can name one when I need to? Grrr.
Jamie

Synthpopalooza

May 30th, 2003, 12:03 AM

For female vocals, I wholeheartedly recommend these bands:

NURVIS: Susan Orvis puts a lot of influences from outside the genre into their music. http://www.nurmix.com (and also check them out on the new Shadowplay compilation when it's out!) ... or read an interview: http://www.twothousandbc.com/nurvis.html

Etherstrings: From Russia, Helen Stepanova does all her vocals through a vocoder, yet is able to imbue them with such emotion that it's astonishing. http://www.mp3.com/etherstrings

Any band that Chrissy Franklin has sung for. This includes not only Echoing Green, Bliss Baby, and the trance-influenced System 22 ... but also the obscure band You and Me Both, which sees Chrissy in a project heavily influenced by Yazoo and early Erasure. http://www.mp3.com/youandmeboth

Entropy 64 and Venus Hum: A pair of synthpop/electronic bands from Nashville with female singers. CC from E64 has the whole Garbage attitude with the looks of Stevie Nicks, whilst Venus Hum's songstress Annette Strean has the sound of Bjork while being a bit more accessible. http://www.entropy64.com and http://www.venushum.com

Also: Go check out the Audity album "The Language I Think In" on N*Soul records, from 2000. This is another Nashville electronica act, a lot of heavy ambient dnb influences, but Lindy Gerlach sings some really ethereal vocals over some of the tracks. These can be previewed at http://www.mp3.com/lindygerlach (look for "A Wandering Mind" and "Safe and Sound") ... proof indeed, that synthpop is not dead in the Volunteer State! GO VOLS!

~stevo

June 1st, 2003, 06:44 AM

I can't really relate to bands with female vocals, mainly because i'm a guy, i won't even buy a cd with a female fronted band, the music is usually really good, but the vocals and most lyrics are usually not my cup of tea. Alot of female synth reminds me of freestyle, i like freestyle but not with fem vox, there are a few exceptions, like Yaz, Berlin, Propaganda, once in a while i'll hear a female backing on some songs that's good, like on one of X Marks The Pedwalk songs, don't know the name but it kicks ass.

Stevo

Synthpopalooza

June 1st, 2003, 01:15 PM

I can relate ... however: I would add that NURVIS has a lot of very dark lyrics to their music. Susan touches on everything from child abuse ("Missing") to betrayal ("A Certain Look") ... the controversial "Squish Squish" which is an expletive laced diatribe against a monster of an ex-boyfriend ... and "Forced Regret", which is about lovers who die in an auto accident, graphically described using the term "Bangers and Mash" (yikes) ...

~kellyrenee

June 2nd, 2003, 05:15 PM

Ok this if off the the synth mark a little, but what about Sinead O'Connor, Jewel, Madonna, Natalie Merchant or Sarah M? I love them all and have an extensive album collection to prove it. What about Garbage and Poe and Hole? Just wondering.

Has anyone ever heard Jewel? Her albums are awesome. I'm a HUGE fan! Sinead, Sarah and Madonna as well.

That was my tangent for now! :-)

Electroswank

June 2nd, 2003, 05:46 PM

I would consider madonna electro/synth ish... i mean her last three albums were pretty synth-heavy....

what do i know :)

~kellyrenee

June 2nd, 2003, 05:57 PM

Absolutely, Anna! I totally agree. "Music" by Madonna was totally electroclash to some degree. I read an article where the inteviewer actually used the term 'electropop' for her latest album "American Life". Very COOOOOOL!

~spi

June 2nd, 2003, 05:58 PM

Originally posted by Synthpopalooza

Entropy 64 and Venus Hum: A pair of synthpop/electronic bands from Nashville with female singers. CC from E64 has the whole Garbage attitude with the looks of Stevie Nicks, whilst Venus Hum's songstress Annette Strean has the sound of Bjork while being a bit more accessible. http://www.entropy64.com and http://www.venushum.com

I second the recommendation for Venus Hum. Very very awsome music. Catchy, astounding music. I love all the songs. The female vocals make it all a lot better. Annette is a amazing vocalist.

And they are even better in concert. They are opening for the Blue Man Group's Complex Tour.

-steve

Electroswank

June 2nd, 2003, 06:02 PM

Originally posted by kellyrenee
Absolutely, Anna! I totally agree. "Music" by Madonna was totally electroclash to some degree. I read an article where the inteviewer actually used the term 'electropop' for her latest album "American Life". Very COOOOOOL!

YES! i just adore madonna - she can do no wrong to me... come to think of it...there are some elements of synthpop in her earlier albums too - ;) that first one, if it was released today would be considered electroclash, no?

~Efreak

June 2nd, 2003, 06:51 PM

Originally posted by kellyrenee
Absolutely, Anna! I totally agree. "Music" by Madonna was totally electroclash to some degree. I read an article where the inteviewer actually used the term 'electropop' for her latest album "American Life". Very COOOOOOL!

You know, I forget where the thread was about "American Life", but I thought I'd say that I was wrong. I didn't think it would grow on me, but it did. Dammit, I hate being wrong... But I'm good at it. ;)
Jamie