Electric Sound of Joy
Encyclopedia
Electric Sound of Joy were a rock
band formed in Chesterfield
in 1994 They released an eponymous album in 1999 and also recorded a Peel Session.
), Scott Nicholas (guitar
), Dan Hayhurst (bass guitar
), and John Revill (drums). After two limited-edition singles on the Earworm
label and a November 1997 session for John Peel
's BBC Radio 1
show, Kurcewicz left the band in 1998, and they shifted from Televisionesque rock to a more electronic instrumental sound that has been compared to Cluster
and Stereolab
. The band were described by the NME
: "Like Air, they manage to be chic and cheerful, allowing a potentially icy groove to melt into a fantastic fanfare of sizzling synths", and by The Independent
as "dark, broody instrumentals with a distinctive hook; spiritually morose, yet full of zeal and strangely uplifting". They performed at the Reading Festival in 1998 and signed to Foundry Records the same year. After an EP
in late 1998, the band's eponymous debut album was issued in September 1999.
The band also remixed Hefner
's "The Greedy Ugly People", which was released on a 7-inch single and on the expanded edition of We Love the City
.
Kurcewicz and Hayhurst later collaborated with The Sonic Catering Band, and Hayhurst played on the latter's live album Live in Linz - Popkorn (2008). he also played in Echoboy, They Came form the Stars, and Sculpture.
Greg Kurcewicz still works as a musician on various projects, a fine artist and curator of artists' film.
Scott Nicholas produces moody lo-fi psychedelic folk-rock under the Venus Willendorf moniker.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed in Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
in 1994 They released an eponymous album in 1999 and also recorded a Peel Session.
History
The band was formed in 1994 by Greg Kurcewicz (vocals/Guitar), Ben Rodgers (keyboardsKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Scott Nicholas (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Dan Hayhurst (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), and John Revill (drums). After two limited-edition singles on the Earworm
Earworm Records
Earworm Records was a London-based independent record label, with its first release by the band Hood in 1997. Other bands to release music on the label include Yo La Tengo, Of Montreal, Stars of the Lid, Windy & Carl, Portal, The Besnard Lakes, Fridge, Damon & Naomi and Magnétophone....
label and a November 1997 session for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show, Kurcewicz left the band in 1998, and they shifted from Televisionesque rock to a more electronic instrumental sound that has been compared to Cluster
Cluster (band)
Cluster is a German experimental musical group who influenced the development of contemporary popular electronic and ambient music. They have recorded albums in a wide variety of styles ranging from experimental music to progressive rock, all of which had an avant-garde edge. Cluster has been...
and Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
. The band were described by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
: "Like Air, they manage to be chic and cheerful, allowing a potentially icy groove to melt into a fantastic fanfare of sizzling synths", and by The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
as "dark, broody instrumentals with a distinctive hook; spiritually morose, yet full of zeal and strangely uplifting". They performed at the Reading Festival in 1998 and signed to Foundry Records the same year. After an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in late 1998, the band's eponymous debut album was issued in September 1999.
The band also remixed Hefner
Hefner (band)
Hefner were a British indie rock and "urban folk" band formed in east London in 1995. They were active from about 1996 until 2002; since then they have played together only once, for a tribute to the DJ John Peel, who was a strong supporter of theirs....
's "The Greedy Ugly People", which was released on a 7-inch single and on the expanded edition of We Love the City
We Love the City
We Love the City is the third album by British indie rock band Hefner. It was released by Too Pure in two formats in 2000, the standard version and a second version with a disc featuring videos for "I Took Her Love for Granted" and "Good Fruit," as well as a John Peel session. The entire John...
.
Kurcewicz and Hayhurst later collaborated with The Sonic Catering Band, and Hayhurst played on the latter's live album Live in Linz - Popkorn (2008). he also played in Echoboy, They Came form the Stars, and Sculpture.
Greg Kurcewicz still works as a musician on various projects, a fine artist and curator of artists' film.
Scott Nicholas produces moody lo-fi psychedelic folk-rock under the Venus Willendorf moniker.
Singles, EPs
- "Total Turn" (1997), Earworm
- "Play Away" (1997), Earworm
- Food of the Range EP (1998), Foundry
- Daughters of Destruction EP (2000), Foundry
External links
- Electric Sound of Joy at Discogs.com
- Wittmershaus, Eric "Electric Sound of Joy review", Flak magazine