Ladytron

All Music Guide:

Mixing synth-pop, shoegaze and indie-pop into a sound all their own, Ladytron formed in mid-1998. Keyboardists/programmers Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu settled in Liverpool after a spate of DJ work in Japan and world travel, including a train trip in Bulgaria where they met vocalist Mira Aroyo. Helen Marnie, who also sings and plays keyboards for the group, also joined them and they began work on their first single, "He Took Her to a Movie," which was recorded for 50 pounds. The release brought a wave of critical acclaim, which the band followed with a tour throughout the continent before beginning work on their debut EP, 2000's Commodore Rock. The studio full-length 604 followed a year later, and gained many positive reviews. 2002 saw the release of the more polished Light & Magic and the mix album Softcore Jukebox. The group returned in the summer of 2005 with the Sugar single, which heralded the rock edge of Ladytron's third album, Witching Hour. Extended Play, which featured remixes of Witching Hour's singles, arrived the following spring. Ladytron moved to Nettwerk for their fourth album, the harder-edged Velocifero, which they produced themselves. Their fifth album, 2011's Gravity the Seducer, returned to their synth-pop roots.

Wikipedia:

Ladytron are an English electronic band formed in Liverpool in 1999. The band consists of Helen Marnie (lead vocals, synthesizers), Mira Aroyo (vocals, synthesizers), Daniel Hunt (synthesizers, electric guitar, vocals) and Reuben Wu (synthesizers).

Their sound blends electropop with New Wave and shoegazing elements. Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop". They focused on a balance between pop structures and experimental sounds. Some of the group's songs performed by Aroyo contain lyrics written in her native Bulgarian.

They have released five studio albums so far: 604 (2001), Light & Magic (2002), Witching Hour (2005), Velocifero (2008) and Gravity the Seducer (2011). The compilation Best of 00–10 was issued in 2011.

Ladytron have produced remixes for many artists, including David Gahan, Goldfrapp, Apoptygma Berzerk, Placebo, Blondie, Gang of Four, Christina Aguilera, Bloc Party, Kings of Convenience, Indochine, She Wants Revenge, Simian, Nine Inch Nails, SONOIO and Soulwax.

Their name was taken from the song "Ladytron" by Roxy Music. According to Brian Eno, once a member of Roxy Music, Ladytron are "the best of English pop music".

History

Early years

Liverpudlian producers and DJs Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu met in the 1990s. Hunt also founded the indie record label Invicta Hi-Fi and a nightclub. Wu trained in Industrial Design at Sheffield Hallam University and graduated in 1997. He became an industrial designer at Team Consulting Limited, until finally going full time with the band around 2002.

Using the moniker Ladytron, they recorded the debut single "He Took Her to a Movie" for £50 with the guest vocalist Lisa Eriksson, who later formed the band Techno Squirrels. "He Took Her to a Movie" was released in 1999 and became NME Single of the Week.

In the summer of 1999, Hunt and Wu met the Scottish student Helen Marnie through various DJ gigs, and the Bulgarian student Mira Aroyo through a mutual friend. Marnie and Aroyo joined the band as vocalists and keyboardists. Helen Marnie studied music at the University of Liverpool where she received a Bachelor of Arts in pop music in 1999. Mira Aroyo was a postgraduate research geneticist in the Oxford University's Biochemistry department.

1999–2001: 604

In 1999, Ladytron issued the EP Miss Black and Her Friends in Japan only, followed a year later by Mu-Tron EP. All the songs from these EPs, except "Miss Black", were later included on their first full-length album. In 2001, Ladytron covered The Human League' song "Open Your Heart" for the compilation album Reproductions: Songs of The Human League.

On 6 February 2001, they released the debut album 604 on the Emperor Norton/Invicta Hi-Fi labels. The album has been written mostly by Daniel Hunt and co-produced by him and Lance Thomas (who also engineered and mixed the album). The singles released from this album were "He Took Her to a Movie", "Playgirl", "Commodore Rock" and "The Way That I Found You". The single "Playgirl" brought some national and international attention to the band.

Until 2004, the band wore uniforms on stage. In 2001, Daniel Hunt stated that their uniforms and the 604 album title were inspired by the SF movie The Andromeda Strain.

During the early years, they were labeled as electroclash by some music journalists, but they rejected this tag.

In 2001, Ladytron performed at the music festivals La Route du Rock in France and Benicàssim in Spain. On 5 December 2001, they performed four songs for Radio 1's John Peel Show: "Zmeyka", "Holiday 601", "Another Breakfast With You", "Discotraxx".

2002–03: Light & Magic

Their second album Light & Magic was released on 17 September 2002 on Emperor Norton/Telstar labels. The album featured a darker sound than their previous album. It was written and produced in Los Angeles by the band and co-produced by Mickey Petralia.

Light & Magic included the underground hits "Seventeen", "Blue Jeans" and "Evil".

They toured over a year to support the album. On 4 December 2002, Ladytron returned to John Peel Show.

On 7 October 2003, they issued the mix compilation Softcore Jukebox. Besides the songs of other artists, the compilation also includes two of their own songs, the single remix of "Blue Jeans" renamed "Blue Jeans 2.0" and a cover of Tweet's "Oops (Oh My)". The cover art appears to be a homage to Roxy Music's Country Life..

2004–07: Witching Hour

Ladytron released their critically acclaimed third studio album, Witching Hour, on 3 October 2005 on Island label. This album was recorded in 2004 and it was co-produced by the band and Jim Abbiss. Witching Hour featured Pop Levi on bass, live drums by Keith York and electric guitars mixed with their trademark sound. Pitchfork Media described it as a "quantum leap record".

Witching Hour was supported by the singles "Sugar" and "Destroy Everything You Touch". The single "Destroy Everything You Touch" ( sample) became the band's best known song.

The group took to the road on the strength of their cult following, booking sold-out tours across North America and Europe, and playing for capacity crowds in China and Latin America. Without any real label support, Ladytron toured exhaustively over the next two years. In early 2007, they also opened for the European shows of Nine Inch Nails, at the invitation of Trent Reznor.

In 2006 saw the light Extended Play, a two-disc EP CD/DVD compilation that features exclusive unreleased remixes and UK B-sides, as well as a 35-minute bonus DVD. In the same year Ladytron recorded The Harmonium Sessions, which contained four songs from their third studio album, performed unplugged. Ladytron were subsequently dropped by Island Records.

2008–09: Velocifero

On 2 June 2008, Ladytron released their fourth album Velocifero on Nettwerk. The album featured a heavier sound and it was recorded in Paris, with the band handling production duties with Alessandro Cortini (Modwheelmood, Nine Inch Nails, SONOIO) and Vicarious Bliss (Justice, DJ Mehdi). The band stated that "velocifero" literally means "bringer of speed" and is also the name of a classic retro styled scooter.

The album spawned three singles: "Ghosts", "Runaway" and "Tomorrow". In mid 2008, the group composed three exclusive tracks for the Sims 3 game soundtrack: "Rockfalls & Estuaries", "She Stepped Out of the Car" and "Young Etruscians". These songs were performed in Simlish.

In 2009, Ladytron toured North America with The Faint, and performed two special shows with Brian Eno at the Sydney Opera House. In the same year they announced that they will be the opening act for Depeche Mode on few concerts in Eastern Europe, but these concerts were cancelled due to Dave Gahan's illness.

Also in 2009, Nettwerk issued the remix compilations 604 (Remixed & Rare), Light & Magic (Remixed & Rare), Witching Hour (Remixed & Rare) and Velocifero (Remixed & Rare). In the same year, Ladytron self released their first live album Live at London Astoria 16.07.08. They also wrote and produced two songs for Christina Aguilera's album Bionic: "Birds of Prey" and "Little Dreamer".

2010–11: Best of 00–10

The soundtrack of the video game FIFA 11 included a new Ladytron song, "Ace of Hz", which was released as digital single on 30 November 2010. In 11 January 2011, the band issued a digital EP of "Ace of Hz", which contained the album mix plus 5 remixes.

On 28 March 2011, it was released the compilation Best of 00–10, featuring 17 tracks on standard edition and 33 tracks on deluxe edition, plus a 80 page booklet. Both editions included two new tracks, "Ace of Hz" and a cover version of Death In June's "Little Black Angel".

Also in 2011, Nettwerk reissued all their previous albums and released the remix compilation Best of Remixes. They released the iTunes video compilation Best of 00–10 Videos which included nine music videos for the singles "Playgirl", "Blue Jeans", "Seventeen", "Sugar", "Destroy Everything You Touch", "Ghosts", "Runaway", "Tomorrow" and "Ace of Hz".

During April 2011 and July 2011, Ladytron performed live in Austria, China, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Poland, UK, Ireland, Hungary and Spain.

2011–present: Gravity the Seducer

Their fifth studio album, Gravity the Seducer, was released in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2011 and in the United States on 13 September 2011. The album was recorded in Kent's countryside and it was produced by the band and Barny Barnicott (Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Editors). Daniel Hunt said "Gravity the Seducer is more of a jump than the last album was, more ethereal and melodic, a touch more abstract in places than we've gone before, baroque 'n' roll".

"Ace of Hz", which appears on the album, was previously released as a single from the band's greatest hits compilation Best of 00–10. The first single from Gravity the Seducer, "White Elephant", was issued on 17 May 2011 and its accompanying video was posted on YouTube on 26 July 2011. The band premiered another song, "Ambulances", on 16 June 2011. The second single, "Mirage", was released on 8 August 2011. Its music video was posted on YouTube on 11 November 2011.

During September 2011 and December 2011, the band toured in USA, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Thailand and Indonesia. For the concerts in North America, Ladytron were supported by SONOIO, VHS or Beta and Geographer.

Touring

Ladytron have toured extensively since the release of their second album, Light & Magic. Daniel Hunt, Mira Aroyo and Reuben Wu also play DJ sets in clubs and events around the world.

Bands to open for Ladytron on their tours include Simian, The Presets, Client, CSS, Asobi Seksu, Mount Sims, Crocodiles, Franz Ferdinand, SONOIO, VHS or Beta and Geographer.

Ladytron have opened for other artists like Soulwax on their UK tour in 2001, Björk in 2003, and Goldfrapp in 2006. In early 2007, they opened for Nine Inch Nails on their European tour, at the invitation of Trent Reznor. In 2009, Ladytron and The Faint co-headlined a North American tour.

Their current live gear consists of Korg Delta played by Helen Marnie, Korg MS-20 played by Mira Aroyo, Minimoog Voyager played by Reuben Wu, Crumar Stratus played by Daniel Hunt and a drum kit played by a tour drummer who is currently Billy Brown.

Previous live band members include the bassists Pop Levi, Andrea Goldsworthy and the drummer Keith York.

Song usage

Many Ladytron songs featured on various film, game and ad soundtracks.