Electroclash Royalty: Fischerspooner

Let Gigwise reacquaint you with Fischerspooner: the Godfathers of the ‘electroclash’ movement. They have been away for a bit; releasing their last album in the summer of 2005. But now they are back with a new single and album in the pipeline. And I, the lucky gal that I am, got to catch up with one half of the outfit: Casey Spooner (since the other half is Warren Fischer, there’s no prizes for where they got their name from).

A couple of years back, the progressionist ‘electroclash’  movement helped shape the electronic landscape into what it is today. If it had not have been for these artists, arguably there would be no LCD Soundsystem, Justice, New Young Pony Club etc. What does Casey Spooner think of his band being hailed as one of the early pioneers of this movement? “We have benefited greatly from the attention of that era. It was such a thrilling moment when all these different artists discovered each other working in related ways across the world. I remember the night I heard Peaches ‘Fuck the Pain Away’ for the first time. It was thrilling!”

When they released their first album ‘#1’ to critical acclaim back in 2002, One hack labelled them “Performance art that threw a techno orgy and everyone came.”; while others hailed them as “a cultural phenomenon”. It appeared on the surface to grant them immediate success, but just how long was this in waiting? Casey says, “We were toiling around for several years in the New York underground scene. We didn’t know anything about the music business. We were deeply in debt and I felt that it was time to stop. We broke and disbanded after a huge show in LA in 2001. But that summer we released the album with Gigolo and things started to happen but in a different way. I was working as a receptionist in a photo agency, and everyone told me I had to go on the road and do press. Our success was by no means easy, nor overnight. We were struggling to survive and be creative in New York. Being thrust into an international underground movement that was all about music, image and performance was incredible. There were a lot of other people exploring this type of music before we were. We had an usual performance and an image that connected with the media. I don’t think the music you hear on the radio would be the same now if we hadn’t had this crazy moment of electronic music at the turn of the century!”

The (more mainstream) press haven’t always been quite so supportive of the band; some national newspaper critics have turned up at their shows just to slag them off. Casey comments: “The press have been very critical of what we do for years. I believe in what we do and that gives me a certain kind of independence.” Perhaps this criticism is also to do with their close relationship with fashion. Casey is lucky enough that Stefan Pilati, from Yves Saint Laurent, made his outfits for the cover of the Kitsuné releases. And, the boys are wardrobe chameleons, changing their outfits more often than Kylie at shows. Casey’s rule is he will wear anything once, “I have ended up in some pretty crazy and sometimes tragic looks. But it is fun and not about vanity, it’s about taking risks! I once wore a monster suit made out of human hair and latex. It was so insanely hot and I was sweating to a degree that you couldn’t imagine. When I peeled it off, there water (sweat) just poured all over the floor.”