By Mita Tate
For the last few years, electroclash has been all the rage amongst worldwide hipsters, spanning from the fashionable streets of New York to the sleazy red light district of Amsterdam. DJs, visual artists and even ultra-trendy fashionistas have come together to celebrate the sassy hooks of old-school punk, 1980s new wave and futuristic synthpop.
Enter Miss Kittin. Born in Grenoble, France in 1973, Caroline Herve began spinning records at the age of 22 in France and Moscow. Her unique blend of hard house and synthpop along with her patented deadpan Eurotrash vocals, garnered her critical and commercial success across the globe.
After collaborating with everyone from Felix da Housecat, Chicks on Speed, DJ Hell and Goldenboy, in 2001 Miss Kittin teamed up with her partner-in-crime The Hacker, a former veteran of the French hardcore scene turn Detroit-style electro DJ, to create First Album.
Never a humble character, Miss Kittin spouts one of her most unforgettable lines in the trashy club anthem “Frank Sinatra.” “To be famous is so nice / Suck my dick / Lick my ass / In limousines we have sex / Every night with my famous friends / VIP area,” the former pole dancer sings in the most detached, robotic manner. You’d think someone having that much fun would at least show a little excitement, but, hey, that’s the point. Artists like Chicks On Speed, Adult. and Ladytron love to test and mock fans with their monotone vocals and sarcastic wit.
Other standout tracks include the electro-ode to burlesque “Stripper,” and “Stock Exchange,” a new romantic ditty that ironically glorifies the lives of streetwalkers. Not since the days of the infamous Lords of Acid’s “Pussy,” “Fingerlickin’ Good” and “Spank My Booty,” have electronic artists dabbled in the hypersexual, ultra-vulgar vocal stylings Miss Kittin chooses.
Although the electroclash phase is starting to end and Miss Kittin has moved onto bigger and better things, releasing her first solo album I Com, being one, First Album is not to be missed amongst fans of eurotrash themes and electronic dance music. Miss Kittin & The Hacker’s First Album is hot sex set to a throbbing, broken beat.
