Stereo Total
Blackbird
Mon Nov 18
Sixties rock, ’50s rockabilly, ’70s disco, early ’80s new wave, and Miami booty music are all influences embedded in Stereo Total’s upbeat, found-sound pop explosion. Known for covers of everyone from Edith Piaf and Brigitte Bardot to Lou Reed, the Berlin-based band (comprised of François Cactus and Brezel Göring) famously covered Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s “Push It” and “Get Down Tonight” by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Françoise’s singing is reminiscent of French chanson: whispery and erotic, and even on rougher songs, maintains a ladylike pop sweetness. However, there is always a remote, monolithic distance in her voice, much like Nico.
Despite the fact that talking about them entails a brief chronology of pop music, Stereo Total don’t sound retro. Brezel, whose synthesizer and special effects give the music a gadgety feel, explains, “Mostly, I’m looking for unusual [sounds]; it’s not only references to past musical styles. Ten years ago, this [postmodern found-sound sampling] couldn’t have been done. Maybe technically, but not with the same spirit.”
Stereo Total’s live performances build a gradually faster energy, at first holding off on live drums; they prefer small clubs with small systems, creating an almost conspiratorially cramped atmosphere. With the confusion of only two people operating tons of instruments, Brezel admits that disasters happen “all the time. But it’s a little bit part of the concept The most exciting thing is making music when you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Brezel’s enthusiasm for chance sounds links to his penchant for carrying around a mini-disc recorder. For instance, he once recorded a metal door being opened and closed, which he swears sounded exactly like a trumpet: “I think I could cut an entire trumpet solo out of it!”
Recently, Françoise and Brezel performed a soundtrack for the 1967 Jean-Luc Godard film, Weekend, and did a live recreation of “the invisible record,” which is heard by playing two Todliche Doris records simultaneously. For that performance, they simply played on two stages and the audience stood in between, hearing the music from each stage. Monday’s show will undoubtedly be a stimulating immersion into their music, as truly a work in progress.