It's time once again to revisit that wonderful decade which, besides questionable fashion choices, gave us, in my opinion, some of the most innovative music of our lifetimes: The 80s. As you know from previous posts (Vol. 1, Vol. 2), this robot tends to enjoy cover songs from this particular time period. Not only do they make for nice trips down memory lane, but they intertwine your memories of the past with the modernized noises of the moment, while validating your particular musical tastes.

Our first selection is the lead-off track from the just-released Bowie tribute compilation, Life Beyond Mars. Performed by the lovely and talented girls of Au Revoir Simone, Oh! You Pretty Things originally appeared on Sir David's 1981 LP, ChangesTwoBowie. Other artists trying their hand at The Thin White Duke's catalog include Joakim, Matthew Dear, Susumu Yokota and The Emperor Machine.
Au Revoir Simone - Oh! You Pretty Things

Track two comes to us via the French "bodypop" trio known as Celluloide. Originally released by Sushi & her Banshees back in 1980 (!), this tune can be summed up thusly: Quirky, analogue bleeps and beats with goth-y undertones = Happy robots dancing in the shadows.
Celluloide - Happy House

Now is when we crank it up several notches (to 11) by going with Cursor Miner's version of Van Halen's Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love. Technically not an 80's cover (the original saw its debut on Van Halen's eponymous LP in 1978), it still retains that trashy, metal vibe of early 80s Sunset Strip.
Cursor Miner - Ain't Talkin About Love

Getting grungier still, we progress to a cover of a cover with Electronicat's interpretation of Soft Cell's Tainted Love. Fred Bigot (aka Electronicat) gets double bonus points for changing the vocals to French (the language of love) and fuzzing out to the max (tainting, if you will) the melody. Akin to watching Pier Pasolini's Salò.
Electronicat - Amour Salé

The first of two songs on this list penned by his Purple Highness, this one came out during the height of the Electrocla$h frenzy, on Larry Tee's Badd Inc.: Luxury, Excess, Extravagance comp. Featuring a gay, robotic Prince (judging from the name of this artist).
Prance - Controversy

More Siouxsie, more guitars/synths run through the fuzzbox, more detached android vocals, lyrics about chicken chow mein and chop suey...
HKC - Hong Kong Garden

Co-founder of XLOVER, Bryan Black (also of MOTOR) used to be Prince's keyboard tech back in Paisley Park's heyday. This one features a guest appearance from yet another sexy member of the royal family, Princess Superstar.
XLOVER - Darling Nikki

Though I'm not sure I should even admit to liking something so pop-y (I can safely blame VodkaEd for this kind of thing), I feel strangely compelled to share this with you. Some of you may even hate me for introducing it to them, but what the hell, you know? I try to provide quality entertainment for robots, and this is mindlessly fun entertainment, if anything. Currently, my guilty pleasure is a "perfect" mash-up of an insanely catchy arpeggiated synth riff overladen with Princess Superstar's sassy sing-along raps that's got club anthem with huge crossover appeal written all over it. So, without further ado, here's the bouncy, titillating video for Mason vs. Princess Superstar - Perfect Exceeder.

Never before have I so wanted to be an exercise ball

For those of you who want to have another go, take a peek at the Princess' goodies at her online shop and pick up a copy of this on cd or wax...like I did (just don't tell anyone, ok?)

Trash Money
The Raveonettes
Teenage Bad Girl
Busy P
Cock Rock Disco
DJ Technorch
Twins of Evil
D45
B12
Laura Palmer

Night Creatures, a post-Halloween mix of nightmarish proportions.

Tracklisting
1 Le Syndicat Electronique - Blood and Flesh
2 Siouxsie and The Banshees - Peek-A-Boo
3 Until December - Bela Lugosi's Dead [dr™s 45 on 33 mix - for maximum spooky effect]
4 Berlin - Masquerade
5 Tones on Tail - Means of Escape [Blackstrobe Edit]
6 My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Nervous Xians
7 Vital Ferox - Absolut
8 Detroit Grand Pubahs - "Dracula" in O Positive
9 Johannes Heil - Paranoid Dancer [DJ Hell Mix]
10 Gater - Exit
11 Romina Cohn - The Night

Unfortunately for all male robots like myself, females into electro, or females making electro for that matter, are few and far between. Electro, by and large, is a male-dominated affair. This makes my quest to "make a circuit" with an advanced-level functioning female droid that much more challenging. I'm not entirely sure why this is the case - maybe electro music is more masculine by nature, more cold and sterile versus warm and organic. But fear not, male machine minions! There are a number of fembots on the rise to ameliorate this imbalance.

More video links for you.
Ellen Allien - Down
Anthony Rother - Hacker
Kim Wilde - Kids In America
malaria! vs chicks on speed - kaltes klares wasser
Visage - Fade to Grey
Ascii.Disko - Travaillez
Modeselektor - Rapanthem

If someone were to ask me what my orientation is, I would have to say, "Electrosexual." Like the title of one of Imatran Voima's 12"s states, Electro Is Aural Sex. I can't quite place my finger on it (so to speak), but there's something that's just so sexy about it. Maybe something to do with the beats being good to have sex to? I wouldn't know. [I'm a robot, remember?]

For a significant number of acts in the electrosphere, sex figures heavily into the equation. I suppose sex has always been a fixture in the mix along with drugs and rock n' roll, but with these guys, it's just a bit more blatant. You need only hear the names of the bands to realize that there's sumpin' jiggy going on.