Marsheaux

Marsheaux is a Greek synthpop duo formed in Athens in 2003. The group is composed of vocalists, songwriters and keyboardists Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. The name Marsheaux is derived from the first syllable of each band member's name.[1] Both members sing almost exclusively in English. Andy McCluskey of OMD said about this band: "I do have a soft spot for Marsheaux I have to say. They have a certain sort of wispy, melancholic charm".[2]

Marsheaux
Marianthi and Sophie
Background information
OriginAthens, Greece
GenresSynthpop, electropop
Years active2003-present
LabelsUndo Records, Out of Line
Websitemarsheaux.com
MembersMarianthi Melitsi
Sophie Sarigiannidou

History

Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou were born in Thessaloniki, Greece. In 2000, they moved to Athens and founded Marsheaux in 2003 to further their appreciation of electronic pop music.[1] In 2015, they explained to a music blog called AZLTRON the origin of the band: "We were at a Depeche Mode party in Athens 12 years ago, and the guys from Undo Records told us that we can only play Depeche Mode themes in our synths. So we decided to form a band and make a track for a compilation they were working on, called Nu Romantics. We did a cover of Gershon Kingsley's "Popcorn", we found a name, and won the bet. We are very glad we won the bet cause if we hadn't, we would have to clean their warehouse and keep it clean for a whole year".[3]

Marsheaux came to national prominence in Greece with their debut single, a cover of Gershon Kingsley's "Popcorn". The single received extensive airplay in Greece and mainland Europe. They continued to gain international recognition for their remixes of "Will I Ever" by In Vox featuring Andy Bell of Erasure.

Now signed to Undo Records, Marsheaux released their debut album E-Bay Queen in June 2004.[4] The album played heavily on Marsheaux's stated influences of The Human League, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, New Order, Erasure, Yazoo and Depeche Mode. E-Bay Queen was critically well received internationally.

In December 2006, Undo Records released Sophie and Marianthi's follow up album Peekaboo.[5] The album included two covers, "Regret" by New Order and "The Promise" by When in Rome. The site Electronically Yours rated it "Album of the Year 2007".[6] The single "Hanging On" was released in 2007.

As well as recording original material, Marsheaux also remixed existing tracks of artists such as Moby, Depeche Mode, Sakis Rouvas, Gwen Stefani and Hurts.[7] In 2008, Marsheaux recorded a version of the song "She's Leaving" by OMD.[8] They also issued the limited 7" vinyl "Ghost", which included the B-side "Bizarre Love Duo".

In July 2009, the band released their third album, Lumineux Noir, at Undo Records/Out of Line.[9] The album was issued in two versions: the Standard edition with 13 tracks and the Limited edition that included a bonus disc with remixes and a new song. According to the Side-Line magazine, it did not "bring an evolution in sound, but shows a growing maturity in songwriting and production".[10] It is reminiscent of 1980s synthpop with tracks that have been compared to Ladytron,[10][11] The Chemical Brothers and Client.[11] Two singles supported the album: "Breakthrough" and "Summer".

In May 2011, Marsheaux released a new song, "Can You Stop Me?".[12] In May 2012, the band issued the compilation of mostly unreleased material and rare songs, E-Bay Queen is Dead. A fourth album, Inhale, followed in 2013, along with a compilation drawn from all four studio albums, Odyssey.

In 2015, Marsheaux released their fifth studio album A Broken Frame, which is a cover album of Depeche Mode's 1982 LP of the same name. It has been seen as faithful to the original but with an updated sound, including some darker and slower interpretations of tracks like "The Meaning of Love" and "A Photograph of You"[13] as well as a trip-hop version of "Shouldn’t Have Done That".[14]

In May 2016, Marsheaux released a new single "Safe Tonight", that includes original and extended versions of the song and remixes by Nikonn and Fotonovela. This single is from their sixth studio album Ath.Lon, released on 16 June 2016.

Touring
Marsheaux live at Infest 2008

Marsheaux performed live at various festivals including Infest, Pluswelt, Amphi[1] and Exit. The duo also played support slots for OMD and Róisín Murphy in Greece, and Client in Germany.[1] Both band members have regular guest DJ slots in clubs in Athens.

Equipment

As well as being vocalists, both musicians are skilled multi-instrumentalists. Marianthi plays Microkorg, Minimoog, Roland SH101, Speak & Math and Yamaha CS01. Sophie plays Microkorg, Korg MS-10, Roland Alpha Juno2, Akai AX80, Roland CR-78, and Kurzweil K2000.[15]

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations
  • E-Bay Queen is Dead (2012)
  • Odyssey (2013)
  • Our Girls on Film (2018)
  • Inhale (2019)
  • Alternatives (2020)

Singles
  • "Popcorn" (Undo Records, 2003)
  • "Hanging On" (Undo Records, 2007)
  • "Ghost" (limited 7", Undo Records, 2008)
  • "Breakthrough" (Undo Records, 2009)
  • "Summer" (Out of Line, 2009)
  • "Safe Tonight" (Undo Records, 2016)
  • "Home" (2019)

Other releases
  • 2005 – "New Life" by Depeche Mode covered on the tribute compilation album Around the World and Back: A Greek Tribute To Depeche Mode, released 21 March 2005 on Undo Records.[16]
  • 2007 – "Empire State Human" covered and released 4 March 2007 as a free download to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of The Human League.
  • 2007 – Remix of the song "A Dark City's Night" from the German synthpop duo Portash (located on Portash's album Framed Lives).
  • 2007 – Remix of the song "It's Not Over" from the British electropop group Client.
  • 2008 – Remix of the song "Perfect Girl" from the British electropop group The Ultrasonics, released 25 August 2008.
  • 2015 - "We Met Bernard Sumner at a Christmas Party Last Night" released on the compilation album Ghosts of Christmas Past (Remake)
  • 2017 – Get The Balance Right limited edition EP released on Undo Records[17]

Music videos
  • "Popcorn"
  • "Pure"
  • "Hanging On"
  • "Breakthrough"
  • "Summer"
  • "Can You Stop Me?"
  • "Inhale"
  • "Monument"
  • "Safe Tonight"
  • "Like A Movie"
  • "Now You Are Mine"
  • "To The End"

References
  1. "Marsheaux". Undo Records. Archived from the original on 28 April 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  2. Wejedal, Johan; Chi Ming Lai (19 May 2011). "Can You Stop Me? An interview with Marsheaux". The Electricity Club. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  3. "Interview: Marsheaux : AZLTRON". Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. "Marsheaux: Ebay Queen". Undo Records. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  5. "Marsheaux – Peek A Boo". Discogs. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  6. "Marsheaux premier new tracks 'Ghost' & 'Bizarre Love Duo'". Electronically Yours. 7 March 2007. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010.
  7. "Marsheaux – Remixes - MP3s (June 2003 - June 2009)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  8. "'She's Leaving' OMD features Marsheaux". Marsheaux official blog. Myspace. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  9. "Lumineux Noir - Ltd. DigiDCD Release Date: July the 10th 2009". Marsheaux official blog. Myspace. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  10. "Marsheaux - Lumineux Noir". Side-Line. 7 November 2009.
  11. Pilgrim, Thomas. "Lumineux Noir". Sonic Seducer (in German). Archived from the original on 8 March 2012.
  12. "New Marsheaux Song : Can You Stop Me?". Marsheaux. Myspace. 18 May 2011.
  13. Karstedt, Jörn. "Marsheaux – A Broken Frame". Sonic Seducer (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  14. Carlsson, Johan. "Marsheaux – A Broken Frame". Release Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  15. "Members". Marsheaux. Myspace. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  16. "Various – Around The World And Back: A Greek Tribute To Depeche Mode". Discogs. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  17. "CDUN65 Marsheaux – Get The Balance Right CD EP". UNDO records. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
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