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Chicks on Speed

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Chicks on Speed

Chicks on Speed formed in Munich in 1997, when members Melissa Logan, Kiki Moorse and Alex Murray-Leslie met at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1995.

Though usually considered part of such musical genres as electroclash, Chicks on Speed actually started as a multidisciplinary art group who applied punk-inspired DIY ethic to performance art, collage graphics and home-made fashion (they have created their own stage costumes with cheap and recycled material such as plastic bags and gaffer's tape, for example).

They originally got their name when they earned some extra money at art galleries by hanging paintings on the walls and someone quipped that they worked like "chicks on speed".

They had their own club nights at Munich's Bar "Seppi Bar": Chicks on Speed had created an installation piece which was called I Wanna Be A DJ, Baby, where they stood behind DJ decks and smashed records while a sound collage tape was playing. For this project they also put together a "box set" with a T-shirt, a cassette, a paper record and a fake interview for their "band", at this stage still imaginary. During this time period they met Upstart (a.k.a. Peter Wacha) of Disko B record label who helped Chicks on Speed to actually get started in music.

Chicks on Speed (Melissa and Alex) are currently performing LIVE DJ SETS in Europe from October-December 2009, preparing for a major solo exhibition at Dunde Contemporary Arts Centre, 23rd may, 2010 and collaborating on an Art Scarf project, with Little Red Ridinghood in Berlin to be launched this December.

History

Logan and Murray-Leslie were art students at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, when they met in 1997 at one of the Academy's parties. They began working as a group to create art exhibitions and host illegal parties. Those parties included a performance piece titled I Wanna Be A DJ, Baby. At this point CoS was essentially a "fake band", including mock T-shirts, records and cassettes. Melissa and Alex then met Kiki Moorse (a member until 2006 now on Toffeetones Records), and invited her to join Chicks on Speed. In this period, COS also met Upstart of record label Disko B. This meeting would see the medium of music merge with the Chicks' multimedia explorations.

Music

A cassette titled Analog Internet was the first piece of music released by Chicks On Speed. The cassette was released in 1997, though it seems widely agreed that the first COS single was a cover of the song "Warm Leatherette", originally by Daniel Miller (as The Normal), released in 7" form. The single was released in 1998 and four further singles (Smash Metal, "Euro Trash Girl" (originally by Cracker in 1993), Mind Your Own Business (originally by Delta 5 in 1979) and Glamour Girl over 1998 and 1999) preceded any actual album releases. In March, 2000, two CoS LPs were released; the first, titled The Un-Releases, is not considered an official album; it is described instead as a "collage" of various songs in various forms by the trio. CoS' debut, Chicks On Speed Will Save Us All appeared later in the month and featured all five of the previous singles as well as a new one, "Kaltes Klares Wasser", a cover of a song by the German all-women punk band Malaria!. All six of these singles proved popular and in October 2000, The Re-Releases Of The Un-Releases was issued.

Several EPs were issued over the next few years such as chix 52, a collection of B-52's covers and Fashion Rules that heralded the arrival of the 2003 second album 99 Cents. The album produced three more singles, We Don't Play Guitars, a collaboration with Canadian artist Peaches, which was well-received around the world, a cover of Tom Tom Club's Wordy Rappinghood which saw a number of guest stars including Le Tigre, and Flame On, a hidden track on the album. By this time CoS have already been collaborating with Anat Ben-David, an unofficial band member working with them since 2002.

In 2004, their third album, Press The Spacebar was released. The album was a collaboration with the Spanish band The No-Heads. To date no singles have been issued from the album, though interestingly it includes a new version of Culture Vulture, a song from their previous LP release on 99 cents.

In November 2006, the Chicks released the 12" singleART RULES! produced with Christopher Just, with guests Anat Ben David and Douglas Gordon after the release, the chicks concentratd on live performances under the same name and toured art institutions the world over, collaborating with Artists A.L. Steiner, Anat Ben David, Kathi Glas and Adi Nachman on production.

Chicks on Speed are currently working on an album with Dirty Disco Youth in Barcelona and Hamburg, developing Objekt Instruments for studio and stage implementation and working towards a solo exhibition at Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre, opening on 23rd May, 2010.

Outside of Music

Logan and Murray-Leslie have always classified COS as a multi disciplinary "project" blurring the lines between, art, music, fashion and performance. They run a record label, Chicks On Speed Records, together with Peter Wacha, Juergen Söder and Gero Loferer, releasing recordings by Le Tigre, Kevin Blechdom, Gustav, Ana da Silva of The Raincoats, DAT Politics, Susanne Brokesch, Kids on TV, Anat Ben-David, Angie Reed and the Girl Monster compilation series.

Chicks on Speed's interest lies in art, something that also characterizes their live performances. Their solo art exhibitions include Kunstverein Wolfsburg 2004, Kunstraum Innsbruck 2005, CAC Vilnius in 2007. Other exhibitions are Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum 2007, Switch On the Power, Vigo, Spain 2006. XMas, Sell-Out, and ChicksTV. They played at the Turner Prize Retrospective at the Tate on Oct. 1st 2007, and at MoMA in June, 2006, as part of a special evening with Douglas Gordon. Their work with Douglas Gordon includes a performance at the Centre Georges Pompidou in February, 2007, collection TBA-21 hosted a performance in Vienna in April, 2007, and an exhibition at Yvonne Lambert in Paris on September 19, 2007. They have been responsible for cover art for various other artists, particularly ones signed to their label and Mego Records in Vienna.

Chicks on Speed's focuss on fashion began in 1997 with their first stage costumes which developed into a longtime collaboration with kathi Glas and more recently with Peggy Noland and Ari Fish and Jeremy Scott. The fashion side of COS has grown into collaborations with independent fashion brands: including textile yardiges for Crystal Ball Japan in 2007/2008, DAA (Designers Against Aids) and Hennes and Mauritz "Fashion Against Aids" in 2008. In 2009 Chicks on Speed and Insight launched the project, Insight on Chicks on Speed, with a range of girls surf wear, and a song and video, titled "Super Surfer Girl". They're currently working on a larger collaboration with a brand, who can't be mentioned yet!!

Chicks on Speed launches an ART SCARF with Little Red Ridinghood, based in Berlin, released globally in art museum bookstores in December, 2009.

Logan and Murray-Leslie published the book, titled Chicks on Speed: It's A Project, Booth-Clibborn Editions. The book contains historical pieces of information about the band and their art from their beginning stages onward, including a dress, DIY pattern to make overalls, designed by COS and jeremy Scott, a cd of unreleased music, a poster, all come in a tote bag designed by COS.

Solo activities of the members

Alex Murray-Leslie founded and curated the compilation titled GIRL MONSTER in 2006, featuring some 62 women in cutting edge music from the late 1970s to present day, released on Chicks on Speed Records. The Girl Monster 12" single, featured Peaches and Scream Club, Client, Chicks on Speed, Vivien Goldman and Kids on Tv. Alex is currently a Professor of fashion performance @ Elisava, Pompei Fabre University, Barcelona. Recently Alex has started a performance fashion piece with Pelican Avenue and kroot Juurak performing scene by scene at global fashion events, including Tokyo and Paris Fashion week.

Melissa Logan has appeared in German theatre plays Versaut (with costumes by Kate Lloyd-Hughes and Chicks on Speed; at Kampnagel Theatre, Hamburg, 2001), Alles wird in Flammen stehen (Frank Gehry Tower, Hamburg, 2001) and a "propaganda operette" L'Amerique (Hamburg, 2003), for which Chicks on Speed provided the song Class War. L'Amerique's "soundtrack" (with music by Les Robespierres featuring Melissa Logan) has been released on Chicks on Speed Records in 2004.


Kiki Moorse, once founding member, has now departed CoS to pursue a career in DJing. She also has a new[when?] music project, called Bad French, with Andreas Reihse of Kreidler.


Members

Discography

Albums

EPs and singles

  • Warm Leatherette (with DJ Hell) (1998)
  • Euro Trash Girl (with Mäuse) (1998)
  • Smash Metal (with DMX Krew) (1999)
  • Mind Your Own Business (with Pulsinger, Gaier/Reents) (1999)
  • Glamour Girl (1999)
  • Kaltes Klares Wasser (2000)
  • Split 7" with V/VM (2000)
  • Chix 52 (2000)
  • The Chicks on Speed / Kreidler Sessions (with Kreidler) (2001)
  • Fashion Rules (2002)
  • We Don't Play Guitars (2003)
  • Wordy Rappinghood (2003)
  • Flame On (with Mika Vainio) (2004)
  • Art Rules (2007)
  • Super Surfer Girl (2008)

See also

References

  • Piers Martin, Chicks on Speed in The Face Vol. 3, No 38, March 2000
  • Steven Wells, International Punky Art Rockers: Chicks on Speed in NME, 8 January 2000
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