From Star Tribune:

Electropunk: Officially a Genre
By Chris Riemenschneider

The definition of electropunk is still as open to interpretation as a Jim Jarmusch movie, but the genre is taking on a clearer focus locally with this week's release of the "Twin Cites Electropunk, Vol. 2" compilation CD.

The first "TC Electropunk" disc brought together 10 acts that, to put it in general terms, use a lot of neato-keeno electronic gadgets to make their music but are still generally rock or pop (not techno). Most of those groups and several more make up this second compilation.

The point of both discs, said organizer Todd Millenacker, "is to gain some respect for these acts, and maybe some gigs."

"It's hard to get into most venues around town if you don't have a drummer," said Millenacker, whose band Avenpitch actually does feature "real" drums but is only one of four on the new CD to do so.

Besides Avenpitch's frantic, New Wavey rock, the music on the compilation ranges from Telephone!'s coy, girly pop to Trashed Actor's hard-hitting digi-rock, and from OBCT's 311-like rap-rock to the bizarre libido static of Mark Mallman's and Ryan Olcott's duo act Future Wives.

Before you rock purists go imagining a bunch of Mac geeks sitting in their basements pretending they're rock stars, you should check out some of these acts. Yes, it's true, they use a lot of computers, drum machines, digital samplers and maybe even an electronic toy or two. But it isn't true that they're all just basement tapers. Except for Future Wives -- who will be represented by Olcott's new circuit-bender act FoodTeam -- all of the compilation's artists will perform at an upcoming release show, originally scheduled tonight at the Varsity Theatre (see next item).

"It's actually one of the requirements of the CD that you do play live," said Millenacker, who said a lot of these musicians play, or have played, in conventional rock bands, too.

One of the compilation's main participants, Telephone! singer Lolly Pop, believes the electropunks might be even better as live acts. Ms. Pop herself is so into her stage act that she didn't even want me to use her real name.

"There's more room to experiment with electronic music, and you're freed up more to carve out your act," she claimed.

I'm not going to lie: Some of the music on this compilation should be downloaded straight into the recycling bin, in my opinion. At least two or three of the tracks sound like they were made for Mike Myers' old, black-clad "Saturday Night Live" character Sprockets.

However, some of the tracks are pretty great, especially the New Order-like closer by the Tim Rally Gold, which I have no idea who or what it is.

And taken as a whole, the compilation's overall concept might be what's most exciting. Really, "TC Electropunk" represents a brave new world in music making, which you also can see around town in acts such as Askeleton, Melodious Owl and Halloween, Alaska. Even if the "punk" in the name doesn't always reflect the sound, I do believe it reflects the spirit of this compilation.


From RIFT Magazine:

Electropunk
By Christine Mlodzik

Pop quiz: What do Home Depot, public access television and the Twin Cities electropunk scene have in common?

Answer: do it yourself, or DIY.

"Electropunk is electronic music, but it's punk in the attitude that you're doing it yourself," said Todd Millenacker, member of electropunk band Avenpitch. "We're not waiting for someone to write about us or promote us – we're doing it ourselves."

Charles Sadler, member of electro bands Little Tin Box and [space bar], agrees."We're doing it our way; we aren't going to conform to anyone else's rules. That's the way punks did it."

Electropunk isn't a single genre, rather, it's rooted in two genres: electro and punk.

Electro is an umbrella term for various electronic styles influenced by 80s new wave and punk, with synth keyboards, drum machines and sequencers as its key components.

Sadler doesn't think everyone wants to be under the same umbrella, believing electronica artists need their own classification. "Electronica is kind of like Pokémon. Every little kid is possessive of their favorite Pokémon, thinking theirs is the best," he said. "Each electronica artist is possessive of their style, whether it's techno or garage house."

Punk is the DIY punk work ethic of creating and promoting your own music without a major record label backing. DIY came about in the late 70s and early 80s when punk bands promoted their own shows and established small independent record labels. While the musicians had relatively low (by record industry standard) sales, they remained independent and uncompromising.

Millenacker embraced DIY after his and other electro bands weren't getting press coverage. In 2003, he came up with the idea for the compilation, Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 1, a promotion piece with two goals: one, to get recognition for the electro scene and two, to get the electro musicians' names seen and sounds heard.

"Everybody talks about doing something. At some point you've got to put your money where your mouth is," Millenacker said. And he did just that, paying for the 750 copies out of his own pocket. He gave copies to each of the bands on the CD, asking for a nominal amount to help cover costs. The bands then gave away the CDs at their shows.

Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 1 is a cross-pollination of genres including beat-driven punk, 80s new wave, industrial, metal and synthpop. The end result is a unique sound, yet one which will appeal to a wide variety of musical tastes. Avenpitch is electronica-infused rock; Uber Cool Kung Fu is New Order-esque; Endless Blue is slow and sensual; Thosquanta, Trashed Actor and Astral Grey are moodier; TELEPHONE! incorporates hip-hop; Mach Fox is like Bauhaus with bombastic guitars; and a Nine Inch Nails influence can be heard inboth Circa A.M. and Neo Void.

Capitalizing on Volume 1, Twin Cities Electropunk Volume 2 is due to be released in February 2005. On the second CD, Avenpitch, Endless Blue and Mach Fox each have a new track. New additions are Heliosphere, Apraxia, Envy is Blind, [space bar], OBCT, Tim Rally Gold, Fadladder, The Eighth Day and Future Wives, collaboration of Mark Mallman and Ryan Olcott.

Olcott commends the work Millenacker's done on the compilations. "He was smart to put these groups together on a CD to get more attention for the electro scene," Olcott said.

Across the river in St. Paul, electro is getting its share of attention with Electro-Tank at Station 4. Electro-Tank is a mix of local electronica music from Minnesota and surrounding states. Just a few of the bands in the DJ's rotation include Future Wives, Amateur Love, Psychadelicates, Astronaut Wife and Halloween, Alaska. In addition, there are two alternating live bands playing one song every 15 minutes.

Sadler and Jonathan Ford are In.flect, Electro-Tank's remix production team.Their goal is to introduce different styles or genres that haven't been introduced before. "We're not trying to sample sounds, instead, we merge sounds and blend arrangements that include rhythms of bossa nova, punk or surf with minimalist progression," Ford said.

The two do all their own promotion, from handing out flyers to creating radio spots, and paying for it themselves. "We wouldn’t be doing Electro-Tank if we were just trying to make money," Sadler said.

If the punk predecessors could see what the Twin Cities electropunks have accomplished so far, odds are, they'd be proud.

"I'm not interested in making myself known, I just want to get the songs heard," Millenacker said. "And If I can’t do it the way I want, I may as well stay at home and mow the lawn."


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