? ? "We don't feel like good DJs just playing records ?€” we are performers and composers, so that leaks into our sets," said member Melissa Logan by e-mail from New York on Wednesday. "Also we have this video program, Module8, on which [fellow member] Alex [Murray-Leslie] mixes up video while I MC."
Famous for songs such as "We Don't Play Guitars," the band's 2003 collaboration with Canadian musician and vulgarian extraordinaire Peaches, Chicks on Speed will perform a DJ set at the Winzavod gallery complex Friday. The duo will play what Logan described as "new electro mash-up," but it will be more than a usual record-spinning session ?€” although it isn't clear exactly what else it will entail.
Unusual approaches to music and the arts are nothing new for them. Eleven years since they first formed as a "fake band" in Munich, the all-female group, once a trio and at times even larger, has gone through countless shifts in genre, medium and lineup; these days the crew includes only the original pair of former students who met in 1997 at Munich's Academy of Fine Arts, Aussie Murray-Leslie and Logan from New York City.
The band's beginnings in the world of visual art have been more formative for them than their musical leanings, according to Logan, who immodestly sees a lot of parallels between Chicks on Speed and the Situationists and Dadaists. Indeed, the past half-decade has seen them release more in gallery spaces than onto airwaves, and the band's most recent studio album, "Press the Spacebar," came out back in 2004.
"We have loads of material and keep on thinking we should release it, but we are involved in other good projects at the moment," she said, including exhibits at the Art Basel Miami Beach fair.
Fans need not worry about their musical output, though; just last week Chicks on Speed released a new single, "Super Surfer Girl." In the group's multimedia world, as Logan puts it, "Today is all music, last week was all art."
Chicks on Speed last performed in Moscow in 2004, and Logan has less-than-rosy memories of the place.
"At night we could see a building burning. It was right next to Red Square, and all I could think of was historical, protected building[s] that were impossible to get rid of that would mysteriously burn in the night, and then next thing [you know], a mall pops up to replace it. That reminded me of America."
Chicks on Speed will perform a DJ set at 8 p.m. on Friday at Winzavod Gallery, located at 1 4th Syromyatnichesky Pereulok, bldg. 6. Metro Kurskaya. 917 4646.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.