Stereo Total
| Stereo Total | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Berlin, Germany |
| Genres | Electropop, new wave, synthpop, garage rock, indie, lo-fi |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Disko B Peace 95 Little Teddy Recordings Desert Records Bungalow L'Appareil Photo (Japan) Bobsled Records (US) Blow Up Records |
| Associated acts | Les Lolitas Palestina Echokrank |
| Website | stereototal.de |
| Members | Françoise Cactus Brezel Göring |
| Past members |
Angie Reed San Reimo Iznogood Lesley Campbell. |
Stereo Total is a Berlin-based multilingual, French-Germanduo comprising Françoise Cactus (born Françoise Van Hove and formerly co-leader of the West Berlin band Les Lolitas) and Brezel ('pretzel') Göring (aka Friedrich von Finsterwalde, born Friedrich Ziegler). Both Cactus and Göring sing and play multiple instruments. When they appear on stage as a duo, Cactus frequently plays drums while Göring plays guitar and synth; at other times the touring band has included additional musicians such as Angie Reed.
Their early career was nurtured within Berlin's easy listening scene, and they frequently supported the DJ team Le Hammond Inferno, who went on to form Bungalow Records and sign Stereo Total to their label. Stereo Total became the most successful act on Bungalow, finding an audience not just beyond Berlin but also across Europe and eventually in Japan and the US.
Their music is a playful, wildly eclectic mash-up of synthpop, new wave, electronica, and pop music. The most consistent element in their cut and paste compositions is a retro-hip European 1960s style, with references to psych and garage-rock as well as to 1960s French-pop in the vein of Françoise Hardy, Jacques Dutronc, France Gall, and Brigitte Bardot. Some of their most recognized tracks are kitschy lo-fi covers of pop, rock and soul songs, such as their self-consciously trashy version of Salt-N-Pepa's electro rap hit "Push It."
Their songs are primarily sung in German, French and English, but some of their output also features a number of other languages, such as Japanese, Spanish and Turkish. The band has covered songs by: Sylvie Vartan, Françoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot, Brigitte Fontaine, Serge Gainsbourg, Johnny Hallyday, Velvet Underground, Nico, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Harpo, Pizzicato Five, Hot Chocolate, Die Tödliche Doris, Nina Hagen, KC and the Sunshine Band and Marjo (Corbeau).
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