The cover of Bait, the comeback album by the duo Harlem Electronics, doesn’t give much away about what you’ll hear inside. It wasn’t the image of a Ferrari with the logo on the steering wheel that lured me into buying the album, but the powerful rhythms of the opening track. After debuting in the early 2000s, Johan Skugge and Martin Thomasson have reunited to deliver seven tracks that blend EBM, new beat, and industrial with influences from dub and hip hop. We spoke with Martin Thomasson to learn more about this band that has been a constant presence in my turntable over the past few years. They are one of our special recommendations for the upcoming edition of the Barcelona festival Ombra.
Photo credit: @ake.tireland.photographer
—The name of the duo, Harlem comes from a Suicide song, what does that composition means to you? Honestly the song fits the music you make. Why have you added the Electronics part recently?
—We thought the two words looked nice. It was also a way to mark our new direction
—You started playing with Johan Skugge in Rockmonster, an indie rock band that was formed in 1999. What can you please tell us of your days with this Swedish band?
—Rockmonster played a kind of minimalistic garage rock with drone elements. We were inspired by The Cramps, Suicide, Spacemen 3 and Hasil Adkins – two guitars and drums, no bass. This was an era that saw a return to garage rock with bands like The Hives and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, so I suppose we could be loosely grouped with them. Rockmonster existed for two years and made two albums: the first released by Karin Dreijer’s (The Knife) Rabid label, the second through EMI.
—Then you both created Harlem and said that it was a continuation of the music of Rockmonster. This first incarnation of the band released an album, How was the music of Harlem music back then? I could not find any copy of that album to listen to.
—It was not as beat-based as we are now. The Suicide and Spacemen 3 influence was more pronounced back then.
—A couple of singles followed, Game/Watch in 2005 and Cat Scratch a couple of years later. They sound more electro, even Electroclash I would say. Cat Scratch was a minor hit back in the day, why did you stop the project at that moment?
—Johan worked with his Disappearer project, and I started Jackpot, an Italo disco project that released a couple of 12-inches on Service Records, Permanent Vacation, and RVNG Intl. We also launched a short-lived label that released Disappearer and Arab League (which was Johan and me – so, in practice, Harlem).
—As you have just said, the following step in Harlem Electronics story was Arab League, a project formed by the two of you that released a single in 2011. This time with influences of EBM and Cabaret Voltaire. Why the change of name and not continue with Harlem? The name would be a bit polemic in the latest years, why did you choose it back them?
—I think we saw an article talking about the pan-Arab organization Arab League – it’s like a Middle Eastern EU, if I’m not totally wrong – and just liked the sound of the name. The fact that the name was ambiguous was only a bonus. We’re not that keen on explaining our intentions. The music and the lyrics are always the final statement.
I actually don’t remember why we didn’t just call the project Harlem that clearly. I think we wanted to move in another direction, and changing your name is always a good way to remind yourself of the new mission. Ironically, what we started with Arab League became the “new” Harlem.
—Now that Cabaret Voltaire are active again (Chris Watson and Stephen Mallinder are touring) I would like to ask you
about them, as you have said that they are one of your main influences. What do you find interesting in the band?
—That stiff, monotonous, skinny dub. The Crackdown album is the perfect mix of their seventies experiments and the more dance-oriented, funky style that took hold after that album.
—And how did you get into EBM?
—We always listened to D.A.F. and Liaisons Dangereuses but are not as much into the later EBM. It’s a bit too macho for my taste. Of course, there are cool songs by early Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb. But what makes D.A.F. and Liaisons so exciting is that their music doesn’t have a blueprint and still feels ultra-fresh and ahead of its time.
—Then we have to wait until 2021 to see you two working together again. What did you do during those years? Did you have any other project together that I don’t know?
—We worked on a lot of projects, both musical and non-musical. Johan did the sound design for the Battlefield game, and I started an interior design brand. And then other things in our lives happened that swallowed a lot of time.
—What made you come back to the Harlem project with Bait?
—An electronic music festival in Stockholm started it all. In 2019, we were asked to be part of the festival as younger people had discovered our first album from 2003. Instead of just playing old songs, we thought it was more inspiring to make new tracks for the gig. Those tracks eventually became Bait.
—According to you, Bait was about various seemingly innocent forms of social manipulation. Why did you choose such a heavy subject for the album?
—I was fascinated by what the popularity of psychology and techniques for influencing others was saying about the contemporary world. I wouldn’t say that this theme weighs too heavily on the album lyrics, though.
—In an interview you said that lo-fi hip hop was part of your influences. Do you think that this influence is still present in the music of Harlem?
—Always, if only in spirit and attitude. We love the early 00s Memphis scene with Triple 6 Mafia.
—I think that Harlem Electronics has a very unique sound, and the dub influence that you can hear in some parts it’s one of the reasons. Does this influence come only from Skugge or are you also a fan of dub music?
—I am also a fan of dub and Jamaican music but the concrete influence in our music I think comes from Johan. I tend to do basslines and vocals, then he dubs it all up.
—Your way of singing is another of the aspects that make Harlem quite original. Any singer that inspires you?
—I like repetitive vocals that lie somewhere between chanting, spoken word, and sloganeering. Gabi Delgado, Michael Gira, Mark E. Smith, Alan Vega, and Krishna Goineau come to mind.
—The EP Tracer followed Bait, this time with a more industrial sound. As we have said before, there are a lot of styles that can be found in the music of Harlem Electronics, (in a review I saw even grime) so how do you find the equilibrium or the right direction for a track?
—I think any of our tracks reflects who we are and where we are at the moment. Then you always have your personal taste, that primal feel that decides on an unconscious level where you are going. Also, I think we instinctively push the sound whenever we feel it sounds too much like one identifiable thing. That happens very fast, in an improvised manner. The great thing about making music is that you can always invent new idioms that sound different from what you did before. I think that’s something you always should strive for – newness and a sense of urgency. Whether we succeed with that, is really up to the listener.
—In Tracer, the theme was “false prophets and the contemporary manifestations of religious hegemony”. Do you think that music that make people be more conscious about society problems?
—Not really. I think music can bring an edge, be subversive, and energize you. But real societal change starts with people realizing that they can take charge instead of caving in to nihilism and passivity. Of course, resisting hopelessness is becoming harder and harder these days.
—After being so many years in the Dance music “industry”, How would you define the music you like to dance to?
—Anything really that takes me by surprise. I like a sweet punch in the gut and a slap in the face from my dance music. It could be a new spin on Chicago house, new beat, disco, techno, electro… Right now, I’m into the Brazilian funk scene. Kids doing the craziest block party music on their phones and in Fruity Loops with total disregard for rules.
—Before Cage, you released Cagey, this time only in cassette Do you see the EPs like a “testing ground” for the following albums?
—No, that actually came into being because we had tracks left that didn’t fit onto the Tracer EP on Filmmaker’s Body Musick.
—We have talked about the concept of the previous albums, so what’s Cage about?
—Like I said, the albums are not really about a concrete thing or theme. The title rather reflects a feeling – one that I tend to discover later on in the process, most often when we decide the track order. Cage is very loosely about the sense that the world is becoming more and more compartmentalized and predictable – “caged,” if you will.
—How do you see the evolution of your sound till Cage?
—Cage relies less on bass hooks than Bait, even though they’re there too, I think. To me, the sound on Cage feels somewhat freer, more realized.
—And the most important question of the interview: why Bugs Bunny on the cover?
—The art director we work with showed us his idea for the cover. I loved it but felt that the starkness of the artwork needed a touch of something unruly and playful. I could see the addition of Bugs Bunny eating a carrot to complete the artwork, and so we went with it. I have no idea why Bugs of all things entered my mind, though. It was a purely visual decision, I think.
—I am a big follower of the VEYL label. How did you start collaborating with them? Any other band or artist of the label that you like? Do you approach EPs in a different way from albums?
—When we started making new tracks again in 2019 and discussed which labels we wanted to contact, I recalled that I had liked a record from Veyl: Empire States’ EP “B.R.U.”. So, I mailed Veyl a link with the tracks, and they replied within about seven minutes, asking if we were up to releasing the tracks with them.
Apart from being nice people and professionals, I like that Veyl has managed to carve a niche of their own, releasing both dance-oriented artists and bands leaning more toward kind of a post punk sound. I love the records that Thomas Feriero (Maenad Veyl), Years of Denial, and Filmmaker have released there.
—This year you also released an album with the Pale Pretzel moniker. What can you tell us about this?
—Pale Pretzel started more or less as a joke. I envisioned Bigfoot playing around with a broken synthesizer and a microphone deep in the woods. The music would be extremely slow and in a state of near collapse. So, I made a few tracks based on that idea and released them on Clandestine Records in 2024. I also performed live a few times. The first gig was at a friend’s birthday party – a complete disaster, as I performed in a drunken stupor – but it was still fun. People thought it was some kind of performance art, but really it was just me messing up.
—What can we expect of your performance at Ombra?
—Hopefully, it will be wild and loud.
