MARSHEAUX is a Greek electro-pop duo, whose name is derived from the first syllables of its member's names: Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. Originally from Thessaloniki, they moved to Athens and formed Marsheaux to express their love for electronic pop music. Brought up to the sound of a synthesizer, they lived on a healthy diet of Depeche Mode, Human League, OMD, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, New Order, and Sparks.
In July 2016 Marsheaux released their 5th studio album titled “Ath.Lon” on Vinyl, CD, limited aluminum CD box, and digital format. Having previously released four albums that have earned them rave reviews in publications such as Classic Pop, Electronic Sound, and Future Music, the brand new "Ath.Lon" represents a quantum leap forward for Marsheaux.
Fans are urged to look out for the limited edition version of the album, titled "The.Ath.Lon" with "The" standing for Thessaloniki, their beloved birthplace in the north of Greece. This format will include surprise guest artists and each track will feature contributions from a different producer – it will be Marsheaux's very own sound boutique.
WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS AND INSPIRATION FOR CREATING NEW MUSIC?
We don’t have a standard procedure or inspiration. We constantly write melodies or some words that get stuck in our minds. When the time is right we get together and start working on all the material. We discuss how and where we want to go with the new work and try to bring everything together.
WHEN DID YOU WRITE YOUR FIRST SONG AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE IT?
Our first song was “Computer Love" and It must have been written at the beginning of 2004. Before we start we knew that we wanted to do an homage to Kraftwerk, and that we’ll do the vocals through vocoder (we were both too shy to sing). With that in mind, we began working on the track. It's so obvious that it was our first track, and so naive that you get instantly hooked by it. Marsheaux friends really love that song.
WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR BEST WRITING?
We would say everywhere. Now with our phones, we can do everything everywhere, It’s really helpful when you have an idea and you don’t want to forget it or want to record a sound or write a lyric. Usually, when we are on vacation we have a lot of good ideas for potential songs. Of course, when we work or have fun at the studio together, we always love the outcome.
WHAT MUSICIANS DID YOU ADMIRE GROWING UP OR EARLY ON IN YOUR CAREER?
It’s a huge list, we’ll name a few, like Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Cabaret Voltaire, The Smiths, The Cure, Madonna, Bjork, Human League, OMD, DURAN DURAN, Gary Numan, Sparks, Giorgio Moroder, Massive Attack, Orbital, Chemical Brothers and many many more.
WHAT WAS THE MOMENT YOU ATTRIBUTE TO YOUR FIRST SUCCESS?
The early days of MySpace were really important for music back then.
When we made our MySpace profile nobody knew about us and in just a few weeks we were receiving messages from all around the world from people that wanted to buy our album or book us for gigs. It was amazing.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE MUSIC AND LIFE, ESPECIALLY WHEN TOURING?
Music is our life so we always find a way. We can’t imagine our lives without making music, it is a great part of our everyday life and routine.
We are on the road not as often as we’d like. Every couple of months we travel for some gigs, mostly Europe, so it’s manageable.
Did you always want to be a part of the Electronic/Synthpop world, and what’s the most rewarding part of that community?
We never thought that we’ll be part of the Electronic /Synthpop world but when people started to respond to our music it was inevitable. We are really happy and honored that people include us in this community. Electronic /Synthpop people, artists, and fans are really passionate and devoted to their music and their opinions and we love the way we interact, communicate and exchange opinions.
WHAT NEW PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR 2018 AND 2019?
We don’t have any plans at the moment, but this can change at any time. We are thinking to release ‘a best of’ album for the 15 years of our career.
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TEN YEARS FROM NOW?
The music industry and technology are so connected nowadays and evolve so rapidly that we really can’t tell. The only thing that we are sure of is that people we’ll keep writing and performing music.
ANY FINAL WORDS YOU'D LOVE NEW AND ASPIRING ARTISTS, SONGWRITERS, OR MUSICIANS TO THINK ABOUT AS THEY'RE BEGINNING THEIR CAREER?
Keep making music and never give up.
LASTLY, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG RIGHT NOW?
"The King Is Dead" by LookLa
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