Daniel and Reuben kicked-off Ladytron in Liverpool in mid 1998. After spending a few years doing dj spots in Japan, connecting with the Parisian underground, and on forays into Scandinavia & Eastern Europe, they were brought together with singers Helen Marnie and Bulgarian Mira Aroyo, via a day out on the Bulgaria national railway. Bypassing England doesn't seem like such a big deal with so little of interest going on here.
In central Liverpool, where the guy elbowing you at the bar is as likely to be from Oslo as he is from Bootle, they set about recording their debut single-a dark spangly gem of electropop called 'He took her to a movie'-completed for 50 pounds. Described variously as 'methodone abba' 'kraftwerk meeting nico in the 24 hour chemist' 'the hit stage version of a brave new world' and most bizarre 'a teasing glimpse of how Britney Spears might have sounded, had she been born in the GDR and a heroin addict........'
The single got picked up by national radio before scoring an NME single of the week in December 1999:
"this is such a fantastic record, I have to play it over and over again to make sure I never dreamed it into existence.....it's too hypnotic, too perfectly realised, too moving........Sod the millennium-i'm off to East Berlin, tonight we're going to party like it's 1981" -- Stephen Dalton.
Also released around that time a Japanese-only mini album on the Bambini label-'Miss Black and her Friends', which was a work in progress towards the Ladytron debut album proper. It became a sought after item in europe and america.
Their next single, in the spirit of grand Anglo-French co-productions (Concorde, Hovercraft), was a link-up between Invicta HI-FI and their French label-Tricatel, the latter being at the personal behest of legendary Parisian producer and label supremo Bertrand Burgalat, who remixed 'Movie' for the release, which later appeared on Bungalows-The genius of Bertrand Burgalat compilation.
It featured 2 electronic gems: Play Girl, and Commodore Rock, which featured Mira Aroyos native bulgarian vocal, deadpanning fragmented marxist childrens songs from her schooldays, coupled with a heavy electro backing--equal parts Mantronix and Walter/Wendy Carlos.
They played their first headline show at their French labels event at the bowling alley "Etoile Foch" Paris in feb 2000 The setting was bizarre, in the shadow of L'arc de triomphe and in attendance were Nicolas from Air, Alex Gopher, and the infamous 5th member of Kraftwerk--Maxime Schmitt.
This show also picked up reviews "Ladytron are what early 80s futurists envisaged pop music would be like in the year 2000: two dark-haired, black-clad male units tweak miniature noiseboxes at the back, while two dark-haired, black-clad female units tickle vintage synths and chant minimalist vocals in the foreground. And they look fantastic, existentialist art-terroist chic meets Comme Des Garcons catwalk show......"
The months that followed saw them called out to LA and signing to the fast rising Emperor Norton label for the US, catalogue containing, amongst others the Virgin Suicides soundtrack, Pepe Deluxe and Olivia Tremor Control. The us lifestyle magazine Gear, named them No.61 in the 100 hottest things of 2000, amongst actors, mixdrinks, motorbikes & models, US commercial radio playlisting PlayGirl to the surprise of everyone concerned, with the song also being piped in bizarre settings such as the abercrombie & fitch clothes chain.
