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mikrofisch THE KIDS ARE ALL SHITE! Mikrofisch operate from either side of the Channel and travel back and forth via sine wave. If there was a lo-fi rebellion, they'd be likely to spearhead the operation, armed with drum machines, tea and biscuits, cutesy boy/girl vocals and songs about the questionable output of current pop culture and how wrong it can go. Masters Of The Universe is a Casio powered statement of intent and DISCO!ntent about broken showerheads, not understanding why anyone would like the Kooks and despising arrogant scenesters and their Haircut Indie Heroes - The Kids Are All Shite is quite possibly the best indie backlash song ever written. Masters Of The Universe covers all aspects of twee-powered synthpop – from upbeat midnineties tribute 80s power synths (Let's Kiss And Listen To Bis) via lovable near-shoegazing (Bad Hair Days) and merry handclaps and shoutiness (The Kids Are All Shite) right up to a jangly ode to synthesizers (Drum Machines Will Save Mankind) and scary buildups leading to insane screaming (Evil Customer). And for our younger readers, fabulous New Rave track Focus On It will save the day(glo)! Julia Vergho THE STORY SO FAR... Having met in Cologne in 2001, Mawe N. Klave and Silvi Wersi intended to cover The Smiths but ended up recording four originals and a brilliantly intimate lo-fi version of Morrissey´s Everyday Is Like Sunday on fourtrack. After their first gig in a Regensburg record shop, local label Schinderwies released the EP Please Excuse Our Bad English containing the five Cologne recordings. The songs shine with honest, understated delivery and minimal instrumentation, alternating slow melancholy and childlike playfulness. Sensitive boy-girl harmonies, Mawe´s tender guitar strumming and Silvi´s New Order basslines are the main focus, accompanied by a cheesy groovebox. 2002 saw a couple of short tours and sporadic shows, as well as contributions for several compilations. Despite the distance between their hometowns (Cologne – Nuremberg), Silvi and Mawe managed to record a number of new songs to complete their full-length debut Gleichstrom/Wechselstrom (German for AC/DC), released in cooperation by Schinderwies (white vinyl LP) and keplar (CD). Side A contains the five tracks from the EP, remastered by Hans Christian Fuss (The Robocop Kraus), side B nine new recordings, for which Mikrofisch extended their use of instruments (organ, glockenspiel, melodica) and switched to digital recording. The Songs (containing an instrumental for Stereolab singer Mary Hansen who died in December 2002) show a growing complexity and thoughtfulness without losing the old charme. Other pieces are short instrumental sketches, examples for Mikrofisch´s playful sound research. The album´s second cover, Little Red Go-Kart by Nuremberg-based 80's/90's Twee heroes Throw That Beat In The Garbagecan, made it to #1 in the college radio charts of Sapporo, Japan. In 2003, Schinderwies released a split 7" of Mikrofisch and Uwik, Mikrofisch's part being their new song Morning Bus. The single was a tribute to the meanwhile closed-down record shop that kind of marked the starting point for Mikrofisch's conquest of the universe. In retrospect, Morning Bus builds a bridge from their earlier guitar-oriented bedroom indie to more extroverted synth-driven pop. 2004 to 2007 brought some changes of scenery, ending up with Silvi living in London and Mawe living in Hamburg. More instruments were accumulated, and every once in a while, a gig was played or a new song was written. However, the only release was another cover, Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie And The Banshees, appearing on Schinderwies label compilation Roommates. The tempo increased dramatically when Mawe visited Silvi in London at the end of 2006. On a night bus, riding home from a crappy indie party, Silvi wondered if there was a song called The Kids Are All Shite. On the next day, there was, as well as the title of Mikrofisch's second album. www.mikrofisch.com t-shirts, umbrellas and sun hats!
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