by LORRAINE CARPENTER

Rumoured to be Montreal’s best kept electropop secret, Echo Kitty has its roots in Quebec City, where frontman Xavier Paradis conceived the project with Jean-François Hell and Hans Gauthier, now making radioactive waves in QC as Chernobyl Cha-cha. After a lengthy search, Paradis finally found purr-fect local replacements, namely synth-savvy Sabio Palmarella and guitarist Serge Mustang. As the reborn trio prep for their high-profile live debut at MEG, the Mirror spoke to Paradis about alter egos, the ’clash, and scaring hippies.

Mirror: How did Echo Kitty get started?

Xavier Paradis: Our first show was at a CÉGEP hippie poetry reading in ’96. It was a bit of a subversive joke. It was almost improvised, really minimal and trashy, and people were very intrigued and disturbed by this. In 2000, we recorded four songs and played shows, but then I moved to Montreal. I had to do this, partly for school and partly because I felt like I was touching the ceiling in Quebec City.

M: What about your other project?

XP: We’re actually playing two Arnaud Lazlo songs. The project is still important but I don’t want to fragment everything too fast. I miss the time when bands would make real B-sides, because it really allowed them to explore different creative ideas, even silly ideas. This is often what made these bands so interesting and sacred for their fans, that they had different sides, side A and side B, they wouldn’t have 2,000 side projects, they wouldn’t release singles with eight remixes that nobody wants to hear. Maybe they should invent CDs with B-sides, just for the action of flipping it.

M: In terms of your gear and your influences, there’s definitely a strong rock ’n’ roll presence.

XP: We’re not trying to make a statement by using only electronic equipment, I don’t think that needs to be done anymore. We try to do intelligent pop music but some of the things we do are very sugary. We want to have fun on stage, we want to be a rock ’n’ roll band, we like the sound of guitars. I’ve been listening to mod and rockabilly and the Smiths and David Bowie as much as Kraftwerk. And so many bands are trying to hide their ’80s influence, it’s absurd. We’re not a revival band, of course, but we were kids in the ’80s, so why try to hide it? The ’80s is still perceived as retro and cheesy by people who only see the bad side, but there were some excellent bands. With new wave, there was already that connection between electronic music and rock ’n’ roll.

M: As someone who’s been at this for a few years now, what’s your take on electroclash?

XP: Well, we like a lot of it, we share influences with a lot of these bands. I’ve been thinking for a long time that electronic music needed a punk revolution. But, for Echo Kitty, pretending to be punk would be fake. We have our angry moments, but we’re bittersweet. We’re too glam, too romantic to be punk. :

With Ladytron DJ Reuben Wu, DJ Mini and DJ Frigid
at SAT on Saturday, Oct. 26, 9pm, $20, and with Bleep,
Marlowe and DJs Radiowhore & Amyl Nitrate
at the Jupiter Room on Saturday, Nov. 16, 9pm, $7

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