In the post-Millennial days when Britney Spears was still standing astride the world of pop and The Strokes were dominating indie-rock, a rather different sound was emerging from the sleazy clubs of the United States and Europe. Electroclash split opinion at the time, rife as it was with posing, hedonism, sometimes vapid lyrics and definitely questionable fashion sense. But there was no denying its impact, and a handful of artists associated with the movement musically survived to tell the tale – and the French DJ and producer Miss Kittin (born Caroline Hervé) is certainly one of those, having transcending the genre and continued her career apace.
Hervé was perhaps best known during a period when she moved to the vibrant clubbing hotspot Berlin, then as half of a duo with her compatriot The Hacker, scoring cult hits such as Frank Sinatra. That fertile artistic relationship has continued on and off in the ensuing time, but it's in her solo guise that Hervé lands in the UAE this weekend to play at Blue Marlin Ibiza UAE.
Since those heady early 2000s years, Hervé has indulged her passion for music that extends beyond the confines of the club, including collaborating with the likes of Primal Scream and Chicks on Speed. A reunion with The Hacker produced the duo's logically titled second album Two in 2009, while her solo discography's most recent addition was 2013's third studio album Calling from the Stars, which featured a cover of REM's Everybody Hurts.
With her bangs and sleeves of tattoos, she still looks every inch the superstar DJ, despite being in her fifth decade on the planet. There’s a Germanic link to the line-up at Blue Marlin, meanwhile, with the Mannheim-based house master Nick Curly completing the bill.
• Miss Kittin and Nick Curly play at Blue Marlin Ibiza UAE, Ghantoot Al Jazira Island Hotel on Friday October 2. For more information, visit www.bluemarlinibiza-uae.com.
aworkman@thenational.ae
