Advocate, The: Party arty: dance beat meets high art in Technova's new CD

Technova * Electrosexual * Hydrogen Dukebox

Now that the screaming faddishness of the once white hot electroclash scene has quieted down a bit, it's time to start sifting through the sound in search of something lasting and worthwhile. Because for every visionary collective like Fischerspooner--a band that stole its favorite fashion, music, and art moments to create something uniquely its own--there were three dozen other bands that got the "hair right and not much else before moving on to the next cool thing. Enter David Harrow, a.k.a. Technova, an artist who's worked with some of electronic music's biggest names, including Depeche Mode, the Orb, and Atari Teenage Riot. Electrosexual is Harrow's third full-length album recorded under the Technova moniker (he also released 2003's critically praised Big Casino, among others, under the name James Hardway), and its release finds him ignoring the fact that "the scene" has died and straddling the splintered consciousness of modern dance music.

Having Vaginal Davis in his corner helps. Davis, the Los Angeles-based multimedia artist whose brand of terrorist drag has influenced both the art and club worlds, contributes vocals to five of the album's 10 tracks. The more raucous songs, like "I Could Have Sex" (already a hit at scene-maker clubs like London's Nag Nag Nag), and Davis's bawdy, hilarious delivery bring to mind what might happen if the late LaWanda Page were a visiting lecturer at a cool contemporary art museum. Davis's effortless fusion of the high and the low gives this album its bark.

Electrosexual's bite comes in the form of Harrow's own processed vocals floating on top of a spooky cover of Joy Division's "Atmosphere," in addition to what is in the remaining instrumental tracks, which are prime examples of how a form of pop music that wasn't meant to last past the '80s can remain vital when infused with fresh ideas. Electrosexual is stark, elegant dance music for those who want to move or sit still.

White writes on film for E! Online.