Music
16 Apr 01

The space of things to come

Noko, squadron leader of dance cosmonauts Apollo 440 talks about his new album Millennium Fever and the small matter of what the universe will be like in the year 2,000. Ground control: John Collins

LIKE IT or not, the dance fraternity’s techno fascism has done as much to ghettoise their activities as any of the rock establishment. That’s why Apollo 440 are genuinely refreshing. Best known, in Ireland at least, for giving U2 dancefloor kudos through remixing ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’ they are now set to release their debut LP Millenium Fever. Recorded over a year in their own studio but with time taken out for remixes, it manages to organically blend cutting-edge dance beats with an eye for a tune and a good lyric.

“The record company thought we weren’t concentrating on the job in hand and were negative about remixes,” explains lead singer Noko in a break from rehearsals. “They thought we were making a few quid on the side.” The album displays a humour and a depth of vision not normally associated with dance from the satire of ‘Astral America’ to the apparently straight-faced interpretation of ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’ (play that Mr Maverick DJ). Noko manages to namecheck King Crimson axeman Robert Fripp, Bob Dylan, visual artist Marc Quinn, and Stravinsky in the space of our short chat.

“It’s this idea that if you’re into dance music you’re not into anything else. Who is there that listens to dance music and nothing else?” pleads Noko. “People in their listening tastes have a much wider palette than music journalists give them credit for.” No wonder that the band refer to different styles they have adopted as just some of the sounds that are available to them and criticise journalists who preface reviews with this-isn’t-what-we-expected comments.

Millenium Fever itself can be taken on any level, from pure entertainment to social documentary. “To say we tackle issues is too portentous. We’re simply documenting subjective experiences,” Noko explains. “People get more intense about themselves towards the end of the century and the end of the millenium is more of the same. You can’t not be interested in that notion of where you’re going to be when the year 2,000 chimes, and who am I going to be? It’s going to be the ultimate New Year’s Eve moment.”

But isn’t New Year’s Eve always an anticlimax? “Well, millennia are probably an anti-climax as well – but none of us have ever experienced one before.”

• Millennium Fever is released on January 30 on Apollo 440’s Stelth Sonic Recordings label via Epic.