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Electronic biography

Electronic were an alternative dance group formed by New Order singer and guitarist Bernard Sumner and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. They co-wrote the majority of their output between 1989 and 1998, collaborating with Neil Tennant on three tracks in their early years, and former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos on nine songs in 1995.

History

The two first met in 1984 when the Smiths guitarist contributed to a Quando Quango track that Sumner was producing, but Electronic did not materialise until 1988, when the New Order frontman suggested Marr add guitar to a solo album he was planning - this was quickly abandoned when the idea of joining forces for a full-time group emerged.

Inspired by contemporary dance music like Italo house and acts such as Technotronic in contrast to their considerable reputations with The Smiths and New Order. The track "Lucky Bag" and the name Electronic itself are two of the vestiges of this initial approach; when Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant heard of their budding partnership in 1989 through sleeve designer Mark Farrow he suggested a collaboration.

The fruits of this union became "Getting Away with It", Electronic's debut single which was released in December 1989 and sold around a quarter of a million copies. It was a Top 40 hit in America the following spring, and after a support slot for Depeche Mode in August 1990 their chances of anonymity soon vanished. Instead, Sumner and Marr took a more commercial direction, blending synthesizers, guitars and analogue technology whilst retaining the template of modern alternative rock.

After a year of intensive recording (and eighteen months after "Getting Away with It"), the debut album Electronic was released to critical acclaim and domestic commercial success, featuring the Top 10 single "Get the Message" and another Top 40 single, "Feel Every Beat". The album sold over a million copies worldwide and is widely considered their best work.

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