Bowery Electric
Formed: 1993
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre: Hip Hop, Jazz Rap
Years Active: 1994 - 2000
Meaning of the Name: Bowery refers to the ran-down Skid Row are of Manhattan
Core Members: Lawrence Chandler & Martha Schwendener
Way of Working: Collaborative
Essential Releases
Beat (1996)
A hypnotic blend of minimalist rhythms, ethereal vocals, and deeply layered textures, crafting a dark, urban sonic landscape.
Lushlife (2000)
Incorporates more prominent hip hop influences and electronic beats. More rhythmically driven.
Some musicians can barely spell their own names. The members of Bowery Electric, on the other hand, were both erudite, sophisticated New Yorkers who formed while working at the prestigious Interview Magazine in Manhattan.
After the band broke up, Martha Schwendener would go on to be a professor at New York University as well as an art critic for the New York Times, while Lawrence Chandler studied at the private performing arts school Juilliard, which, at the time of writing, has tuition fees of $54,000 per year.
They weren't the people typically found performing in the dingy bars of the Upper West Side, primarily because they could make more money elsewhere. For them, music was a passion project; as such, they rarely engaged in promotional activities such as photoshoots.
Their music had a lo-fi aesthetic, born not out of necessity but a feigned nonchalance. Ostensibly, it was as if Bowery were too laid-back to try, as if success born from maximum effort was a diminished form, and this calculated detachment from the typical industry grind added a layer of enigmatic appeal.
Bowery Electric's music had an intellectual veneer. They experimented with sound, sliding between shoegaze, post-rock, and trip hop like a knife through butter. They worked smarter, not harder, making three critically-acclaimed albums in a six year run before calling time. Their music career done, like it was an item ticked off a bucket list.
In reality, having alternative income streams provided Bowery with the stable financial base necessary to make music on their own terms. They didn't have to worry about keeping the lights on in the same way working class people did.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
35
Mental Impact
65
Originality
80
Artistry
25
Authenticity
30
Live
65
Production
70
Musicianship
65
Textures
90
Songwriting
75
Danceability
55
Fun
30
Consistency
85
Range
85
Cool
85
Charisma
40
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards >>>
- None Found
Certifications >>>
- None Found
Charts >>>
- None Found
Critics >>>
- Pitchfork: Bowery Electric - Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time: #36
