Born in Hamburg, Billie Ray Martin moved to Berlin in the Eighties to join the city's infamous music scene, before deciding to move again, this time to London where she placed an ad in Melody Maker: "Soul rebel searching for a genius". Among those who replied were Joe Stevens, Les Fleming, Rob Cimarosti and Brian Nordhoff, four men who were searching for a singer to bring alive the music they'd been busy creating in their studio in Birmingham. Electribe 101 was formed. Under the guidance of the legendary manager Tom Watkins the group signed to Mercury Records and released their first single 'Talking with Myself' in 1988.
Expectations for the band were enormous. Watkins, who previously had guided Pet Shop Boys and Bros to fame, was going to make them stars. Journalist David Stubbs summed up their sound when he called it "lush and sobely entrancing, the very shadow of soul." - 'Tell Me When the Fever Ended' and a re-released 'Talking with Myself' went into the UK charts a few weeks either side of the start of the Nineties.
When Electribe 101 got to support Depeche Mode on their World Violation tour success was supposed to follow automatically. But everything went wrong. Watkins gave the band a hard time when they didn't follow his orders to the letter. On the tour they were occasionally booed off by Mode fans throwing bottles.
In 1992 Electribe 101 split, leaving their second album unreleased. The boys formed [url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/39008]The Groove Corporation[/url], Billie went solo. Many of the unreleased tracks were re-recorded by Billie for her 1995/96 solo debut album 'Deadline for My Memories', while two songs ('Persuasion' and 'Wishing You Well') had already been released on her 1993 singles. 'Insatiable Love' was recycled by The Groove Corporation, as the title track on their 1993 album 'Co-operation'.
In recent years exclusive Electribe 101 material has surfaced: the group's promo videos on "The Videos 89-98", the live "The John Peel Session", and the original 8-track demo of "Talking with Myself".
Further unreleased Electribe 101 material is being released: the Frankie Knuckles remixes of 'Heading for the Night' in 2021, and the unreleased 1991/92 album "Electribal Soul" in early 2022.
If you like Electribe 101, check out these artists:
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February 19, 1991
Town and Country Club
London, England, United KingdomDecember 5, 1990
Marquee Club
London, England, United KingdomNovember 26, 1990
National Exhibition Centre
Birmingham, England, United KingdomSupporting Depeche Mode
1. Heading for the Night
2. Diamond Dove
3. Talking With Myself
4. Inside Out(Odyssey cover)
5. Tell Me When the Fever Ended
November 23, 1990
Wembley Arena
London, England, United Kingdomsupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →November 22, 1990
NEC Arena
Birmingham, England, United KingdomSupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →November 20, 1990
Wembley Arena
London, England, United KingdomSupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →November 19, 1990
Wembley Arena
London, England, United KingdomSupporting Depeche Mode
1. Heading for the Night
2. Diamond Dove
3. Talking With Myself
4. Inside Out(Odyssey cover)
5. Tell Me When the Fever Ended
November 11, 1990
PalaTrussardi
Milan, Lombardy, ItalySupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →November 7, 1990
Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid
Madrid, Autonomous Region of Madrid, SpainNovember 5, 1990
Palau Sant Jordi
Barcelona, Catalonia, SpainSupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →November 1, 1990
Deutschlandhalle
Berlin, Berlin, GermanySupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →October 31, 1990
Deutschlandhalle
Berlin, Berlin, Germanysupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →October 29, 1990
Alsterdorfer Sporthalle
Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanySupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →October 28, 1990
Alsterdorfer Sporthalle
Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanySupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →October 26, 1990
Ahoy
Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlandssupporting Depeche Mode
1. Talking With Myself
2. Diamond Dove
3. You're Walking
4. Inside Out(Odyssey cover)
5. Heading for the Night
6. Lipstick on My Lover
7. Tell Me When the Fever Ended
October 21, 1990
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
Paris, Île-de-France, FranceOctober 15, 1990
Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, GermanyOctober 14, 1990
Festhalle
Frankfurt, Hesse, Germanysupporting Depeche Mode
View on Setlist.fm →October 12, 1990
Hallenstadion
Zurich, Zürich, SwitzerlandOctober 11, 1990
Palais des Sports
Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, FranceElectribe 101 has released 11+ albums. Some of their notable releases include Talking With Myself (Carlos Francisco Deep Dream Remix), Space Oasis, Moving Downtown. Explore their complete discography on this page.
Some of Electribe 101's most popular tracks include Talking with Myself '98 (Canny Remix), Talking With Myself, Talking With Myself ('98 Canny Remix), Talking With Myself '98, Tell Me When The Fever Ended. Listen to these songs and discover more from their extensive catalog.
Born in Hamburg, Billie Ray Martin moved to Berlin in the Eighties to join the city's infamous music scene, before deciding to move again, this time to London where she placed an ad in Melody Maker: "... Read the full biography on this page.
You can find Electribe 101 vinyl records and merchandise on eBay. We feature a curated selection of vinyl releases and collectibles available for purchase.
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