Synthpop pioneers Erasure are back on the road for an international tour for their latest album “The Violet Flame,” which hit stores a few days ago. The duo, consisting of singer-songwriter Andy Bell and songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke, had the sunny backdrop of Miami to aid in the songwriting process for the album before recording it in New York and London.
Bell said the change in setting and changes in his and Clark’s personal lives gave the songs on the album a renewed sense of optimism.
“It was just a mood thing,” Bell said. “It was January so it was winter but obviously not in Miami. Usually we do the writing in New York where there’s snow up the sides of the cars. It was much nicer being in Miami. It was relaxed and the vibe of the place comes across in the music. We’re both in a really good state of mind. We’ve had quite a traumatic past few years and now it seems best to step forward. I’m in a new relationship. I’ve been with my partner for four years and I’ve very happy. When you get to a certain age you feel like, not that you are resting on your laurels, but you are satisfied with where you are and you feel very blessed with the life you have. That’s a reason for celebrating in the music.”
Over the last 10 years, Bell has been stretching his legs creatively outside Erasure as a solo artist and a DJ.
He said those projects helped him contribute more effectively to the creative process of the new Erasure album.
“My ideal scenario would be being in the studio with Vince and him working live on a song and getting a groove going as I imagine Giorgio Moroder would do, and then just picking up the mic and singing along live and seeing what comes out,” he said. “So that’s what we did with the songwriting process this time. And that is what I tend to do when I’m working with other people. It was the same kind of vibe. Definitely one thing lends itself to another.”
One thing that distinguishes Erasure from many synthpop bands, past and present, is Bell’s smooth and soulful vocals. While he said that a lot of people don’t see his vocal talents in that light, it is there.
“I would say Grace Jones and Donna Summer melody-wise,” he said about who influenced him as a singer. “And I really enjoy the likes of Dusty Springfield. She was kind of in my mind as well. I was thinking of her work on the track she did with the Pet Shop Boys. It’s amazing, that kind of white-soul Adele-type voice. It’s strange. I don’t think that people have ever considered me as being like a soul singer because I’m in a synthpop band. Hopefully after all these years people are starting to hear me.”
As for Erasure’s influence on popular music, Bell said that, while he doesn’t pay too much attention to it, he does hear their sound in other artists from time to time.
“I hear a track and I think, They sound quite Erasure-ish,” he said. “But there are so many. I don’ know who they are but I hear things every now and then. Kylie [Minogue’s] song ‘All the Lovers’ was very Erasure. I’m always hunting for the Erasure-sounding stuff.”
Erasure toured the world for their last album and visited many countries for the first time, including Russia, which has made international headlines for its oppressive laws and abuses against LGBT individuals.
Bell, who is gay, said that, while he didn’t have any trouble while visiting Russia, the struggles LGBT people encounter were evident.
“We didn’t have any problems but it’s quite interesting when you realize how much the media is controlled,” he said. “It’s controlled everywhere. Once it becomes commercial, they rule the playlists. In Russia, the only station that could promote our show was a station they were trying to close down, a pro-democracy station. They were having a real hard time. We had no idea. People hadn’t bought their tickets up front so we thought the show might not be doing very well. We were shocked when it was sold out. I think people tend to keep a low profile but at the same time they get to be quite vocal about the antigay stuff that goes on there. We get to hear about it quite quickly. There are gay people there and they do manage somehow to live their lives quite peacefully. We hear about all the bad stuff here and it is awful having the homophobic laws and stuff. It’s the same stuff they tried in the U.K. 20 years ago. Society is always looking for scapegoats and unfortunately gay people are always at the top of the list.”
A return trip to Russia isn’t on their current tour schedule, but Erasure will visit the area Sept. 26 to perform at Borgata’s Music Box in Atlantic City. With almost 30 years and 16 albums under their belts, Bell said it is a challenge deciding which songs to perform.
“It is quite hard. People obviously want to hear the songs they know so you have to do ‘Chains of Love’ and ‘A Little Respect.’ It is nice having a huge catalog to choose from. I think now people have stuck with us enough through the years where we can experiment with 12-inch versions of our singles and tracks people might not know so much, like ‘You Surround Me’ from ‘Wild’ and three new tracks. You have to have enough to keep yourself interested while you’re doing it, so we try and mix it up.”
As a group that formed in the 1980s, Erasure is one of a handful of bands in their genre that doesn’t have to join up with any nostalgia-based summer-package tours when they perform in the United States. While the idea of such a show is appealing under the right circumstances, Bell said that type of tour does have its drawbacks.
“We get approached [for collaborative tours] more often,” he said. “I did one of those last year but that was on my own. It’s something you have to be very careful about. Because our profile isn’t necessarily that high, some people think you were around in the 1980s and that’s it and you’ve kind of broken up or something. It’s great that we keep releasing albums and keep ourselves current, but a lot of people have the idea that we’re a 1980s band. It’s quite weird with the radio. Stations will only play certain tracks of ours. It’s not very broad, the range of songs they play. It’s a tricky situation. You can’t do too much of those retro things because you get branded in that way, so we try to keep that from happening.”
Erasure performs 9 p.m. Sept. 26 at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa Music Box, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J., followed by an afterparty and DJ set by Andy Bell at the Borgata’s MIXX nightclub. For more information or tickets, call 609-317-1000 or visit www.erasureinfo.com.