ArtistInfo

Marsheaux

Band, *2003 GR
Electronic

Synth-pop/Electro Pop female duo formed in 2000 in Athens, Greece. Marsheaux could be a paraphrase of Marseilles or the last name of a sexy French actress. Marsheaux could also be a Greek electro pop duo, a name derived by the first syllables of the two girls’ names that comprise it: Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. Originally from Thessaloniki, the girls moved to Athens and formed Marsheaux to express creatively their appreciation of electronic pop music. Brought up to the sound of synthesizer, they lived on a healthy diet of Depeche Mode, Human League, OMD, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, New Order and Sparks. They came to prominence with their debut recording, a 21st century cover of Gershon Kingsley’s ‘Popcorn’ (1969) which was included in the 2003 modern electro compilation ‘Nuromantix: Eclectic Elektroklash Soundz’. The song received extensive airplay in Greece and mainland Europe. Signed to Undo Records, they released their first album ‘E-Bay Queen’ in June 2004 that the critics and the audience received warmly. Among their original compositions, Marsheaux covered on their debut, Lightning Seeds’ ‘Pure’ and Chris & Cosey’s ‘October Love Song’. Marsheaux gained international recognition with their take on the In Vox duet with Andy Bell of Erasure in 2004 entitled ‘Will I Ever?’. The girls make selective live appearances. Their second album ‘Peek-A-Boo’ was released in December 2006 and spawned electrified hits like ‘Dream Of A Disco’ and ‘Hanging On’ as well as covers of When In Rome’s ‘Promise’ and New Order’s ‘Regret’, a duet with Raining Pleasure’s leader Vassilikos. In 2008, they signed a worldwide distribution deal with Out Of Line Records in Germany. The girls appeared at various festivals including Infest, Pluswelt and Amphi as well as playing support slots for OMD, Roisin Murphy and Faithless in Greece, and Client in Germany. They made their UK live debut at the first ‘Electronically Yours’ event in 2007 selling out the London Hoxton Square Bar. Their third album ‘Lumineux Noir’ was released in July 2009 and on their return to London, they played the prestigious Scala, reaffirming their position as one of the modern synth pop’s leading exponents. Two singles from the album, ‘Breakthrough’ and ‘Summer’ became European radio hits. Reviewing the album, Future Music magazine rated it with an impressive 9/10. OMD’s Andy McCluskey said “I do have a soft spot for Marsheaux. They have a certain sort of wispy, melancholic charm…” In 2010, Marsheaux guested on Tareq’s album ‘Cocoon’ with their vocals appearing in a new version of their song ‘Playboy’ while in 2011, they sang on ‘Heaven Is Real’ for the Rolla Scape’s project. After their collection of b-sides and rarities ‘E Bay Queen Is Dead’ was issued in April 2012, they released their highly acclaimed fourth studio album ‘Inhale’ in May 2013. Around this time, Electronic Sound magazine devoted a six page article to the girls. As well as recording their own material, the girls have also undertaken remixes for other artists including Depeche Mode, Moby, Client, Kylie Minogue and Gwen Stefani. With Katy Perry’s ‘Hot N’ Cold’, the rework was personally approved by the lady herself and so good that it became a major download hit in its own right throughout Europe and beyond. In March 2015, Marsheaux covered Depeche Mode’s ‘A Broken Frame’ album in full. They felt the need to pay a creative tribute to one of the most underrated albums in synthpop history and one that helped shape their music identity. The Electricity Club said: “Expressive, innovative and full of character, they denote exactly what this cover album is”.

Members

	Sophia Sarigiannidou voc, syn
	Marianthi Melitsi voc, syn