Hot!

Addicted2Fiction's first full-length CD hits the streets March 7. We have an advance copy in our hot little hands and can't believe our ears. The self-titled CD is a dark sexy electro-pop dream deeply layered with galvanic bass and drum tracks, sampled "found sounds", and synths -- topped off with the unmatched shared vocal stylings of the beautifully committed Hellskiss and Aisha. It's no wonder award-winning director Quentin Lee chose "No Silence" for the soundtrack of his latest film, Ethan Mao.

The CD showcases the broad range of A2F's talent and influences including Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, Madonna, Covenant, New Order & Fischerspooner. Devlyn from Domina and the Darklings guest-stars, playing violin and Theremin on selected tracks. A2F also has a permanent third member -- Johnny G. -- who creates their live visuals (adding a secondary level of allure to their performances), does some keyboards, vox & programming.

Addicted2Fiction have extensively toured the US playing at venues such as Knitting Factory, Albion Batcave, The Crystal Ballroom, Mercury Lounge and Spaceland. A2F also played the CMJ Music Festival and various others including Ladyfest Bay Area, Ladyfest East, Ladyfest Humboldt and Homo A Go Go 2004 (where we saw them for the first time). A2F are hitting the road this spring again for a west coast tour. We are hela-excited to see them live again. The ladies are not be missed; check their website for Spring tour dates.

Radiogirl asked Hellskiss and Aisha to tell us a little more about the release and how A2F came to be...

Album Title: Addicted2Fiction
Release date: March 7, 2006 on Heartcore Records
Release Party: March 4 @ Grand Star Club in LA

How did you meet?

H: I was living in Montclair, NJ and used to frequent the coffee shop down the street from my apt. where Aisha worked. We've always known each other because there were not too many female musicians in the neighborhood, but never really hung out. We started talking more and became better friends. We each had a band and our mutual friend was in both of our bands. This was my first band (indie rock) called .pointfive. The 3 of us jammed together a few times and Aisha and I realized our chemistry right away. After playing and talking more, we formed A2F a couple years later as a side project.

It's evident you two bring diverse influences to A2F. Can you tell us a little more about your musical interests and backgrounds?

H: I was really into (and still am) the electronic/industrial/new wave scene back in the 80s/90s. I went dancing at the Limelight in NYC all the time. Bands such as Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order, KMFDM, Sugar Cubes, Ministry, Pixies etc.. were/are very big influences to me. Then, during the early 90s the girl-punk scene exploded and it definitely was empowering to me. I started listening to Bikini Kill, Heavens to Betsy, Huggy Bear etc., and was inspired to play raw music like this. I played guitar/sang in Crowns on 45 & Redhot Secret, which was music in this realm. After playing in these bands for 3-4 years or so I realized I wanted to go back to my roots and start playing electronic music. It was very challenging to me, but opened up so many paths. It definitely helped that I have a piano background and that made the transition to keyboards easier. I'm constantly learning about music technology and it's very exciting & rewarding. Aisha and I both realized we wanted to change musical directions around the same time. Addicted2Fiction started out as a dark pop side project and later turned into our main project, a more hybrid electronic band.

A: I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock initially. Both of parents were hippies in the 60's and 70's so I listened to a lot of great music from a very early age. My first huge musical influence of my own was Madonna. She became my inspiration and role model throughout my life. In my teens I got heavily into metal and even hair metal bands like Metallica & Guns 'N Roses. As the 90's began, I got bit by the Seattle bug... I loved Nirvana, Soundgarden & Mother Love Bone. I would have to say my biggest musical influence at this time was Jane's Addiction. Their influence made me realize I wanted to be a musician for life and give up any other aspirations. As an adult I started to get way into the Bristol scene including bands like Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. Hellskiss introduced me to girl punk and synthpop, which I now adore! Although I've never been into punk at all, I learned to really appreciate the girl punk ethics and sensibilities. Nowadays I listen to pretty much anything I can get my hands on that has amazing production... ever since I started mixing I can appreciate just about anything that's recorded well.

AND THE NEW LINEUP?:

H: The original lineup consisted of the 2 of us and Aisha's brother (Azim) on drums back in July of 2002. We were both still in other bands. Aisha and I ended up moving to Brooklyn (at different times) and started practicing there mostly. Her brother couldn't make the commute so we found Liz (drummer/keys) and played with her until we moved to LA. Aisha's other brother (Mustafa) also contributed live visuals to our performances in NY.

Since we've moved to LA we've played with Chris Pee (Bass player for Squab), Devlyn (Theremin/Violinist for Demonika & the Darklings) has made some special guest appearances. She also plays on some tracks on our new album. The current lineup now consists of Aisha, myself and Johnny G. who creates our live visuals, does some keyboards, vox & programming. Sometimes we have dancers that join us for performances as well. We like the idea of being a collective where other artists/musicians can contribute to our project. It keeps it interesting.

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