56. Single Preview of Fast Enough by The Galaxy Electric

 Originally Published October 23rd, 2024

About the Artist

"Tomorrow was better yesterday."

Upon learning the meaning of that line, an understanding of whoThe Galaxy Electric begins to form. Initial examination will refer to their 2020 album, Tomorrow Was Better Yesterday, but I wanted to find out what they meant by that.

"Inspired by early electronic music pioneers who soundtracked their favorite sci-fi movies & TV shows (Dr. Who, Forbidden Planet, A Clockwork Orange), The Galaxy Electric strive to continue this legacy of experimentation, innovation, and a belief that tomorrow was better yesterday." (TGE, website, about)

The Galaxy Electric are an American-based electronica band, though that may be an oversimplification of their music. I hear influence of House, they reference experimentations with psychedelic pop, dance music, and I also think there's a little bit of techno. I'm not talking about beat-dropping, table-turning, club techno. I'm talking prime Moby; when he was releasing his most interesting music like Porcelain, Look Back In, and First Cool Hive. Admittedly, techno might be the farthest reach I take when I describe The Galaxy Electric's body of work, but I do hear the influence there. 

Something that I found to be very interesting is the recording process, which TGE explained in an email to me. "All the songs are recorded live directly to our reel to reel tape machine and fully improvised. There is no editing or overdubs to add or change the track. It has been an experiment for us to play with a 'locked groove' type of dance music while still maintaining our experimental approach."

As a recording artist, I struggle to wrap my brain about that recording process. The engineering process has become such a futile pursuit of perfectionism. We go through take after take, track after track, looking for the right sound. With a song that has been (sometimes) prepared and rehearsed. Especially back in the day when time in a studio was more valuable. The recording process has definitely changed since it has become so much easier (and cheaper) to lay down a track. Most people record into an interface that is directly input into a laptop featuring plug-ins of thousands of different amps, effects, and more. Even still, though the process has become so much easier, I still feel anxious about the process. 

I know that's not the case for everybody. Even in the older days, a certain level of fame could even grant bands like The Beatles time to where they would actually rehearse in studios with the record button pressed. There are some artists today who express the process as a way to dissect their performance going over something again and again until they have the right fit. 

None of that describes what The Galaxy Electric are doing. No editing. No overdubs. Fully improvised. Needless to say, I was very curious when I hit play on their submission of "Fast Enough."

About the Song

"Fast Enough" is the upcoming release by the experimental group, The Galaxy Electric. With a runtime just under 6 minutes, it is scheduled to release on Friday, October 25th, 2024. It is a blend of Hose, Dance, and Psychedelic Pop, featuring percussive samples, synths, and a blend of vocal samples.

About the Music

"Fast Enough starts out by introducing a percussion part comprised of varying samples; some sound digital and some sound organic. It quickly brings in a bass synth and vocal samples. The vocal performance doesn't follow a traditional "AB" or "ABABCB" format with written verses and choruses. Instead, the vocals serve the song as instrumental units; sampling words or phrases and repeating them as a percussive or melodic element to the overall piece of music.

Using phrases like "Fast enough," "Here's the point of no return," and "War of the worlds," these samples play over one another and serve as transitional points in each phase of the song. 

Musically, there's nothing too complex about the piece; no lead parts, solos, or complicated riffs. The Galaxy Electric keep it simple while searching for meanings that are threaded throughout the overall composition. It's important to note that this is all improvised, so it is really interesting to try to link with their thought process as they determine which element to add, where to add it, and why they add it. Taking the improvisational factor into account, what they've done is extraordinarily impressive. 

Final Thoughts

I do think I know what The Galaxy Electric means when they say that "Tomorrow was better yesterday." Personally, I think Luke Skywalker's light saber was much cooler than the laser guns, space crafts, and effects that are used in modern film entertainment. I think The Galaxy Electric refer to a period where the future was more imaginative to society. Now, we've oversaturated the market with thousands of interpretations of Science-Fiction with state of the art technology that leaves it all feeling derivative. Imagine that: our imagination of what the universe could be has, in many instances, become boring. 

In order to save their image of the future, The Galaxy Electric have dedicated their efforts to the past, solidifying their mark as "retro-futurists experimenting with psychedelic pop from the space age." I think it's brilliant. I think it's fascinating. I thank them because they've reclaimed my attention. They've got me interested again.

Be sure to check out The Galaxy Electric on Spotify, Instagram, Threads, and facebook. You can also visit their website which have ways to purchase merch, listen and stream their music, direct links to their podcast, YouTube Channel and more!