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{{Short description|Band}}
'''Joy Electric''' is a one-man ]/] group consisting of ].
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2020}}


{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Musicians -->
Joy Electric started out in ], after the demise of ], a band Ronnie was in with his brother ] of ]. Starflyer 59 bass player ] joined Joy Electric from ] until ]. Ronnie is once again solo as Joy Electric.
| name = Joy Electric
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted:
| image = RonnieMartin.jpg -->
| caption = Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric.
| image_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = California
| instrument =
| genre = ]
| years_active = 1994–present
| label = ] (1994-Present) w/ various releases on ], ], Republic of Texas and Velvet Blue
| associated_acts = Morellas Forest<br>]<br>]<br>The Foxglove Hunt<br>Ronald of Orange<br>Sheppard<br>Said Fantasy<br>The Daphne Oramics
| website =
| current_members = Ronnie Martin
| past_members = ]<br>Caleb Mannan<br>Joshua Graham
}}


'''Joy Electric''' is the brand label for a series of ]/] productions by '''Ronnie Martin'''. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of ], a band Ronnie was in with his brother ] of ]. Starflyer 59 bass player and ] owner ] joined Joy Electric from 1996 until 2002. Joy Electric is currently a solo act.


== Pre-Joy Electric History == == Pre-Joy Electric history ==
Having experimented with live shows, formed countless after-school bands, and recorded an album that was never to be released, Ronnie and his brother Jason found their way onto Michael Knott’s fledging label, Blonde Vinyl, with a dance album to produce. Having experimented with live shows, formed countless after-school bands, and recorded an album that was never to be released under the moniker Morella's Forest with Randy Lamb, Ronnie and his brother ] found their way onto ]'s fledgling label, ], with a dance album to produce, ''Songs and Stories''.<ref name="Powell_Fe_DH">{{Cite book|last=Powell |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music |year=2002 |chapter=Dance House Children |pages=226}}</ref>


After buying an old Akai sampler and a few synthesizers, Ronnie began crafting his own spin-off of current electronic "club" music. Still working with his brother Jason, Ronnie's new band, ] posited cold, hypnotic electronica against quaint, old-fashioned lyrics. After producing two similar-sounding albums, Dance House Children found Jason leaving to pursue his own music endeavors. After buying an old Akai sampler and a few synthesizers, Ronnie began crafting his own spin-off of current electronic "club" music. Still working with his brother Jason, Ronnie's new band, ], posited cold, hypnotic electronica against quaint, old-fashioned lyrics. After producing another album, ''Jesus'', Dance House Children found Jason leaving to pursue his own musical endeavors, ].


With the help of a few friends, Ronnie turned from the country club-oriented music to a more melodic, orchestrated sound. The range of instruments on his third album exploded, containing timpanis, Moog synthesizers, and far more exotic sounds than anything he had previously produced. It was evident that Martin was quickly moving beyond the level of pre-programmed keyboard sounds as he became more well-versed in the programming of his synthesizers. "Beautiful Dazzling Music No. 1", the name of his third album, formed the bridge between Martin's "techno"-like early days and his enigmatic Joy Electric creation. With the help of a few friends, Ronnie turned from the club-oriented music to a more melodic, orchestrated sound. A large range of instruments were used on his third album, containing timpanis, ]s, and far more exotic sounds than anything he had previously produced. It was evident that Martin was quickly moving beyond the level of pre-programmed keyboard sounds as he became more well-versed in the programming of his synthesizers. ''Rainbow Rider: Beautiful Dazzling Music No. 1'', the name of his third album, formed the bridge between Martin's "techno"-like early days and his enigmatic Joy Electric creation.<ref name="Powell_Fe_RR">{{Cite book|last=Powell |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music |year=2002 |chapter=Rainbow Rider |pages=741–742}}</ref>


== Melody and Five Stars for Failure ==
== The Volatile Years ==
During the process of writing his fourth album - originally intended as ''Beautiful Dazzling Music No. 2'', then ''Fairy Tale Melodies'' (some Tooth and Nail promotional material came out with this name), and then later to be renamed simply as '']'' - Martin found the sound of his project changing radically. Of course, changes were quite evident during ''Beautiful Dazzling Music'', but this fourth album carried things to the extreme. Analog synths began to dominate the studio floor-space. Furthermore, Martin began perfecting a clock-like musical technique that had a strange assortment of blips and whirls constantly rotating in the background. The fourth album resulted in several things: a new band name (Joy Electric), his signing with a new label (]), and the launching of Martin's signature sound which he carries to this day.


== We Are the Music Makers and Old Wives Tales ==
In writing his fourth album (originally intended as "Beautiful Dazzling Music No. 2", later to be renamed simply as "Melody"), Martin found the sound of his project changing radically. Of course, changes were quite evident during "Beautiful Dazzling Music", but this fourth album carried things to the extreme. Analog synths began to dominate the studio floor-space. Furthermore, Martin began perfecting a clock-like musical technique that had a strange assortment of blips and whirls constantly rotating in the background. The fourth album resulted in several things: a new band name (Joy Electric), his signing with a new label (Tooth and Nail), the launching of Martin's signature sound which he carries to this day.
By this time, Martin became increasingly fascinated with the idea of musical "purism"<!-- PLEASE DON'T wikilink the term. This is not what most books called "purism" in music. There is no such article in wikipedia, not even a reasonable redirect. (No, it is not ]) -->. Finding inspiration in '70s electronic bands that were "purists" out of necessity (having nothing but simple analog synthesizers with which to assemble an entire collage of blurpy sounds), Martin delegated nearly his entire studio to the closet and vowed to build an album up, brick by brick, from the sounds of just one master synthesizer. Under this constraint he went to work—designing, programming, and storing all his sounds for the new album in a ].


Putting all his eggs in one basket (or synthesizer in this case) left Martin particularly vulnerable to one perennial problem: his synthesizer's storage memory got wiped clean.<ref name="Art & Craft">Martin, Ronnie. Liner Notes. ''Joy Electric 1994-2002 The Art and Craft of Popular Music.'' 2002.</ref> It's uncertain how this happened, but halfway through the new album Martin found that all his work had been lost. Martin had to begin again from scratch. Taking this opportunity to reconsider his approach, he decided to move into an even more purist direction than before, determined to create a cohesive synthesizer concept album with a medieval, ] feel.<ref name="Art & Craft"/> Since the first half-completed album is no longer in existence, it is impossible to gauge just how radical a change this was from Martin's original effort.
Although Joy Electric was now part of a "real" record label - with all the benefits of promotion and better distribution - this did not spell the end of Martin's worries for his budding project. Amidst mostly punk, ska, or hardcore bands, Joy Electric was usually dismissed as a Tooth and Nail curiousity - a funny little joke band with Atari music and girlish vocals. Looking back on those years, Martin recalls a crisis of feeling legitimate and being treated as a peer. Shows were still tiny. "Melody" caused no stir. The album came and went without much response from the audience, the critics, or anyone in general.


'']'' includes ] songs of dim castles, assemblies of knights riding out to battle, dedications to monarchy, and crumbling recollections of Christendom. This ] was unusual subject matter for a mid-'90s ] album.<ref name="Powell_Fe_JE">{{Cite book |last=Powell |first=Mark Allan |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music |year=2002 |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |location=] |isbn=1-56563-679-1 |edition=First printing |chapter=Joy Electric |pages= |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00mark/page/460 }}</ref>
This depressing situation was the backdrop for the next CD - an EP appropriately titled "Five Stars for Failure". This EP - Martin's first, could not have contrasted more with the exuberantly optimistic joy of "Melody". Bi-polar Joy Electric had slumped to the opposite extreme. The sound become slower and more dire. Covering previously happy songs (with remix titles like "The Woods are Haunted" and "The House in the Woods") Martin seemingly undid all his previous work, matching (or perhaps outdoing) the depressing the silence of the critics will equally dismiss re-mixes.


Of all his albums, Martin consistently cites this as his least favorite. (On top of feeling burnt out from the amount of work he put into the album, he came to feel in retrospect that the albums' more experimental sound concealed a somewhat subpar group of songs, in terms of hooks and melodies).<ref name="Art & Craft"/> Some find the album shows Martin's inexperience at this new "purist" model. However, other fans claim that this album contains some of Martin's most memorable and emblematic work, including "Burgundy Years," "Hansel (I Will Be Your Friend)," and "I Beam, You Beam".
Besides simply being sad, the Five Stars EP showed a curious development: with darker sounds and "House in the Woods" songnames that conjured up pictures of frightening Black-Forest scenes, Joy Electric was picking up a strange strain of imagery: the dark world of German folklore, mixed in with a little bit of medieval scenes for good measure. The upcoming album - "We Are the Music Makers" would become the strangest goth album to be produced: dark and Teutonic, electronic and infectious, antiquated with a strong backbeat.


Martin quickly followed this album with yet another EP, this one titled '']''. While retaining the ] fairy-tale theme, he dropped the darker, gothic strains and produced a set of songs mixing pop and nostalgia. Joy Electric, in some way or another, has always been an escapist band, leading the listener into a sort of musical land largely unfamiliar and isolated. ''Old Wives Tales'' stands as the high-point of that escapism, and proved to be just what fans were looking for. Audiences began to grow, the EP sold in greater numbers, and favorable articles appeared in all sorts of music magazines.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}}
== The Slow Turn-around ==


== Robot Rock and Christiansongs ==
By this time, Martin became increasingly fascinated with the idea of musical purism. Finding inspiration in 70s electronic bands that were "purists" out of necessity (or rather, out of the lack of having anything but simple analog synthesizers on which to painstakingly assemble an entire collage of blurpy sounds), Martin delegated nearly his entire studio to the closet and vowed to build an album up, brick by brick, from the sounds of just one master synthesizer. This would be purism, surely. No more drum machines. No more samplers. The synthesizer would make every sound. And so under these contraints he went to work. Designing, programming, and storing all his sounds for the new album in a Roland JD-990.]
Riding this building wave of popularity, Joy Electric began commanding greater respect both abroad and at home. This attention at Tooth & Nail was especially critical, leading to a series of albums that were designed to, and indeed succeeded in, garnering some degree of commercial success. Music videos were made and became more widely distributed. The music moved out of cult circles and picked up new fans in rapid numbers.


'']'' was the first album to capitalize on this. The album moved away from the world of "bedroom production" and into professional studio hands. The vocals came across as polished and well-groomed. Having practiced on his analog synthesizers for years, Martin commanded better control of his synthesizers' sounds. To showcase these growing skills, the songs were generally more sparse. The entire album harked back, more than any other release, to his groundbreaking work in ''Melody''.
Putting all his eggs in one basket (or synthesizer in this case) left Martin particularly vulnerable to one perennial problem: his synthesizer's storage memory got wiped clean. It's uncertain how this happened, but halfway through the new album Martin found that all his work had been lost.


Following his pattern, Martin released an EP as well, titled '']'', containing "Monosynth", two remixes of songs from ''Robot Rock'', a remix of "The Cobbler" from ''Old Wives Tales EP'' and one new song. It was generally considered a disappointment by fans, containing only one new song along with reworkings of songs from ''Robot Rock''.
Summoning up some long-suffering persistence, Martin again began from scratch. Taking this opportunity, he recalls, he decided to move into an even more purist direction than before. Of course, now that the first half-completed album is no longer in existence, it's hard to gauge just how radical a move that was. But when the new album was realized, it was apparent that, once again, Martin had managed to surprise everyone.


Eventually another EP materialized, the '']'' maxi single. While still including covers on the EP, Martin this time brought some greater variety to the release. Two songs covered radically different influences: Punk rockers ] and seventies singer ]. The last song was a ] remix of a song from the upcoming album.
A listen though "We Are the Music Makers" will bring one through Arthurian songs of dim castles, assemblies of knights riding out to battle, songs dedicated to monarchy and and crumbling recollections of Christendom. It was a strange subject matter for a mid-90s electronic album. Of all his albums, Martin consistently cites this as his least favorite. But that should not deter listeners. Indeed, the songs are quickly monotonous - a consequence of Martin's inexperience at this new "purist" model. The songs "Burgundy Years", "Hansel", and "I Beam, You Beam", stand at the core of this album, and are some of Martin's most memorable and emblematic work.


In 1999, '']'' was released. Concerning the title, Martin explained his frustration over Christian music groups attempting to downplay their religion in hopes for greater commercial success.<ref name="Powell_Fe_JE"/> Having grown up a Christian, Martin had rarely allowed his faith to intrude heavily upon his music. He nevertheless disapproved of statements like "we're Christians but we're not a Christian band". In contrast, and to set the record straight for any fans, Martin's new album title left no doubt concerning the matter.
Martin quickly followed this album with yet another EP. While retaining the Black-Forest fairy-tale theme, he dropped the darker, gothic strains and produced a set of songs that were to be the perfect mix of pop and nostalgia. Joy Electric, in some way or another, has always been an escapist band, leading the listener into a sort of musical land largely unfamiliar and isolated. This new EP, "Old Wives Tales" stands as the high-point of that escapism. The songs are beautiful and easy to listen to. The lyrics provide a haven for anyone tired of life as usual and longing for somewhere new and undiscovered to retreat into. "Old Wives Tales" proved to be just what fans were looking for. Shows audiences began to grow, the EP sold in greater numbers, and favorable articles appeared in all sorts of music magazines. Finally, the band was getting the attention it deserved.


''Christiansongs'' contained some of Joy Electric's most overt references to Christianity, exhorting believers to remain strong ("Lift Up Your Hearts"), singing musical prayers of religious dedication ("Make My Life a Prayer", which was a cover of a song written by ]), and proclaiming general obedience to God ("True Harmony"). But the album contained deep lyrical divides. The religious songs were overwhelmingly religious. The other half of the album was, more or less, the usual Joy Electric fare.
== Commercial Success ==


''Christiansongs'' also demonstrated Martin's ability to move beyond bubbly-happy songs that critics condemned for being too shallow. The album showcased a wide range of feelings, spanning to familiar exuberant territory all the way into new, darker directions.
Riding this building wave of popularity, Joy Electric began commanding greater respect both abroad and at home. This attention back home at the Tooth and Nail label was especially critical, leading to a series of albums that were designed to, and indeed succeeded in, garnering some degree of commercial success. Music videos were made and became more widely distributed. The music moved out of cult circles and picked the noses of fans in rapid numbers.


== The Legacy Series ==
Thus, "Robot Rock" was the album forcast to launch Martin into his well-deserved place of minor stardom. Tired of feeling like a wimpish techno band amidst his punk labelmates, "Robot Rock" was the album that, as the title suggests, would show the world just how seriously electronic could rock, too. The album moved away from the world of "bedroom production" and into professional studio hands. The vocals came across polished and well peticured. Having practiced on his analog synthesizers for years, Martin's sounds began commanding better control over his synthesizers' sounds. To showcase these growing skills, the songs were generally more sparse. The entire album harked back, more than any other release, to his groundbreaking work in ''Melody''.
2001 saw the release of Legacy Volume 1: '']''. A year and a half in the making, ''The White Songbook'' continued in the ] tradition of the past few albums by using nothing but a ] ], but with many intricate and interwoven layers of sounds building on each other. The music was divided into four thematic chapters, and the very sparse artwork of the album was meant to invoke the sense of an old book. This album also brought the relatively successful single "We Are Rock." In spite of a level of critical success, Ronnie was miserable during the album's long and tedious production. The companion EP to this album is '']'', which has since gone out of print and become a much sought after collectible.


The Legacy series continued with '']'', whose sparseness was a musical reaction to the thick and lush nature of ''The White Songbook''. Instead of including lyrics in the booklet, Ronnie opted to include a short story which served as inspiration for the title of the album. As opposed to ''The White Songbook'', ''The Tick Tock Treasury'''s placement in the Legacy series was found only in a small and passing liner note in the CD insert. The companion EP to this album is '']'', a long-running set of experimental synthesizer music recorded in one take.
Greater touring, in turn, led to ever more fans and more attention. Following his pattern, another EP was released, although it generally disappointed fans. With only one new song, the rest of the album descended into mediocre covers. The entire album seemed too backward-looking for a band so much on the move. Even the title, ''The Land of the Misfits'', seemed a parody of earlier times.


The third Legacy album was '']''. Like its predecessor, its place in the Legacy series was only shown by a small liner note. This album brought a significantly more rigid structure to the songs, with basslines sometimes not changing for the duration of an entire track. The companion EP, ''Friend of Mannequin'', contains remixes, several new songs, and a three-part interview.
And so fans sat back and waited for the next release. And they waited. Eventually another EP materialized. While still not a full album, it wasn't so great a disappoint. Containing only new songs previewing the new album, the EP hinted at a new album closely akin to ''Robot Rock''. Still following the pattern of flooding the EP with covers, Martin had the sense to at least bring some greater variety to the release. Two songs featured him covering radically different influences: Punk rockers MxPx and seventies singer Keith Green. The last song was a Cloud2Ground cover of a song off the upcoming album. By the sounds of the EP, good things were in store for the next release.


'']'', identified as a Legacy album only by the mark "lv4" (for Legacy Volume 4) in the liner notes, was also the first to be produced in the newly renovated Electric Joy Toy Company on Ronnie's new ] equipment. The new synthesizer brought a significant change in sound, though the album bears some resemblance to previous Legacy works. Namely, it is broken into chapters like ''The White Songbook'' and its lyrics are not printed in the sleeve, like ''The Tick Tock Treasury''. The companion EP, '']'', is split into two sections: an eponymous mini concept album, and a collection of remixes and extra tracks called "Other Archers." ''The Ministry of Archers'' was released on compact disc by ] on August 30, 2005,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Helms |first=William Ruben |date=November 15, 2005 |title=Joy Electric: The Ministry of Archers |url=https://glidemagazine.com/2634/joy-electric/ |accessdate=September 10, 2021 |website=Glide Magazine}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Simpson |first=Ernest |date=September 1, 2005 |title=Joy Electric: The Ministry of Archers |url=https://www.treblezine.com/joy-electric-the-ministry-of-archers/ |accessdate=September 10, 2021 |website=Treblezine}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web |date=September 11, 2005 |title=The Ministry of Archers by Joy Electric (Review) |url=https://opuszine.us/reviews/the-ministry-of-archers-joy-electric |accessdate=September 10, 2021 |website=Opus}}</ref> and on colored 12" vinyl by Republic of Texas Recordings and ] in October 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Travis |date=August 23, 2005 |title=Joy Electric - The Ministry Of Archers LP Pre-Order! |url=http://republicoftexasrecordings.com:80/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6746&amp;sid=e4f17c9e59d7e76094f69c8f2750e1e6 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051225170849/http://republicoftexasrecordings.com:80/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6746&amp;sid=e4f17c9e59d7e76094f69c8f2750e1e6 |archive-date=December 25, 2005 |access-date=August 3, 2020 |website=Republic of Texas Recordings}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2006-05-05 |title=Joy Electric Test Presses |url=http://www.joyelectric.com/jeboard/viewtopic.php?t=4683 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060505102712/http://www.joyelectric.com/jeboard/viewtopic.php?t=4683 |archive-date=May 5, 2006 |access-date=September 25, 2020 |website=Joy Electric}}</ref>
Indeed, in 1999, ''CHRISTIANsongs'' was released. Concerning the title, Martin explained his frustration over Christian music groups attempting to downplay their religion in hopes for greater commercial success. Having grown up a Christian, Martin had rarely allowed his faith to intrude heavily upon his music. He nevertheless disapproved of silly "we're Christians but we're not a Christian band" statements. In contrast, and to set the record straight for any fans, Martin's new album title left no doubt concerning the matter.


'']'' was released on March 20, 2007 as the fifth and final volume in the Legacy series, noted as "Moog Dynasty Years Volume 2". The album includes some of the most intricate vocal work on a Joy Electric album to date. Thematically, the album is split in two-halves. The first half is known as ''The Otherly Opus'', while the second half is ''The Memory of Alpha'', a mini ] about ] times. The album's companion EP, '']'', contains remixes of all songs on ''The Otherly Opus'' as well as two new songs. It was released on September 18, 2007.
And indeed, ''CHRISTIANsongs'' contained some of the most overt references to Christianity: exorting believers to remain strong ("Lift Up Your Hearts), singing musical prayers of religious dedication ("Make My Life A Prayer"), and songs proclaiming general obedience to God ("True Harmony"). But the album contained deep lyrical divides. The religious songs were overwhelmingly religious. The other half of the album was, more or less, the usual Joy Electric science fair.


==Moog Dynasty==
''CHRISTIANsongs'' also demonstrated Martin's ability to move beyond bubbly-happy songs that critics condemned for being too shallow. The album showcased a wide range of feelings, spanning to familiar exuberant territory all the way into new, darker directions. Not since ''We Are The Music Makers'' did an album contain so many minor keys.
Continuing on the Moog tradition of the previous two albums, Joy Electric's album '']'' was released May 27, 2008. The following year, two EPs were released: '']'' is a ] consisting of demos of three tracks from ''My Grandfather, The Cubist'', while '']'' contains six new songs.


In 2009, Joy Electric released "]", an album composed of covers of artists such as ], ], ] and more.
== Odds and Ends ==


==Dwarf Mountain Alphabet==
Ronnie's first album was dedicated to his wife Melissa and is the only album that has a guitar present. An interesting piece of information released by Ronnie tells anyone interested to backtrack the sample played in Love In Midsummer. Also, concerning track 6, Mr. Martin has commented that there is indeed a girl from rosewood lane somewhere in his past.
On March 20, 2012, Joy Electric announced that the new album would be released independently. A Kickstarter campaign was launched to raise $6,000 to fund the project. The goal was reached within nine hours. Dwarf Mountain Alphabet had been previously announced in an interview with Ronnie Martin in Fall 2011. The album was released on December 4, 2012.


==Discography== == Discography ==
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (]) (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (]) (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (]) (])
* '']'' (]) (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (]) (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (])
* '']'' (]) (])
* '']'' (])


==External link== ===Albums===
* ''Melody'' (1994)
*
* ''We Are the Music Makers'' (1996)
* '']'' (1997)
* '']'' (1999)
* '']'' (2000)
* '']'' (2001)
* '']'' (2003)
* '']'' (2003)
* '']'' (2004)
* '']'' (2005)
* '']'' (2007)
* '']'' (2008)
* ''Favorites at Play'' (2009)
* '']'' (2012)


===Compilations===
]
* ''Art Core, Vol. 1'' (Tooth & Nail Records, 1995), track 1, "Sorcery"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Art-Core-Volume-One/release/389903|title=Various - Art Core - Volume One|website=Discogs.com|year=1995 |access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref>
* ''Art Core, Vol. 2'' (Tooth & Nail Records, 1996), track 3, "Transylvania"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Art-Core-Volume-Two/release/389911|title=Art Core - Volume Two (1996, CD) |website=Discogs.com|year=1996 |access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref>
* '']'' (BEC Recordings, 1998), track 2, "Winter Wonderland"
* ''Moms Like Us Too, Volume 1'' (1999), track 3, "Sugar Rush"; track 4, "Girl from Rosewood Lane (Remix)"; track 5, "Electric Car"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Moms-Like-Us-Too-Volume-One-A-BEC-Recordings-Compilation/release/369661|title=Various - Moms Like Us Too! Volume One (A BEC Recordings Compilation)|website=Discogs.com|year=1999 |access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref>
* ''New Musiq, Volume 1'' (Plastiq Musiq, 1999), track 12, "Come In, Brother"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Plastiq-Musiq-New-Musiq-Volume-1/release/220519|title=Various - Plastiq Musiq New Musiq Volume 1.|website=Discogs.com|date=July 1999 |access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref>
* ''New Musiq, Volume 2'' (Plastiq Musiq, 2001), track 18, "Parlor Inventor"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Plastiq-Musiq-New-Musiq-Volume-2/release/191703|title=Various - Plastiq Musiq New Musiq Volume 2|website=Discogs.com|date=May 8, 2001 |access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref>
* ''The Art and Craft of Popular Music'' (2002)

===EPs and singles===
* '']'' (]) (1995)
* '']'' (EP) (1996)
* ''The Land of Misfits'' (EP) (1998)
* ''Children of the Lord'' (]) (1999)
* ''The White Songbook: Unmixed/ Unmastered songs from the full length album'' (Single) (2001)
* '']'' (EP) (2002)
* ''The Tick Tock Companion'' (EP) (2003)
* ''Friend of Mannequin'' (EP) (2004)
* ''Workmanship'' (]) (2005)
* ''Montgolfier and the Romantic Balloons'' (EP) (2005)
* ''Workmanship (CD reissue)'' (EP) (2007)
* '']'' (EP) (2007)
* ''Early Cubism'' (EP; ]) (2009)
* ''Curiosities and Such'' (EP) (2009)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Further reading===
* {{Cite book |last=Hemingway |first=Lloyd |editor=Brennan Luann |title=Contemporary Musicians |series=Volume 26 |year=1999 |publisher=] |location=], ] |isbn=0-7876-3251-1 |chapter=Joy Electric |pages= |issn=1044-2197 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/contemporarymusi00luan_0/page/94 }}
* {{Cite journal|title=Joy Electric |date=January–February 1996 |issue=4 |journal=]}} <!-- Feature Story -->
* {{Cite journal|title=Joy Electric |date=November–December 1997 |issue=15 |journal=]}} <!-- Feature Story -->
* {{Cite journal|title=Joy Electric |date=March–April 1999 |issue=23 |journal=]}} <!-- Feature Story -->

==External links==
* - Joy Electric's Official Site
*
*
*
*

{{Joy Electric}}

{{Authority control}}

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Latest revision as of 19:27, 18 August 2024

Band

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Joy Electric
OriginCalifornia
GenresSynthpop
Years active1994–present
LabelsTooth & Nail (1994-Present) w/ various releases on Plastiq Musiq, Somewherecold, Republic of Texas and Velvet Blue
MembersRonnie Martin
Past membersJeff Cloud
Caleb Mannan
Joshua Graham

Joy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synthpop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player and Velvet Blue Music owner Jeff Cloud joined Joy Electric from 1996 until 2002. Joy Electric is currently a solo act.

Pre-Joy Electric history

Having experimented with live shows, formed countless after-school bands, and recorded an album that was never to be released under the moniker Morella's Forest with Randy Lamb, Ronnie and his brother Jason found their way onto Michael Knott's fledgling label, Blonde Vinyl, with a dance album to produce, Songs and Stories.

After buying an old Akai sampler and a few synthesizers, Ronnie began crafting his own spin-off of current electronic "club" music. Still working with his brother Jason, Ronnie's new band, Dance House Children, posited cold, hypnotic electronica against quaint, old-fashioned lyrics. After producing another album, Jesus, Dance House Children found Jason leaving to pursue his own musical endeavors, Starflyer 59.

With the help of a few friends, Ronnie turned from the club-oriented music to a more melodic, orchestrated sound. A large range of instruments were used on his third album, containing timpanis, Moog synthesizers, and far more exotic sounds than anything he had previously produced. It was evident that Martin was quickly moving beyond the level of pre-programmed keyboard sounds as he became more well-versed in the programming of his synthesizers. Rainbow Rider: Beautiful Dazzling Music No. 1, the name of his third album, formed the bridge between Martin's "techno"-like early days and his enigmatic Joy Electric creation.

Melody and Five Stars for Failure

During the process of writing his fourth album - originally intended as Beautiful Dazzling Music No. 2, then Fairy Tale Melodies (some Tooth and Nail promotional material came out with this name), and then later to be renamed simply as Melody - Martin found the sound of his project changing radically. Of course, changes were quite evident during Beautiful Dazzling Music, but this fourth album carried things to the extreme. Analog synths began to dominate the studio floor-space. Furthermore, Martin began perfecting a clock-like musical technique that had a strange assortment of blips and whirls constantly rotating in the background. The fourth album resulted in several things: a new band name (Joy Electric), his signing with a new label (Tooth & Nail Records), and the launching of Martin's signature sound which he carries to this day.

We Are the Music Makers and Old Wives Tales

By this time, Martin became increasingly fascinated with the idea of musical "purism". Finding inspiration in '70s electronic bands that were "purists" out of necessity (having nothing but simple analog synthesizers with which to assemble an entire collage of blurpy sounds), Martin delegated nearly his entire studio to the closet and vowed to build an album up, brick by brick, from the sounds of just one master synthesizer. Under this constraint he went to work—designing, programming, and storing all his sounds for the new album in a Roland JD-990.

Putting all his eggs in one basket (or synthesizer in this case) left Martin particularly vulnerable to one perennial problem: his synthesizer's storage memory got wiped clean. It's uncertain how this happened, but halfway through the new album Martin found that all his work had been lost. Martin had to begin again from scratch. Taking this opportunity to reconsider his approach, he decided to move into an even more purist direction than before, determined to create a cohesive synthesizer concept album with a medieval, Tolkienesque feel. Since the first half-completed album is no longer in existence, it is impossible to gauge just how radical a change this was from Martin's original effort.

We Are the Music Makers includes Arthurian songs of dim castles, assemblies of knights riding out to battle, dedications to monarchy, and crumbling recollections of Christendom. This Medieval theme was unusual subject matter for a mid-'90s electronic album.

Of all his albums, Martin consistently cites this as his least favorite. (On top of feeling burnt out from the amount of work he put into the album, he came to feel in retrospect that the albums' more experimental sound concealed a somewhat subpar group of songs, in terms of hooks and melodies). Some find the album shows Martin's inexperience at this new "purist" model. However, other fans claim that this album contains some of Martin's most memorable and emblematic work, including "Burgundy Years," "Hansel (I Will Be Your Friend)," and "I Beam, You Beam".

Martin quickly followed this album with yet another EP, this one titled Old Wives Tales. While retaining the Black Forest fairy-tale theme, he dropped the darker, gothic strains and produced a set of songs mixing pop and nostalgia. Joy Electric, in some way or another, has always been an escapist band, leading the listener into a sort of musical land largely unfamiliar and isolated. Old Wives Tales stands as the high-point of that escapism, and proved to be just what fans were looking for. Audiences began to grow, the EP sold in greater numbers, and favorable articles appeared in all sorts of music magazines.

Robot Rock and Christiansongs

Riding this building wave of popularity, Joy Electric began commanding greater respect both abroad and at home. This attention at Tooth & Nail was especially critical, leading to a series of albums that were designed to, and indeed succeeded in, garnering some degree of commercial success. Music videos were made and became more widely distributed. The music moved out of cult circles and picked up new fans in rapid numbers.

Robot Rock was the first album to capitalize on this. The album moved away from the world of "bedroom production" and into professional studio hands. The vocals came across as polished and well-groomed. Having practiced on his analog synthesizers for years, Martin commanded better control of his synthesizers' sounds. To showcase these growing skills, the songs were generally more sparse. The entire album harked back, more than any other release, to his groundbreaking work in Melody.

Following his pattern, Martin released an EP as well, titled The Land of Misfits, containing "Monosynth", two remixes of songs from Robot Rock, a remix of "The Cobbler" from Old Wives Tales EP and one new song. It was generally considered a disappointment by fans, containing only one new song along with reworkings of songs from Robot Rock.

Eventually another EP materialized, the Children of the Lord maxi single. While still including covers on the EP, Martin this time brought some greater variety to the release. Two songs covered radically different influences: Punk rockers MxPx and seventies singer Keith Green. The last song was a Cloud2Ground remix of a song from the upcoming album.

In 1999, Christiansongs was released. Concerning the title, Martin explained his frustration over Christian music groups attempting to downplay their religion in hopes for greater commercial success. Having grown up a Christian, Martin had rarely allowed his faith to intrude heavily upon his music. He nevertheless disapproved of statements like "we're Christians but we're not a Christian band". In contrast, and to set the record straight for any fans, Martin's new album title left no doubt concerning the matter.

Christiansongs contained some of Joy Electric's most overt references to Christianity, exhorting believers to remain strong ("Lift Up Your Hearts"), singing musical prayers of religious dedication ("Make My Life a Prayer", which was a cover of a song written by Melody Green), and proclaiming general obedience to God ("True Harmony"). But the album contained deep lyrical divides. The religious songs were overwhelmingly religious. The other half of the album was, more or less, the usual Joy Electric fare.

Christiansongs also demonstrated Martin's ability to move beyond bubbly-happy songs that critics condemned for being too shallow. The album showcased a wide range of feelings, spanning to familiar exuberant territory all the way into new, darker directions.

The Legacy Series

2001 saw the release of Legacy Volume 1: The White Songbook. A year and a half in the making, The White Songbook continued in the synthesized tradition of the past few albums by using nothing but a Roland System 100, but with many intricate and interwoven layers of sounds building on each other. The music was divided into four thematic chapters, and the very sparse artwork of the album was meant to invoke the sense of an old book. This album also brought the relatively successful single "We Are Rock." In spite of a level of critical success, Ronnie was miserable during the album's long and tedious production. The companion EP to this album is Starcadia, which has since gone out of print and become a much sought after collectible.

The Legacy series continued with The Tick Tock Treasury, whose sparseness was a musical reaction to the thick and lush nature of The White Songbook. Instead of including lyrics in the booklet, Ronnie opted to include a short story which served as inspiration for the title of the album. As opposed to The White Songbook, The Tick Tock Treasury's placement in the Legacy series was found only in a small and passing liner note in the CD insert. The companion EP to this album is The Tick Tock Companion, a long-running set of experimental synthesizer music recorded in one take.

The third Legacy album was Hello, Mannequin. Like its predecessor, its place in the Legacy series was only shown by a small liner note. This album brought a significantly more rigid structure to the songs, with basslines sometimes not changing for the duration of an entire track. The companion EP, Friend of Mannequin, contains remixes, several new songs, and a three-part interview.

The Ministry of Archers, identified as a Legacy album only by the mark "lv4" (for Legacy Volume 4) in the liner notes, was also the first to be produced in the newly renovated Electric Joy Toy Company on Ronnie's new Moog synthesizer equipment. The new synthesizer brought a significant change in sound, though the album bears some resemblance to previous Legacy works. Namely, it is broken into chapters like The White Songbook and its lyrics are not printed in the sleeve, like The Tick Tock Treasury. The companion EP, Montgolfier and the Romantic Balloons, is split into two sections: an eponymous mini concept album, and a collection of remixes and extra tracks called "Other Archers." The Ministry of Archers was released on compact disc by Tooth & Nail Records on August 30, 2005, and on colored 12" vinyl by Republic of Texas Recordings and Somewherecold Records in October 2005.

The Otherly Opus was released on March 20, 2007 as the fifth and final volume in the Legacy series, noted as "Moog Dynasty Years Volume 2". The album includes some of the most intricate vocal work on a Joy Electric album to date. Thematically, the album is split in two-halves. The first half is known as The Otherly Opus, while the second half is The Memory of Alpha, a mini concept album about antediluvian times. The album's companion EP, Their Variables, contains remixes of all songs on The Otherly Opus as well as two new songs. It was released on September 18, 2007.

Moog Dynasty

Continuing on the Moog tradition of the previous two albums, Joy Electric's album My Grandfather, The Cubist was released May 27, 2008. The following year, two EPs were released: Early Cubism is a digital download consisting of demos of three tracks from My Grandfather, The Cubist, while Curiosities and Such contains six new songs.

In 2009, Joy Electric released "Favorites at Play", an album composed of covers of artists such as Coldplay, The Killers, Blink 182 and more.

Dwarf Mountain Alphabet

On March 20, 2012, Joy Electric announced that the new album would be released independently. A Kickstarter campaign was launched to raise $6,000 to fund the project. The goal was reached within nine hours. Dwarf Mountain Alphabet had been previously announced in an interview with Ronnie Martin in Fall 2011. The album was released on December 4, 2012.

Discography

Albums

Compilations

  • Art Core, Vol. 1 (Tooth & Nail Records, 1995), track 1, "Sorcery"
  • Art Core, Vol. 2 (Tooth & Nail Records, 1996), track 3, "Transylvania"
  • Happy Christmas (BEC Recordings, 1998), track 2, "Winter Wonderland"
  • Moms Like Us Too, Volume 1 (1999), track 3, "Sugar Rush"; track 4, "Girl from Rosewood Lane (Remix)"; track 5, "Electric Car"
  • New Musiq, Volume 1 (Plastiq Musiq, 1999), track 12, "Come In, Brother"
  • New Musiq, Volume 2 (Plastiq Musiq, 2001), track 18, "Parlor Inventor"
  • The Art and Craft of Popular Music (2002)

EPs and singles

  • Five Stars for Failure (EP) (1995)
  • Old Wives Tales (EP) (1996)
  • The Land of Misfits (EP) (1998)
  • Children of the Lord (Single) (1999)
  • The White Songbook: Unmixed/ Unmastered songs from the full length album (Single) (2001)
  • Starcadia (EP) (2002)
  • The Tick Tock Companion (EP) (2003)
  • Friend of Mannequin (EP) (2004)
  • Workmanship (7") (2005)
  • Montgolfier and the Romantic Balloons (EP) (2005)
  • Workmanship (CD reissue) (EP) (2007)
  • Their Variables (EP) (2007)
  • Early Cubism (EP; digital download) (2009)
  • Curiosities and Such (EP) (2009)

References

  1. Powell (2002). "Dance House Children". Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. p. 226.
  2. Powell (2002). "Rainbow Rider". Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. pp. 741–742.
  3. ^ Martin, Ronnie. Liner Notes. Joy Electric 1994-2002 The Art and Craft of Popular Music. 2002.
  4. ^ Powell, Mark Allan (2002). "Joy Electric". Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (First printing ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. pp. 460–461. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
  5. Helms, William Ruben (November 15, 2005). "Joy Electric: The Ministry of Archers". Glide Magazine. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  6. Simpson, Ernest (September 1, 2005). "Joy Electric: The Ministry of Archers". Treblezine. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  7. "The Ministry of Archers by Joy Electric (Review)". Opus. September 11, 2005. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  8. Graham, Travis (August 23, 2005). "Joy Electric - The Ministry Of Archers LP Pre-Order!". Republic of Texas Recordings. Archived from the original on December 25, 2005. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  9. "Joy Electric Test Presses". Joy Electric. May 5, 2006. Archived from the original on May 5, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  10. "Various - Art Core - Volume One". Discogs.com. 1995. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  11. "Art Core - Volume Two (1996, CD)". Discogs.com. 1996. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  12. "Various - Moms Like Us Too! Volume One (A BEC Recordings Compilation)". Discogs.com. 1999. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  13. "Various - Plastiq Musiq New Musiq Volume 1". Discogs.com. July 1999. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  14. "Various - Plastiq Musiq New Musiq Volume 2". Discogs.com. May 8, 2001. Retrieved March 16, 2020.

Further reading

External links

Joy Electric
Albums
Extended plays
Singles
Box sets
Seven-inch vinyl
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