Phixx

The British group’s first single reached the UK top ten in November 2003 through Concept. Love Revolution followed in 2004, then Wild Boys, a version of the Duran Duran song. Strange Love reached the UK chart in early 2005.

That sequence gives a useful picture of the group’s musical territory. Electronic textures, an emphatic beat and a strong vocal hook make room for both new material and a source song already associated with a very distinctive pop sound.

The 2004 Sheer Music edition of Electrophonic Revolution brings a fuller programme together, including Original Sin, City of the Night, Temptation and Red Light. The album supplies a wider context than the four UK singles alone.

The appeal is in the balance between a familiar vocal-group format and the production around it. Shared choruses provide scale, while individual lines can give a phrase another tone or emphasis. The electronic setting keeps the music from relying entirely on the voices for its character.

Hold on Me remains the clearest first encounter. Moving from it to Wild Boys and the album makes the original proposition easier to hear: a polished male vocal group working in a pop setting with sharper edges and a more pronounced appetite for electronic drama.