Nottingham UK’s Ronika is a "DJ, record-hoarder and bedroom producer of electro-disco gems". She first wrote soul tunes on an acoustic guitar, then at 14 she went to her first techno all-nighter in Brixton. It was listening to Squarepusher at after-parties that made her want to start programming beats. So she began experimenting with a four-track machine at home, visited a local studio at weekends to learn more about recording, and immersed herself in soul, disco, funk, electro and hip-hop. Eventually, she began DJ’ng at local clubs and house parties….
But never mind the biography – here’s the assessment. She’s a bit like early Madonna or a Gwen Stefani styled by George at Asda. As with Jellybean Benitez-era Madonna, the cutesy surface is a disguise for deep involvement in the local underground dance scene. She creates these really cute’n’catchy dance-pop confections in her bedroom, but there’s more to her than meets the ear. Her songs are clever but conceal their intelligence well, and you can imagine her in the early-80s on the Ze label alongside Cristina, the Waitresses and all those other post-Warhol CBGB grrrls in the guise of Studio 54 girls. Even the artwork for her debut single, Do or Die reeks of the DIY post-punk aesthetic.
A writer-producer as well as a singer, you could imagine her penning hits for mega pop stars or becoming the female Nile Rogers. There is a facility here with late-period disco, electro-funk and synth-pop. This is classic 1983-84 stuff, the sort that Tony Blackburn might have played on his early-morning show on Radio London where he’d intersperse comedy advice to listeners on sexual matters with the latest delicious funk, soul, disco and electro 12-inch US imports. Ronika calls what she does "melodic blip death-pop" but that makes her sound like she’s part of Alec Empire’s Digital Hardcore crew. This candy electro pop couldn’t be sweeter. Touchstones would appear to be semi-remembered, delightfully synthetic mid-80s post-disco one-offs such as the Sequence’s You Are in My System, Shannon’s Give Me Tonight, Say Yeah by the Limit and I Can’t Wait by Nu-Shooz. She runs the gamut of styles – "impersonating voices is something Ronika does well", says her press release, and you can tell. That voice is cute and characterless, only in a good way, just as her music is slight and sugary but in a good way.
The Buzz: "Ronika mixes in the pop instincts of Madonna and Gwen Stefani with her love for Daft Punk, Prince and LCD Soundsystem."
The Truth: We’re in Seventh Heaven!
“Immaculate…the sort of effortlessly confident, natural pop sensibility that labels spend years and millions of pounds trying, in vein, to manufacture” – NME
“Infectious…an alluring work that is equal parts charming and cheeky” – Pitchfork
“Ronika might be your next favourite pop singer…you have no excuse not to be very excited about this” – Popjustice
“Her handling of the source material is so adept, and the results are so fab and imbued with understanding and affection” – Sunday Times Breaking Act
“Technicolour dance pop…carving out her own niche within dance music” – Mixmag