Big Electric Cat

by Eleanor DitzelAlthough they didn't intend to become a gothic band, once Paul Sadler, David Block, and Deborah Denton, the core of Big Electric Cat started producing their rhythms with a drum machine rather than the live product, their music made a transition from being a dark pop band into a gothic band that confronted the natural darker sides of human existence, such as sadness. Sadler (guitar, vocals) moved from the U.K., where he had his own band, to Sydney, Australia, in 1989 because he felt it provided a healthier atmosphere for creating within the live music scene. He joined with Block (bass) and Denton (keyboards, vocals) to form Big Electric Cat in 1993. The moniker was an outgrowth from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Once the band switched to the drum machine, affectionately named Dr. Ruth for the sex therapist, they recorded their first demo, the four-track Suspira, which made a hit with Cleopatra Records, a legendary promoter of goth out of Los Angeles. Big Electric Cat signed a three-album contract with Cleopatra, re-worked the first four tracks and added six more, ending up with the debut album Dreams of a Mad King in 1994. The album was beautifully haunting and dreamy, with a twisted sinister flavor. With music influenced by Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, a romantic appreciation of deep feelings and emotions, and a belief in love transcending death, Big Electric Cat recorded Burning Embers, released in October 1995, and Eyelash, released in August 1997. The albums laid the foundation for several successful tours of the United States and Europe, where the innocence and playfulness of the band, flavored with the theme of moody darkness and blended with the talented feminine touch of Denton, infiltrated the edges of the dance scene.