Dominatrix (band)
Encyclopedia
Dominatrix was a synthpop
band from New York City
, best remembered for their 1984 club hit, "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight". Although short lived as a group, their lone hit single was highly influential in the freestyle
genre.
The band's only single was the controversial "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight", released in 1984. The track became a pioneering force in the freestyle genre, and was noted for its use of spoken lyrics. The song's video, directed by Beth B., featured a fur and stocking-clad Dominique Davalos, and it was the imagery in the video set against the subject matter of the song that prevented it from becoming a mainstream success. Commercial radio stations banned the single, and MTV refused to air the risque video.
Though the song was doomed to commercial failure in the pop charts, it went to number two for two weeks on the dance charts, spending a total of eighteen weeks on the chart. The song became a highly popular single in New York clubs where Dominatrix performed regularly, and also made waves throughout Europe.
Due to the success of "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight", the group toured as an opening act for Grace Jones
, but soon dissolved to pursue other musical projects. Stuart Argabright has continued working as a producer, and Dominique Davalos has appeared in several films and released solo records of her own. She now plays in The Blue Bonnets, an all-female rock band.
"The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight" single is featured in the 2010 film "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child".
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Dominatrix
http://www.myspace.com/dominiquedrive
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
band from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, best remembered for their 1984 club hit, "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight". Although short lived as a group, their lone hit single was highly influential in the freestyle
Freestyle music
Freestyle or Latin freestyle, sometimes referred to as Latin hip hop, is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1980s. Mostly popular during the mid 80s to the early 90s...
genre.
History
Producer/songwriter Stuart Argabright formed Dominatrix with vocalist Claudia Summers, producer Ken Lockie, and keyboardist Peter Baumann. When Claudia Summers parted ways with the group, musician and actress Dominique Davalos took her place.The band's only single was the controversial "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight", released in 1984. The track became a pioneering force in the freestyle genre, and was noted for its use of spoken lyrics. The song's video, directed by Beth B., featured a fur and stocking-clad Dominique Davalos, and it was the imagery in the video set against the subject matter of the song that prevented it from becoming a mainstream success. Commercial radio stations banned the single, and MTV refused to air the risque video.
Though the song was doomed to commercial failure in the pop charts, it went to number two for two weeks on the dance charts, spending a total of eighteen weeks on the chart. The song became a highly popular single in New York clubs where Dominatrix performed regularly, and also made waves throughout Europe.
Due to the success of "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight", the group toured as an opening act for Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, but soon dissolved to pursue other musical projects. Stuart Argabright has continued working as a producer, and Dominique Davalos has appeared in several films and released solo records of her own. She now plays in The Blue Bonnets, an all-female rock band.
"The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight" single is featured in the 2010 film "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child".
Sources
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Dominatrix
http://www.myspace.com/dominiquedrive