Great things can happen when you combine two disparate ideas; in the early 2000’s ‘Electro-Clash’ (later renamed “Indie Sleaze”) merged the sound of post punk guitars with a drum machine disco beat, creating a sound that defined a generation, or what happens when ‘Daft Punk is played to the rock kids’. Perfume and music have always felt like two different records I’ve been playing and mixing with in my life. DJing in bars and clubs in Dublin in the 2000’s, allowed perfume to merge with drinks, smoke and desire, creating magic on the dance floor, think Britney Spears’ Fantasy dancing with Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male, while Boss Bottled makes out with YSL Baby Doll off in the corner as I spun some Electro-Clash sounds.

My Perfume Mix Tape captures music from mid 2000’s that was important to me, combining my eclectic left of center tastes while also being shaped by it, with the first two tracks of this Perfume Mix Tape serving as a primer for a journey I’ve gone on through via scent, music, art, literature, and theory. The “Noughties” not only brought us a new indie dance music scene, but one for niche fine fragrance as well, with Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, Serge Lutens, Le Labo and Francis Kurkdjian all launching during that decade. My musical tastes mirror my perfume ones, eclectic, always digging deeper, finding those that strike a chord.

 

LCD Soundsystem Losing My Edge + Matiere Premiere Encens Suave

A gritty, CAN-inspired groove paired with a half-spoken, half-sung vocal reminiscent of The Fall’s Mark E Smith forms a NYC soundscape. Choreographer Michael Clark already proved you could dance to The Fall, but James Murphy perfected it by infusing it with a disco beat. His smart self-aware lyrics documented the time in a very knowing way, while also giving a history of important music to explore that informed this moment. Music, much like perfume, draws from the past, adding a twist to keep it contemporary. Matiere Premiere Encens Suave opens with a coffee note, as James Murphy is a coffee lover, its structure also captures that driving beat found in Losing My Edge. Paired with incense, amber, benzoin and vanilla that gives it an analog feel.

 

Le Tigre Hot Topic + Balmain Jolie Madame Miskeo – Pistil

Kathleen Hanna has continually shaped my thinking. Her electro-clash synthpunk pop band Le Tigre’s track “Hot Topic” celebrates strong women and Queer thinkers, presenting a curated list of feminist and Queer cultural icons, all wrapped in an infectious dance groove. Germaine Cellier a trailblazer in French perfumery fits beautifully with this track as Balmain’s vintage perfume Jolie Madame beautifully combines a herbal, green, powdery violet floral with a bold touch of animalic leather, transforming a delicate floral into one with a contemporary punk edge. Jolie Madame can be hard to find, so I’d suggest Berlin-based perfume house Miskeo’s Pistil. It pays homage to Cellier with its opening notes of bitter greens and violet, yet like the music I’m selecting, Pistil carves out its own identity, evolving into a more carnal fur with a kiss of raspberry sweetness.

The Strokes Last Nite + Dior Dior Homme Original

The Strokes are credited with starting the 2000s’ New York music scene. Their early EP, The Modern Age; was infused with an electrifying up-tempo energy, blending punk with a 60/70s pop vibe. Casablanca’s slightly distorted vocals added an edgy twist, creating a sense of something fresh and exciting. It was rock music you could dance to, ‘in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia from the unremembered 80’s’. The Strokes had a gentle quality that contrasted with their couture punk look. Dior Homme Original blends softness and toughness, capturing the essence of The Strokes’ Last Nite. The fragrance features cardamom, complemented by a powdery vanilla, iris and cacao, oozing rock and roll and the softness of the 2000s, it’s cool, and perfect for a night out.

 

Peaches “Fuck the Pain Away” + Histoires de Parfums1740 Marquis de Sade

This dirty minimal beat and in your face vocal of Peaches Fuck the Pain Away quickly became an anthem during my art school days, coinciding with the economic downturn from the Celtic Tiger to a more subdued kitten. Fuck the Pain Away is an empowering anthem that challenges the misogyny often found in classic rock. The “Teaches of Peaches” resonated with me, just as Kathleen Hanna’s did, emphasizing the power of one’s body and the understanding of pleasure and self. 1740 Marquis de Sade by Histoires de Parfums shares this raw intensity. It’s a perfume that oozes dark leather with a charred immortelle sweetness, purring with an untamed wildness hinting at what’s lurking in its depths. It feels how “Fuck the Pain Away,” sounds making me feel both empowered and sensual whenever I wear it.

Justice Phantom Pt. II (Soulwax Remix) + Arquiste El

The contemporary Indie Sleaze sound of Charli XCX and The Dare really draws more inspiration from a French Touch sound more than the NYC 2000’s music scene. It channels the rock rawness of Justice, along with the talents of Daft Punk and Soulwax, who famously ‘traded their guitars for synthesisers’. “Phantom Pt. II” is composed around a synth sample from the horror film “Tenbre” by Goblin, The Soulwax remix amps up the intensity, making it feel like your speeding through a dark tunnel. It’s dark, heavy and all kinds of fun. “El” by Arquiste compliments this track perfectly. Rodrigo Flores-Roux is like the perfume Daft Punk, he knows the hits and how and where to combine and chop to compose something beautiful and new. Here El samples and reimagines some of my all-time favorites’, YSL Kouros and  CHANEL Antaeus, morphing them into a rich, brooding, animalic leather fragrance. It’s an earworm that won’t leave my mind.

Electro Clash was the beginning of something new built from some things older, its style has now become part of the mainstream, just like the new niche fine fragrance houses of the time, Frédéric Malle, Serge Lutens and Le Labo have become the established and knowing darlings of the scene and just like James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem sang ‘I’m losing my edge, the kids are coming up from behind.’ But they were there!

–Jonathan Mayhew, Senior Editor