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Joy Electric

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Project Members

Ronnie Martin (1994-present - writing, vocals, synthesizers, programming)
Jeff Cloud (1994-2002 - live keyboards, administrative duties)
Caleb Mannan (1999-2000? - live keyboards, live drums)
Todd Gilliland (2001?-2002 - live drums)
Josh Graham (2003-present - live drums)
Jacob Graham (2003-2004? - live keyboards)
Andrew Horton (2004-present - live drums, synth drums, keyboards)

Project History

Synthwiz Ronnie Martin founded Joy Electric following the disbanding of his earlier band, Dance House Children. Although Joy Electric retains the whispy vocals and fantasy-themed lyrics that were Dance House Children's trademarks, Martin eschewed club-friendly Euro-dance and techno beats in favor of a more experimental, minimalist synth-pop sound reminiscent of genre pioneers Kraftwerk, Gary Numan and Giorgio Moroder. The result was a unique, quirky sound unlike anything else in the Christian music scene that has drawn a loyal fanbase and given the band exposure in the punk scene and on some secular college radio stations.

Despite early reluctance by Tooth and Nail Records to promote the band, positive album reviews, persistant touring and word-of-mouth slowly boosted popularity and album sales. Over the past decade, Joy Electric has released at least one new recording a year, making it one of the most prolific acts in the scene. Only fellow synth-pop band The Echoing Green has racked up a similarly extensive discography and enjoys the same degree of popularity.

In addition to fronting Joy Electric, Martin is also the founder of Plastiq Musiq Recordings, an indie label whose roster consists primarily of experimental synth-pop bands, and has participated in at least one side project; alterna-pop band Shepherd.

Current Status

Active. Martin's latest album, The Otherly Opus, was released 20 March 2007. He and his brother Jason recorded an album together under the name The Brothers Martin, which was released in January 2007. Martin is also working with Fine China's Rob Withem on a new project called The Foxglove Hunt. Martin is reportedly already hard at work on the next Joy Electric album, aiming for a possible release before the end of 2007.

Discography