IMA | lab No. 12

The Chicks on Speed are a multi-national art and music trio, who joined forces in the mid-1990s in Munich, where Melissa Logan, Alex Murray-Leslie and Kiki Moorse met during their studies at the Academy of Art. They began organizing parties and pop music inspired by electronic music, punk and DIY ethics.

The release of their first work came in 1997 on cassette; a year later they founded their first label »Go Records«, a precursor to the label »Chicks on Speed Records«, established at the turn of the century. The Ensemble’s lyrics express the rejection of existing artistic practice and traditional norms, as well as critique of the art business dominated by commercial interests and men.

Since the turn of the century they have held, among others, performances in established events venues, such as the TBA 21 in Vienna, the MOMAK in Kyoto, the Centre Pompidou in Paris as well as the Museum of Modern Art in New York. With their single, »Kaltes Klares Wasser«, a collaborative project with the Berlin band Malaria, which was released in 2001, the trio were in the German singlecharts for over several weeks.

The Chicks on Speed provide insights into their current work in an interview with Ludger Brümmer. They are presently working on a new album at the ZKM | Karlsruhe as guest artists.