Having caught the attention of Canadian listeners with their full length debut, Galore, in 2007, Dragonette returned last fall with Fixin To Thrill, an album that stayed true to their electro-pop roots but displayed a brand new edge that saw the band bring an unbridled enthusiasm to their music.  Enter: this year’s remix album, Mixin To Thrill, the group’s third record that contains three original songs and seven remixed tracks that have been responsible for introducing a new type of audience to the Toronto three-piece.  Prior to their sold out show at the Mod Club last week, AUX caught up with Dragonette to talk about their place in the Canadian underground, why remixes deserve their own platform and the evolution of women in music.

AUX TV: When you first came out with Galore in 2007, the Canadian electronic scene didn’t seem as prevalent as it does now.  Do you feel as though you’re finally getting the recognition you deserve?

Martina Sorbara: Not really.  It’s a weird thing in Canada because it’s like as soon as you begin to get radio play, you get labelled a pop act and it’s like you lose your credibility – so you’re not considered “cool” in the underground scene anymore.  It’s a really weird thing.

Joel Stouffer: Yeah, when Fixin to Thrill came out last year, it didn’t even get reviewed – none of the music sites or magazines reviewed us.

MS: It’s like as soon as you get mainstream radio play, they don’t really want to touch you – it seems like they don’t want to commit one way or another just in case either way.  . . . But then we play shows in the US, and we’re considered underground there, so they’re finding out about us through blogs and whatnot, and we’re labelled a “blog band” – but we’re playing the exact same music as we do here.  It’s very strange.

. . . But it’s not like Canada hasn’t given us any recognition – Canada’s seriously been great, and its audiences are awesome.  It’s just that we’re not underground, but we’re not top 40, so it’s almost like we’re an “in-between band” or something.

AUX TV:  How do you think remixes have influenced your listenership?

JS: Honestly, we wouldn’t have much of the audience we do if it weren’t for the remixes.  We actually recently played a couple dates in Australia, and one of those was at a festival that mostly features hardcore electro artists and DJs.

MS: Yeah, it’s our remixes that have caught people’s attention and gotten them into the band.  Because they hear the remix and want to hear what else the band’s done, and then –hopefully – they like what they hear so they keep listening.

AUX TV:  The track “Our Summer” stays true to Martina’s tendencies to give the band a strong female voice.  Do you think this generation of female musicians maintains a sense of empowerment?

MS: Well, after artists like Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos came out, it was almost like singers like Britney Spears were afraid or something, so they hid behind [sexy lyrics] “oh baby” and just wanted that kind of attention.

. . . [But] I think Lady Gaga is great.  The fact that she just does what she wants, and she’s doesn’t always have to be pretty – it’s so awesome.  And she’s still feminine, but she dresses up in whatever and doesn’t make apologies – she’s just fearless.

AUX TV: Joel, how has being in a band with a strong female voice affected you and Dan?

JS: For [Dan and I], getting dressed up and looking good during a show is a relatively new concept.  Before [Dragonette], we played shows in like, jeans [and] t-shirts, and we didn’t care because putting on something that looked good made it seem like we weren’t as serious [about being musicians].  But now it’s like we can put on nice pants and shirts and look “good” – because we are serious musicians – but we also get to have more fun.

But seriously – it’s great because we’d never backed a female lead before, so it’s awesome to see [Martina] in that strong role, just rocking out on stage.

AUX TV: What changes as a band are reflected most in Mixin to Thrill?

MS: I’d say confidence.  . . . Before, we would’ve been like, “well should we [release a remix album] or should we wait?” but now we’re not afraid, so we just go for it.

JS: We’re all seasoned musicians – we’ve all played in bands before and have been doing this for a relatively long time, but we’re an adolescent band.  But since we’ve been doing this a while, we’re not as worried to take risks and to have fun.