my robot friend

Originating in New York City as an electro-pop endeavor, My Robot Friend revolves around performance artist and producer Howard Robot. Born Howard Rigberg, he drew inspiration from Devo, Kraftwerk, and the Pet Shop Boys before issuing his debut full-length album, Hot Action!, in 2002. Initially offered through self-release channels, that project yielded the singles "The Fix," "Walt Whitman," and "Why Won't You Call Me Back?" before Proptronix handled a 2004 reissue. The Scottish imprint Soma Quality Recordings then put out the 2006 follow-up, Dial 0, which incorporated multiple guest contributions, among them a vocal turn by Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons on the track "One More Try," along with renditions of Luna's "23 Minutes in Brussels" and Blondie's "Rapture." Soft-Core arrived in 2009 via Double Feature Records as yet another joint venture, spotlighting guitar work from Dean Wareham of Luna and Galaxie 500, vocals by Alison Moyet of Yazoo, and drumming by Joey Waronker of Beck and R.E.M.; the album advanced the single "Robot High School." Beyond the studio, My Robot Friend maintains a reputation for stage appearances conducted inside a custom-built robot suit fitted with illuminated elements.