All Things Electric: Together in Electric Dreams by Pete Mella     With All Things Electric going from strength to strength, we drag Ralph Parmar away from his Ralphettes for a quick chat. Even after a last minute switch from the Charles St club to Fez Club, there’s a great vibe at All Things Electric tonight.    The regulars have followed handy ATE arrows chalked on the pavement leading them from the usual venue, and the likes of Pink Grease and Hiem can be seen shaking their stuff on the dance floor to the electro-beat.    With a few helpers, the core behind ATE are DJs Jim Electric and Ralph & The Ralphettes, and visuals man General Electric, who makes the place his own with an impressive array of lights and multimedia projections.    Tonight, though, there was a special guest disc-spinner, in the shape of a certain Mr Philip Oakey. Ralph Parmar, who, as well as entertaining us with his wheels of steel also promotes the night, was obviously chuffed.    “The Human League are, and still are incredibly influential, both musically and aesthetically,” he says. “They showed that pop could be avant-garde, and that you could be wildly experimental but still have a catchy chorus.    “The fact that Phil not only endorses the night, but wants to be part of it is a great compliment. He played a brilliant set as well!”    As well as playing electronic songs, ranging from Bowie and Roxy Music, through 80s synthpop and right up to Fat Truckers, Kings Have Long Arms and Electric Six, ATE also features a live electronic act every month.    Tonight it was Paraguay McKenzie, who entertained the crowd with their own brand of electronic bleepery. Midnight in Moscow and NeuVogue have played before, and more bands are lined up.    “It has been interesting that since we started ATE, we have discovered that there are lots of bands making electronic music in Sheffield, but they haven’t had anywhere to play,” says Ralph.    ATE recognise the special place electronic music holds in Sheffield. As Ralph says: “musically, Sheffield is essentially an eccentric city. If you look at most of the bands that have came out of Sheffield in the past 20 years or so, such as Human League, Pulp, All Seeing I and even Pink Grease who are looking set to make it, they are all a bit bizarre to say the least.    “Even though it’s been done before, if you get an analogue synth and play around without, the sounds that come out will be weird. Sheffield is just a place where people make weird music.”    With the likes of Fat Truckers, Hiem and Kings Have Long Arms emerging from the Sheffield underground, it seems fitting for the city to have a club that will spearhead the new invasion of Steel City Synthpop, while never forgetting its glorious past. February 25, 2003 7:09pm