General Elektriks is the brainchild of RV Salters. A French national and ke… Read Full Bio ↴General Elektriks is the brainchild of RV Salters. A French national and keen vintage keyboard player (check the RV Music section for records he’s played on at www.general-elektriks.com), he initiated GE just before moving to San Francisco. Using a computer, his oldschool keys and a SM-57 mike, he started sewing together loops, Funky keyboard licks, ethereal melodies and digital tweaking. GE became a musical journal that followed RV through his move to Seattle, then back down to the Bay Area, Berkeley, where he currently resides. There, he started laying keys down for the Quannum crew. Quannum’s own Lateef The Truth Speaker and Chief Xcel returned the favor by guesting on GE. Consisting of 12 songs from the journal, ‘Cliquety Kliqk’ was first released in France by Bleu Electric, then picked up by Compost for Europe and by Quannum for the US.

Aesthetically, GE is a project that refuses to land in a particular bin at the record store. A mix of vintage sounds, hip hop beats, noir riffs, dreamy vocals, cinematic arrangements and digital twinkle, ‘Cliquety Kliqk’ embraces all of RV’s musical addictions. Radically new yet strangely familiar, General Elektriks is like a friend that you meet for the first time but feel like you’ve known all your life.

The Genius and the Gangster
General Elektriks Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's a real shame
how you do what you do
when you're done doing the things
that got us hooked
you know the things that got you famous
Was it you who came?
Or the man with the plans
that you're hiding in the glitter in your eyes

Cooking up a new lie
I don't really wanna know
I wouldn't want to spoil the show

I wish you success but I must confess
You're a genius and a gangster
I wish you success but I must confess
You're a genius and a gangster

In the distance lies a town set ablaze
by a man spitting fire when he talks
the ground shakes when he walks
now he's at your door
and the floor crackles, and the air sizzles
the handle is red hot
you take a step back in amazement
Are you gonna open the door?
You wouldn't want to spoil the show?

I wish you success but I must confess
You're a genius and a gangster

I wish you success but I must confess
You're a genius and a gangster

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of General Elektriks' "The Genius and the Gangster" convey an enigmatic narrative that centers around the idea of fame, power, and duplicity. The song begins with a lamentation over the singer's disillusionment about the actions and behavior of an individual who got famous for his/her deeds. The lyrics suggest that the person in question might have achieved fame through deceit and manipulation, or that they are hiding something behind their "glittering" facade. However, the singer is not interested in finding out the truth, nor do they want to spoil the show.

The second verse takes a turn, introducing a new character who seems to be even more powerful and menacing. The lyrics portray this character as someone who "spits fire" and "shakes the ground" with their presence. The singer is confronted with the choice of either facing this person or hiding behind a facade. The implication is that this new character might be the true source of the other individual's power and fame, making them a "genius and a gangster."

Overall, the song seems to question the morality and integrity of those who seek power and fame, suggesting that these things often come at a great cost and may require people to sacrifice their true selves.

Line by Line Meaning

It's a real shame
The situation is regrettable

how you do what you do
Your behavior is disapproved

when you're done doing the things
After you have finished doing what you do

that got us hooked
That captivated our attention

you know the things that got you famous
You are aware of the actions that brought you stardom

Was it you who came?
Did you come by yourself?

Or the man with the plans
Or was it the man with the strategies?

that you're hiding in the glitter in your eyes
That you are concealing in the shine of your eyes

Cooking up a new lie
Devising a fresh untruth

I don't really wanna know
I am not interested in finding out

I wouldn't want to spoil the show
I do not want to ruin the performance