The sister that Lilith forgot, Angelique will redefine girl power on her own terms this summer. |

A musical tomboy with an electronica-infused debut disc, titled Present, currently collecting dust for Red Ant Records, Angelique will head out on the road next week for a well-timed firecracker explosion that will take her through small clubs up and down the West Coast in support of Present.

After years of rocking out in virtual obscurity, Angelique emerged four years ago when her band, the London-based Indians, recorded the title track for the film Kalifornia as well as "Bed of Roses" for the multiplatinum Reality Bites soundtrack. Cursed with the "compilation band" title, the Indians split up two years ago and Angelique returned to her hometown of Los Angeles for a fresh start. What followed was a well-deserved string of good luck that ultimately resulted in Present -- the indie answer to Madonna's Ray of Light.

"I think there is universal synchronicity, and it's hard to have an original idea," Angelique told JAMTV when asked about the similarities between Present and other electronic-based albums with an emphasis on haunting vocals and distinct dance beats. "They say that when electricity was discovered, other people discovered it in different parts of the world at the same time."

Sparks certainly began to fly in Southern California last year when Angelique announced she was looking for collaborative help with her first album. Jamie Muhoberac, who played keyboards for Seal and the Rolling Stones, joined former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna on the project, which Angelique co-produced with Dave Jerden (Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers). In addition, the DJ-come-diva assembled wayward members of the Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette camps to contribute a certain female flair.

However, the feminine mystique has become somewhat of a curse for Angelique, who said she encounters sexual discrimination nearly every day in rock 'n' roll spheres. "A lot of radio stations wouldn't play (the first Present single, "Numbers") because they were already playing the new Garbage single, and they said they wouldn't play more than one female at a time."

Not one to let preconceptions and misconceptions stand in her way, Angelique draws strength and inspiration from her earliest work as a female DJ in the male-dominated Southern California rap and hip-hop scene, her travels overseas and her reincarnation as a rock guitarist. The adventures, the people and the mistakes, she says, have all contributed to the sound of Present.

"If I just lived in L.A. my whole life, my writing would be very dimensional," she said. "I'm into going further with music and becoming more futuristic rather than chasing the Beatles." (Anni Layne)