Pixelord drops new LP, "Human.exe"

“Human.exe” is the new LP taken from cyber-futurism experimental electronic artist Alexey Devyanin aka Pixelord slated for release on the 23rd September via Hyperboloid Records. Pixelord has garnered previous support from the likes of Pitchfork, Resident Advisor, Thump, FACT, Boiler Room, has played at Berghain, Talinn Music Week, Electric Castle alongside The Prodigy, State-X New Forms with James Blake and Dark Star, toured the US and China extensively, remixed everyone from 813, Machinedrum, Eprom, Herobust, Ryan Hemsworth and released music for tastemaker labels such as Error Broadcast, Leisure System, Infinite Machine and Hit & Hope to critical acclaim.

Alexey Devyanin is at the forefront of an ever-evolving Russian scene that many consider one of most exciting musical developments in recent years. Pixelord sits among a current wealth of producers where sound dominates over genre, mashing elements of Futuristic Bass, Footwork, Garage and Grime together into a unique take on bass music. In 2014 Pixelord performed at the first ever Boiler Room in Russia and in 2015 collaborated with Marcos Zotes to make the soundtrack for a video mapping installation in Moscow.

Described by Resident Advisor as chameleonic, due to his diverse range and ability to conjure such unique sounds and characteristics, Moscow’s Pixelord takes things even further with latest LP “Human.exe” delivering soundscapes of a dystopian future echoing otherworldly sounds tailor-made for Chris Cunningham and science fiction cult classic “Blade Runner”. Drawing influence from the likes of Aphex Twin, Mark Pritchard, Clark and LORN, the LP is tough and touching in the same breath using his cyborg ‘Human.exe’ to express his emotions, creating robust rhythms merging elements of bass, IDM and future beats to take you onto a journey through this pixelated and warped sonic dimension.

Alexey explains: “‘Human.exe’ is about a robot who wants to be a human but still he is a program, exe file. The video will be about this particular robot too. My music was always retro futuristic and nostalgic about old computers and systems, this time as well .exe is the reference to my childhood, Idm music, DOS programs and cyber romanticism.”.

EXCLUSIVE: We caught up with Dutch duo DOOXS

We caught up with DOOXS, two girls from Rotterdam, creating icy electronics with an ethereal atmosphere. Djoeke’s airy, light vocals drift on top of the dark synths, minimal beats and deep basses produced by Aniek (aka ANIK). Only around since 2015, they sat together and wrote their single ‘Nude’ in a single afternoon, then started gigging almost right away and have since already played at Eurosonic Noorderslag this year. Their music video was released in May and the upcoming EP will be released in October.

Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?

As we're practically always together, today is no different. We're adjusting and tweaking our music together. Just to give you a picture, Aniek's home is a no-bedroom apartment, with almost nothing besides music equipment in it. We're drinking fancy teas and try on each others clothes in the process.

To those not familiar with you, how would you describe your sound?

We make kinda dark music, it's electronic and quite reverby. Beat-wise we're inspired by hip hop, r&b and some triphop things but also listen to a lot of techno and experimental music which shines through at times. We like it really bass-heavy! Our music follows quite poppy structures, with verses, pre-choruses and choruses. Then on top of this, the centrepiece, Djoeke's lush and dreamy melodies.

What are the 5 most influential albums that have influenced you the most?

There is so much music that influences us, and it is quite different for both of us. Some albums can inspire you to get into music in the first place, like Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works and Jon Hopkins - Immunity. Production wise we are really inspired by this.
Then there is music that is more like, hey, this is so cool, we want to do something like that as well. Which we really had with The Knife - Deep Cuts. Of course FKA Twigs - LP1 is a perfect example of a good combination of electronics with more pop-oriented vocals and her sensuality is just amazing, for some reason this just seems to resonate with us. It has similar, slower beats and vocals and both albums have great production in their own way. Howling - Sacred Ground for songwriting inspiration and also their amazing mix of electronics with singer songwriter music.

Which other artists are you into at the moment and why?

Andy Stott is just great and we love tracks like Hatch The Plan and his most recent one Butterflies. We think Spooky Black's - Without You is some kind of blueprint for our style.

We listen a lot to artists like High Klassified, Nosaj Thing, Mono/Poly for beat inspiration, but then we listen to Howling, Moderat and the like more for the combination of electronics with songs and how they do it. Recently we discovered Samaris, they do really nice things with creating atmospheres with their vocals.

Are there any key pieces of equipment that you are using to define your sound?

Ableton is our baby, Aniek uses it a lot to resample Djoeke's vocals, reverse them and do all kinds of weird things to them, then push them to the back of the mix awash with reverb. We are also major fans of the Prophet V, from which we unfortunately cannot afford the hardware version, but we're using the softsynth a lot. Besides the 808-ish kicks we like to use weird percussion sounds in the background as well.

What would you say some of the challenges artists face today in the music industry?

Because internet has democratized the music industry, suddenly everyone is a producer, DJ or has an electronic act. This is great, there are so many good and talented people now having a chance, and there are no gatekeepers anymore. However, there are so many, it's so hard to stick out. Moreover, it seems that the people who are good at doing branding and marketing themselves get more success and that it is not always about the music. You have to be able to do everything yourself, promotion, marketing, music, production, songwriting, administration stuff etc. It's overwhelming sometimes.

Where do you gather songwriting inspiration?

The lyrics from the upcoming EP are not really based around stories but random thoughts on struggles that are autobiographic. It's often about vulnerability, sensuality, insecurity, anxiety and letting things go. Sometimes you can get inspired by one word or theme around which you can build a song.

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when put music together?

Initially Djoeke just wrote the lyrics and melody, and we would sit together to see where we could get it, building the track around it. However, we want to experiment more with doing things the other way around and are also aiming to write tracks that are more suitable for live performance.

What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?

We've played Eurosonic Noorderslag this year, which was really amazing because it was a huge opportunity for us as we're just starting out. However our most recent gig at De School, Amsterdam was really amazing as we really had the feeling that our music resonated with people in the audience which was a great feeling.

And the worst?

The worst we've ever done was for an employee event of a bank. We were hired to do a show in the evening, but were transferred to 9 in the morning which well, does not really suit our music... We felt greatly misplaced.

If you weren't a musician what would you be?

Considering the fact that we collected a significant amount of speeding fines on our way to gigs, we might consider a career as a racing driver duo.

Do you have any particular gigs or festivals that you dream about playing?

Sonar! We dream about going there, but playing there would be even more amazing. Inside the Netherlands we would love to play at Pitch Festival, we have been visiting every year and just love the inspiring vibe.

If you could perform alongside any other band or artist, who would it be?

Spooky Black, his I don't give a shit attitude is so cool.

Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

We're planning to release our EP in October, preceded with a single in September. We can't wait to share it with the world.

Follow:
https://www.facebook.com/dooxsofficial/

Die Antwoord Announce Tour

After releasing a mixtape last month called Suck on This, Capetonian group Die Antwoord announce they're going on tour in support of the tape and to promote their forthcoming album, We Have Candy, the follow-up to 2014's Donker Mag.

Find the full itinerary below.

07-14 Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Amphitheater

07-15 Redmond, WA - Grand Chapiteau at Marymoor Park

07-29 St. Paul, MN - Myth

08-10 Budapest, Hungary - Sziget Festival

08-12 Saalburg Ebersdorf, Germany - Sonne, Mond, and Sterne

08-13 Almeria, Spain - Dream Beach Villaricos

08-14 Landerneau, France - Fete du Bruit

08-16 Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen

08-18 Kiewit Hisselt, Germany - Pukkelpop

08-20 St. Poelten, Austria - Frequency

08-22 Prague, Czech Republic - Žluté Lázně

08-24 Zurich, Switzerland - Zurich Openair

08-26 Reading, England - Reading Festival

08-27 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival

09-21 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

09-22 Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Palladium

09-23 Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory

09-26 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre

09-27 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater

09-28 El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls

10-02 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom

10-07-09 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits

10-09 Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works

10-10 Columbus, OH - EXPRESS LIVE!

10-11 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom

10-12 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom

10-14 Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre

10-15 Detroit, MI  - The Fillmore Detroit

10-16 Toronto, Ontario - Sound Academy

10-17 New York, NY - Terminal 5

10-20 Boston, MA - House of Blues Boston

10-21 Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theatre

10-22 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory

10-23 Washington, DC - Echostage

10-25 Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte

10-26 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle

10-27 Birmingham, AL - Iron City

Glastonbury pays homage to David Bowie, Prince and Lemmy

Glastonbury has turned this year’s Pyramid Stage into a homage to the late David Bowie, who died in January aged 69.

The stage has been decorated with Bowie’s Aladdin Sane lighting bolt – which the artist famously sported on his face for the cover of his classic 1973 album Aladdin Sane.

The sculptor, Joe Rush, has also crafted a statue of Prince to adorn the Park area of the stage. Rush has also paid tribute to late Motörhead frontman Lemmy with an ‘Ace of Spades’ sculpture on the Other Stage.

Watch the festival goers’ Bowie singalong below.

Exclusive: We interviewed Bristol band KAMINO

We caught up with Ed Taylor from Bristol alternative rock four piece, KAMINO who have shared their debut track “Antidote” (great title by the way!) last year to talk about their musical influences, gigs experiences and their plans for the near future! Find out below...

Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?

I’m doing great following a run, and am currently looking out upon a rain-tinged country suburb of our hometown Bristol, listening to the wonderful Biffy Clyro.

To those not familiar with KAMINO, how would you describe your sound?

Alternative rock is the general umbrella under which Kamino falls, but there’s a few extra twists here and there. There’s a lot of different sounds and influences that go into the mix, from which the end product is a vocal-led, riff-driven, synth and orchestral-infused wall of sound. It’s “raw yet polished” - we ensure that our recordings and live performances are at the highest possible standard, but with a dark, punk-esque “raw” edge to them.

What are the 5 albums that have influenced you the most?

It’s quite difficult to pin down specific albums as we all share a love for many artists & genres, but have a lot of individual tastes too. For me personally, Muse’s ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ was one of the first rock albums I bought and is still one of my favourites - it encouraged me to aim high as a writer, creatively and sonically. Most of their early back catalogue shaped my early music tastes, to be honest. For the synth-led element, Pendulum and Enter Shikari - that fusion of rock and electronic sounds. Queens of the Stone Age - again pretty much their entire back catalogue, they’re a huge influence to us in terms of sound, creativity, live performance. But there’s so much outside of the modern rock scene too. I remember hearing ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ for the first time, with the lights turned out and headphones at full volume. I grew up on a mix of Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Roxette, a lot of 80s music. I’ll listen to mostly anything and enjoy a great amount of it too.

Which other artists are you into at the moment and why?

As mentioned earlier I’m enjoying the new Biffy Clyro tracks - they’re a favourite of several of us in Kamino and I’m really looking forward to the album. Foals are another, having had an album out last year which we loved. It’s not a surprise to see them starting to headline festivals, it’s been building to that for a while - they’re fantastic live. In a slight twist of genre Sia is a big influence - for me she’s one of the best vocalists around, and her live set at Coachella was simply stunning. Her writing is superb and there are so many layers to her music - it’s really creative and it’s something we aspire to do with our music: mixing great melodic ideas with lots of interesting things going on underneath.

Are there any key pieces of equipment that you are using to define your sound?

We’re very much utilising technology for the synth and orchestral elements of our tracks in particular, both in the studio and live, as well as with the vocal parts - we use a lot of gang vocals, layered harmonies. This makes it possible for the songs to sound as big on stage as they do on record, despite there only being four of us. We also love to get creative with guitar/bass tones, the use of different pedals etc.

Where do you gather songwriting inspiration?

Lyrically a lot of it is very personal and based on my own emotions - what I feel, think and see. I like to pour these feelings and experiences into songs using a theme, or metaphor, as the central figure, but in such a way that the true meaning is disguised a little, and more open to interpretation. Alongside the very personal I also like to muse on bigger concepts - politics, the ways and means of the world, the unknown, conspiracy, history and myth. There are some quite mind-blowing stories and facts out there and they make really good cores for songs.

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when put music together?

They can stem from a title, a drum beat, a lyric, a riff, a vocal melody - absolutely anywhere. Sometimes songs just arrive from the ether, sometimes you have to work at them for a while. I get the structure down and get it demoed in full - I write all the parts, incorporate all the layers. Lyrically I tend to finish things a little later, once the instrumental aspects are down, although I already have a theme and usually a few lines or sections in place. Once the demo is down in full this gets taken to the rehearsal studio - we work on it as a group and eventually the song ventures out live and on record a little further down the line. It's a process that's always worked for me as a writer and for us as a band - going through those stages to take the best possible track into the studio to lay down a final version.

What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?

Our launch show at The Exchange in Bristol was a great success, it's a favourite venue of ours in our home city. We pulled a busy and lively crowd and it was really great to put our music out there for the first time. We spent a good few months fresh from the studio putting Kamino together and getting a video released for our first track ’Antidote’, so it was amazing to see it all culminate with a really successful show, and feel that buzz around the place from people hyped to see what Kamino was about.

And the worst?

In all honesty we’ve not really had a worst, so to speak. You get the odd technical issue here and there but I think if you dwell on those moments, which are often pretty insignificant to a show as a whole, you’d never enjoy it. Generally people always approach us after our set to pay compliments - there's not really much of a better feeling than that. They're under no obligation to come over and do that, so it always means a lot to hear it.

If you weren't a musician what would you be?

When growing up I always wanted to be a professional footballer. I’ve still got a pretty good eye for a pass but I don’t think I was ever quite good enough. I’d love to be a manager though. If I’m watching a game I tend to spot tactical things, I notice where a substitution should take place and who should be involved and five minutes later it happens. So I think I’d be quite good at that. I heard Man Utd were looking but they went for Jose instead. Shame...

Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

We’re currently hard at work on putting everything together to release our debut EP. You can definitely expect some very cool things to be announced pretty soon on that front, and we're definitely intending to put together a run of shows to promote the EP. Our next gig is on Friday 10th June at The Mother’s Ruin in Bristol, with our friends in IDestroy.  

Follow:

https://www.facebook.com/KaminoUK