New track with Australian masterminds Bon Chat, Bon Rat. 

“As Sydney’s (and Australia in general) has finally set international roots in the ever-growing electronic scene, the former trio-now-duo Bon Chat, Bon Rat have grown fast after NFOP’s own monthly contributor Holly introduced us to them quite exactly a year ago. On their brand new single “Dust Proud” below, they also brought another East To West regular, Pepepiano into their dancy mess, and the result can be enjoyed exclusively below. An excellent quirky dance tune, if you prefer.” - No Fear of Pop

Crash Symbols - Dope Mountain Fuck Vol. 2
New PEPEPIANO track on “…the most nuanced and varied collection of songs to come bundled together in a long time. One of the best things about the compilation is that there’s no clean way to slice it, no quick way to boil it down.” -East Bay Express 

PEPEPIANO is a made up band name from David Bird’s past, plucked from his imagination to impress and perhaps perplex his schoolmates. Today, PEPEPIANO is this Cali native/Midwestern space argonaut/student of sound’s alias under which he produces some of the richest bedroom/laptop/electrospacefunk around. He’s also a lover of art, with an eye for envisioned futures of our not so distant past and contemporary disconnected narratives on the same theme. David’s taken some time before beginning his final year at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music to share with us a couple of his favorite visual artists, Kilian Engand Syd Mead.

I’ve read on your tumblr that Syd Mead was a family friend. What was it like growing up surrounded by his art, when at the time it wasn’t necessarily retro future but still very much future? What about it sparked your imagination?

What’s most immediately striking about Syd’s work is the pure functionality of his designs; I mean, I guess that’s why he was hired to do the early designs for Tron and Blade Runner. It’s that kind of attention to detail and faith in design which makes one’s initial subscription to the“Mead”-ideal so real and effortless. It’s the same sort of investment necessary for ones enjoyment of any piece of fiction–science fiction included.

His “A Portfolio of Probabilities,” commissioned by U.S. Steel, was something I encountered as a child, and I had a very viscerally inspiring experience mulling through them. I ended up using them for the cover of ‘Babes‘. The collection doesn’t allude to or get off on any common science fiction tropes, and I never experienced his work that way. Mead doesn’t propose a possibility of the future, he’s too confident. Mead’s art is more about design, highly rational, blueprints, single handed models of what, with any luck, might be down the road.

…and knowing the history of the steel industry soon after that commission; as if they were buying the inspiration. It’s so very (tragically) American, I can’t handle it.

How has Mead’s vision effected you as you began exploring sound as an art form of your own?

There’s a large element of fiction in my stuff, but there’s also a lot of nerdy musical quotes: truisms, in some sense. The balance is difficult I guess, but mostly it’s about making it all feel real, or functional in the same way Mead’s work operates. There’s a dickish persistence which sorta undermines all my stuff; I can’t explain it, but it’s there. I’d only hope it evokes a vivid enough environment that people can envision or involve themselves in (in much the same way Mead’s work creates such immediately plausible futures).

There is a distinct color palette used in most retro futuristic art that seems to be embodied by your sound, almost as if it could be its modern soundtrack. Was that ever a conscience effort?

I think a lot of my work w/r/t production comes from an interest in orchestration; Stravinskyand Berio’s work especially. For me, it encourages the type of color balance you’re talking about. But it’s more of an expectation for myself than a conscious effort, framed by things I’ve dug (or not dug) in the past, biased towards a sorta bold ideal, vivid and really saturated. It’s super powerful, or I suppose it can be. Color is super important.

Both Mead and Kilian weave rather complex visual narratives into their work, how do narratives come into play during your writing process?

I don’t use narrative as a formal device, and lyrically it’s devoid of it as well. But the lyrics in my tunes can often trigger a troublesome metaphor when positioned against its musical counterpart. I kinda get off on this stuff. It’s like an invented implementation of tastelessness weaved so tightly into the structure of a track that it often goes unnoticed. I see a similar shade of this when I see these paintings. Mead’s placing a white 1950s American family at the center of these futuristic ideals, while Kilian is playing with and distorting nostalgic devices, implanting darker themes at the heart of work. There’s nothing subliminal about it, but it gives it strong character.

Are there any other visual artists you’d like to collaborate with? Any dream collabs?

I’d love to work with Theo Anthony again, I think his music videos are super inspiring, and weirdly get at the heart of what PEPEPIANO is. Kilian also makes neat videos. Dream collab may be something with David Firth, but I might explode if that happens.

Images from top to bottom:

1. Title image: Kilian Eng - untitled
2. Kilian Eng – untitled
3. Kilian Eng – untitled
4. Kilian Eng – Dollhouse Journeys
5. Syd Mead – from USS: a portfolio of possibilities
6. Syd Mead – Water Sports from USS: a portfolio of possibilities
7. Syd Mead - Sentinel 400 Limousine from USS: a portfolio of possibilities
8. Syd Mead – Space Wreck from “Flight of Icarus”

Listen, stream, download several PEPEPIANO albums on bandcamp, explore more on tumblrand check out the end of summer 2011 mixtape he created for Think or Smile.

For lovers of the annual turning of the leaves, for those who revel in the crisp evening air, this time of year is welcomed with open sweater-clad arms. Heat seekers may not share our sentiment. But with any inevitable change it’s good to look back and pay homage to our warmer memories. PEPEPIANO, one of my favorite sonic space explorers, has been gracious enough to create this (end of) summer mixtape, and with it we bid a fond farewell to the heated sounds of 2011.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Think or Smile Mixtape: (End of) Summer 2011 – created by PEPEPIANO - Tracklist:

1. Isao Tomita – Electromagnetic Waves Descend
2. ViSIONAiR – TROLLS HAT
3. Chrome Sparks – All There Is (Feat. Steffaloo)
4. SLEEP ∞ OVER – Romantic Streams (BALAM ACAB)
5. Subvader – Make Love on the Moon
6. Nicolas Jaar – What My Last Girl Put Me Through
7. Salem – Tair
8. Purity Ring – Lofticries
9. D/R/U/G/S – Love/Lust (Keep Shelly in Athens Remix)
10. Ra Cailum – I Know That You’ve Known
11. Candyspilling – Epiclesis
12. PEPEPIANO – Graphic Adventure
13. Terry Riley – In The Summer

If aren’t already familiar with PEPEPIANO’s work, I highly recommend you do some exploring on his bandcamp and tumblr. And stay tuned next week for a look into some of the visual influences behind his sound.

Buy the super-limited cassette (with effusively brilliant album art by Matthew Zefeldt) NOW at Speaker Snacks Records, or name your price for the mp3s over at their bandcamp. 

Music produced and composed by David Bird 

speakersnacksrecs.bandcamp.com 

Cover art by Matthew Zefeldt (mathewzefeldt.com) 

Interior art by Diego Cohen (ladderofhealing.tumblr.com) 

Packaging design by www.figandfox.com 

Special thanks - Cole Hager, Sasha Jones, Asha Tamirisa, Jake Martin, Tyler Gryce and Theo Anthony.

WATCH THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR “Kevin’s Basement”

vimeo.com/27273170 (Directed by Theo Anthony)

<3’s

I’m pumped to announce a vivid new PEPEPIANO release entitled “KING”

Coming to yer internet and cassette deck August 18th

via ME and Speaker Snacks Recs

Cover art is by super-talented-painter-creator Mathew Zefeldt

Check out his work and buy his paintings. 

Also await some dope videos and stuff by Proxy Dreams

Crazy <3

-d

I’m ecstatic to admit, and prepare you for the wild-while video stylings of Theo Anthony AKA Proxy Dreams. He made a dope video for my brand new track “Kevin’s Basement” which will be premiering in the coming weeks. This also preps a brand new PEPE-release which will be announced soon. Stay tooned, and check out a dope screen grab below. 

it’s a crystal stalin in the desert. oh. my.

nostrangerfeeling:

No Stranger Feeling presents:

NO STRANGER SUMMER  | a mixtape

Time to pull the popsicles out of your pants and simmer down to this new mix I put together to satisfy your spacey summer vibes. Sweaty days got you stressed out? Nothing like a heavy dose of left-field pop to soothe your sunburns and cool your nerves. I hope your summer feels as strange as mine. Enjoy it, my friends.

Stream/download the continuous mp3 from Soundcloud. You can also find it lurking in the dark allies of cyberspace affectionately referred to as Mediafire. If you like what you hear, please support these fantastic artists by buying their music, attending shows, and of course, spreading the word!

1. unouomedude – “Frequency II” [00:13]           
2. Keep Shelly In Athens – “Song to Cheer You Up” [03:33]
3. Coma Cinema – “Shy Water” [06:46]
4. Eternal Summers – “Cog” [09:23]
5. Sunsquints – “Machu Picchu” [11:00]
6. Maria Minerva – “California Scheming” [14:11]
7. Raw Moans – “That’s Us/Wild Combination” [17:13]           
8. Witch Gardens – “Beach” [21:00]           
9. Monster Rally – “Surf Erie” [23:44]
10. Daniel Sex Jr. – “All the Way Down” [25:45]
11. Ghibli – “Suicide” [31:49]           
12. Pepepiano – “Catapult” [35:20]