We caught up with 700 Feel, LVRA, MEYY, Shelhiel, and gyrofield, who were just featured on Eastern Margins’ second compilation album, Redline Impact. This project embodies the philosophy that “All life tends towards entropy. Embrace uncertainty. Distortion is human.” It brings together 20 artists from 13 cities across 9 countries and 4 continents to create a fresh vision of electronic music originating from East and South-East Asia. Contributors to Redline Impact also include Billionhappy (London/Shanghai), G3GE (London/Shanghai), CLAIR (Melbourne) with dj g2g (Copenhagen), D V D (Melbourne), 1300 (Sydney), toxicdev! (Jakarta) and TOMOYU (Tokyo), DJ Love (Philippines), Reikko (Jakarta), SEBii (Shanghai), Yeek (Los Angeles), No_4mat (NYC) and PAS TASTA (Tokyo).
Building on the foundations laid by their first compilation, Redline Legends, which showcased electronic sounds unique to South-East Asia, Redline Impact refines this approach by incorporating dynamic sonic mutations across genres such as hip-hop, pop, ambient, dance, and alternative rock. It represents the rich diversity of narratives from the region and its diaspora.
The launch of Redline Impact coincided with Eastern Margins’ inaugural festival, Margins United, which took place on 28 September at EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) in London. This event celebrated alternative Asian culture in the UK and Europe, featuring performances by artists from the compilation, further bridging online stories into the real world.
How do the principles “All life tends towards entropy. Embrace uncertainty. Distortion is human” influence your approach to music within the ‘Redline Impact’ compilation?
gyrofield: Embracing uncertainty has been a big part in my stylistic progression in the past 2 years. I moved to more humanistic expressions in electronic music, and expressing a kind of naturalistic inevitability, like the calls of crows as your life flashes before your eyes. I believe you can express these things while making very digital music, too.
LVRA: Uncertainty leaves space for unpredictability, which leaves space for the novel and interesting. I think as members of society, we naturally tend toward ordered structures. Creativity is the randomness we generate that can result in growth and new mutations. This compilation to me is about embracing that philosophy in its full.
700 Feel: Chaos can be something to fear or harness/embrace. Things like imperfection, crudeness, and ugliness are beautiful. Be real and don’t compromise. That was our only approach.
MEYY: For me, these mantras illustrate the value of music in today’s world. I think the role of an artist boils down to interpreting beauty in a way so it can be demonstrated to others. I like to think of it like a beam of light hitting a prism. Vesseling and extrapolating a feeling so it can unlock emotions for others too. I think that’s really what it’s all about. I think our implicit rejection or restraint on “feeling or being emotional” (as i guess it’s become stigmatized as “weak”) has been affecting society on so many more levels than we initially thought. I’m not saying music is the final answer to heal the world lol but it is definitely one of the most accessible and powerful steps in the right direction.
Shelhiel: I guess finding beauty in the chaos in life? Love life and living yooo.
What inspired your contribution to ‘Redline Impact’, and how does your track reflect the diversity of sounds from East & South-East Asia?
LVRA: The track on this compilation is kind of joking with the idea that the daily slog of trying to break out of old habits can be changed with simply having gratitude. I feel like gratitude can be an excellent practice to improve our outlook on things, but ultimately we are still bound by the forces and structures around us. It samples UK breaks but at its core is lighthearted pop. I find the sounds coming from the ESEA community often blend electronic genres relentlessly – there’s a maximalism to the energy reflecting the societies themselves in full acceleration.
700 Feel: Wade through all the sparse distorted synths and aggressive bars, you might be able to hear that actual main rhythm of the beat was inspired by early 2000s Timbaland beats. I feel like that era of hip hop strikes a nerve in Asian diaspora. I kno that’s definitely true for Filipinos. From that base idea we were able to find something as Punk as it is Hip Hop as it is Electronic.
MEYY: I made this track with Gaiko, we’ve been making music together for years (he co-produced Pretty with me). We both have Asian roots and grew up in Brussels, not that this matters for this track specifically but it does bond us in a way, we get each other easily. The track was inspired by a scenic evening i had in Paris and we wanted the song to reflect the fun and glamor but also the heaviness that fogs the memory of evenings like these. It’s a universal theme but the diversity lies in the collaboration between the two of us. Musically, this song is a very honest and direct conversation between both our projects.
Shelhiel: My love towards jpop and kpop, and how i can present it from a SEA & Mpop perspective and still make it fresh.
With artists from 20 different backgrounds and cities, how did collaboration shape the final outcome of your track and the compilation as a whole?
LVRA: I never intended to release this track. Ultimately it was through touring and playing it whilst touring East Asia that I felt people really connected with it. In a way, this track and what it means to me has been shaped by the community.
700 Feel: Collaboration was the foundation for ‘Nike Soldier’. We first sketched out the idea with Nerdie during our artist residency with the Powerhouse museum in Sydney. As soon as we formulated the beat and he uttered the words that would be the title of the track we knew we’d have to get local punk veteran and Sydney legend Bayang on it as well. Bringing together, different parts of Sydney culture in this one track.
MEYY: So Gaiko and I went to the same high school together in Brussels (where he still lives) and we’ve been working together since we were like 17. So even though we worked on this song remotely, just by sending stuff back and forth, we have such a good understanding of collaborating by now that it never feels too distant.
Shelhiel: I think it’s a fantastic feast from all over Asia, all these cuisines are served together as the most exciting feast you will ever have.
‘Redline Impact’ is described as genre-defying and euphoric. How do you balance maintaining your unique sound while contributing to such a diverse project?
gyrofield: I thought this track was a good fit because of the combination of sounds in a deliberately abstract way. I’d describe it as Darkside-Electro. I come up with real one-off tunes all the time and those are great to pitch to places like Margins because I get to put out something new alongside artists I wouldn’t normally slot in with.
LVRA: The community and label that Eastern Margins has grown is truly one where no sound feels misplaced. As an artist you’re given full creative freedom to express – no matter how large or small. Naturally as artists we are drawn to the collective sound of each other’s music – I don’t think I had much concern that it wouldn’t make sense in the context of the others, which is quite remarkable given how diverse the sound is.
700 Feel: There was no balance we were trying to maintain while contributing. Our sound was our sound uncompromised. This just so happen to align with Redline’s principles and aesthetic.
MEYY: When it comes to creating a song or “sound” it’s not really a conscious or calculated thing, I guess it just happens. It’s the absence of approach or direction that I value the most in the first stages of making a song. I believe the balance is actually maintained in the opposite direction. EM have done an excellent job curating this project, and the diverse artists blend together sonically within the broad spectrum of EM’s sound.
Shelhiel: Sound selections and storytelling context, you can make a dnb track of “miaw miaw miaw miaw” and ppl still dance to it.
In what ways do you see ‘Redline Impact’ as an evolution from Eastern Margins’ first compilation, ‘Redline Legends’?
gyrofield: More bravado, energy and love in the vocalist performances definitely!
700 Feel: I guess the main most obvious evolution is the greater diversity in genres. The main principles of experimentation and fusion remain the same.
MEYY: Just the general growth that comes with time for EM as well as the artists. I think EM has been growing and establishing itself more every day and will continue to do so. So the impact and value of projects like these will naturally increase. I think that’s what’s so cool about EM. Everything is obviously very well thought out and planned but the resonance in the community is organic. You can feel this when you go to the events. They provided a space that people were looking for, a safe haven creation and exploring music is stimulated while feeling the excitement of the community.
Shelhiel: It’s gen 2.0 evolution into the 2nd phase of Pokémon.
What personal or cultural experiences did you draw upon when creating your music for this compilation?
gyrofield: The intensity and uncanny quality of dreams. The anxiety I experienced in strange imaginary spaces, being aware I’m dreaming and wanting to claw my way out. It’s equal parts escapism and a coping process.
LVRA: I think lack of gratitude may be a wider issue in my culture due to there often being relatively less communication within Chinese families versus what I’ve experienced in the UK with other friends. My experience growing up was to focus on improving, rather than appreciating.
700 Feel: Sydney and our different Asian experiences growing up in this city. Nerdie from his Korean background and ours and Bayang’s Filipino heritage. I think it’s safe to say we all have a love/hate relationship with this place.
KEYY: The song was written about a very fun and scenic evening I had during Paris Fashion Week. The evening was too silly not to romanticize into a song. I say silly because i think this is a big part of having fun – and in an elongation of that, pop music – seeing the playfulness in it all. The fantasy (or in this case the song) is more ‘serenadable’ than the actual situation. This is all in line with the ethos of my new EP our ‘wedding at the theatre’ which i’m in the middle of releasing right now actually, the full project drops on November 21st, I’ll be premiering it live at St Pancras Old Church.
Shelhiel: My love towards jpop/kpop girlgroups and boybands, and hyperpop superstars.
How does the DIY mentality associated with Eastern Margins’ philosophy influence your creative process?
gyrofield: I grew up listening to electronic music as an outsider with no real connection to the scene. DIY was my mandate and I was always learning how to create sounds like the ones I’d hear from mixes and tracks on Soundcloud. Even as I grew roots into the UK dance music scene I was very interested in finding alternative ways to achieve the sounds I knew and loved. So I would say the DIY mentality grew with me along with my connection with Eastern Margins!
LVRA: I am a DIY artist through and through – from the production to the creative visuals and live performance, I pretty much retain control of everything. That’s the case with so many artists nowadays because there’s far less hurdles to jump through to start making things happen.
700 Feel: 700 feel is and always has been DIY. We’ve always had a strong and very direct aesthetic from the start, both visually and musically. That’s something we’ve created ourselves and the opportunities and community that have come from our movement is off the strength of that.
KEYY: It’s where we’re at culturally now I guess with the music industry being burnt out and the supply demand chain being messed up – we need to be doing a lot ourselves and/or with our friends. Which is not always evident but is obviously benefiting or even creating culture and this compilation is a perfect example. It’s not just a curated platform, everyone lowkey knows everyone and I think this is because of the DIY era. There are fewer people so fewer “middle men” – it’s bringing people together.
Shelhiel: I’ve always been writing and producing my own tracks so this is just another day for me.
How do you see the fusion of different sounds and cultures, as represented in ‘Redline Impact’, shaping the future of electronic and alternative music?
gyrofield: It’s a fervent, loving representation blooming in electronic music. We are already seeing the rise of regional dance scenes outside the west. It gives a home and a spotlight to people who were largely outsiders to the traditions of electronic music. From South Africa’s Gqom to Amapiano, to Vinahouse, to China’s Deconstructed Club scene (genome 6.66mbp), to Filipino Budots.
LVRA: This is really only the beginning for electronic and alternative music in the ESEA community. What I love about is that it’s so global: the compilation is evidence of what’s possible when you have so many creative inputs in a system. I imagine it like a huge dataset that grows and grows – but of course there’s plenty uncertainty in it too.
700 Feel: It’s telling of where all the most interesting stuff is coming. I love everyone owning their cultures and incorporating sounds that are of that or nostalgic to those cultures. It’s where everything is headed. Growing up most of the stuff we all listened to when it came to the electronic/alternative space came from white dudes if were putting it plainly. That’s all we’ll and good but it’s I guess it’s refreshing to see how things sound coming from a different places
MEYY: Pop music is a reflection of pop culture. And I know this compilation is far from what is generally perceived as pop but a segway into the point I’m making in replying to this question, everything is melting together, genres are lowkey disappearing so everything is becoming ‘pop’. I think back in the day the only reason something was “pop” (so popular) is because it was just mass fed to people through different sources. But as big infrastructures (especially culturally) are slowly losing their power, the pyramid is more of a blob now where everyone can explore and find out what resonates with them. Which I think is a good thing because it requires people to be more conscious. Allowing us to explore “what we like” or “what makes us feel something” instead of just passively/distantly enjoying whatever is being mass produced. It’s a really good thing I think. Creating a space for yourself in which you feel enjoyment.
Shelhiel: Lets find a way to hack into the EDM sphere mainframe shall we, i want to play EDC with jedag jedug on mainstage
What do you hope listeners will take away from your track and the compilation as a whole?
gyrofield: The same feelings I got when I became connected with the Eastern Margins family: grand realization of the scale of the Asian community in music, a blessing of love from every artist and every song.
LVRA: I hope listeners open their mind to the evidence of change within the system. Whether or not its their taste, its fascinating how the sound evolves and like all music, will one day be a relic of the wider changes in society that are happening. I’m incredibly excited to see where it goes.
700 Feel: Appreciate underground art. Embrace the other. Stay real.
MEYY: I find it hard to answer questions that lay on the receiving end of my music in general, like how it is perceived etc. It’s something I rarely think about. But I hope it brings people a feeling whatever that may be.
Shelhiel: Find love and life in music.
Can you share your experience of performing your track from ‘Redline Impact’ at the Margins United festival in London?
gyrofield: Heads down, glued to the mixer, sweaty, delirious from the fierce strobes and blinding fog of a late night in Hackney. As it should be!
MEYY: The festival was honestly so fun. Very bright and exciting. For me it was a great way to get into my headline show.
Shelhiel: I haven’t performed this song but my set in London was phenomenal. really thank u EM for making this dream come true, i really love London lol.
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Redline Impact is out now: https://lnk.to/redlineimpact
