In the video for “Svp3rm4nspr34d3r,” Glied teams up with JIPS (José Palacio), a Colombian visual artist renowned for his exploration of altered states of consciousness and the unknown realms of reality via new media and traditional painting. JIPS’s AI-enhanced visuals and digital sketches deliver a haunting and hallucinogenic perspective of what he dubs the manspreader’s natural domain, the Berlin U-Bahn.
Glied, the new alias for the Berlin-based DJ, sound artist, and composer Exildiscount, debuts with the two-track EP “Gone Viral” on their new label Unboxing Shadows. This inaugural release marks a fresh artistic direction, hinging on a self-imposed rule to solely employ hardware synthesizers and drum machines for creation — not as an ode to purist grandstanding or equipment obsession but as an experiment in how self-imposed limitations can ignite inventive sparks. This approach birthed a gritty “kraut disco” sound, a blend of cyclical, mind-warping sequences with the poignant tones of EBM.
The EP’s tracks, “Svp3rm4nspr34d3r” and “Careful with that .exe Eugene,” echo the zeitgeist of their inception — an era riddled by pervasive unease and seclusion. While the constant rhythm and looping bass of “Svp3rm4nspr34d3r” may offer solace, the track’s unsettling drones and stark modulations sketch out a grim ambience reflective of the battles between hope and despair in that period.
Reflecting on the creation of the music video, Glied remarks, “As the track titles ‘Svp3rm4nspr34d3r’ and ‘Careful with that .exe Eugene’ suggest the music on ‘Gone Viral’ was profoundly influenced by the time it was created in a time of overwhelming uncertainty and isolation. While the steady beat and the repetitive bass sequence of Svp3rm4nspr34d3r might usually offer some comfort, the addition of dissonant drones and harsh modulations creates a darker soundscape evoking a seemingly endless struggle between hope and despair. Shortly after the track was finished, I had the basic idea for the music video: a walk through a never-ending, empty U-Bahn – the descent into madness through a rabbit hole of post-pandemic signs of civilisation. But it’s only through the fantastic work of JIPS – whom I met by coincidence in Görlitzer Park one summer evening – that Svp3rm4nspr34d3r got the psychedelic video it deserves.”
“Glied’s original video footage of a deserted U-Bahn served as the foundation for me to embark on a profound artistic adventure. Within the intricate realm of artificial intelligence (A.I.), I meticulously sculpted and refined the footage through numerous iterations, giving rise to a visually trippy experience that boldly transcends conventional boundaries.
I used the rhythm of the music as a guiding force so that the visual elements generated by the code would synchronize seamlessly with the audio, resulting in a harmonious convergence of sound and image.
This unique method of artistic expression further blurs the lines between traditional mediums, showcasing a new connection between technology and transcendental vision. What emerges is not merely a video but an entirely new and immersive encounter outside the realm of reality.
Driven by a profound fascination with the visualization of altered states of consciousness, my goal was to interweave the ethereal with the fabric of perceived reality, transforming the original U-Bahn video into a psychedelic odyssey through the mythical Berlin underground.”
For Exildiscount, the impetus behind establishing Glied was to satiate a curious affinity for the bizarre, musing over the necessity of a band with the moniker “Glied” (“member”). Any perceived nuance regarding delicate masculinity or male vulnerability invoked by the term’s discomforting resonance is, of course, purely by chance.
Glied marks a conscious departure for Exildiscount from digital composition to tactile music-making with hardware synths and drum machines, driven not by conformity to trendy elitism but by a journey to discover how deliberate creative confines can fuel innovation. This method yielded a raw form of “kraut disco,” an amalgamation of hypnotically rhythmic sequences tinged with dark, EBM melancholia.
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Upcoming Events
Renate Klubnacht @ Renate
Red Room floor takeover: Unboxing Shadows – w/Cristian Zanotti, Salto Honduras & Glied
ra.co/events/1820631
Saturday, Feb 10, 2024
“Gone Viral” is out now via Unboxing Shadows: listen.lt/GliedGoneViral
