“I’ve left the London madness to hit the reset button and compose new music in a tiny village in the Swiss Alps.”

— Mitch von Arx

Pyramids. Jagged teeth pushing through immaculate skies. The ever-changing light. The expansive sense of freedom. The wide open spaces. The textured landscape seen from above. Mountains. Watchful and immobile for thousands of years, weathering seasons, transcending change.

It's December 2016. I've left the London madness to hit the reset button and compose new music in a tiny village in the Swiss Alps. I'm over 10,000 feet high, it's minus 15 degrees and the snow is scintillating under a rich blue sky. I turn around and suddenly this gigantic pyramid-shaped peak is towering over me, staring me in the face. Mind blown. Senses overwhelmed. Perspective. Lightbulb moment. I have my album concept.

I wanted to put into sound my cathartic experiences of the mountains. Every track title was chosen before composing. The title would be a catalyst for visual memories, narrative and overall vibes. I continued developing the tracks on occasional trips to Switzerland, but mainly back in the gritty habitat of London's Hackney Wick. The urban-nature contrast had an impact on the music too.

I use a lot of found sound, stuff I have collected over the years, and a lot of resampled guitar sounds and textures. I love imperfections in sound. Detuned synths. Distortions and glitches. Rhythmic flutters and percussive frenzy. 'Manual' cut-ups. I love moving to house and disco and getting lost in the more melodic side of techno. I love polyrhythms and melodic counterpoints. I love the energy and rawness of a live rock band. I channel all this to create my own sonic palette.

-mitch von arx

More information: projectmooncircle.com/releases/mitch-von-arx-pyramids/

Releases August 28, 2018

Rhys Fulber is one of the world’s most accomplished electronic producers. Throughout his 20+ year career, he has contributed significantly to the Industrial/EBM genre and it’s evolution. Fulber has an extensive oeuvre; from his innovative artistic collaborations with Bill Leeb (known predominantly as Front Line Assembly, and also as Delerium, Noise Unit, Intermix, and many others) to his work as a producer for bands such as Youth Code, Paradise Lost, and Fear Factory (Most notably on the genre defining DEMANUFACTURE album). He also works under the name Conjure One, which is a cinematic solo project that features collaborations with vocalists such as Sinead O’Connor and Leigh Nash.

YOUR DYSTOPIA, MY UTOPIA is the first album produced by Fulber for Sonic Groove and an impressive follow up to his highly celebrated 12'' REALISM released last year. This album consists of nine expertly crafted tracks calculated and arranged in a sequence to communicate ever evolving moods for the dance floor.

The opening track COGNITIVIA is a cerebral journey composed of superior orchestrations of sound and industrialized cryptic vocals personified by symmetrical broken beats. The tracks that follow exhibit some of the most compelling industrialized and EBM infected Techno ever put to vinyl. The tracks MY CHURCH and YOU CAN KILL are imminent future anthems, deconstructing the rules for techno and reinventing them with future EBM potential.

As the navigation into the void continues, Fulber’s artful dystopic atmospherics magnify the listener’s perception. The sonic excursion is unwavering in its approach, offering the type of transmission that matches cinematic sound design with pure underground dance floor mechanics, melding them into a sci-fi auditory narrative. There are definite dark EBM elements inside the tracks CREOSOTE, INHABITS ETERNITY, and ANHEDONIA that will satisfy the discerning listener’s need for innovation. Dance floors will be sure to ignite with tracks THE SICK and LIMITED VISION which perfectly balance with the elements of purist Techno and experimental Industrial.

YOUR DYSTOPIA, MY UTOPIA is as impressive as it is essential. This illustrious installment into the Sonic Groove catalog is sure to be received as one of the most intelligent audio excursions for the label.

Released May 21, 2018 via Sonic Groove

Mitch von Arx - Pyramids [Project Mooncircle]

Rhys Fulber - Your Dystopia, My Utopia [Sonic Groove Records]