PERTURBATOR’S in the studio - and he’s going goth.
Is synthwave’s Parisian prince leaving the scene behind?
IN 2012, FRENCH musician James Kent changed the tone of the game with his ultra-slick synthwave project, Perturbator. Alongside the likes of Gost and Carptenter Brut, Perturbator challenged the preconception about what heaviness actually means, delivering dancefloor-filling bangers with a macabre heart and aesthetic lifted straight from an 80s sci-fi thriller. Almost a decade on, he’s ready to start another electro-revolution…
Five years between records is pretty crazy – especially when you’ve only been releasing music for eight years… “Its more like a three-year gap because of the 2017 EP [New Model], but a big part of it comes down to touring. Unlike other musicians I can’t just compose on the road – it’s very hard to get into the mindset. But it’s cool – that time allowed me to find a new sound and hone my skills.”
This year is 10 years since synth-led music exploded around the release of Drive. How do you feel about it all, looking back?
“I do feel like it’s showing its age. It’s been slightly over-saturated and has become a marketing gimmick with things like Stranger Things and Kung Fury adopting it.”
So it’s true you’re looking to ‘get away from synthwave’?
“I feel like I’ve said everything I want to say in synthwave. There’s still going to be elements of retro 80s-influences, but I wanted to find new ways of presenting that sound. There are a lot of people doing synthwave now and even though there are some awesome releases, it also got to a point where I just felt like, ‘OK, I’ve already written this track.’ I need more than just neon lights and palm trees, which is also why this time I’m going for an aesthetic that’s more Metropolis – 20s New York with a bit of art deco, fitting with the more industrial and goth influences.”
Excess kind of showed off that more industrial side to what you could do… “We released Excess because I wanted to see how people would react! People don’t like change, but they were onboard with it and interested in seeing what I could do in the post-punk/goth thing. It’s also something I’ve always loved – The Cure, Joy Division, early Killing Joke and Sisters Of Mercy… it’s me writing a love letter to that music that influenced me since I was a kid.”
Like the Ruin Of Romantics project? “Well, that project is still in its infancy; I just wanted to do some work alongside [Hangman’s Chair drummer] Mehdi Birouk Thépegnier and it’s been very refreshing to be playing in a band again! We did a full collaboration on one of the tracks from their last record [Tired Eyes from 2018’s Banlieue Triste] and now they’ll feature on this upcoming album, bringing things full-circle.
They’re one of my favourite French metal bands, currently.”
What does the title of the new album, Lustful Sacraments, mean to you? “There’s a theme to the record – it’s all the bad habits we have; gambling, addictions, lust… not exactly the seven deadly sins but similar, looking at stuff like drug addiction and alcoholism.
It’s looking at these feelings of self-destruction and with Lustful Sacraments I wanted it to have this biblical thing, almost like the Tower Of Babel, where the more of something good you get, the less meaning it has.”
What inspired those themes?
“There’s nothing in particular where I can say ‘this inspired me’. But I visited Las Vegas on one of our tours and found it so fascinating – it’s a place where people indulge so much in their stupidity, which I’m not saying is necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not a good thing either.”
How does the future look for Perturbator right now?
“Good! I’ve a lot of ideas for things
I’d like to try to do – making more ambient music and I’d love to make a film soundtrack. I got close once when I was approached by Netflix to make something, but it didn’t really work out. Weirdly, I don’t think many people are ready to have all-electro soundtracks but there’s definitely films out there – Colour Out Of Space and Uncut Gems – with trippy, weird soundtracks. Maybe I need to ask about [upcoming slasher] Halloween Kills!”
LUSTFUL SACRAMENTS IS DUE OUT LATER THIS YEAR VIA BLOOD MUSIC