As I recently start adding more content about different sphere of art on my blog... I decided to add one more that always inspires me and keeps me going; music.
Therefore, today's blog post will be dedicated to an artist and a friend whose music brings back good memories and good moods.
Since my first contact with his music, and the project named neon shudder, I became a fan. Though... I must say that at first I was being a bit skeptical and hoped it's not one more new retro wave labeled crap because 90% sounds the same to me (sorry people)... And luckily, it wasn't. JHM/signal.run creates music the way he feels and the way he is inspired at certain moment. In his work the variety of genres can be found. From 80s electro, synth, industrial, ambient... till new age minimal experimental sounds. Despite all that, JHM/signal.run music is highly influenced by old school console games, and what used to be considered as cyberpunk end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s. Music that back then would hit pages of Mondo 2K.
Those who follow JHM/signal.run's work know that he has several different projects behind his name. Also, Sig (that's what I call him) wrote an amazing short cyberpunk novel that follows the album Cadence by neon shudder (you can check the preview here). And as addition to all this comes the release of his album NODAL POINT GANG by low.poly.exception.
"We will become a part of our greatest creation to escape the misery of our tragic surroundings you are one wi-fi signal away from your true self in these trying times there’s net or nothing."
For today's blog post I’ve done a short interview with Sig, as a way of presentation of his amazing work, and upcoming first ever compact disc on September 22nd.
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Hey Sig... it's been a while. How have you been? The countdown for the new CD release has started. Are you excited?
I am! Even though it’s quite far from my first release it feels like a fresh start. I’ve tried to get other “side projects” off the ground but this is the first that really stuck.
To be honest, I am also excited. But I am very curious about the story behind NODAL POINT GANG and low.poly.exception... What made you do it? What were your main inspirations?
I have a lot of influences musically and while neon shudder was drifting into a more defined direction I wanted to take those other influences into account. Some of what I do as low.poly.exception could fit into a neon shudder album, sure, but I feel like there’s enough of a distinction for it to be its “own thing.” I also put out the first two EPs before letting most people know it was a project of mine to just let it breathe as its own thing for a little while.
There were a lot of things influencing the direction of low.poly.exception / NODAL POINT GANG. From a visual and conceptual perspective, big influences were things like xra’s “Memory of a Broken Dimension”, Tsutomu Nihei’s “Blame”, NieR: Automata… I was listening to a ton of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Async” at the time. The original Ghost in the Shell movie soundtrack by Kenji Kawai was a major influence too. I loved that it was a classic cyberpunk soundtrack but it was very ambient and haunting. Very different from a lot of what you’d call “cyberpunk” musically these days.
I kind of drew connections between all these different things I loved and low.poly.exception was born from that.
low.poly.exception has two EPs behind (ＣＹＣＬＥ １and ＩＮ ＴＨＥ ＡＢＳＥＮＣＥ ＯＦ ＬＩＧＨＴ )... but apart from it there is not much info other than cryptic messages on the band’s Bandcamp page and on the EnviNET.
The two weren’t originally connected (the EnviNET story project and low.poly.exception) but I ended up writing a song for EnviNET called “within the basilisk” and tied some of the imagery together. The album cover for Cycle 1 (and name) are taken right out of the EnviNET project.
What would you say if I tell you that for me low.poly.exception is best served with low rain, dim light, and it gives me an old cyberpunk feel with a bit of a noir twist? (your first album signal.run had similar vibe but it was ages ago)
Probably the ideal setting to listen to NODAL POINT GANG. My first EP I ever did (signal.run) definitely inspires similar imagery but in a different way I think.
Recently there was CYCLE 1 finale of the story... but since I am impatient I have to ask when the CYCLE 2 starts?
Cycle 2, dubbed “The Wired World” (in a nod to Serial Experiments Lain), starts on Sept 23rd, the day after NODAL POINT GANG releases. The first entry will be up on nv023.tumblr.com as usual.
The 'Net is a waste of time... RESET. LOAD. START.
To quote an A.I. friend of mine: there is only net, or nothing.
And last... take the closest book to you. Page 142, row 7... what does it say?
“It should always be about what you’re attempting to accomplish with the design.” I agree.
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