Raw in both senses, as well as unbridled electrical grit, ‘Death Mask’ is raw emotionally too. From Death In Vegas’ mainstay Richard Fearless’ own birth in Chingola, Zambia, to his father’s funeral, and the solace of his partner, the album reflects on Fearless’ own life, loved ones, and grief. Seeped in heavy emotions and torrents of volts, the results are some of the most strikingly visceral and human electronic sounds you’ll hear.
Multiple thematic channels are fed through Death in Vegas’ machines, with Fearless literally processing his feelings, working them through as a form of electronic primal therapy. More than just tattered gnarliness though, an unconventional beauty radiates through the noise. Like light refracting through a filthy, cracked stained-glass-window, icy IDM melancholy juxtaposes perfectly, with caustic rave power.
Broader inspirations are weaved into the album’s fabric too; from his Thameside Metal Box studio and evocations of nautical ghosts, to lamentations for a broken world, to memories of a youthful Detroit pilgrimage, and the innocent fraternity of rave euphoia, there’s a lot going on, acting as a chronicle of moments, and locations.
To the casual observer, with their mercurial catalogue, Death In Vegas might seem a hard act to pin down, but everything they’ve done is in fact grown from the same dirt. From the scuzzed-up beats of ‘Dead Elvis’, ‘The Contino Sessions’ narcotic rock n roll; the sleazegaze psych of ‘Scorpio Rising’; the krautwwerk klang of ‘Satans Circus’; the stroboscopic frazzlement of ‘Trans Love Energies’ and the gauzy throb of ‘Transmission’, each made its bed in the cosmic slop.
This time round, when asked about his influences for ‘Death Mask’, Richard comments, “I’ve been soaking in Ramleh’s ‘Hole In the Heart’, the machine funk of Terrence Dixon’s Population One, Jamal Moss’ psychedelic techno jams, the stunning minimalism of Mika Vanio’s Ø and Panasonic, the layered drones of LOOP, and drowning in the acid of TM 404.
Most centrally through, I’ve been inhaling the deepest dub, from Mark Ernestus’ distillations, to the principles of originators like King Tubby and Scientist. As someone who’s always been obsessed with the genre, I loved the idea of recording live takes as separate stems, then doing dub-inspired mixes of these stems through my console.
Some of the gear I use has a tendency to take on a life of its own, for example the Effectron delay which Arthur Russell also used. It was feeding back on itself, and ended up sounding like a radio conversation – literally voices from within the machine. On the Echoplex, the tape has never been changed. It’s eroded by the hands of time. When you record over the tape, things bleed in from what was there before, like people from the past.”
Live dates:
16/05/25 – Sat 17/05/25 – Deleste Festival, Valencia
12/06/25 – Live Q&A, Rough Trade Dover St, London
15/06/25 – Beyond the Pale Festival, Co. Wicklow
21/06/25 – EartH Theatre, London
25/06/25 – Le Trabendo, Paris
26/06/25 – Le Bikini, Toulouse
27/06/25 – TBA, Nîmes
Richard Fearless began as resident DJ at the Job Club in London’s Soho during the 90s, where he’d play alongside Claude Young, Derrick May, Dave Angel and Andrew Weatherall. After a few years he was picked as a resident for the legendary Heavenly Social, alongside the Chemical Brothers. It was during this time that he started Death in Vegas.
Across the six Death In Vegas albums, guest vocalists have included Dot Allison, Bobby Gillespie, Iggy Pop, Jim Reid from The Jesus and Mary Chain and Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval.
‘The Contino Sessions’ was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and its single ‘Aisha’ was a top 10 hit in the UK. The title track from the album ‘Scorpio Rising’ reached 14 in the UK charts.
Death In Vegas performed their much-loved single ‘Dirge’ on Jools Holland in 2000, then a quarter century later, in testament to its enduring appeal, the track was sampled by Celeste on her recent single ‘Everyday’.
Their music has featured in many TV programmes and films, most notably Sofia Coppola’s ‘Lost in Translation’, ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’, and ‘The Animatrix’.
Gigs played include Atonal Berlin, Movement in Detroit, Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Coachella, Brixton Academy, Fabric, Fuji Rock, Primavera Sound and Manchester Academy.
‘Death Mask’ track list:
1. Chingola
2. Lovers
3. While My Machines Gently Weep
4. Hazel
5. Roseville
6. Róisín Dub(H)
7. Robin’s Ghost
8. Your Love
9. Death Mask
Pre-order here
The post DEATH IN VEGAS announce first album in 8 years appeared first on Decoded Magazine.
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