Death in Vegas is the shapeshifting, highly influential band headed by psychedelic auteur Richard Fearless. Its storied history, spanning almost two decades, has seen the band incorporate a wide variety of musical genres from drone-heavy rock to synth-electronica and detroit techno. The recently conceived live show takes the band in a moodier, dustier direction. Elemental, industrial and rhythmic this show represents a major new stage for a band now firmly entrenched in the pantheon of British electronic acts.
FACTS:
1: hate umbrellas
2: not into cats
3: like magic
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Currently I would have to say the location of my studio, the Metal Box. I’m in a shipping container looking out to a working part of the River Thames, with a steel factory adjacent to my space. The factory runs 24/7 and noise that comes out the building, plus the proximity to the Docklands and the Dome (O2 Arena) all adds to power of this Ballardian landscape.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
I got into music from a really early age. Both my parents danced when they were younger, my mother in the Highland Games, traditional Scottish dancing, my father followed the Big American band leaders when they used to come to Ireland and would compete. I grew up in Africa and remember going through their record collection, a lot of Jazz, Congolese, Zambian, South African music and digging out records trying to get my mum and dad to dance and feeling that buzz of selection and how it altered the mood. Sadly at this age I didn’t learn an instrument but I did start collecting records.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
I’ve gone for which albums had the most effect on me as a teenager to early adulthood.
1. The Man Machine – Kraftwerk
2. Raw Power – Iggy and the Stooges
3. Rocking Time – Burning Spear
4. Loveless – My Bloody Valentine
5. Techno! – The New Sound of Detroit
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
A freedom that is infectious, I absolutely love playing in Berlin and would happily spend a lot more time in the city.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
They tend to be food related, we have insane Pakistani and Turkish/Kurdish food. But yeah when I return from being away I tend to always want to go to this hole in the wall curry place on Ridley Rd Market in Dalston, which does the best Daal I’ve had in town.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Artist.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
I was recording in Hamburg last week at the Synthesizer Studio and was next door to my good friends at Smallville so popped in there and picked a a few pieces:
1. Mono Junk – Channel B
2. Cultivated Electronics – Morphology – Mind Stealers Ep
3. The Vision – Metroplex (Robert Hood)
4. Central Processing Unit – 96 Back
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I like the idea of doing some pop music and and have sent word out to Beyonce, she seems to not of got my message?!
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
As a performer playing to 60,000 plus at Glastonbury on the second stage with the sun setting was pretty special. Last gigs I really enjoyed were Public Enemy and Limp Wrist.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
Not at all, my studio is analog and the computer is really just used for recording and looking at funnies.
11. Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career/art?
They’ve always been very supportive.
To support the release of the new single „Honey“, Death In Vegas will perform at Festsaal Kreuzberg on Friday, 13th July 2018.
Photo © Death In Vegas
