The Brvtalist: Spritzkrieg is your first release as Soft Crash. How did the collaboration begin?
Soft Crash: Our collaboration shortly began after Pablo’s first solo release on BITE. We thought to combine our mutual love for italo disco, synthpop, bleep and acid house, etc and see how far we can take it. Turns out when we entered the studio, we progressed quickly, churning out songs in more unexplored territory, making it contemporary with more pop elements.
TB: What’s the concept and theme behind the project?
SC: Beyond the musical themes, we are looking into the implications of technology becoming more of an extension of the human body and how that translates more into electronic music like this that’s also keeping a romantic, and partly nostalgic sensibility. A balancing act between longing for a better period back in time and the cold, hard metallic new world.
TB: Today we premiere the EP’s title track, Spritzkrieg. Tell us a bit about that track and its concept.
SC: After a night of too much Aperol Spritz, we had a dream (or a nightmare if you’d like to call it that) and out came this song.
TB: How is your production flow and do you each have a different approach to it? Were you working mostly together or remotely?
SC: We both already bring to the table sketches and ideas, whether it’s a melody, sequence, or just a certain temperament. Since we are both able to work incognito in a way, we can shed certain expectations listeners have and work more freely with our sound design, genre exploration, and harmonic content. The process is of course quicker when we are together but since Hayden is fucking off to Tbilisi till Berghain opens again, it’ll have to be remotely for now.
TB: You have created a unique sound denominated as “italo body music”. Talk a little about the creative process and evolution of your sound and who were your biggest influences.
SC: Even though the media would like to pigeonhole us as two dark boys making ebm/industrial since forever. We actually both grew up with a mutual love for synthwave, post-punk, and italo. That is our bedrock, and this felt like the right moment to finally expand on that when we have already explored the sounds of ebm enough that also has a quite limited sound palette and antiquated concept. Italo Body Music is not just limited to Italo of course but is open to combining many different aforementioned influences as well as more to be discovered. Already we are moving past just the 8th or 16th note drive of italo like Tobias Bernstrup or The Hacker, which we still love of course, and attempting to explore more UK machine funk rhythms from the likes of New Order or Network Records for example.
TB: When the world goes back to “normal”, do you plan to go on tours?
SC: Sure, why not.
TB: What’s coming up next for you?
SC: We are formulating and already laying down the foundation for our first full length album coming sometime next year. Also trying to work on our respective solo ventures at the same time.
