Occult Hardware Releases Dystopian Synth Peregrination 'Obsolete' in Collaboration with October! Collective
LONDON, UK (May 31, 2024) – Occult Hardware, the innovative band renowned for their diverse sound, just released their new single, "Obsolete. The track is dystopian, inquisitive, and precautionary, reflecting a complex blend of themes. It is the soundtrack to Obsolete, the art film by October! Collective. Obsolete, created in collaboration with movement director Morgan Barbour, features a performance that addresses the tension between the biological reality of the body and the radical restructuring of those boundaries due to advancements in technology (such as AI). This mass technological advancement will reshape both material reality and the ethical landscape. "Obsolete,” the single, explores this rupture in consciousness, distilling a cautionary tale into a multi-textured adventure through sound and spoken word.
“Obsolete” is influenced by conceptual rock and the works of Pink Floyd, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. The track is steeped in a passion for synthesis and a zeal for exploring the esoteric boundaries of sound design. It references micro genres such as minimal wave, dark wave, and synthwave, evoking the soundtracks of science fiction and horror movies that the band admires. Drawing inspiration from John Carpenter, Angelo Badalamenti, and Vangelis, the music complements its expansive themes with a blend of soft synths and the robust variability of collectible hardware like the Moog Little Phatty. "Obsolete" is a retro-futuristic fusion of real-time analogue synthesis and digital modeling, featuring software versions of the Yamaha CS-80 and ARP2600, along with nostalgic Fairlight CMI tones, giving it a sense of hazy recall.
This track is for synth enthusiasts, fans of conceptual music, and individuals interested in the mind vs. machine debate. Occult Hardware aims to capture the imagination of anyone fascinated by technology, as they are. The band's sound is constantly evolving, influenced by the moment, their collaborators, and the adventures they seek.
Press contact: Maria Herrera | maria@evergreenent.com
More About Occult Hardware:
Occult Hardware (Fayann Smith/Robert Burnham) are a hybrid multimedia art and music project that elude classification and defy genre. “Combusting the alchemical elements of the internet to produce Bass Metal...” their sound is an experimental collision of pop ephemera, contemporary dance production, dark abstract electronica and live ritual. Collaging the sacred and the profane from popular culture and splicing it to fit their esoteric personal mythos, the Occult Hardware experience is an audiovisual attack like no other.
Their confrontational, experimental projects have been featured in US/Japanese/Swedish Vogue, The Sunday Times, Nylon Japan, The Observer Music Monthly, Grazia, BBC Television, Dazed, Time-Out London, Pop Magazine, i-D and many more respected titles. Playing across the globe the duo have rocked Glastonbury twice and performed alongside iconic acts such as The Libertines, Clor, Midnight Juggernauts, The Noisettes, Crim3s, Test Icicles (Devontè Hynes), Siobhan Fahey, Zebra Katz plus many more. For more information and updates, follow Occult Hardware on Instagram: Occult Hardware.
More About October! Collective:
October! Collective takes its name from the October 1789 Women's March on Versailles, a pivotal moment in the French Revolution when 7,000 working women took to the streets. October! Collective was founded by London based artists Aleksandra Karpowicz (POL), Fayann Smith (UK) and Isabella Steinsdotter (NOR).
October! Collective wish to create a platform through art that will harness the positive influence women can have on each other and the world to shift paradigms within culture. As three very different women, from completely different social and ethnic backgrounds, hunt for commonalities in their adversity provided fertile ground for exploration. Their considerable body of work explores identity, the political landscape, myth, sexuality, and the body.
The collective launched triumphantly during the 2019 Venice Biennale, as the flagship project of the international launch of the Giudecca Art District, a new permanent contemporary art quarter. The three-channel film Body as Home by Aleksandra Karpowicz with October! Collective was seen by thousands of people during its installation and received glowing reviews and recommendations from Artsnet, The Art Newspaper, Forbes, Dazed and Confused, Monocle, The Atlantic and other significant arts and lifestyle titles.
