INTERVIEW: Xyloid

1)      You have releases on both Aural Sects and Vaporbabes, two of my favorite labels, how did you manage that?

Very carefully.

 

2)      I’ve read seapunk being described as “Mad Max with water”… Wouldn’t that just be like the Kevin Costner movie “Waterworld”?

I'm not sure I would refer to the seapunk aesthetic/community as "Mad Max with water." I feel like it's more of a euphoric/idealistic (#PLUR based) existence rather than the dystopian one portrayed in the movie. Although, I can see how one could draw some parallels between seapunk and "Waterworld," but there's still that contrasting fundamental degradation in societal structure and technology that is key to the plot. The vibe I get from seapunk and the "new aesthetic" is one of transcendence, technological nostalgia rather than degradation, and almost a digital immortally that makes seapunk more than just an "internet joke" to me. 

3)      Did you choose your band name based on the fact that it starts with the letter “x” and not many bands do? I can only think of a handful off the top of my head…

Not necessarily (although that makes it even more unique). It was more like the name found me. 

4)      You have multiple albums available for free download on Band Camp.  I subscribe to the theory that in this day and age of virtual music bands should make their musical available for free as sort of a sampling if you will and then the people who like it will actually go out and buy it on record, cassette or what have you.    Do you feel that this should also be the case?

That would be the ideal situation, but I also understand how much a listening audience appreciates genuinely free music. Creating music then posting it for free download is something I love to do, and tools like Soundcloud and Bandcamp are amazing ways to connect directly with my fans all over the world. I'm also a big proponent of file sharing, and consider it pretty flattering when my music is posted to a torrent site. If I ever get the opportunity to release physically on a mass scale, I would most certainly subscribe to the same theory. 

5)      If you could create any one song with any person- living or dead (And I mean if they were alive, not a hologram)- who would you want on one of your tracks and why?

It would definitely be Ramsey Lewis. I base much of my music on jazz fundamentals re-imagined for a digital format, and he was one of the great pioneers in that respect. 

6)      Final thoughts?

Thanks!