A lynchpin of Brooklyn's nightlife scene for more than a decade, Castillo synthesizes his experiences and passions into Confines, a project which sees him out on his own for the first time and zealously pursuing a new mode of expression.

Castillo's first forays under the Confines name included 2019's debut EP, Geography of Nowhere 1, a Full of Hell remix track, and this year's "Hammer and the Dance" single. This small handful of tracks established the blueprint: hard, seductive industrial-techno built on irresistible rhythms and heavy ambience, the type which could only be created by a person who knows firsthand the euphoria of early morning hours spent on NYC's darkest, smokiest dance floors.

Of the new EP, Castillo states: "I saw Jeff Daniels play Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway. Instead of using the phrase 'work up the nerve,' he said 'work up the blood,' and it just hit different. I needed to work up the courage to fully be myself and just explore everything I am, or could become, musically. NO FUCKING FEAR."

On Work Up the Blood, Castillo's newfound energy radiates from every beat and hook. "My ideal for this EP was to create dance music that incorporates the rhythms and bass heaviness that get me excited to move, while juxtaposing it with a memorable mood that gives it depth," he says. The result is five absolute bangers that demand to be spun repeatedly. Reference points range from the militant EBM of Nitzer Ebb to the moody synth-pop of Depeche Mode; from the darkest techno of Vatican Shadow to the Colombian cumbia music that played in Castillo's childhood home.

"As far as process goes, I recorded a bunch of my own samples in my dad's machine shop," he says. "I produced the entire thing at home." Work Up the Blood's rhythms and textures are designed for maximum impact and they deliver, but the secret weapon is Castillo's singing voice, an element which barely appeared on previous Confines tracks. Castillo peppers Work Up the Blood's songs with soulful screams and murmurous vocal melodies that elevate the EP from mere "electronic music" status to something even greater and more universal – music with the potential to stir the passions of anyone with a pulse. "I am happy to be using my voice more now," he says. "Vocally, I am a product of years in punk, hardcore, metal and that reflects clearly, alongside some new more melodic approaches."

Lyrically, Castillo credits NYC as his first and foremost muse and his lyrics navigate the existential highs and lows of life in the city. But not only has Castillo been a resident of NYC and witness to its extremes, he has been a very central figure in the city's music scene for the past decade. As co-owner and booker of Saint Vitus Bar – the wildly popular Brooklyn venue where all manner of heavy, underground sounds coexist under one roof and where artists ranging from Converge to Dreamcrusher have performed intimate shows since 2011; as a vocalist in stage dive-worthy bands like Primitive Weapons; and, most recently, as the co-founder of new label Faktor Music; Castillo's efforts have arguably been shaping the culture of the very city he is singing about.

Confines is Castillo's most personal project to date and Work Up the Blood is its ultimate representation so far. In Confines, Castillo has created a space where he can exorcise his own demons while also selflessly providing a thumping, cathartic soundtrack by which for others to find their release. 
credits
releases December 3, 2021

All Music Written, Performed and Produced by David Castillo
Recorded at Chateau Castillo 2021
Additional Synths on Concrete Club by Svrt
Label: Synthicide
Mix and Master: Lapke Audio
Layout & Design: AJ Annunziata
Photography: A.F. Cortes
Copyright: Confines World 2021
license

Work Up The Blood

Confines - Oro Y Muerte

We are excited to announce that the Normal Bias single, “Embody Control” is available NOW (along with the pre-order or the EP) over at the SYNTHICIDE bandcamp page. The 4 track EP will be out October 7th.

Normal Bias

Embody Control

Normal Bias - Embody Control

For the second round of the SYNTHICIDE split EP series, two projects merge together on a release that combine opposing perspectives on EBM music. Welcome Klack versus Inconscio Viola.

The lead track, “The Exorcist III,” features the collaborative project of Italian producers Francesco Baudazzi of Violet Poison/Diana Berti (Veleno Viola) and Andrea Riberti of Unconscious (Detriti, X-IMG) under the moniker Inconscio Viola. It's clear that the duo make a sensible pairing with their shared roots in vintage horror movies and nunsploitation film influences. With ghostly samples and a slithering bassline, the track snakes between the recognizable aesthetics of both producers.

Pre-order is available now via Bandcamp for digital and a limited edition of 33 pink fluorescent cassette tapes.

Klack / Inconscio Viola Split EP

Inconscio Viola - The Exorcist III

Nuxx Vomica's FTEV EP is out March 14.

SYN014

FTEV

Nuxx Vomica - FTEV

From "Playa Sola" EP out on June 2nd via SYNTHICIDE.

Playa Sola

Puerta Negra - Control

Revolt, the Lviv, Ukraine producer, is all about exploring the intense emotion found in hypnotic EBM. And with his EP, "Mental Ritual," the artist reflects his steadfast devotion to this specific subgenre on SYNTHICIDE with three original works and a remix by Kyiv’s LVCERATE.

@revolt_one

Mental Ritual

Revolt - Mental Ritual

@brixx_official, the Melbourne-based producer, delivers a cinematic fantasy with her conceptual LP, "Erotomania." The ten-track album (that includes two remixes) delves into the steamy erotic thriller genre, one where sexual prowess, desire and a flirtation with death have no bounds. "Erotomania" feels like a long-lost soundtrack to a turn-of-the-90s film—one that spills over with lust and seduction—as synth melodies purr and the gated drum machines exclaim overtop driving basslines.

@alphasectmusic injects slick EBM into their remix of "Crash on Highland Ave"

BUY: https://synthicide.bandcamp.com/album/erotomania

Erotomania

Crash on Highland Ave (Alpha Sect Remix)

Brixx - Crash On Highland Ave (Alpha Sect Remix)

Fiero—the Colombian born, Бишкек-based artist—returns to SYNTHICIDE for his second EP, "Pulse Seductor." The release will take you back in time, right into the thick of Belgium’s intoxicating mid-to-late 1980s new beat scene. “Wild Desire,” a mighty dance track (akin to the likes of “Acid Rock”’s anthemic melody), delivers punchy snares and a juicy, persistent bassline. 

Out December 5th

Pulse Seductor

Wild Desire

Fiero - Wild Desire [SYN019]

Hewn from the lineage of 1980s EBM, Semantix’s "Caustic Motion" EP is a severe lesson in crunchy basslines and relentless beats from start to finish. The Dallas-based producer is known for his specific style of EBM, the kind that provokes head banging and fist swinging, will release his first SYNTHICIDE EP to coincide with the label and party's tenth anniversary. 

"Caustic Motion" takes no time for pause—it’s about precision and control. The EP is not for the faint of heart but, in fact, the opposite: those calloused and broken. Those who are searching but have not yet found.

Caustic Motion

Bootlicker

Semantix - Bootlicker [SYN020]

The Tuxtla Gutiérrez duo, @reddeviilmusic, joins SYNTHICIDE with their EP, Vida Bandida. Producers Guni Ca and BlakG deliver fresh tracks of slick EBM—a style they’ve become known for in underground circuits. The remix of the title track by @rndstd speeds up the beat to a trance-like mesmerism, putting emphasis on the vocal that surrounds and seduces.

Out February 15th via cassette and digital.

Vida Bandida

Red Deviil - Vida Bandida (Randstad Remix) [SYN021]

Clips from the upcoming vinyl + digital release of SYNTHICIDE COMPILATION V1.0 out on ready made Distribution and Bandcamp on September 7th.

BUY NOW VIA READY MADE: goo.gl/StwAKp


DIGITAL: https://synthicide.bandcamp.com/

TRACK LISTING

A1. Homoagent - Le Peak
A2. SΛRIN - 777
A3. Andi - Object: Crucifix

B1. Silent EM - Serpents
B2. Statiqbloom - Survival
B3. Cute Heels - The Rhythm and the Pleasure [NYC Club Mix]

All artists on the compilation have participated in the SYNTHICIDE party at Bossa Nova Civic Club, Brooklyn NYC. 

Release party info: https://www.facebook.com/events/911628225654804

SYNTHICIDE COMPILATION V1.0

Bonus digital remix of Andi's track "Object: Crucifix" from SYNTHICIDE V1.0 // @vittoriodm @andi80s

https://synthicide.bandcamp.com/

Andi - Object: Crucifix [Vittorio di Mango remix]

Bonus digital remix of Andi's track "Object: Crucifix" from SYNTHICIDE V1.0 // @al-ferox-official @andi80s

http://synthicide.bandcamp.com/

Andi - "Object: Crucifix" (Al Ferox Remix)

DSX live set from the Synthicide x Velenoviola Showcase in Berlin on May 31, 2018.

@dsx-music

DSX [live] / Synthicide x VelenoViola Showcase / May 31, 2018

SYNTHICIDE's fourth release will be a split between NYC artists @anatomynyc and @bluanxxiety. 
Limited copies of 250 will be available on 12" vinyl.

Read more about the release at Post-Punk.com: https://www.post-punk.com/blu-anxxiety-unleash-haunting-dark-ebm-cryosleep-nightmare-negative-fantasy/

Digital is now available for preorder at http://synthicide.bandcamp.com - out on January 16th, 2020.

Blu Anxxiety - Negative Fantasy

SYNTHICIDE’s newest release on both 12” vinyl and digital is a split with New York City artists Anatomy and Blu Anxxiety.

Anatomy is the solo project of Jenna Rose, Brooklyn-based artist & bassist of the anarcho-punk/ deathrock band Pawns. Under the alias of Anatomy, Jenna Rose shrouds side A in destructive darkness. Her vocals seem to seem to spew black bile (akin only to the intense prowess of Diamanda Galas) and demand attention with her production of funereal industrial electronics. From the decadent procession of “Ira Agni” to the breakbeat groove of “Incel”, Anatomy delivers a seething and abrasive collection of songs.

Blu Anxxiety is a dark freestyle supergroup made up of Dracula Orengo (ex-vocalist of Anasazi), Justin Schmidt (X Harlow), and Rob Hoffman (ex-Informant). With their industrialized spook, Blu Anxxiety sounds much like the chaos created by late 80s WaxTrax!-era records. The raucous energy of Justin Schmidt and Rob Hoffman’s music collide with vocalist Dracula Orengo’s lyrics that are, at times, playful, but always goth as fuck. Blu Anxxiety’s triptych of dystopian tracks reveal the dismal underbelly of reality and make no apologies for their icy hearts and fatalistic minds.

@anatomynyc @bluanxxiety

Blu Anxxiety - How Cold

Anatomy - Ira Agni

@fiero returns with the five-track digital EP, Rarities & Remixes, after his successful 2017 Modus Operandi album (made with a Polivoks synthesizer that was designed by the Soviet Military) on @giallo-disco-records. The Colombian via New York City producer has reinterpreted the horror disco tracks “Rite of Purity” and “The Siege” from Modus Operandi, which was inspired by the 1985 attack on the Palace of Justice in Bogota. Both tracks are booming reworks that are injected with electro for the dancefloor - yet retain all the suspense and thrill of their originals. With Rarities & Remixes, Fiero finds that balance between pulsing EBM and melodic wave music, which is exemplified by the previously unreleased track, “Cascavel EE9’s”, in its de-tuned running bassline and his signature choral elements. The Darlos Zeill remix for “The Seige” adds a punchy and gritty elements to the original and, as a bonus for purchasing the entire album, Fiero’s cover of Mutanex’s “Dinero” from the movie "Rodrigo D: No Futuro" is, dare we say, better than the original in its raw, fast-paced synthpunk that will be recognizable to punk connoisseurs.

Pre-order available now, out on February 25th.
synthicide.bandcamp.com

Album art by Maurice Roy

Fiero - Rite Of Purity (Fiero Remix)

Henyox - "No Devotion" LP available December 4th / preorder up now

@henyox @unconscious 

synthicide.bandcamp.com

Henyox - Devote Your Body (Unconscious Remix)

SYNTHICIDE is a monthly dark dance party and label in Brooklyn since January 2014 / playing a cacophony of industrial, EBM, anything else dark & synthetic - often with an emphasis on the 1980s.

synthicidenyc@gmail.com

SYNTHICIDE

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