Moon Music returns… A chance for us to fire our favourite artists up into space and see how they would keep themselves sane.
Would they go lunar-loco? Or be lunar-lucky?
This time we’ve asked Virtual Riot. He’s killing it right now with his new EP on Disciple. Last week tracks from the We’re Not Alone scored the number one spot on Beatport’s dubstep, glitch and electrohouse charts and was third in the overall charts!
“It’s really nice to see that it’s worked out so well!” he beams from his German HQ.” Beating Zomboy’s album in the dubstep release charts was pretty shocking. Yeah, to say I’m very pleased would be an understatement.”
And to say his UKF upload – the EP title track We’re Not Alone – is a bit of a banger would also be an understatement…
But what about Virtual Riot’s impending moon mission? How would he feel about an indefinite period of isolation away from all things earthly?
“I once had a really weird dream about being on the moon,” he laughs. “It felt very realistic except there were trees on the moon. But I was definitely there; I was looking at the world and feeling very weird. I don’t think it would be anything like actually being on the moon. It was quite funny!”
Explaining how he’d miss his girlfriend and production time, VR’s chosen item to keep him sane would be a pillow (to ensure maximum comfort) while his chosen book would be It’s Not Easy Being A God
by Strugatzki, a Russian author.
“If I had the time I’d read a lot more,” he admits. “Maybe I would read more on the moon but you’re only letting me take one book! It’s a great book though… There’s also a movie which is great. It’s super brutal but really worth watching!”
Book and item sorted. We now get down to the real issue… What music would keep VR happy while in isolation? And how did he go about making this selection?
“Picking these is a very delicate, it’s a tough decision,” he says. “Everything has to have a personal connection for me. They also have a feeling of melancholy to them and they’re also tracks I never tire of listening to. That’s the most important thing!”
We hear him. Well we would do if he wasn’t stranded 250,000 miles away…
Underoath – Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear
“I need to have some music from my past while I’m on the moon. Like a lot of other producers in our world, I grew up listening to a lot of screamo and metal. I’d definitely take a track from Underoath. I love this band! They have a great composition; the singer – who is also the drummers – has this incredible, really delicate voice. Then they have the shouter, who also has the perfect voice for his role. It’s perfect combination… These really dissonant guitar chords and screaming and terror then this perfectly tuned vocal that brings harmony and melody. This track sums up their magic for me. It’s from their best album and starts off very subtly before developing into total chaos!”
Burial – Ashtray Wasp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkSkrdIXqtg
“This is pretty long… Which is handy as I’ll have so much time on the moon. But that’s not the most important thing at all. Burial is such an inspiring producer anyway but I think his mood and spacey sensations would fit the moon extremely well. This is one of my favourites; it’s like three tunes in one. It starts off very positively, all uplifting. Then it has a section of noise and scary vocals. Then it ends on a very mellow, introspective note. It’s a whole story which would work perfectly while I’m stuck on the moon.”
Bonobo – Cirrus
“I love Bonobo! I don’t get tired of listening to him. Ever. The video is also awesome but I’m guessing I can’t take that with me. I’m fascinated by the different ways Bonobo performs. He’s either a DJ or he’s performing with one or two musicians or he plays with an orchestra… Cellos, drums, strings, horns, electric pianos. Oh my god! He’s a very inspiring performer.”
BT – Le Nocturne De Lumiere
“Another epic 12 minute track with a very long build up with such a rich atmosphere! It’s a very complex track – probably the most complex track he’s ever written in my opinion – and there are so many elements going on. So many details; it makes you listen to it again and again to find new things and new elements. It fits the moon mood for me perfectly. BT was one of the first artists who got me into electronic music. I used to think electronic music had such little value, then I heard BT and started to think very differently!”
KOAN Sound – Fuego
“This my absolute favourite track at the moment. I play it every time I DJ. KOAN Sound are the best producers in operation. They totally know what they are doing. The sound design on this is just incredible. Everything is perfectly tuned and super-balanced. We have mixing classes in university where we have to bring a track in and discuss it. Every time we have these classes I bring a KOAN Sound track in and the professors are always like ‘wow! This is sick!’”
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