“I love this attitude of, ‘Do it yourself or don’t do it at all.’”
Darkness Calling: Volume III won’t be released until this Friday, but today saw the release of Retrograth’s second single, “Wave of Attraction.” The song is sure to stand out among our new batch of curated songs (which you can hear on Spotify tomorrow). You could have told us that “Wave of Attraction” was an unearthed Depeche Mode b-side, and we probably would have believed you. With that said, Retrograth is anything but derivative. As you’ll learn in our “Inter-Review” with the artist, his approach to the genre — particularly as a musician debuting in 2020 — is wholly unique.
In an era of social media insanity and attention-seeking behavior, the man behind Retrograth will only pull the curtain back so far. We know his name, but we can’t share it with our readers (Sorry). We also don’t have an artist photograph to present you. Instead, our promotional art simply includes his project’s logo — the 3rd letter in the Futhark runic alphabet. When spoken, it makes the “th” sound, which is why Retrograth’s cover art may appear to say “Retrograd” for some listeners. (We learn something new every day!)
Read on to learn more about this mysterious project and why it deserves your attention.
DARKNESS CALLING: What can you tell us about the origins of your project Retrograth? You've mentioned that your music has a focus on "sounds, philosophy, and science." How did you decide upon this concept?
RETROGRATH: The analogue project Retrograth started with me buying an ARP Odyssey analogue synth for Christmas. I never owned an analogue synth before, so I had to read manuals and watch tutorial videos to dive into it and understand what to do with it. But that opened a window to another world — a world of sounds and inspiration.
One of the Swedish universities’ insignia is “science and art.” That motto kind of links to my interests, as I studied history, music science, and computers at the university. Quite a weird mix with one leg into technique and the other in culture. But that is also why sounds, society, and philosophy have become the main themes in the lyrics.
But the lyrics usually don’t lack some twists. I like languages, and just for the fun of it, I often put in references to books, songs, and science. But as Standard English isn’t my mother tongue, perhaps a few expressions might lack the correct vibes, which might create a bit of an exotic touch.
DARKNESS CALLING: So you’re based in Sweden? And Retrograth is a one-man project at this time?
RETROGRATH: Retrograth is based in Stockholm, Sweden. At the moment, it is a solo project, but it would be nice to collaborate with others. I just made a tune with a Turkish guitarist and noise artist, but those tunes might not fit in the Retrograth project.
DARKNESS CALLING: Your new track "Wave of Attraction" is definitely worth a listen. I feel it really captures the dark spirit of those 80's synth records, particularly early Depeche Mode, if you don't mind the comparison. Without giving away all of your secrets, how conscious is the decision to re-capture that older sound, and how do you accomplish it?
RETROGRATH: At the moment, there is a bit of an underground scene in Stockholm with clubs that play post-punk and goth. Minimal wave, darkwave, and synth are played there, too. I was a part of it, as well, as I used to run a music bar where we used to host weekly theme nights with classic synth and goth music. The ones that inspired Retrograth were nights like Belgian New Beat, Sounds of Sheffield, We’re In Parties, and the weekly Elektropub. We also had theme nights of Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, and Einstürzende Neubaten.
With those sounds around me, I got inspired to tweak the knobs and sliders on my keyboard to recreate some of that vibe, but in my own way and with my own songs. That was the kick off for Retrograth.
I started off with an ARP Odyssey, a synth used by both Kraftwerk and Ultravox, so it is quite natural that Retrograth sounds like something from the 75-85 era.
That era of synth musicians sprung out of the positive side of the punk attitude. I love this attitude of, “Do it yourself — or don’t do it at all!” Some guys of the Sheffield scene even complained about the complexity of punk rock guitars and touring with heavy drum sets. Instead of three chords, speed, and volume, they created fantastic soundscapes with only one-finger keyboard playing, drum machines, and reverbs. They even put a sticker on some albums stating, “On this album, there are no guitars or drums, only electronic instruments.” That’s a punk attitude to me!
DARKNESS CALLING: What can listeners expect to hear in the future? You have 2 EP's scheduled for release, is that right? Sensation and Quantification? What has the creative process been like as you’ve begun production on these releases?
RETROGRATH: This fall, the plan is to release the 2 EP’s Quantification and Sensation. As a creative boundary, there are a few rules to the Retrograth project. One is the sounds; the other one is the theme of the topics and feelings of the songs.
Regarding the sounds, the idea is to make them as unique as possible, and not to use any pre-sets. Perhaps it starts with a pre-set, but then I can’t keep my fingers off the knobs and modify it a bit. As analogue modules are used, there are no ways you can save a sound for the future, unless it is recorded. That gives a bit of a here-and-now vibe.
Limits are usually the best creative inspiration. In the computer, there are folders named with different themes for upcoming EP’s. That leads the songs in certain directions, both regarding the feelings and vibes of them, the sound design, and especially the lyrics. So far, there are more than ten different themes in the hard drive.
DARKNESS CALLING: Thanks so much for shedding some light on your process! Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
RETROGRATH: I have been happily surprised with the response for Retrograth, after the release of the first single “Doppler.” There are listeners worldwide, from Beirut to Mexico City. USA is the 2nd biggest fanbase, with a quarter of the audience. It feels fantastic.
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