“I should have started on this path sooner...”
WRITTEN BY RTM (@RYANTHOMASMITCHELL)Today marks the release of “Eyes on the Horizon,” a fun, synth-driven track by Brian Sangmeister and Star Madman.
While Star Madman is no stranger to the Darkness Calling playlist, I had not encountered Brian Sangmeister’s work until recently. Upon learning of this approaching collaboration, I took a trip over to his Bandcamp page and was stunned to find a vast sonic palette. Here was a producer whose talents stretched beyond the glossy world of synthwave, incorporating a variety of haunting tones and ambient textures throughout his body of work.
With that said, “Eyes on the Horizon” is deserving of your attention. Between the retro cover art, playful lyrics, and wonderfully dated sounds, it’s a true marvel in synthpop production that shouldn’t be passed up.
Read on to learn more about Brian Sangmeister and his latest collaboration.
DARKNESS CALLING: Thank you for chatting with us, Brian! How would you introduce or describe your music to a new listener?
BRIAN SANGMEISTER: Thanks for having me! I often describe my music as “cinematic,” incorporating ambient and instrumental electronic elements to create a little movie in your head. And I'm often inspired by film, literature, or nature to build these cinematic listening experiences.
DC: When did you realize you wanted to produce music, and what was it like beginning that journey?
B.SANG: Well, I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years, playing classic rock and metal. But having also been interested in electronic music such as Tangerine Dream, John Carpenter, and New Order, I found that working in this genre suited my desire to make music without having to rely on other bandmates and give me total creative control. I should have started on this path sooner, but it didn't happen until about 3-4 years ago. I've already learned many things in that short timeframe about producing, but I know I have much more to learn as well. I consider myself a musician and a songwriter/composer before a producer [Laughs].
“It’s me, an artist, exploring what I’m feeling in the moment.”
DC: Having sampled some of your previous work, it seems that “Eyes on the Horizon” may be a little more radio-friendly or accessible than your prior work, which tends to be more ambient or experimental. Is that fair to say? If so, was it a conscious decision? Do you think you might make more music of this style in the future?
B.SANG: Yes, I definitely started creating electronic music with more of an emphasis on ambient and experimental, like Brian Eno and Tangerine Dream, but still knew I would want to try many different genres. This is one reason I release under my real name; it's not a specific project that makes a certain type of music. It's me, an artist, exploring what I'm feeling in the moment. And yes, this is definitely my first attempt at writing/producing a “pop” song, and I would love to create more music like it.
DC: What led to the collaboration with Star Madman, and how did she contribute to the song?
B.SANG: I was asked to create a little retro sounding intro to a podcast and I came up with the nucleus for “Eyes on the Horizon.” I felt I could expand it into a full instrumental but thought the bridge could use some vocals, just to try something a little different. I asked Star Madman if she'd be interested, being a fan of her music and her voice, and she wanted to expand her role, so to speak. I wrote some additional parts and arranged the track to fit a more pop song mold, and she wrote all the lyrics based off of the title I had. She also contributed most of the melodies and harmonies and additional synth parts. She is an absolute pleasure to work with and has incredible versatility and talent.
“She is an absolute pleasure to work with and has incredible versatility and talent.”
DC: Can you talk about some of the influences on this track? I feel like there are some Prince vibes, and Star Madman may be channeling her inner Cyndi Lauper (to great effect).
B.SANG: I mean, what hasn't been influenced by Prince?! [Laughs] Yeah, the focus here was writing a catchy tune. So for me, I looked to Prince, Madonna, and New Order for inspiration. And Star Madman and I had conversations about Pat Benatar, Kylie Minogue, and Cyndi Lauper as well, for the writing but also for the vocal performance. And I just love Star Madman's vocal vamping at the end of the track. I asked for that but didn't give any specific examples, and she just killed it!
DC: Are there any other artists in the indie scene you’d like to collaborate with one day?
B.SANG: I certainly hope to collab more with Star Madman and The Lurking Transmission podcast (who I've created some horror scores for). There is a ton of great talent out there and would love to learn more from working with all of them. I'll just name a few though: Sunwarper, Scarless Arms, Plike, and visual artist Kerry St. Laurent. Oh, and Kylie Minogue is indie, right?...
DC: What’s next for you?
B.SANG: It's a mystery to me until the path starts taking shape, but as usual, just working on new music and seeing where the journey takes me!
Thank you to Brian for chatting with us!
Be sure to support these great artists on Bandcamp: BRIAN SANGMEISTER + STAR MADMAN
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