Devoid, synthpop with anime

Interstella 5555 is the film Daft Punk made for the album Discovery. I watched it and decided to make music. I had lived in Paulínia since 2002, was studying film in Salto and working as a photographer in town. Music happened at night, in the bedroom, between a class and a job.

The references all sat on the same shelf. Kavinsky, Danger and Daft Punk on one side. On the other, chiptune and video game soundtracks. Sonic, Pokémon Yellow, Red and Blue, Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger made it into many tracks.

“An ordinary guy who decided to start making music only two years ago after watching Interstella 5555.”

Tracasseur, April 2010 ↗

In November 2009 I uploaded the first three to SoundCloud. Electro and pop, with the same girl with white ribbons on the covers, in black and white, taken from my animations.

1. 01

   GagDemo · electro, pop

   20/11/2009 · 3:45

   The first one that stood up. It came from a game arpeggio and a Kavinsky-style bass, made and remade until the beat stopped sounding like a demo.
2. 02

   PepDemo · electro, pop

   20/11/2009 · 3:59

   The lightest of the three. The pop side of Daft Punk, with the chiptune leads I played from memory out of the Pokémon soundtracks.
3. 03

   MothersDemo · electro, pop

   20/11/2009 · 4:41

   The longest and the darkest. Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy are in here, in that RPG soundtrack way that builds slowly and opens up halfway through.

I uploaded the three again, now with the album cover. The red-haired girl in front of the city, drawn by me. That same year Blood reached Apple iTunes.

In April, the blog Tracasseur wrote about the project. The title was “Devoid is here”.

“He lists Kavinsky and Danger as his main influences apart from Daft Punk, and all three acts have a clear presence in his music.”

Tracasseur, April 2010 ↗

1. 01

   MothersBlood EP

   31/03/2010 · 4:41

   Opens the EP. The 2010 version is the same song as the demo, only mixed again, with the bass in its place.
2. 02

   GagBlood EP

   31/03/2010 · 3:48

   Three seconds longer than the demo. The ending got room to breathe.
3. 03

   PepBlood EP

   31/03/2010 · 3:59

   Closes the EP the same way as the demo, because it was already right.

January 2010. Danger was one of my references and I made my own version of 4h30. It was the track that played the most on the profile. In March came Love is the Answer, by Weezer, which a year later would get a live guitar.

Mid-year came the remixes for the MySpace scene. Sensual Sara, The 666 Order, Electrotech Disco and Daniel Peixoto, who got an extended version of six and a half minutes. That was how music travelled back then. A profile, a player and a link.

1. 01

   Danger · 4h30Devoid remix

   27/01/2010 · 3:52

   A remix of a reference. I kept the late-night mood of the original and swapped the base for a harder, dancefloor electro.
2. 02

   Weezer · Love is the AnswerDevoid remix

   13/03/2010 · 3:49

   Rock turning into electro. The voice stayed, the rest was rebuilt. At the 2011 show Brunão played the guitar over it, live.
3. 03

   Sensual Sara · Computer SlaveDevoid remix

   23/06/2010 · 4:13

   The first remix for the MySpace scene. Electro with game leads over the vocal.
4. 04

   The 666 Order · Crooked PianoDevoid remix

   05/07/2010 · 3:10

   The shortest. Crooked piano, straight beat.
5. 05

   Electrotech Disco · A View From AboveDevoid remix

   05/07/2010 · 3:56

   Uploaded the same day as Crooked Piano. Two remixes in a single night.
6. 06

   Daniel Peixoto · Come to meDevoid extended remix

   07/07/2010 · 6:34

   The extended version. Six and a half minutes to let the track breathe like in a set.

In May 2010 I made a teaser for the remixes album. The idea was to turn it all into a 2D video game. The game never came out. The teaser stayed.

In April 2011 I rehearsed with my friends from Fulgor, Sylvio, Gui Negri and Bio’s brother, at Picolli Studio. Two controllers, a keyboard and the APC lights blinking in the dark.

Then we went to play at Gruta Bar, in the basement of a building on Rua Major Quedinho, in downtown São Paulo. We drove there. Me driving, Sylvão filming and Brunão asleep in the back seat. On arrival, Brunão took over the camera and Kaleb, our friend from film school, came along. Sylvio and I looking for a place to park and unload the gear.

The scene was truly underground. Little light, a projector, people dancing by the desk. On Love is the Answer, Brunão came up with the guitar and played over the remix. The videos from that night have blown-out audio, so they play with no sound here. The right sound is in the tracks above.