Written by Lauren Rosier
The Brooklyn-based electro-pop artist, Paul Feder, has released his latest single and music video, “Lose My Mind,” which was released on July 23, 2021. “Lose My Mind” is the first single from his forthcoming debut solo EP, Nightwalk, due out via Aion Records on August 20, 2021.
“Lose My Mind” is an upbeat, synth-driven track that depicts “a surreal, dream-like walk through the city” in the music video. It is clear that Feder‘s years of experience working with the sitar-influenced electronic band, Charcole Federation, and vocoder synth-pop project, Pico Fermi, have influenced his debut solo EP, Nightwalk.
The music video for “Lose My Mind” was created shortly before the pandemic in the streets of Gowanus, Brooklyn. The details of the video are very interesting. Feder and his co-collaborator, Eric Martich (aka Permian Strata), delivered a significant dose of half-speed videography. Feder sang at half-speed, while Martich would shoot video at 60fps, and then later, in post-production, the speed of the footage was halved. In their final step, the Permian Strata‘s outstanding visual effects were added. More from Martich about the video:
“The first step was generating abstract patterns, using the audio as an input. With the LZX Industries Sensory Translator module, I converted the audio to control voltage, and fed that into the LZX Industries Fortress, which generates graphics in the style of an 8-bit computer. I used its shift register mode to create shapes that mirror the architecture of the city, paired with its “neon” color palette, which matched the bright colors of the street art featured in the live footage. Those shapes were then patched to the LZX Industries Memory Palace, which generated an internal feedback loop, creating the illusion that the shapes were receding into the distance.
The next step was manipulating the live footage in Adobe Premiere to make part of each shot transparent. In most cases, I did this by applying a chroma key effect tuned to the blue of the sky. In other shots, I keyed out any parts of the surrounding landscape that were a solid color. Then, I composited the abstract patterns behind the live footage, making them visible in the transparent areas.
Once the digital effects were nearly finalized, I added analog effects to a few of the shots. This involved burning those shots to DVD, and plugging my DVD player into the BPMC Fluxus and plugging the Fluxus into the Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle capture device. With some exploratory knob turning, I distorted the analog video signal until it bloomed into unexpected colors. I captured multiple takes of these analog effects, and then inserted the best takes into the final edit.”
The tracks on the EP were developed and polished over the course of a year at Battalion Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn, beginning simply as solo vocal harmonizer experiments, and then expanding into full-on jam sessions. These sessions would be held with Jane In Space band members Jesse Jensen, Tom Vickers, Andrew Tell, and Brian Korpalski.
Growing up in the 80’s, Feder was always drawn to the electronic beats of Kraftwerk‘s Trans Europa Express in the car. The early exposure to electronic music set the stage for his first remixes and mashups throughout high school, synth instrumentals during his college, and various MIDI interface projects, as well.
Feder‘s first release was under his synth-pop project, Pico Fermi‘s Start It Over in 2010, which helped him lead to DJ sets and dance parties. His role as a DJ started organically “from the need to keep the party going.” In 2012, he became the resident DJ at Tromba on the Lower East Side in New York City. It was also during this time when he co-founded Charcole Federation, the sitar-infused electronic band.
Be sure to stay tuned for Feder‘s EP, Nightwalk, due out for release on August 20, 2021.
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