Welcome to a cyberpunk world where darkness is the new norm. Read our discussion with Signal Decay below!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Corrupted. Synthetic. Human.
Tell us a few things about Digital Ruin. What is the main idea behind it?
The main idea behind “Digital Ruin” is to build a picture of a cyberpunk world through sound where the listener can imagine the anti-heroes, enemies, monolithic corporations, hackers, crime, augmentation, and the everpresent hum of machines underneath everything. At its core or maybe the backdrop to the album is what happens when humanity is pushed or filtered through technology until identity starts to distort, decay becomes evident, and we rebuild ourselves into something darker.
Do you have a concrete, episodic story in mind when writing these tracks, or is it more about capturing a general atmosphere?
To me it’s more about capturing a general atmosphere, but I do think each track creates its own episode within that world. “Digital Ruin” is built song by song, each track illustrates a different corner of the same greater cyberpunk landscape. My hope is that listeners can close their eyes and picture the world as it unfolds. Sort of like moving through chapters of a cyberpunk game. Each song has its own theme but together they create one cohesive aesthetic and immersive setting.
In which place or state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
I imagine people listening to this music when they want to feel adventurous, defiant, and immersed in another world. It’s music for jacking in, diving into the data stream, and pushing back against faceless systems that try to control, erase, or flatten anyone who thinks freely. I want it to feel like the soundtrack to the movie where they are moving through a dangerous future with purpose, momentum, and rebellion.
Aside from other musicians, what sci-fi writers, films, or real-life countercultures heavily influenced the world-building behind Signal Decay?
Oh man there are so many influences for me. To start with writers and books I’d go with Neuromancer by William Gibson, Software by Rudy Rucker, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick, Akira (and the movie) by Katsuhiro Otomo. For games I’d have to name Cyberpunk 2013 (1988), Cyberspace (1989), Shadowrun (1989), and of course the recent Cyberpunk 2077 game (I really feel like the modern Shadowrun/Cyberpunk 2077 games get it). Movies I’d have to say Blade Runner (1982) & Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Akira (1988), Ghost in the Shell (1995) and of course the Matrix. For real-life countercultures I’ve been involved in the hacking scene since the mid 80’s and attended the Defcon hacker convention since around Defcon 3 to 13 always having always had music playing in the background while coding or working on problems
What is the story behind your name?
Signal Decay. It’s the idea/illustration that every signal breaks down evenually over distance and time. The breaking down signal ultimately loses clarity and noise takes over. In a world where human emotions move increasingly through technology – identity becomes distorted by systems and we get the uneasy feeling that the future is arriving faster than we can process it. In the end, how much of those emotions/thought/humanity processed through tech remains human?
Why focus on the “decay” of the signal? What is artistically compelling to you about a system that is breaking down rather than one that is working perfectly?
Great question. The moment of the decay in the signal is the point of confusion where we are forced to ask if we are human or machine. This is where the line is blurred and we define ourselves. However we want.
What’s your advice to humanity?
My advice is that we don’t confuse progress with wisdom. Not every upgrade is evolution. Be careful about what we trade away for speed, power, comfort, pleasure, and control. The most valuable parts of being human are frequently the least efficient. Be free, protect empathy, and never let the machine or anyone else decide what your soul is worth.
Thank you!
Follow our playlist Vaporized Memories feat. Signal Decay
Secret Eclectic 