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The synthesizer is a powerful tool that has suffered much abuse since its entrance into the pop world. Cheese-doodling, lipstick-wearing hairspray bands of the '80s are to blame for the synth's lowly place among "real" instruments like guitars and snare drums. But Stepkid, a.k.a Benjamin Tyler from Portland, Ore., has reclaimed the keyboard's unique ability to create otherworldly audio on his new release, Cosmonauts. The drummer has crafted his Stepkid from a strange musical universe that encompasses the paranormal, mythology and both outer and inner space. His output feels like a musical battle between good and evil, an electronic, synthesized dance night for Rod Serling.
We caught up with Tyler before his show Wednesday at Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia.
WEEKLY VOLCANO: What is the equipment of your choice?
BENJAMIN TYLER: I use soft synths in Ableton a lot. Sawer is my favorite because it has a lot of grit to it and isn't as shiny and pristine as a lot of other soft synths. My favorite instrument however is an antique drum synthesizer called the Syndrum. It's the weird blips and boops of this machine that gives Cosmonaut its retro sci-fi sound.
VOLCANO: Do you have visuals when you perform live?
TYLER: I've been talking to the guy who made a music video for machines recently about busting out the huge crazy robots we used for the video for a live show. We were thinking of making a rig so they could dance around weirdly. Hopefully this will come about, but as of right now, I try not to take too long to set up when I play live and since I'm a one-man band I can't make the visuals work yet. However, anyone who wants to add some cool visuals props or bring a fog machine is welcome to bust them out at a Stepkid show!
VOLCANO: Did you grow up with retro science fiction toys crammed in every nook and cranny in your bedroom?
TYLER: I loved science fiction as a kid. Books like A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver were awesome to me when I was really young. My father is also an optical physicist and I remember him bringing home people he worked with and I would hang out with them trying to understand what they would talk about. He would also take my family to all of these crazy observatories and I would end up in crazy places like the middle of a huge satellite dish or looking at a laser vaporize a soda can. It was a very fertile environment for a young kids imagination.
VOLCANO: How did you get into the electro space music game?
TYLER: I've always loved forward thinking electronic music and I love the mixture of old and new like retro versions of the future in movies. I think what really got me thinking about what I wanted to do for Cosmonaut was listening to the recordings of Raymond Scott, in particular the Manhattan Research Inc., and also a lot of Sun Ra - I love the way its jazzy roots mixed with its other worldly vibe. Both were such visionaries and that's what inspired me as I was making the EP.
VOLCANO: What show is better: Outer Limits or Twilight Zone?
TYLER: Dude! How can I choose? I really, really love both of these shows! Let me put it this way: I love the crazy aliens and creepiness of Outer Limits but Rod Serling is probably one of the coolest people ever.
VOLCANO: After a live show, nothing tastes better than ... what?
TYLER: A fine gin and muddled lime with a splash of water. So good. I'm trying to be healthier these days but I'm always down for the occasional late night IPA as well.
VOLCANO: Do you think your music saves lives?
TYLER: Music definitely saved my life. When I was growing up my brain was a tangled mess and I had a hard time controlling my emotions. I think when you are like me you need something to focus on and obsess over other than the shitty things in life - otherwise life can get dark very quickly. Music taught me about balance, how amazing life can be and how much each of us can grow if we have the drive and the creativity to work with the cards we are dealt in life. My hope is that maybe I'll make some music that is as special to someone who needs it as the music that I love and cherish is to me.
LE VOYEUR, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 10 P.M., NO COVER, 404 E. FOURTH AVE., OLYMPIA, 360.943.5710