Combining cyberpunk themes with surreal visuals, Soft Crash’s latest release Your Last All the pieces explores the increasingly blurred lines between man and machine. The joint project of body music trailblazers, BITE label head Hayden Payne and artist Pablo Bozzi, the album pair’s first full-length album is a heady sci-fi trip across dimensions, juxtaposing internal conflicts of fine and evil, creation and destruction, victory and defeat.

Across eight tracks, the duo construct on their Italo body palette to incorporate electro, acid house, bleep, hi-nrg, and IDM. “Our music balances between a chilly technological world that may be very mechanical to at least one that’s warm and stuffed with emotions,” they share. 

For his or her exclusive Dazed mix, the duo deliver a trippy mix featuring 80s and 90s classics, Italo and synth-wave. “We desired to record a vibey mix that might be appropriate for afterparties,” they explain. “So we made something trippier and groovier but still keeping our sleek, sexy cyberpunk style with ominous melancholia.”

How did Soft Crash come about?

Soft Crash: We met years ago after we each moved to Berlin and on the time were working as Phase Fatale and Imperial Black Unit. But we also realised we had the identical passions for synth-wave and Italo. Pablo did his first solo EP on Hayden’s label BITE in addition to a collab EP with Sarin as Imperial Black Unit prior to that. We found a solution to mix all these sounds and influences into what’s Soft Crash.

Tell me about your latest album. What are among the essential inspirations?

Soft Crash: We dove into more complex production and arrangement methods akin to groups from the 80s or 90s, somewhere between Depeche Mode and Autechre. There are also more influences from breaks and electro along with our love for artists like Tobias Bernstrup or cuts from Boy Records. 

Your work often explores the connection between technology and the body, what attracts you to this theme?

Soft Crash: The attraction comes from different levels that we associate with technology as musicians working with machines and the pc in addition to when DJing after which onto an on a regular basis life level. Our music balances a chilly technological world that may be very mechanical with one which is warm and stuffed with emotions. 

What inspired the album’s name?

Soft Crash: The name holds meaning coming from a quite emotionally rough pandemic winter and wondering what “your last every little thing” means. Marie Davidson’s lyrics on the bonus collab song really capture the deeper meaning of the title because it explores gamer experiences, life and death, and neo-romanticism.

What are a few of your earliest memories of music? Have they influenced your sound in any respect?

Soft Crash: Even when Hayden’s mom was still pregnant, his parents would play Iggy Pop as a substitute of Mozart to me within the womb. He remembers listening to Sisters Of Mercy or Killing Joke behind his dad’s jeep. So yes, you may hear some influence.

What are you listening to in the mean time?

Soft Crash: We each really loved the primary album of Nuovo Testamento on Avant! Records.

Any fun projects or shows lined up?

Soft Crash: Yes obviously! BITE has its first label night at Berghain on October twenty first. Really enthusiastic about that. Then we go on a tour of Colombia and Mexico and return to play live at Berghain within the Säule on November thirteenth. Afterwards might be our first US tour together. Finally, we’ll play a 2-day BITE Nite weekender at our 2nd home KHIDI in Tbilisi on December 9/10.

Tell us about your Dazed mix.

Soft Crash: We desired to record a vibey mix that might be appropriate for afterparties. So we made something trippier and groovier but still keeping our sleek, sexy cyberpunk style with ominous melancholia. The combo oscillates between recent, unreleased tracks to 80s and 90s classics connecting the dots between all. Recorded live in Pablo’s studio.

How were you feeling when making it?

Soft Crash: Very productive, as we’ve been playing out every weekend after which throughout the week cranking out tracks and dealing. So we desired to capture this momentum from the club and the studio here.

Tracklist

1. “Untitled” – Xeno & Oaklander
2. “Love Is A Shield (Audrey Danza Edit)” – Camouflage
3. “My Voice” – Facets
4. “Falling Sun (Bliss Inc Remix)” – Naone
5. “Never Return To Earth” – Endrik Schroeder
6. “Unreleased” – Error508
7. “Rituals” – Asymetric80
8. “Negative Soul” – Mahkina
9. “Tonight” – Latest Scene
10. “Reavity” –  Lavion
11. “The Snow” – Coil
12. “Spell On My Dance (Arkademode Remix)” – Farloh
13. “Arcadia” – Neurotiker
14. “Time Space Rhythm and Bass” – Dark Vektor
15. “Hologram Rose” – Soft Crash
16. “One Must Imagine Sisiphos Glad” – Younger Than Me
17. “LFO (Leeds Warehouse Mix)” – LFO
18. “All Of That (Pablo Bozzi Remix)” – SDH