I have some bad news and good news for you. Bad news is that Dave Emmerson decided to close down his DIY label ZAP Records. It’s quite sad since there were so many good bands associated with that indie label. I’ll be talking about my thoughts on the matter in a separate post. Good news is that his band Dystopian Futures is still going to make music and they just came out with a new song called “Space Junk”! Oh, yeah. I even got to make the music video, too.
Dystopian Futures certainly continue to use their quirky experimental punk rock for this song. It’s a story involving a cosmonaut who has been in stasis in a spaceship for a century while trying to flee from his vice-ridden past. Things don’t go to plan as he’s in the cosmic ocean.
Feel free to buy the song on Visions Press’s Bandcamp!
Tag Archives: Dystopian Futures
Ospreyshire Origins: Art in the Midst of Pandemonium and Pandemics
Here’s the other new song that’s on the DFxO split album. I multitracked some bass tracks while playing it unplugged. I played some riffs as well as using that instrument in unconventional ways for extra sound effects when layering them. I used a hand drum to provide percussion for it. Despite these anxious times, I wanted to have a message where people can still be creative. I’m not sure if anyone else noticed this, but I reference a certain emo band in one of the lyrics.
This song was also an Ospreyshire first. It was the first time I had a guest vocalist in a song and it was Dave from Dystopian Futures himself who wrote and performed his own verse. He did a great job and I liked how he tied in references to all the songs as well as making an extension of some of the lyrics I say in this track.
New split EP! DFxO! That’s Dystopian Futures X Ospreyshire, for those scoring at home.
This is what I referred to last week!
I, Ospreyshire got to be involved with a split EP and it’s the first time I’ve ever done a collaborative album with anyone. The other part of the split involves the Scottish experimental punk band Dystopian Futures whom I’ve mentioned on this blog before and I’ve even made a music video for them on their first EP. Dave Emmerson (lead singer/bassist) and I are good friends. We had an email conversation a while ago about potentially collaborating and once the Coronavirus was unfortunately spreading worldwide, he came up with an idea of coming up with a “lockdown” project. Despite him being in the UK and me here in America, we sent each other songs.
I got to remix Dystopian Futures’ song “Apocalyptic Romance” which was really fun. I added some digital synths, random sound effects, a lo-fi recording of me playing a keyboard and I do back up vocals in the middle of the song. Dystopian Futures also got to cover the song “Corona” by the Minutemen. Some of you might recognize that song as the theme to Jackass.
For me, I got to bust out with two new Ospreyshire tracks. The first one is “Is This a New Normal?”. I used an organ setting on my keyboard while adding my trademark acousmatics in it. I also freestyled all of the lyrics which was a first for anything I’ve ever done as a way to reflect about how I felt about the pandemic. The second one is “Art In the Midst of Pandemonium and Pandemics”. I wrote down the lyrics to this one as well as doing some avant-garde soundscapes by multitracking live sounds of me playing bass in traditional and unconventional ways. This was also an Ospreyshire first since it involves a guest vocalist with the aforementioned Dave. He got to write and record his vocals in the song and it really tied in well. I liked how he referenced all the other songs in the split EP with his verse.
Just so you know, this split EP is either FREE or pay-what-you-want. Whether you want to chip in some money or not is totally up to you to get some new music.
Have a great day, everyone!
Dystopian Futures: Low Arts EP
Last Monday, Dystopian Futures released their brand new EP Low Arts!
This EP is great for those who like creative and innovative music with better musicality or depth than whatever is on Top 40 radio. Dystopian Futures are also releasing this album for free or pay-what-you-want. If you want get some tunes, then feel free to download this album. Please chip in some money to them if you feel so inclined, so they can continue making some quality experimental punk rock. If you download this EP, you’ll also get the music video of the title track as a bonus! Here’s the video for those who haven’t seen it: https://vimeo.com/268278856.
Dystopian Futures Interview from The Antidote
http://www.theantidoteradio.com/interview/interview-with-dystopian-futures
Very recently, Dave Emmerson from Dystopian Futures was interviewed by The Antidote. He had some great insight for his current band. Dave also talks about the weaknesses of social media, rampant narcissism, and sci-fi. Shoot, I didn’t even know he was a fan of Dr. Strangelove. Hahaha! I thought this was a great interview and you should check it out.
Don’t forget that Dystopian Futures’s Low Arts EP comes out on 6/11/18 on http://zaprecords.bandcamp.com.
Check out the Fear EP: https://zaprecords.bandcamp.com/album/zap-033-fear-cs
Don’t forget, Dystopian Futures has a new music video for their Low Arts song. Yes, I worked on it and I threw in some stealth puns. Hee hee hee…
The Antidote Interviews Dave Emmerson from ZAP Records
http://www.theantidoteradio.com/interview/interview-with-zap-records
I found out about this interview recently. It was amazing that Dave Hawkins from The Antidote interviewed my friend who’s also named Dave. They talk about the origins of ZAP Records and his numerous bands. Also, I got name-dropped briefly in this interview. Dave Emmerson is a legit guy and he really cares about the independent music scene.
Check out his bands:
The Old-Timers [Hardcore/Punk]: https://theold-timers.bandcamp.com/
Their Throats Are Open Tombs [Digital Hardcore/Experimental/Noise]: https://theirthroatsareopentombs-sbbr.bandcamp.com/
Dystopian Futures [Post-Punk/Noise Rock]: https://zaprecords.bandcamp.com/album/zap-033-fear-cs
ZAP Records Spotlight: Dystopian Futures
Here’s another spotlight from people on ZAP Records.
This is Dystopian Futures. It’s an experimental punk side project from Dave of The Old-Timers fame. They make some noisy and angular music that has a surprising message to it. The Fear EP is available digitally and on cassette (I have both, by the way).
Definitely check these guys out if you like some creative music!
Ospreyshire's Realm 