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Breakmaster Cylinder – BMC

Introducing Breakmaster Cylinder (BMC), a mysterious and secretive online music composer with a fondness for beetroots. So little is known about the true identity of BMC, that (s)he could be anyone, or anything. The gender non-specific musician claims to be an extra terrestrial, floating about in the cruel empty void of space. (S)he or they composed music for PLANETROMEO last year, and the final result was, well, out-of-this-world. It’s hard to describe BMC’s music in one word, so let’s go with electronic-fresh-digital-glitch-dance music.

Intrigued? Let’s get to know BMC a little better.

BMC is a musical composer who likes to keep a low profile, (s)he has only been photographed in a motorcycle helmet and composes secretly online. No one is sure what BMC looks or sounds like as (s)he can only be contacted via email.

The Interview

Why not listen to BMC while you read?

You’re pretty anonymous, is there a reason you stay out of sight?

It feels right. Everybody has band names anyway. It’s not so different. I want it to be about the music.

Do you have a gender?

Choose your own adventure! BMC is whatever you’d like them to be.

And do you have a preferred sexuality?

It is my preference that everyone have tremendous sex, all the time.

When you create music do you have a preferred audience?

I composed music like this for 10 or 15 years before anyone listened, so I think my audience is just whoever finds it as amusing as I do. All are welcome. I’m really honored that anyone cares.

What are the essential ingredients to an excellent track?

Melodies should be catchy! Transitions should be slick. Something should be surprising. Generally the whole thing needs to be something I’m addicted to listening to for at least a few days.  If I’m not interested in hearing it again in an hour it gets scrapped.If you’ve ever heard an album of mine, especially lately, I do have a handful of repeat elements though:

Piano
8bit bass
Heavy sub bass
Some kind of swooping reverb-y melodic instrument
How about some marimba? Why not.
Deep hip-hop kicks
Nice snare – and I usually prefer claps here
Glitches and strange noises and found sounds

…and then really regardless of whatever the hell is in there the most important part is the flow. So hours of polishing the same little moments over and over.

This is a playlist of BMC & his inspirations


Has your music evolved?

Yeah… I definitely think it’s mutated over time – my albums span something like 15 years of writing though so they ought to. I think listening to them in order I can hear styles being dropped or polished as they go. Each release is an attempt at something new, at least.

When composing, do you now go in with a definite plan or do you improvise?

Sometimes I have a plan, often I don’t. It’s just very cathartic writing music and I’m more interested in seeing where it’s trying to go, than trying to mold it to an idea I had before starting.

What are your favorite parts of the music you compose?

I like weird time signatures and catchy melodies and putting things together weirdly. If I click or drag or create something accidentally while I’m writing I make sure to listen to it first before hitting ‘Undo’. I’d like a computer I could just shake in the air, and the notes would scatter and land wherever they might.

When you listen to music in your head it isn’t so restricted. It wraps around you and does its thing and continues to move and evolve without limit. Jumps from instrument to instrument. Breaks apart and reforms. That’s what I’d like to make.

Of the music you have already produced, what track is best suited to a romantic night in?

Oh! Excellent question. Here is a very sweet little ditty about rewarding sexual prowess with moderately priced seafood dinners:

I think it’s probably possible to fuck to this (and if anyone does they should feel free to tell me about it).

‘Reply all’ and ‘outside/in’ are two very popular tracks here at the PLANETROMEO office, what tracks are you most happy with yourself?

Thank you! I like those actually. I was given interesting instructions to begin with and that helped. Outside/In asked me to write them some ‘Appalachian hip-hop’. Now that’s a thing.

I’m happy with the new album, actually. Like I said, I’m trying to write music the way it’s imagined, like thoughts that wander into deviations and weird time shifts and so on. I think this was at least a step in that direction.

You can follow BMC on twitter @brkmstrcylinder, or if you need music they have a production company.

We’ve collaborated with Breakmaster Cylinder on three projects in total. They’re entitled, Date, Friends, & Love, respectively. Friends was released last fall and the other two are coming soon. Check out the music video for Friends below.

Suggestions

If you have a favorite artist, hero, porn star, queer public figure you’d like us to interview send your suggestion to social@planetromeo.com

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In the mood for something completely different?

 

That’s all for now.

Much Love

PLANETROMEO

 

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