adminLondon-based artist Proplyd 133-353, formerly known as Joel Bird, is emerging as a powerful new voice in the techno scene with his intellectual, dark, complex and deeply emotive sound that takes listeners on a metaphysical journey through the human mind. With over a decade of production experience, he has gained international support from major artists including Indira Paganotto and KI/KI. He has released three tracks on ARTCORE, including ‘Starlight’, and recently delivered a remix of NLI’s ‘Riot’ on Adhesive Records. Making waves in the European rave scene with his meticulously crafted live sets that blend psy trance, deep groove and minimal techno at underground parties across London and Berlin, Proplyd 133-353 now debuts his first EP Exoplanet via NLI’s Adhesive Records on March 26th. This 3-track release is a profound personal and sonic exploration of the self. The ambient opener ‘Event Horizon’ creates a massive wall of sound to delve into existential questions, while the title track ‘Exoplanet’ embodies total introspection and living past experiences in the present.
In the following interview, Proplyd 133-353 opens up about the conceptual foundations and creative process behind this highly anticipated debut.
What initially sparked your journey into music production?
I’ve always had the instinct to create music, even before I touched any DAW. I played classical and jazz trombone for over 10 years and always surrounded myself with music of all kinds. I started producing music when I was 12 years old after being introduced to it by a school teacher and I’ve been a self-taught producer ever since. It’s something that I gravitate towards naturally and I find myself pouring my life and emotions into Ableton pretty much every day.
How did you arrive at the unique name Proplyd 133-353?
I have always been fascinated by astronomy and sci-fi especially, and for my new alias I wanted to adopt the name of the most fascinating exoplanet – Proplyd 133-353. It is said to be part of a second-generation star system, which matches my rebirth as an artist perfectly. It is also thought to have a planetary photo-evaporating disc, due to nearby massive stars, which ‘evaporate’ and ionise the surrounding gas. This gas escapes into space as thermal winds. I found this process to be both fascinating and deeply inspiring to my music. The extremely young nature of the planet expresses the willingness and anticipation I have in embarking on a sonic journey that will span the next few decades at least.
How has being based in London shaped your artistic perspective?
I have been surrounded by incredible artists in the scene in London, including NLI, Prerna Singh and JFox. The inspiration and feedback from these respected artists have matured my perspective on my own artistry, for which I am very grateful. The city itself is so multi-layered, from architecture and sub-culture to the music scene itself, and it never stops surprising me with its manic and unpredictable nature, much like the violent events that can transpire in deep space.Your music explores experimental ambient and electronic styles. Which artists or experiences have influenced your sound the most?
When I was young, my father introduced me to artists such as Sasha and John Digweed, who had a massive impact on the solidification of the foundation of my musical senses. My first true experience of techno was through Enrico Sanguiliano, who to this day I believe to be in a class of his own. In terms of the ambient and experimental side of my sound, artists like Aphex Twin, nthng and Fred P have really shaped me, with Fred P moving the ambient-induced emotion closer to the sphere of house music.
The concept behind your debut EP Exoplanet focuses on metaphysical travel and human consciousness. Where did this idea first come from?
Unfortunately, I’m a chronic over-thinker. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been dissecting my thoughts and decisions all under the umbrella of existential thinking. I think that the foundation of what makes my music available to be experienced by everyone is the questions that every human has asked themselves: Why are we here? What is the meaning of existence? Do the decisions I make have any impact at all in the grand scheme of things? In all my work, I try to tap into the most human concept: curiosity in the search for these universal answers.
Walk us through the making of the opening track ‘Event Horizon’ and how you created that massive ‘wall of sound’ through experimental design.
Event Horizon encapsulates the task of crossing the point of no return regarding self-exploration. I wanted to express the magnitude of the feeling you experience in anticipation of the dissection of your thoughts. It’s always been a noticeable part of the process for me. Knowing that I’m about to delve into something that I don’t already know the answer to has always been both fascinating and quite frankly, sometimes terrifying. In terms of music and sound design, I kept the musical structure simple to make room for the details you hear through sound design as the track is flooded with sound. The score of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar by Hans Zimmer was a great inspiration for this piece. Using samplers, synths, VSTs and careful application of reverb and delay I’ve produced a track with plenty for the listener to sink their teeth into. I wanted to use the emotion as the engines, and the details as the windows.
The title track ‘Exoplanet’ is about reliving past experiences in the present. How personal was the process of writing and producing that song for you?
Exoplanet as a track wasn’t created until over a year after I wrote the poem. When I wrote it, it was during a period of change. I wanted to convey the feeling I was experiencing, which was that I felt as if the present I was living was simply a decades old memory. It’s a difficult thing to describe, it felt as if my whole life had already occurred, and I was living in the transient bubble of a memory of my past. When I created the melodic acid techno structure, I had no previous intention of inserting the verse, but by the time the structure was completed it fit perfectly. Even the already constructed acid line complimented the flow of the words as if they were meant to be. I’m no believer in destiny, but this made me consider it just for a moment.
What were the main sound design and layering techniques you relied on to create the dense, immersive textures you were going for across the EP?
Honestly it boils down to starting with simplicity. The whole EP is built on minimal construction, both elementally and structurally. A really solid, basic footing allows for more complex use of effects and sound design. A plugin I use extensively in the EP is Valhalla Supermassive. Its capabilities are immense, especially considering that its free to use. After using it for years, I have a pretty much a complete understanding of all its features and workings. Using detailed automation based on my knowledge and experience of this plugin allowed me to sculpt those textures, combined with integrating all of the other elements used in the tracks. For any young or new producers out there, I would highly recommend finding and using such free plugins that have so much versatility. LABS by Spitfire Audio is another fantastic example of this.
On the title track ‘Exoplanet’, what specific compositional and production decisions helped translate the idea of living past experiences in the present into sound?
As the track was born in a time of transition, I felt it split into two chapters naturally. The first chapter slowly grows through a spacey synth into an emotional climax. I wanted to strip bare the emotional vulnerability of the listener to make them as receptive as possible to the acid-infused vocal journey of the second chapter. The only true constant to hold on to in the track is the acid line, which itself constantly evolves and changes. To quote an artist I mentioned earlier, Enrico Sanguiliano, “The only constant is change.”. It’s this continuously revolving perception of reality that the track capitalises on, and in fact the whole EP represents.
Now that you’re putting such an intimate debut out into the world, what fears or hopes are you carrying into this next chapter?
The closing track, Cognitive Descent, is a sonic embodiment of my internalised fear, anxiety and repression. For me, the fears I hold closest are exposed and displayed here. For other people to listen to them and experience them is not something I fear. As I said, the whole point of Proplyd 133-353 is to connect the curious, fascinating and frightening emotions we all share from existential questions. My hope is that any listener will fuse their own existential dread to this track and this EP, and as a result have those feelings materialise into being more digestible, thought-provoking and more easily overcome. I want this EP to say, “Even if you feel alone in the universe, you are never truly alone.”: if just one person can understand that the crushing pressure of these thoughts is shared across our species because of this EP, I count that as a win.
Stream Exoplanet:
Follow Proplyd 133-353:
Instagram – Soundcloud – Spotify
Follow Adhesive Records:
Instagram – Soundcloud