Jammerzine Exclusive: An Interview With Kurt Harland Larson

When Kasson Crooker of ELYXR collaborates up with Kurt Harland Larson of Information Society, expect musical madness and magic to happen. Just check out our review of ELYXR’s “Strange Stubborn Proud”. The frenetic fusion of lyrics, beat, and consistent creative output lends to the inspiration of the new music scene as well as the imagination of those yet to come.

In today’s interview, we talk to Kurt Harland Larson, one-third of the creation station known as Information Society, about his new work with Kasson, his take on the music industry as well as the past, present, and future.

Check out our review of ELYXR’s “Strange Stubborn Proud” HERE.

About ELYXR and Kurt Harland Larson
Seattle-based artist ELYXR and Kurt Harland Larson from legendary synth band Information Society have teamed up to present their collaborative single ‘Strange Stubborn Proud’.

Formed in 1982 while in college, Larson started Information Society, which would become a decades-long involvement with music, electronic audio, and recording/programming. As a synthpop band, Information Society achieved mainstream success in the late eighties and early nineties, most widely known for their 1988 hit single ‘What’s On Your Mind? (Pure Energy)’. Larson reunited with his former bandmates in 2007, giving the band new impetus, releasing new material and touring internationally.

ELYXR is a collaborative project with a penchant for concocting modern synthpop potions, headed by Seattle-based indie-electronic artist Kasson Crooker (Symbion Project, Freezepop), who not only produces his releases but also mixes and masters them at Speed of Dark Music studios in Seattle.

Strongly influenced by the likes of Depeche Mode, New Order, Moderat, and Information Society, ELYXR merges the best of old-school 80’s synthpop with modern electropop production, similar to artists like Röyksopp, Goldfrapp, and Marsheaux. The origins of this project trace back to many years of making electropop with Freezepop, during which time Kasson met many other talented artists. ELYXR was the perfect outlet to collaborate with them, creating a fresh synthpop sound.

“I first heard Freezepop in the early ‘00’s, and immediately told my wife, who worked at a record store, about them. Shortly thereafter she got them to come out to San Francisco for an in-store appearance, which was, I think, their first San Francisco trip. I loved Kasson’s work with Freezepop over those years, and when he started Elyxr, I jumped at the chance to make music together for the first time,” explains Kurt Harland Larson.

“The lyrics for SSP were inspired by the words of a friend. I read what she wrote and spun them up into lyrics. I hope that anyone who hears the song can hear the duality in the lyrics: While clearly striking a proud and defiant tone, there is also a note of tragedy in the voice; anyone who must walk this sort of path must endure rather a lot of social suffering.”

While some of ELXYR past work has been dreamy and introspective, ‘Strange Stubborn Proud’ is more an in-your-face mix of classic synthpop and electro. This track is upbeat and energetic, featuring modern synthesizer sounds intermingled with detuned vintage synths over complex and syncopated drum machines. The unique nature of each song’s vocalist takes each composition in a different aesthetic direction.

“Information Society is one of my most influential bands and helped inspire me to begin making synthpop in the 80’s. In fact, InSoc was the very first band I ever went to see as a teenager,” says Kasson Crooker.

“I’ve known Kurt from InSoc now for many years as he and I both do music/audio production for video games. We just needed to find the right song to work on together. I gave him some song options to choose from and was psyched that he found one that channeled a bit of the early InSoc “Running” sound. I love the fact that, through the lyrics, he unapologetically states his motives and how he operates outside of society’s norms and conventions!”

Forfeiting the standard route of releasing albums and EPs, ELXYR is shaking up that model by releasing each single as it is completed. ELYXR has issued a string of six electrifying singles in the past six months, featuring Color Theory, Elissa LeCoque from enigmatic Brooklyn act Kodachrome, Katrina Kope from Seattle-band Purr Gato, Naoko Takamoto of Princess Problems, and long-time collaborator Melissa R. Kaplan from Kasson’s previous band Splashdown.

‘Strange Stubborn Proud’ releases on March 9 on all notable online stores and streaming platforms, as well as on ELYXR’s Bandcamp.

LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/informationsociety
http://elyxr.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/ELYXRband
http://twitter.com/symbionproject
http://www.youtube.com/user/symbionproject