- An Interview with ELYXR Jammerzine Exclusive 37:52
- Pressure (ft Katrina Kope of Purr Gato) ELYXR 4:17
Kasson Crooker is no stranger to the music industry. Having cut his teeth at the turn of the century with such acts as Freezepop and Splashdown, Kasson quickly set a name for himself in the scene and gravitated to frequent collaborator, composer and, ultimately, his solo project known as Symbion Project.
But, as creative minds tend to do, Kasson has added another idea into the mix in the form of his latest project titled ELYXR. According to ELYXR’s Bandcamp page, ELYXR is “ELYXR is a brand new collaborative-band concocting modern synthpop potions. Spearheaded by Seattle-based electronic music songwriter/producer Kasson Crooker (Symbion Project, Freezepop, Rocococo), ELYXR started releasing a string of singles in the summer of 2017, each a collaboration with a different singer/songwriter.”
In the above interview, we talk with Kasson about the creative and collaborative processes, how he gets his sound and ideas, and so much more!
We also have an exclusive preview, courtesy of Kasson, from ELYXR with his new single, a unique and provocative cover of Billy Joel’s song ‘Pressure’ from his 1982 album titled ‘The Nylon Curtain’ featuring Katrina Kope of Purr Gato on vocals. I say unique because like all covers should but sometimes do not, is take the song to another level and, not only introduce said song to another audience but give the song another era of relevancy. And that is exactly what Kasson and Katrina achieve. Kasson’s blissfully artful take on the music accompanied by Katrina’s sensual yet evocative vocal take redefine the meaning of the song while being mindful of it’s origin of the time in that transitional period in the early 80s between post-punk and pre-pop.
‘Pressure’ is released TODAY and can be bought HERE. If you purchase all the released songs for $7.20 or become a subscriber you’ll get to check it out now!
Check out our interview with Kurt Harland Larson and what he said about his collaboration with ELYXR on the song ‘Strange Stubborn Proud HERE. You can watch the video for that song below.
About ELYXR
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.
@symbionproject [rotatingtweets screen_name=’symbionproject’]“The perfect synthpop storm… one of the catchiest tracks of the year, voiced by a man who set the standard for American synthpop in InSoc’s Kurt Harland Larson”
– Echosynthetic“ELYXR have released a whole selection of electronic gems… a fascinating musical endeavour by the ever-talented Kasson Crooker”
– The Electricity Club“Kasson Crooker is a tireless musical chameleon, exploring the limits of electronic instruments and composition”
– Modern Synthpop
LINKS:
http://elyxr.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/ELYXRband
http://twitter.com/symbionproject
http://www.youtube.com/user/symbionproject
