Dreamasia — An Interview with Dream Pop/Electro Duo Siviyex

Toronto-based duo Siviyex are among our favorite modern projects. The band, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Castelvi and M.Gomes have just released their second lp, The Mirrax Sequence, on the freshly minted Nooma Records label. The new LP finds the duo exploring similar territory as their excellent 2020 debut, crossing through multiple genres with the greatest of ease. Similar to bands such as Seefeel and Bowery Electric before them, Siviyex meld electronic passages with gorgeous dream pop textures, uniquely adding elements of Italo disco and hard electro across the board. Each track on the LP is equally dreamy as it is danceable, with Castelvi’s ethereal vocals sitting on top of perfectly programmed percussion, textured guitars, and engaging synth passages. As such, The Mirrax Sequence is a truly enjoyable and eclectic collection of tracks that goes deeper into the psyche with every listen.

We had the chance to catch up briefly with the band about their journey thus far, dreams and nightmares, and the recording of the new LP, including some hints about some upcoming live dates. Enjoy!

Tell us a bit about how the band formed… 

We met at a Cryogenetic live P.A. when M.Gomes was producing music under the name Cryogenetic. We hit it off after talking for hours and started our musical journey together. We were both involved in various music projects and ended up with our first collaboration in a live electronic improv group called Keyop. After that we morphed through various projects and formulated the idea for Siviyex in 2018.

The Mirrax Sequence is your second record, and is certainly no sophomore slump. How was the LP recorded?  

Some of the album was made pre-pandemic, but unfortunately when the pandemic hit it disrupted the amount of time we were able to spend in the studio for a number of reasons. We managed to slowly chip away at the album as our process for creating songs can sometimes be a lengthy one. Feelings of isolation and uncertainty were definitely looming over our heads while creating many of these songs.

The combination of electro/italo and dream pop is certainly unique. I fully believe that the only way to be original these days is to mix genres in interesting ways like this, otherwise, you risk sounding like every other band before you. Not many dream pop bands, especially these days, flirt with electronics the way you do. How did you land on this sound? 

We both have a long history of involvement in electronic music and the band scene. We also both share a love for genres like shoegaze and dark electro. We wanted to have an electronic leaning project that involved guitars and playing instruments on stage. The project is equally influenced by groups like Drexciya and bands like My Bloody Valentine. We tried to fuse those two worlds together.

That said, what are some of your more unexpected influences? 

We are influenced by 80s electronic library music with composers such as Keith Mansfield, Harry Forbes, Nick Sargent, and Andy Clark to name a few. Film music libraries from the 80s such as Parry Music Ltd. out of Toronto released some very interesting thematic 80s electronic music that tends to be the backdrop to our daily lives. Films such as Boxing Helena, Pin, Jacob’s Ladder, and The Lawnmower Man are also big influences.

Quite a bit  of dream pop is less lyrically focused and more about sounds and syllables and textures. With that in mind, can you shed some light on what the LP is about, lyrically? 

Recurring night visions of various entities have always been one of the driving themes and inspiration behind our music. The surreal feeling of waking up and seeing an unknown figure standing in front of you or hovering above you is both terrifying and thought provoking. These mysterious visions and interactions go on to help shape the concepts around our music. Themes such as the subconscious, dreaming and alternate dimensions help us to create theoretical new realities that are often the basis for song concepts and lyrical ideas. Furthermore, our daily lives mixed with dreams and fiction experienced through specific films combine together to help create entities and places that can exist beyond our current state of being.

This is the first release by Nooma Records. How did you get hooked up with the label? 

We got a message from someone on our Soundcloud account asking about one of our songs that was played by Doppereffekt on their NTS radio show. He asked if it was released yet but the song was at the time unreleased. His name was Sary and after exchanging a few messages, this sparked the idea for him to start a label which would have The Mirrax Sequence as the first release. Working with Sary was a great experience from the very beginning as he was very enthusiastic about our music and the concepts surrounding it. Everything flowed from the creation of the artwork by Sary and the pressing of the vinyl. The record was mastered by Rude 66 who we admire greatly and the vinyl was pressed in the Netherlands at Record Industry.

What gear did you use on the LP? 

For percussion, we used a few different hardware drum machines including the 808, 707, DMX, and DDR-30. Most of the synth sounds are created using a Fender Jazzmaster with synth guitar modules and various effects pedals amped through a Fender Vibratone Cabinet and a Fender Twin Reverb. For bass guitar we used a Fender Precision. For the vox we created a vocal sound that combines a heavily effected natural voice with vocoder technology. We tend to put a lot of effects both new and vintage on everything.

It’s been a while since I’ve played in Toronto – how’s the music scene there these days? 

There are many great people doing interesting things in our community. We have many thriving scenes with lots of great musicians and DJs as well as some great promoters and venues doing top notch underground events on a weekly basis.

Any upcoming shows or touring plans of note?

We are playing this Thursday, May 16th, with Soft Set at a club in Toronto called The Baby G. We also have a show for World Goth Day on Saturday, May 18th, hosted by Darkness Forever at a club called Handlebar in Toronto. §

Be sure to pick up a copy of The Mirrax Sequence, which will be sure to make my personal best-of for 2024.

Purchase the digital and LP version via Bandcamp. Visit Siviyex on Facebook and pick up their first LP here.

Header photo by Adam Scott 

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