Keep a steady hand on me
Believing in all it can be
While many toss around the word “legend,” only a few people can actually claim that status… and Michael Zodorozny is one of them. As a founding member of the Philadelphia-based synth-punk band, Crash Course in Science, Zodorozny has been experimenting with electronic music since 1979. Always on the fringes, he touts a collection of his own home-made and self-invented instruments which sets him apart from others. Because of this, his sound is off-kilter and unique—it is unmistakable and completely his own.
Zodorozny’s first solo album, Other Side, is out today, February 14, on Electronic Emergencies and is a seven track mini-LP of songs that feel like the natural progression from his CCIS work. With strong beats and techno attributes, Other Side combines his oddball intricacies with a dance floor sensibility; “Landscape From The Quiet Car” is completely devoid of vocals, immersing the listener into a rhythmic dream-like sequence, while “Up The Dark” is full of ferocious bursts of wailing synths. Lyrical themes Zodorozny explored—though open for interpretation—include “perception and memory, obsession (artistic and otherwise) and the balance of visualization and creation.”
This artistic obsession is apparent with his first single, “Constant.” The music video was hand-drawn by Zodorozny in old school animation style (a continuation of Other Side‘s album art) and features the artist dancing inside a colorful, illustrated world as a collage of colors and shapes zoom in and out of the screen to the beat. Watch the video below:
The demo versions of Other Side were written before the pandemic and recorded the final versions of the album during the warmer months of 2020. Produced by Matia Simovich (Riki, Boy Harsher, Body of Light), there is a polished element to the album, right alongside a remix from another electronic music legend, The Hacker. Hand-numbered vinyl copies are limited to 300 and is available digitally via Bandcamp.
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