A MOMENT WITH – DEATH GENESIS

Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Pete Bastian humbly announces during each release that he is merely the conductor of the equipment he uses. It is the machine, or collective of machines,that is the true musician – leading to the concept of Bastian creating “techno-organic” experimental music.

From harsh noise wall works as King Shoji or the more subdued power electronics of his most recent Death Genesis project, Bastian’s approach has led to a prolific catalog of works prior to joining MUZAI Records.

When the opportunity rose to release Bastian’s Death Genesis works, we leapt at the chance; and in an effort to foster more knowledge (and drive more sales, let’s be honest), we conducted this interview shortly before the announcement of Death Genesis.

Death Genesis is Pete Bastian, otherwise known as King Shoji. From Metro Detroit, Michigan.

What led you to using the mantle Death Genesis? Is it in regards to the beginning of the end of something, or is it a reference to something else?

I have always viewed death as simply the beginning of another form of existence, and that it is an endless cycle. I believe nothing ever truly dies, with Death being a Genesis for new life on another astral plane. The word genesis has also always had a place in my life it seems; Sega Genesis being my first console, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge of TG, it has been in my life for a long time.

For those unaware about it, how do you define “power electronics”?

Power electronics means giving complete control to sound machines. The operator becomes one with them and the sound machines take over any human thought with their powers, this lends to the occult aspect of it. Luigi Russolo and the Italo-Futurist movement has an immense impact on power electronics and its concepts. Most power electronic setups consist of the operator setting up the machines (patching them, adjusting signal chain, levels, etc.) and simply letting them run wild, morphing and melting sonic waves with little to no human interference.

Are there any musicians in particular you would cite as “power electronic” musicians?

Some musicians would be Tim Drage and Lisa McKendrick of Isntses, Frame Rust, Fred Nipi, Reclusa, and Controlled Bleeding. Anyone who makes some sort of cosmic connection with machines I would classify as power electronics.

Is there any music from other genres that have an influence on power electronics?

Free jazz, traditional Eastern music, and death metal all seem to play their own parts. The use of chaotic noise, drones and atonality brings one that much closer to the Higher Power.

What made you decide to work in this realm of experimental electronics as opposed to, say, noise wall or industrial music?

I went towards experimental electronic simply because it’s much broader of a genre. It allows for melding of multiple types of electronic music- I can go from classic industrial to techno to harsh noise and still put it under the umbrella of experimental electronic. It also gives more credit to my machines, who do a lot of the work.

How long have you been working on your music? Has power electronics always been something you’ve worked with or did it branch out from other works you’ve been involved with?

I’ve been working on music for 4 years now. I started with a Korg Volca Keys and a TE Pocket Operator drum machine and would record anything I thought sounded good. Over the years I have accumulated many different synthesizers and noise making circuits and it sort of all came together slowly after months of recording.

It feels like the album, “Death Genesis”, steers close to the aesthetic of gorenoise – do you feel the album has a certain auditory goriness to it?

This album is definitely laden with auditory gore. I do, however, want the listener to see and hear the beauty of the gore, and the goriness of the beauty.

A couple of the tracks have almost biblical sounding names. What led to naming tracks such as “Heavens Toxic Waste Dump”, “Archangel” or “Spirit of Life in Death”?

I felt I came into contact with the Higher Power during the recording of this album and I found the names to be fitting. For example with Archangel, I sampled John Coltrane saying “May there be peace and love and perfection throughout all creation, oh God…”

Satan’s Oscilloscope is what he looks through to see the physically manifested waves of human misdeeds, and how he wants to manipulate them. The sounds are an auditory representation of what is being fed into the scope. It was also inspired by the Black Flag album “The Process of Weeding Out”, with Satan looking at sperm cells under a microscope.

Some of the tracks venture into 10 minute territory; was there a concern at any stage keeping some of the works concise or would that be to the detriment of the creative process?

I feel that having such long tracks is integral to the meditative and occult aspect of the recording/listening process. I want the listener to feel that cosmic connection, and that can’t be properly achieved in three minutes or less I believe.

The Genesis of Death Genesis

Death Genesis emerged from a period of intense experimentation in Bastian's Detroit basement studio, where the line between human intention and machine autonomy blurred. Unlike his King Shoji project, which often favors dense, unrelenting walls of static, Death Genesis allows for more dynamic shifts in texture and mood, creating a narrative arc that mirrors the cycle of decay and rebirth. Bastian describes the process as "letting the machines breathe," allowing oscillators and filters to interact in unpredictable ways while he shapes the overall structure with minimal intervention.

The project's name itself reflects this philosophy. "Death is not an ending but a transformation," Bastian explains. "The album is a sonic document of that transformation, moving from abrasive, gore-soaked textures to moments of eerie calm that suggest something new emerging from the wreckage." This duality is central to the Death Genesis sound, where harsh noise and subtle drones coexist, each informing the other.

Recording and Equipment

The album was recorded over several months using a combination of analog synthesizers, circuit-bent devices, and found sounds. Bastian's setup includes a Korg MS-20, a Roland TR-606, and a variety of homemade noise generators built from salvaged electronics. "I see the equipment as collaborators," he says. "Each piece has its own personality, and part of the process is learning how to coax the right performance out of them without imposing too much control."

Key to the Death Genesis sound is the use of feedback loops and long delay chains, which create the sense of sound decaying and reforming in real time. Bastian often records live takes, capturing the raw interaction between machines and allowing mistakes and accidents to become part of the composition. "If a patch starts to scream in a way I didn't expect, that's usually a sign to follow it, not fix it," he notes.

Influences and Inspirations

Bastian cites a wide range of influences for Death Genesis, from the industrial pioneers of the 1970s to contemporary noise artists. The Italo-Futurist movement remains a touchstone, particularly Luigi Russolo's concept of "The Art of Noises," which argued for the musical potential of everyday sounds. "Russolo understood that machines could express things the human voice cannot," Bastian says. "That idea is at the core of what I do."

Other influences include the free jazz explorations of Sun Ra and the early electronic works of Delia Derbyshire, whose use of tape manipulation and found sound resonates with Bastian's approach. "Derbyshire's work for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop showed that electronic music could be both experimental and emotionally powerful," he explains. "That's something I strive for in Death Genesis."

Themes and Concepts

Death Genesis is structured as a journey through decay and renewal, with each track representing a stage in the cycle. "The album moves from the violent, gore-soaked opening tracks to the more meditative pieces at the end," Bastian says. "It's meant to be experienced as a whole, not as individual songs." This narrative approach is reflected in the track titles, which draw on biblical and occult imagery to evoke themes of transformation and transcendence.

The use of religious symbolism is not meant to be prescriptive. "I'm not trying to push any particular belief system," Bastian clarifies. "But the language of spirituality is useful for describing experiences that go beyond the everyday. When the machines take over, it feels like touching something larger than myself." This sense of the numinous is a recurring element in Bastian's work, connecting Death Genesis to his broader exploration of techno-organic music.

Performance and Future Directions

While Death Genesis is primarily a studio project, Bastian has performed live under the name on several occasions, often in unconventional spaces. "I prefer to play in places where the audience can be immersed in the sound," he says. "Warehouses, basements, even outdoor spaces at night. The environment becomes part of the performance." These live sets typically involve extended improvisations, with Bastian manipulating the equipment in real time to create a unique experience for each show.

Looking ahead, Bastian plans to continue exploring the Death Genesis concept, with new material already in the works. "The project is always evolving," he says. "I'm interested in pushing further into the territory where noise and melody blur, and where the machines take even more control. The goal is to create music that feels alive, that changes with each listen." Fans can expect more releases on MUZAI Records in the future, as Bastian continues to document his sonic explorations.