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Death In Vegas (Richard Fearless) is definitely one of the breakthrough acts in this year’s Plisskën Festival. Having released one of the starkest DIV’s albums, ‘Transmission’, Richard was kind enough to answer Last Day Deaf’s questions, and…there you go: 

Having formed since mid 90’s, Death In Vegas have been among the most groundbreaking electronic acts for well above two decades. Please tell us where the band is at the moment…

One album leads to the next and for some people this is blessing for other fans difficulties as they would rather I made records like the first albums, unfortunately for them this does not interest me. The only reason I’ve been able to do this for so long as I’m constantly developing the sound, moving forward not looking to the past but the future. I guess this helps it seems relevant.

Last May, you released your 6th full-length album ‘Transmission’, which is among your best ones, heavily influenced by acid house, kraut-rock and shoegaze. Would you agree that you are moving away from the early-day “big beat” genre?

It’s definitely one of the my best albums but I don’t see the krautrock or shoegaze references you’re talking about at all. I hated the ‘big beat scene’ and tag and did everything I could to distance myself away from it after the first album, this was the angst in ‘The Contino Sessions’.

Would you like to tell us a few things about the recording process of your latest album? Is it a “band” thing? Or Richard is a control-freak?

Not a control freak it’s just my band. I did the album with Chris who engineer’s at the Metal Box (my studio). Chris also played a lot of the synths on the album and now is a touring part of the band, I then took some of those songs to LA to record Sasha then I came back to London to mix the album at the Metal Box.

Tell us a few words about the collaboration with vocalist Sasha Grey. How did this come about?

I knew I wanted to work with a female vocalist who was more performance based and knew Sasha liked Death in Vegas so I reached out to her.

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You choose to release both your solo releases, and the DIV ones via your own label Drone, (or Portobello Records). Why have you chosen to do it this way?

Portobello Records was my old manager’s label, Drone is mine, the reason is creative independence.

Flashback to the past. What do you want,, and don’t wanna recall back to your first ‘Dead Elvis’ days?  Did the “success” thing come too fast for you at that time?

I’d rather have not made that album to tell the truth, ‘Dead Elvis’ that is.

As mentioned before, techno and acid house are among your determinant influences. Which current artists/acts would you recommend we should take notice of, related to techno and acid house?

I don’t feel anything when I listen to most bands nowadays it just feels like it’s going in circles. I mostly just buy techno, noise, ambient music really.

You collaborated along with Sasha Grey at  Berlin Atonal Festival 2016 for an audio/visual performance. How was the experience like? Are you satisfied of the audience’s reception?

It was an incredibly large amount of work for one performance as I had to prepare the films as well, but I feel out hard work paid off, the performance was quite emotional.

What should the Greek audience expect from your upcoming live appearance in Plisskën Fest? Are you going to appear as a full band?

I will appear as Death in Vegas.

Your thoughts, wishes and plans for the future.

My next big project is presenting an art show hopefully next year, more touring and putting out some killer releases on Drone.

Thanks.

Christos Doukakis