Cameron Findlay says he’s always viewed his darkpop solo project Kontravoid as “a way to write music for a split personality.”
A track like “Reckoning” is fashioned as a brutal club mix, while “For What It Is” maintains the vibe but stands on its own with more approachable tones. Live shows are amplified by strobe lights and thrashing beats that have the power to unleash the Berlin raver we all have embedded inside us.
Onstage, Kontravoid vigorously controls the room with every step, shouting gender-switching distorted vocals. His disguise, just a plastic Halloween mask covered in something goopy, looks like it’s melting during the performance, and each gesture bumps along the beat and nudges people to dance.
The Canadian-born, LA-based musician has been using the Kontravoid identity since 2012. As a teen he learned how to play the drums, and in 2008 he founded his first synth-pop band Parallels and went on tour playing with early lo-fi electro legends Crystal Castles and darkwave project TR/ST. Now he’s finding new audiences in places like Las Vegas who are embracing his unique underground sound.
Kontravoid’s full-length album Detachment is set to arrive March 1, representing Findlay’s journey of experimentation and growth. “It sounds [like] a bit of a departure from what I’ve done before, but not too different,” Findlay explains. “If you liked the previous record you’ll like this one.”
He says the overall production has improved and the album will feature artists from the same electro-realm, such as vocalist Chelsea Crowley from Nuovo Testamento.
Kontravoid’s highly anticipated Las Vegas debut marks the city evolving into a regular stop for more underground electronic darkwave artists, and invites all personalities to come to the dance floor.
KONTRAVOID With Buzz Kull, Milliken Chamber. March 2, 9 p.m., $10-$20. The Usual Place, eventbrite.com.
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