Get to know Neuroplasm ahead of Earthdance Cape Town 2019

Neuroplasm is gracing the Earthdance Cape Town 2019 stage 21-22 September.

For the past 9 years Neuroplasm has been blasting full-on psychedelic trance, and now he’s finally making it to Cape Town for his first gig in South Africa where he will play the main stage at Earthdance Cape Town 2019.

Neuroplasm started out as duo with members Krzys and Felix developing and perfecting the psychedelic sound they were after. At the moment Krzys is taking the helm of the project with future collaborations in the pipeline.

Having recently released his first full-length album, The Art of Melting Time, on 24/7 Records, fans can expect a Neuroplasm set jam-packed with driving psychedelic power that will have you dancing in a state of bliss.

We got to pick Krzys’ brain about the making of the album, what makes him tick, what he’s been up to and where he’s going.

Hi Krzys! Thanks for letting us pick your brain. Firstly, congratulations on the release of your first full-length album, The Art of Melting Time. It’s perfection from start to finish! In fact, it’s so perfect I’ve listened to the album mix around 15 times and I’m still excitedly finding new sounds to gush over.

I especially love how there is so much variation throughout the album, yet it tells a story; fluidly uniform, if you will.

Finding balance between variation and flow isn’t the easiest thing to nail, yet you pull it off effortlessly. What is the key to this beautiful balance?

Neuroplasm: Thank you for the kind words. Creating the album was a very long process.. In fact, some of those tracks are based on ideas which date back 5 years or more. I guess you could say that a lot of that time was spent trying to create the illusion of effortlessness.

The hardest thing about writing music is finishing tracks. I’m still hoping for a lucky tune that takes less than 6 months to complete!”

It’s hard to pick a favourite but Strange Data gave me full body goose bumps even from when I first heard the sample on SoundCloud. Then there’s Universeii with Materia- I mean wow!

Which tracks gave you the hardest time in the studio and which tracks were a breeze to produce?

Neuroplasm: The hardest thing about writing music is finishing tracks. I’m still hoping for a lucky tune that takes less than 6 months to complete! Cascadia was a tough one to finish, purely because Felix’s mega-lead made the rest of the track sound absolutely sheisse in comparison.. So that took a fair amount of trial and error until I found the finish line.

The Art of Melting Time may be your current paradigm, but let’s melt time and look at Neuroplasm of the past.

Please describe the moment you decided to become a producer of psychedelic trance. Take us to that lightbulb moment.

Neuroplasm: I was raised on a strict diet of classic rock, but I have always had a fairly eclectic taste in tunes. The 90s was a pretty solid era for electronic music, and I was lucky to be a youngster at the time, so stuff like The Prodigy, Propellerheads, and Daft Punk was often on the playlist. I played guitar and drums in a bunch of punk and metal bands and listened to a lot of psyche stuff like Tangerine Dream, Ozric Tentacles, Pink Floyd etc.

There wasn’t a lightbulb moment as such, I just combined a lot of different influences until I found something that I wanted to develop further. Neuroplasm started life as a duo, at which time neither of us knew much about writing psychedelic trance. So, me and Felix really developed the Neuroplasm sound together, taking inspiration from whichever artists we agreed were the most badass. Working with other people is a great way to improve your skills as an artist, and as a producer. Nowadays I mostly work alone, but I would like to do more collaborations in the future.

How does it make you feel when you get comments from fans like ‘Neuroplasm is a trance god among mere mortals’?

Neuroplasm: That is pure smug-bait.. yeah, I’ve definitely heard worse.

What is one of your biggest hurdles doing what you do in the industry that you’re in? And then what’s the biggest delight you get doing what you do in the industry that you’re in?

Neuroplasm: The biggest hurdle is finding the time to write the music. I have bills to pay and shit. It’s not easy being an artist, but I am completely addicted to the challenge, and the sense of achievement that goes with it. The best thing about this job though, is having the opportunity to visit amazing places, and meet amazing people. And when I see a positive reaction to my music, it makes the effort even more worthwhile. When you’ve listened to the same 16 bar loop for a zillion hours, it’s easy to lose perspective, so it’s quite reassuring to see people going berserk on the dancefloor.

Its always exciting to visit a new country, and I have heard a lot of positive comments from other artists and friends who have had great experiences in South Africa.”

You’ll be showcasing your masterpiece at Earthdance Cape Town next month. It will also be your first gig in South Africa.

Have your 24/7 label mates prepped you for anything? What is the most common thing you here about South Africa as A, a country and B, a party destination?

Neuroplasm: Its always exciting to visit a new country, and I have heard a lot of positive comments from other artists and friends who have had great experiences in South Africa. I’ve looked at photos from the open-air events in SA, and I’ve met a bunch of cool people who live there. Expectations are high!

Now for some fun. Get to know Krzys in 5 Q’s:

Cats or dogs?

Neuroplasm: I’m a Sloth man, myself.

Pizza or Burgers?

Neuroplasm: You haven’t lived until you’ve tried the Pizza-Burger.

Forests or the ocean?

Neuroplasm: I think I would survive longer in the forest. I doubt they show Ray Mears survival adventures on South African television, but I reckon once you’ve seen a few episodes of that, you pretty much know the score, forest-wise. So, yeah… forest

Day or Night?

Neuroplasm: Inspiration is unpredictable and can occur at any time of day or night.. I just try to ride the wave.

Introvert or extravert?

Neuroplasm: Entirely dependent on alcohol.

Now that the album is done and dusted, what’s next for Neuroplasm besides blasting music at festivals around the world?

Neuroplasm: I recently spent some time converting my bedroom into a studio. That’s pretty much finished, along with a shit load of other DIY projects that have been lingering about for the past year or so. But now, finally, I’m back in the studio, and working on some new tracks.. feeling pretty happy with how they’re sounding now and looking forward to unleashing a few new bangers at Earthdance. I’m really pleased and excited to have been invited to play this year. See you all there!

Get to know Neuroplasm ahead of Earthdance Cape Town 2019