Nanaimo musician Dave Read’s latest solo album is an electronic dive into dystopian paranoia.
On March 8, Read, a member of local bands Moths and Locusts and Anunnaki, releases Memories can be Injected. It’s his third vinyl album as El Hombre El Agua, a long-running project that has been going into a more electronic direction.
“Not, like, dance-y electronic but more like headphone electronic stuff,” Read said.
He said contemporary music technology has always interested him and he’s incorporated electronics into many of his musical projects over the years. Memories can be Injected features seven tracks Read recorded in his home studio in the past year using an array of instruments and electronic devices.
“Synths, recording gear, laptop, drum machines, short wave radio … I’ve got all kids of cool gear at my disposal,” Read said.
Also on the album is 1000xNo, one of the first El Hombre Al Algua recordings Read made in 1998 while he was living in New York City and put out to “very, very, very” limited release.
“I always liked it and the time seemed like it felt right to include it on an album and get it out there to wider release,” Read said.
Read describes the album as having a “paranoid” and “dystopian” feeling.
“Maybe it’s music for these times,” he said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty out there and I tried to convey that in the music without addressing COVID or any particular things.”
Aside from some vocals courtesy Moths and Locusts bandmate Valentina Cardinalli and mastering by Arlen Thompson of Annunaki, Read made the album completely on his own.
“For El Hombre I like the idea of having a project where I’m doing everything as much as possible…” he said. “It’s a cool achievement to be able to be like, ‘I did the cover, I did all the music, I mixed it.”
Memories can be Injected is Read’s first release through Atlanta-based label Echodelick Records. Read said the label was looking for more releases and approached Read about a new El Hombre Al Agua record and he obliged them.
“I didn’t have a record in the works, but I had a lot of tracks in the works because I’m always working on stuff,” Read said. “So I took that initiative to go through the recordings from last year and then included the one from ‘98 and, lo and behold, a record came together.”
Memories can be Injected will be available locally at Fascinating Rhythm, Wyrd Wealth, the Vault and online.
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