We’re excited to share the new seven song EP ‘The Pale Horse’ by Dark Pop/Darkwave artist Danny Blu. You may also know him from the alternative band Echo Black. As many great music artists, Danny has been extremely focused during such a dark time creating new music for all of us. The stylish red EP cover art was created between Los Angeles photographer Sequoia Emmanuelle and fashion guru Material Memorie. We know you’ll love these seven well crafted works of audio art…
Interview Meikee Magnetic
Congrats on your new EP, how long did the creative process take for the new release?
Thank you so much! This little guy actually took a while. I didn’t want to rush anything so I didn’t give myself any deadlines. I’ve rushed things in the past and the music suffers so I wanted this EP to breathe. It’s obvious COVID-19 has certainly changed the way we are able to do things. I started discussing this project with my producer, Walter Kazmier, on tour with The Genitorturers in October of 2018. The last song was actually all written, recorded, mixed and mastered in July of 2020. It just flowed out of us, which is a testament of our strong working relationship.
What are some special details you can share with us?
Well, this is my first solo body of work since February 2014, Echo Black kept me busy. THE PALE HORSE is incredibly personal and honest. Very much on purpose. I went into this project vowing to truly say what I wanted to say. Not to say that I don’t have that opportunity with Echo Black, but as the band, I have a larger obligation to make sure all the members’ voices are heard. In this project and EP, it’s entirely my voice. Writing this record has taught me a lot about myself, it forced me to focus on the things that I truly find important. It’s about how I feel about the world, how I deal with toxicity, anxiety, relationships, etc. I’m very grateful to both Walter and my manager Victor for helping me channel my voice there. Each track has a demon associated with it, the intro track, AMDUSIAS, is associated with the bringer of noise, cacophony, and chaos. The final track on the EP is SANCTUARY: a love song. It perfectly sums up how I feel about the state of the world and my solution for it: we are in chaos and the answer is love.
Your photo shoot collaboration with Sequoia Emmanuelle and Material Memorie looks amazing, what was the concept you were going for?
Sequoia is one of my favorite photographers of all time. Every time we started with a new setup, the first photo was always GOLD. Obviously working with Material Memorie is always a blessing, I’m very lucky to have a connection with its creative director. For the concept, I thought about the end of the world overall and creating my own twist with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Together we considered everything very carefully. I thought about a way where I’d be using my own songs as my horsemen with BUBBLE, BURN, SANCTUARY, WHITE (K)NIGHT and eventually THE PALE HORSE EP as my own Armageddon. I created a special limited digi-pak CD to commemorate our collaboration too!
Are there any remixes we can check out?
Absolutely! I tapped KANGA for an amazing remix of WHITE (K)NIGHT that she’s also a feature on and I also recently released the Moris Blak industrial-bass re-imagination of SANCTUARY. Mr.Kitty also gave BUBBLE the bubblegum dance remix we all deserved! I’ve tapped on some more of my favorite artists to put their own spins on my music, and I’m excited for everyone to hear them!
Do you have any big musical plans on the horizon post pandemic?
I have alot of surprises and some really cool remixes in store, so stay tuned. I hosted a free virtual release show on September 5th and I’ll be live-streaming as much as possible. With COVID-19 and the handling of the virus in the United States, it will be impossible to tour most of North America in the foreseeable future. I’m hopeful about possibly touring this project in Europe sometime in 2021 and perhaps with a new solo album. I’ve also been writing with Echo Black again during this pandemic and we’re hoping to have some new music out early next year.
What does Dark Beauty mean to you now?
I think Dark Beauty will always mean the same thing to me: beauty in what most of the world would consider strange, unusual, unique, scary or uncomfortable. I often find beauty in trauma, gore, horror, geometry, asymmetry, and pain.
Photo credit Sequoia Emmanuelle in collaboration with Material Memorie
MORE INFO:
www.dannyblu.com
www.facebook.com/officialdannyblu
