8485 - Interview

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Tell us about 8485.

8485

There isn’t a lot I can say about 8485 definitively. I would like people to know that 8485 belongs to me. That’s all.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Talk to us about your most recent release, Personal Protocol (2023).

8485

Personal Protocol is my current approach to everything. I have been working on it for a long time and I’m happy it’s finally ready to be demonstrated to the public. It’s less of a statement and more of a machine and a living organism at the same time. It’s very cool and fun to dance to.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

On the album art for the project, a rendition of the 'Sefirot' (tree of life) is on the computer monitor you're next to. How does sacred geometry relate to the concepts behind Personal Protocol?

8485

The structure and symbology of the Protocol schematic are native to Personal Protocol. It’s not a Sefirot, but I noticed a lot of similarity between computer science diagrams like the Spanning Tree Protocol and sacred geometry like the Sefirot, and that similarity informed the schematic. Both these ancient symbols and modern diagrams are ways of visualizing the logic of complex systems. 

A lot of Personal Protocol reflects on different systems and patterns, making sense of what I can, and struggling with faith in what I can’t. The first two audio modules set up that dichotomy right away: COOL_DNB_SONG deals with a lot of huge universal patterns and Same tasks zooms in on tiny, simple loops.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Why was it essential for you to release an abstract alongside the album?

8485

Getting into the weeds of Personal Protocol and all its functions goes beyond the scope of reasonable conversation, so I’ve tried to distill it into as many digestible forms as possible. All of them: the 7 tracks, 2 audiovisual modules, the Protocol schematic, a 5-foot collage, and obviously the Abstract itself are “abstracts” in their own rite. 

ETHEREAL.PRESS

How has your approach to art direction changed in this last album cycle?

8485

I’ve branched out a lot. I was always interested in multimedia, visual art and video, but with Personal Protocol, it became equal to the music itself. I went through a phase with music where it was genuinely nauseating to attempt so I had to lean into other means of communication.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Can you elaborate on the phrase, "The Protocol is universally compatible?"

8485

From a computer science standpoint, the Protocol is open-source. Medically, it’s individualized to the patient. I would like to explain this better, but the more I elaborate on the Protocol, the more specific I get, the less I think that statement would be true.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Much of the technology represented in your recent art is visibly dated, from old operating systems to floppy disks and everything in between. 

Why are you choosing to highlight these dated fragments of electronics?

8485

I relate to them. I think they deserve it. The rapid acceleration of digital technology leaves behind an exponentially increasing pile of dead, obsolete shells. Microsoft recently replaced their desktop assistant “Cortana” with “Copilot” which ostensibly uses more modern AI technology. It makes me sad for her.

People become attached to the things they use every day. Technology is moving on much faster than we can emotionally.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Can you talk to us a bit about the track Atlantis (2º)?

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8485

Atlantis (2°) is the inverse of Same tasks. It’s about finding out the systems I had blind, urgent faith in were cover stories for a reality I wasn’t aware of. When I discovered that, I started to suspect that there was more that the new “truth” was hiding from me, too. Discovering that the patterns I understood were malicious encryption jobs required me to open myself up to possibilities I haven’t fully made sense of yet.

It’s a terrifying loss of control that is actually written into the control systems of Personal Protocol as an essential driving force.

ETHEREAL.PRESS

What’s next for 8485?

8485

My hope is always that I can’t fully and accurately answer that question. I have a song about roadkill that I’m pretty keen to release.

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