*The Following Press Release Was Issued By Independent Music Promotions*
 | Les Techno Flowers For Dystopia (Album) Solid Bass Records 31 July 2020 |
| After a string of well-received single releases, New York City-based post-punk electronic rocker Les Techno has prepared a debut album without compromising his original vision. The 10-track album entitled “Flowers for Dystopia” features an electrified, freely tinkering self-produced artist at the height of his powers. Full of strange melodies, ominous atonal sounds, alternative dance beats and Les Techno’s satirical lyrics delivered with a Morrison flavor. This is the dark, left-field album 2020 deserves. If you love Bowie, Gary Numan, the Psychedelic Furs or David Lynch’s Lost Highway Soundtrack, Les Techno‘s “Flowers for Dystopia” should make sense in your world. “Flowers for Dystopia” is out now via Solid Bass Records. On running themes for the new album, Les has this to say: One theme is how our society has become so self-centered. Like the billionaire tech exec in “What ya Done” flying in his private rocket to Mars to escape whatever is left of the world. Or the song “where were you?”, which started the project, was in reaction to the neo-nazi demonstration in Charlottesville. I mean, you can’t believe this is happening on TV and the US government encourages “these nice people on both sides.” The other theme is how high-tech can run amok. The lover/machine “Eye on You” thinking “it’s the state, of surveillance, I follow where you go….” Or, as in “Where were You?”, how social media has shortened our attention span such that we “turn the page and maintain my composure” while the nazis march down main street on TV and YouTube. Sonically, the idea was to create a record that utilized the rhythmically interesting things that come out of hip-hop with a fresh look at electric guitar recording with a rap-record style of production. Electric guitar has always been a sound source, but the idea was in places to move it more toward an atonal sound source, not just ripping away with a lead. In addition, the use of atonal sounds mixed in with a more rock song sound. So you hear some stuff normally on industrial club records appearing here and there in the mixes. On the album title “Flowers for Dystopia” “Flowers for Dystopia” is mutli-faceted. In one way, its saying goodbye to the sick social situation we are in. In that way, its optimistic. On the other hand, its ironic: here are some flowers to cheer you up while you live through this debacle. Or are the flowers offered up to the sick patient? Most of the songs are supposed to be a bit satirical. Consider “Edge of the World” here it’s about that “party at the edge of the world,” “y’all invited”, the one where you are “swept over at the end of the road…..” Its dark. Some of it is supposed to be funny. Consider the character singing “Come Along,” he’s in his office, hot for secretary parading around on her “impossible heels” and ”when you strolled into the conference room….. it gave me strength to swindle some more….” Maybe that’s a unique NYC vignette. Oh alright, you’ve seen it in London, LA and Silicon Valley too…..” Stream the “Flowers for Dystopia” album: Spotify Apple Background on the album’s singles: Flowers for Dystopia: This song came in a dream. I dreamt the live band was on stage at some dingy east village club and I walked onto the stage, came to the mic and announced, “Objects!… Objects!… Objects!” and then I heard the underlying guitar riff that starts the song. So I woke right up, like at 3 am, ran downstairs and started recording it. It all came tumbling out: the whole tension over the CV-19 virus…..the lockdown, the masks, you could drown unless they decided you would get a ventilator. You know, virus particles, “objects.. that I cant see… Objects that want to hurt met… that we all breathe.” Then there is the thing about who decides who lives and dies, these “wizards” in gowns and masks quickly deciding…. And this is all real, not in the dream. The vocal was just about the first cut: I was experimenting with what the lyrics would be, and luckily, did that while in record. (Always a good idea.) And the experiment became the take. Eye on You: This one is a little satirical. I had this idea of a machine falling in love with someone it is tracking, like it gets AI’d enough to encode lust or something. The idea was to use that as satire in a song about the “surveillance state” we live in. The music came next, I started first with the notion of a basic blues riff played on an acoustic being used in a loop. I’d been fooling with that idea for awhile. Then, it all came together from there. And then after I thought it was done, like a light bulb turning on, the chorus fixed itself when the “And you got your eye on me too” popped out. The double entendre…. So, am I the machine in the song? What ya Done: This one started as the music in the chorus, the chords, vocal melody and the synth line going around my head while I was standing at a bus stop. So I ducked into a doorway and sang the parts into my phone and the track came together. The lyrics came after that after reading about how young billionaires prepare for Armageddon. You’d think they would spend their money preventing it, right ? The guitar lead was simply a late-night visitation from the spirits. Maybe the best five notes I’ve ever played. Les Techno Online: Website Soundcloud YouTube Channel Release Info Artist Name: Les Techno Location: New York City Release Name: Flowers for Dystopia (Album) Release Date: July 31, 2020 Label: Solid Bass Records Producer: Les Techno Musicians: Les Techno sings, plays guitar and bass, and twiddles the virtual knobs. Upcoming is a live format for the act, with a quartet. Styles: Neo-Punk, Electronic Rock, Alt-Rock, Dance, Alternative Pop, Post-Punk Similar To: David Bowie, mgmt, Cage the Elephant, Nick Cave, Psychedelic Furs, Gary Numan Artist Biography: Les Techno is a New York City based post-punk electronic rocker that has released critically acclaimed singles “Where were You?”, “Come Along,” “Closer Look” and “Guilty Pleasure,” available on Spotify, iTunes and elsewhere. He has while working on his “studio tan,” Les made hip-hop tracks with rap artists Run-DMC (Profile), Mobb Deep (Loud/RCA) and Onyx (Def Jam/Sony) (among others). He did a Red Hot Chili Peppers remix (Higher Ground), worked with R&B artist Ava Cherry and with the late, legendary funkmaster Bernie Worrell (Downtown, Virgin/EMI). This project is a new mixture of rock guitar sounds, electronics, hip hop beats and live bass. And his satirical lyrics delivered with a Morrison flavor. |
