Cameron Findlay's - Kontravoid -- EBM, New Wave, Synth-pop from Los Angeles, CA.

Raw industrial synth pop like EBM + Depeche Mode fronted by a spooky mask guy from a slasher film. The 2012 self titled album was amazing. And there's good new stuff.

The music of Cameron Findlay has a neat background: Drummer for Crystal Castles and briefly for TR/ST, and co founder of darkwave/synthpop project Parallels (only for the first album in 2010... I've seen it called cheesy with the poppy female vocals, but I love it.)

The followup to the 2012 album in 2019, Too Deep, didn't grab me as much but I think it was still pretty well liked. From October, now there's the Faceless EP and it does grab me. I might see a live show tonight...

I agree, a very under-rated yet promising act. I really like their double self-titled album and the first Native State and later the Undone EPs. Also very familiar with the Parallels project he helped with. They're now doing some synthwave too. I bought Too Deep but never got around to give it more than 1 listen so far. Still have to get the new EP.

Thanks so much for posting again and for this. Place is dead except us 3.

So, the show was great! It was a tiny 2nd floor club in downtown Oakland CA. First there was an abstract techno opener with weird video collage projecting on a sheet. It was very serious and lacked much dancing. Then Diesel Dudes did a wacky ass rip on Nitzer Ebb style EBM and had the place like a mosh pit. Kontravoid made it even better.

I went all dressed up with eyeliner and fishnet shirt. I also wore a santa hat I put devil horns on and stuffed it so I could headbang. That was so fun.

I missed shows a lot and now I'm doing them pretty often, maybe I'll need a break though if Omicron gets bad.

Glad you are keeping this place going. It does feel like a throwback compared to the slick platforms that are soulless and too crammed to ever get to know anybody or appreciate their style. I'm feeling analog and lo-fi these days.

So, the show was great! It was a tiny 2nd floor club in downtown Oakland CA. First there was an abstract techno opener with weird video collage projecting on a sheet. It was very serious and lacked much dancing. Then Diesel Dudes did a wacky ass rip on Nitzer Ebb style EBM and had the place like a mosh pit. Kontravoid made it even better.

I went all dressed up with eyeliner and fishnet shirt. I also wore a santa hat I put devil horns on and stuffed it so I could headbang. That was so fun.

I missed shows a lot and now I'm doing them pretty often, maybe I'll need a break though if Omicron gets bad.

Glad you are keeping this place going. It does feel like a throwback compared to the slick platforms that are soulless and too crammed to ever get to know anybody or appreciate their style. I'm feeling analog and lo-fi these days.

Sounds like the Kontravoid show was a blast. Wish I could have been there.  Yeah, watch out for corona, it's still bad and might be getting worse.

Well I'm happy you like it even though you're the only one. I've thought about closing it down to save the money but 5arah wouldn't be happy about that and decided to give it at least another 3 months for the 1 year anniversary and then I'll decide again.

New Year's Eve in CA

The name Kontravoid belongs on a limited run cassette circa 1980-something, the type of tape buried in lost upstate dustbins of pre-MIDI analog electronics, wedged between Cabaret Voltaire and Das Ding. The dark industrial and new wave influences are strong on ex-Crystal Castles drummer Cam Findlay’s new project—his voice is scary, like an echoing underwater growl—but the underlying pop melodies always afford a degree of breathing room. The artist Felix Kalmenson has already produced two great Kontravoid music videos: “Native State,” the album’s most instantly rewarding song (owing to interestingly doubled male-female vocals) and its most aggressive, “Killed in Action.” Kontravoid is on sale now from Bandcamp and iTunes, courtesy of Tarantula X.

Member: Cameron Findlay

Website: http://kontravoid.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kontravoid/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/kontravoid/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kontravoid/
Youtube: http://youtube.com/kontravoid/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kontravoid
Bandcamp: https://kontravoid.bandcamp.com/   https://parallels.bandcamp.com/










Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cZNxWhPe9pKXdVZZdA9Bz
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1E4Cpqa5BtvdNV

So, the show was great! It was a tiny 2nd floor club in downtown Oakland CA. First there was an abstract techno opener with weird video collage projecting on a sheet. It was very serious and lacked much dancing. Then Diesel Dudes did a wacky ass rip on Nitzer Ebb style EBM and had the place like a mosh pit. Kontravoid made it even better.

I went all dressed up with eyeliner and fishnet shirt. I also wore a santa hat I put devil horns on and stuffed it so I could headbang. That was so fun.

I missed shows a lot and now I'm doing them pretty often, maybe I'll need a break though if Omicron gets bad.

Glad you are keeping this place going. It does feel like a throwback compared to the slick platforms that are soulless and too crammed to ever get to know anybody or appreciate their style. I'm feeling analog and lo-fi these days.

KONTRAVOID - Live From The Void

Detachment
by Kontravoid





releases March 1, 2024

Music written and produced by Cameron Findlay
Mixing and Mastering by Ewan Kay
‘Losing Game’ co-written with Chelsey Crowley
Photography by Nedda Afsari
Design by Tad Ezell

Kontravoid - Losing Game feat. Chelsey Crowley (Official Video)




Kontravoid - For What It Is (Official Video)




Kontravoid - Reckoning (Official Video)