Live at METATRON V “DarkSynth Edition”; Buenos Aires, Argentina.
05/10/2019
Buenos Aires, Argentina is a cosmopolitan city. Rife with diversity and strong South American culture, it’s no wonder that a retro post-apocalyptic synth resistance musical act could originate there.
FLASH-BACK 2029 is a dedicated team of two Argentinian synthwave musicians. Synthwave, in its current iteration, is a blossoming international genre of music that relies on the 80’s culture to fuel modern electronic music.
UPRISING! is the newest release by Flash-Back 2029, having arrived at digital marketplaces, such as Bandcamp, on May 18, 2019. Currently on the record label Hammerblaze, UPRISING! contains nine primary tracks, and one bonus track – a reimagining of Motörhead’s famous Ace of Spades.
Synthwave is often defined by its incorporation of movie themes and artwork from the 1980’s. James Cameron’s The Terminator and Arnold Schwarzenegger are frequently cited as huge influences on this genre. Why this particular film has such an impact on a musical genre can only be left to speculation. Some practical examples of this are found here in our Synthwave interview archive, such as Kyle Reese Revenge.
However, FLASH-BACK 2029, takes this (Terminator) lore one step further and bases their entire project around it and creates new storylines within The Terminator universe. UPRISING! is set in the year 2029 where, in the years after the war against machines, two tribes of surviving humans battle each other for control.
In their own words,” After the rebellion of the machines and the Dark Years of constant war, the human Resistance was finally able to defeat its own creation, Skynet; but also eliminating with it the entire technological progress achieved so far.
Although the war against machines is over, the need of human nature for power and destruction prevails once again… “ © FLASH-BACK 2029
Slickster: Hey guys. Briefly, can you tell us who is who in FB2029 and who plays the guitars and who handles the DJ equipment.
FB2029: Our machinery is divided on the following components: Franco (main songwriter / producer / live guitars) and Valgorth (artist / producer / live DJ interface). The stories of our albums are created by both of us, and we do a lot of different tasks to complement each other.
Slickster: Let’s get the most obvious question out of the way right now… Terminator: Dark Fate will be in the movie theaters soon. With the return of James Cameron (Producer), Linda Hamilton and Arnie, it is a direct sequel to T2: Judgement Day (1991). However, there is already controversy with the movie based on the premise that it dominated by female cast – a Hollywood trend that has some people rolling their eyes. What are your thoughts on Terminator 6, aka Dark Fate?
FB2029: We are curious to see what this new chapter brings to the Terminator universe. It’s great to see Linda Hamilton back to her mighty role though. We don’t care about trends, in general. We make our own minds and fate.
Slickster: UPRISING! is your second album together, but there was a four year hiatus between albums. What were you guys up to during this time?
FB2029: It seems like a big gap between albums, but for us are only micro-seconds. We take our time to make things right. We don’t compromise with art. We simultaneously work on several artistic projects that we don’t truly have a “normal” time-perception. What matters is the final product. We run a metal band, work on music production and a design firm, an artistic solo career, art exhibitions and so on. We are workaholics.
Slickster: Track six on the album, Vicious Marauders, is one of my favorite on UPRISING!. It seems to really encompass all of the elements of your music and delivers a heavy punch. Combining electric guitars with sampled soundbites and retro-sounding drums, Vicious Marauders is a highlight for me. VERY cool harmony in the big guitar chords at 2:40! Can you take us through how you wrote this track and what it means to you?
FB2029: Thanks a lot! We are glad you mention it because it’s one of the most important tracks of the album:
The “Vicious Marauders” represents the other side of the coin in the Wastelands. They are the scavengers of the world in search for Skynet’s lost technology. They are rivals of the “Hammerblaze Riders”. Whether they are good or not, that’s for people to decide. There are no rules in the new world. Life is cruel and one must learn to survive.
Franco: The main melody was used as a Leitmotiv in reference to the “Vicious Marauders” gang and if you pay attention, the melody reappears on the grand finale “The Last Convoy”. Guitars are a little tricky to use on this genre if you ask me. I always find myself trying not to overuse them, but this song was screaming out for Metal guitars!
Finally, the addition of a couple sound clips from Mad Max 2 were the missing bolts and nuts that really convey the tune’s wasteland atmosphere. It’s definitely one of our favs as well.
Slickster: We’ve interviewed synthwave musicians from all of the world, but FB2029 is the first group we’ve talk to from Argentina. Why, in your opinion, has synthwave become such an internationally appealing from of music?
FB2029: Perhaps for the unconventional aura that is transmitted. We know this type of genre evokes certain levels of nostalgic hype; but we see our music beyond that parameter. We think this electronic magic communicate a universal wave of energy and drama that activate certain brain-force emotional elements within ourselves. Like different Metal styles can trigger powerful endorphins, thus happens with Synthwave in other levels. It’s all Art – aural or visual; to be consumed, perceived and amplified by our senses.
Slickster: Continuing on that, how is the synthwave scene in Buenos Aires? Are there lots of people making this kind of music, or is FB2029 the only one?
FB2029: There are many acts producing a great work here in Argentina. We recently share the stage with some of them. It would be unfair and unprofessional to name just a few. The scene is growing stronger though thanks to serious events like Buenos Aires Outrun & Metatron.
Slickster: Do either of you guys have formal training or background in music, or were you mostly self-taught musicians?
FB2029: We are self-taught artists and we don’t have any formal training or background education on music or art. We learnt from our own mistakes. We still do!
Slickster: In The Terminator, Kyle Reese is sent back in time to save Sarah Conner from the T-800. If you could go back in time tell yourself one thing, what would it be?
FB2029: Never surrender. You make your own fate.
Slickster: Will you be doing anymore live shows, like METATRON V, in support of UPRISING!?
FB2029: Absolutely, it’s one of our goals to do more live appearances. For Metatron V, we also count with the presence of a professional cosplayer/actor, Sebastian Sewrjugin (Horror Party), representing “The Terminator”. We want to surprise the audience with something special every time and that always takes some extra work for preparing a new live set. That would result in doing just a few shows per year but really giving our best at each one.
Slickster: Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with Slickster Magazine. Is there anything else you’d like to mention or say that we didn’t get a chance to talk about during the interview?
FB2029: We would like to thank everyone who supports us in any way and for their great feedback after the new album’s release. This is just the beginning…
BANDCAMP:
https://flash-back.bandcamp.com
YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoDBlbhPMDVbiDu86PVonkQ
INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/flashback2029/
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/flashback2029/
TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/FLASHBACK2029
SOUNDCLOUD
https://soundcloud.com/flash-back2029