Perturbator
Perturbator at Rock am Ring in 2017
Background information
Birth nameJames Kent
OriginParis, France
GenresElectronic, synthwave,[1] industrial, darksynth
Years active2012–present
LabelsBlood Music
Websiteperturbator.com

James Kent (born 1993), known by his stage name Perturbator,[2] is a French synthwave musician from Paris. His parents are British music critic Nick Kent, and French music journalist, Laurence Romance.

Biography

Perturbator at Rock am Ring in 2017

Kent has a background as a guitarist in several black metal[3] bands. Since 2012, he has produced electronic music inspired by cyberpunk culture and from movies such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and The Running Man.[4] He uses a variety of software synths in his productions, such as the emulators of old vintage synths like the OB-X or the CS-80.[5] Since his debut EP Night Driving Avenger he has released five full-length albums,[6][7] the latest of which is Lustful Sacraments[8] on the Blood Music label, and has performed several live shows. Several of his tracks were featured in the 2012 game Hotline Miami and its 2015 sequel Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. Perturbator's EP Sexualizer was released in part to officially release the song "Miami Disco" and as a way to thank the developers of Hotline Miami.[9] The success of the Hotline Miami games resulted in a greater amount of exposure to a mainstream audience.

Perturbator released his fourth full-length album The Uncanny Valley on 6 May 2016 through Blood Music on a range of formats including Digibook CD, vinyl, and cassette tape. The album was met with generally positive reviews, with MetalSucks and Bloody Disgusting both writing in praise of it. Some versions of the album also included a bonus EP, with Kent writing that "The first three songs complement the themes covered within The Uncanny Valley, and the final track—'VERS/US'—is a demo from The Uncanny Valley writing sessions that fits the mood and atmosphere of the album but didn't quite make it into the final cut."[10] Bloody Disgusting gave the album 5/5 and wrote that The Uncanny Valley "is sure to not only please fans of the genre but also win over newcomers."[11]

Kent became interested in music in part due to the influence of his parents, who are journalists and rock music critics.[12] His parents were themselves musicians and had a tech trance band when they were young, which influenced Kent to take an interest in synthesizers.

Kent also has a side project called L'Enfant De La Forêt[13] and his own label called "Music of the Void".

In 2019 Kent appeared in the documentary film The Rise of the Synths, appearing alongside various other composers from the Synthwave scene, including filmmaker John Carpenter who also narrated the film which explored the origins and growth of the genre.

Discography

Adapted from AllMusic,[14] SoundCloud,[15] Bandcamp,[16][17] Google Play Music,[18] Discogs,[19] and official website.[20]

Studio albums

  • Terror 404 (May 2012, self-released; remaster released in March 2015 by Blood Music)
  • I Am the Night (December 2012, self-released; remaster released in March 2015 by Blood Music)
  • Dangerous Days (June 2014, Blood Music / Telefuture Records)
  • The Uncanny Valley (May 2016, Blood Music)
  • Lustful Sacraments (May 2021, Blood Music)

EPs

  • Night Driving Avenger (March 2012, self-released; remaster released in October 2015 by Blood Music)
  • Nocturne City (August 2012, Aphasia Records)
  • The 80s Slasher (October 2012, Collaboration with Protector 101, Aphasia Records)
  • LA Cop Duo / Selections (March 2013, Collaboration with Protector 101, Revolving Door Records)
  • Sexualizer (June 2013, Aphasia Records)
  • The Uncanny Valley – Bonus (May 2016, Blood Music)
  • New Model (September 2017, Blood Music / Music of the Void)
  • Excess EP (2021, Blood Music)

Collaborations

With Final Light (Perturbator & Johannes Persson of Cult of Luna)

  • Final Light (June 24, 2022, Sivian, Red CRK AB) [Catalog #: SVN001CD, Barcode #: 8436566651868]

Compilations

  • B-sides and Remixes, Vol. I (November 2018, Blood Music)
  • B-sides and Remixes, Vol. II (November 2018, Blood Music)

Singles

  • "She Moves Like a Knife" (January 2014)
  • "She Is Young, She Is Beautiful, She Is Next" (March 2015)
  • "Assault" (April 2015)
  • "Tactical Precision Disarray" (December 2016)
  • "Vantablack" (August 2017)
  • "Body/Prison" (October 2018 with HEALTH)
  • "Excess" (February 2019)
  • "Death of the Soul" (February 2021)
  • "Dethroned Under A Funeral Haze" (April 2021)
  • "Dangerous (feat. Kabbel)(From The "American Psyho" Comic Series Soundtrack)" (December 2023)

Music videos

  • "She Is Young, She Is Beautiful, She Is Next" (2014, directed by Jarkko Kinnunen & Sami Rämä)
  • "Sentient" (2016, directed by Valenberg)
  • "Venger" (2017, directed by David Fitt & Federico Pelat)
  • "Death of the Soul" (2021, directed by Metastazis)
  • "God Says" (2022, directed by Metastazis)

References

  1. ↑ Hunt, Jon (9 April 2014). "We Will Rock You: Welcome To The Future. This is Synthwave". l'etoile. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "Perturbator – Music". Soundcloud. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Interview: James Kent Discusses Perturbator Project, New Album, & more Tunecore Blog. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  4. ↑ "RIDING THE CYBER DOOM SYNTHWAVE WITH PERTURBATOR". Noisey. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Interview with Perturbator (Worship the Gods of VHS)". Deaf Sparrow. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Perturbator – Bandcamp". Bandcamp. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Perturbator – I am the night". MusicReview. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Perturbator "Lustful Sacraments" CD". Blood Music. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  9. ↑ Small Talk: Perturbator (James Kent). Small Talk. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Perturbator – Perturbator "The Uncanny Valley – Bonus" EP... | Facebook". www.facebook.com. February 26, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  11. ↑ Barkan, Jonathan (2016-05-05). "Perturbator's 'The Uncanny Valley' is Sheer Synth Bliss (Album Review) – Bloody Disgusting!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  12. ↑ "Interview with James Kent (Perturbator)". Disco Unchained. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "Did You Know PERTURBATOR's James Kent Has A Creepy Industrial/Ambient Type Project?" Metal Injection. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Perturbator Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  15. ↑ "PERTURBATOR | Free Listening on SoundCloud". SoundCloud. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Music | Blood Music". Bandcamp. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  17. ↑ "PERTURBATOR". Bandcamp. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Perturbator – Music on Google Play". Google Play Music. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Perturbator". Discogs. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Perturbator | The Legend Says He's Half Human, Half Synthesizer..." www.perturbator.com. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
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