Technophobia

There is something strangely familiar and comforting about Technophobia’s debut album Flicker Out—especially if you’ve ever gone long stretches wearing only black or stayed up late watching John Carpenter films just for the soundtracks.

As Technophobia, Katie and Stephen Petix craft darkwave dirges full of icy arpeggios and pneumatic death marches, their analog synthesizers and drum machines battling as Katie unleashes operatic vocals, incanting gothic poetry. The duo’s music draws from the tried-and-true tropes of synthpop and industrial, connecting the dots between early Ministry and Pretty Hate Machine–era Nine Inch Nails to contemporaries like Cold Cave and Light Asylum.

Like its industrial forebears, the D.C. duo punctuates layers of synthesized, vocalized melodies and rhythms with dusty vocal samples. On Flicker Out, it borrows some dialogue from Logan’s Run and a clip of an ’80s newscaster recounting a “specter of violence,” but the most prominent sample source is a 1964 BBC adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit starring Harold Pinter. Sartre’s existential masterpiece provides the perfect fodder for the album, where dialogue like “I’m a dead twig, ready for the burning,” “You can’t throttle thoughts with hands,” and—most famously—“Hell is other people” sets the stage for dark-hued songs about about loss, isolation, and shame.

While the album’s lush electronics err on the side of nostalgia, it rises beyond pure homage—due in part to Katie’s powerful vocals. At times, her voice sounds somewhere between Siouxsie Sioux and Grace Slick, especially on “The Principle,” which finds her alternating between eerie spoken word and more full-throated singing.

And the duo also has a knack for crafting smart pop songs, mostly by remembering that the original purveyors of these sounds were bringing doom and gloom to dance floors, not funerals. That’s especially evident on “Negative Space,” a single with a drum-machine beat that sounds like it’s straight out of the ’80s (think Skinny Puppy’s “Dig It” or Nine Inch Nails’ “Down In It”) but with a melody that’s timeless.

Near the end of Flicker Out, Technophobia turns its focus from the personal to the political. The lyrics of “Factory 1981” (“Let’s take the street/ Let’s break the stones/ Believe in pain/ Our time is now/ Your time to scream/ We are your shame”) calls for a revolution, and the album closes with a cover of The Cure’s “One Hundred Years.” The latter is heavy with the paranoia and fear of a post-apocalyptic war (“The soldiers close in under a yellow moon/ All shadows and deliverance/ Under a black flag”). Unfortunately, in making the nearly-seven-minute song its own, Technophobia excised some of the most poignant—and chilling—lyrics: “Stroking your hair as the patriots are shot/ Fighting for freedom on television/ Sharing the world with slaughtered pigs.”

Maybe that line was too real for an album that mostly sticks to symbolism and metaphor, particularly Technophobia’s recurrent theme of stone walls being torn asunder. Along with the existentialism of the Sartre dialogue, there is—perhaps unsurprisingly—a thread of nihilism throughout.

But even as Katie sings “Nothing/ No one/ Never is your name” on “The Principle,” there is a silver lining to the dark clouds of Flicker Out. The album is being released by non-profit label Working Order Records, which Stephen runs with friends Katherine Taylor and Kristy Lupejkis, and 100 percent of the proceeds from Flicker Out will be donated to Life Pieces To Masterpieces, a D.C. nonprofit that “uses artistic expression to develop character and leadership, unlock potential, and prepare African American boys and young men to transform their lives and community.” In that way, Technophobia offers a more grown-up take on the dark music of days past: Katie and Stephen Petix don’t just want to tear this world down—they want to build up a better one. - Washington City Paper

Dark electronic duo Technophobia swept up a bustling crowd and then scattered them in a swirling synth smackdown on Sunday night during a record release party at the Black Cat.

Now available, the Technophobia debut LP, Flicker Out, is a 10-song album that covers quite a lot of ground. My personal favorites on the album are songs like “The Principle” with its soaring vocals and crashing synths. (I keep anticipating the song to break out in Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” but that’s because it has that sort of catchy interplay between vocals and instruments.)


In other tracks, Technophobia provides more of a classic industrial sound, such as in “Negative Space,” the band’s first official single (which comes with remixes from friends hERETICS iN tHE lAB, Void Vision, and Alter Der Ruine). And when I say “classic industrial,” I mean to place Technophobia in company with sounds like Front 242 rather than, say, the screaming barks of a band like Combichrist (although honestly I’m not the biggest expert to weigh in on “dark” music). I can report that this show was Technophobia’s best yet, and I look forward to hearing them live again soon.

You can have a listen to Flicker Out yourself on Technophobia’s Bandcamp:

Vocalist Katherine Taylor and synthmaster Stephen Petix make for quite a dynamic duo. Her soaring, feminine voice so completely fulfills the promise offered by the band’s analog synthesizers that it’s surprising to recall that Technophobia previously considered a different direction with a different vocalist. For his part, as I’ve said before, Stephen reminds me of The Faint’s Todd Fink whenever he takes to his decks — focused on the mission at hand but dancing to his own music in a way that inspires you to keep up with him. - Parklife DC

Technophobia is a dark electronic band from Washington, D.C. comprised of Katie Petix (vocals) and Stephen Petix (analogue synths, drum machines and programming). They began in 2013 I believe, playing live and sharing the stage with such acts as Skinny Puppy, Laibach, Douglas McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb) and others. 'Flicker Out' is their first full-length release. This is actually one of the few reviews that I've been able to post timed with the release date (July 17), since I'm always getting backed up here and much of the product sent to Chain D.L.K. central that's handed off to me arrives well after it's been released. (They sent this to me direct, which helps speed things up.) Anyway, prior to the album, a 12" single of the track "Negative Space" was released, and I also received that, but the record arrived BROKEN. Not to worry, I was still able to check it out on the band's site, but we'll leave that to later and go straight to the album.

Opening robustly with "Shame," Katie proves to be a stong and capable vocalist with a very good melodic voice. There are nice harmonies and a ballsy beat with a decent hook. Synthwork is oldschool, and that's reflected throughout the album. There's definitely an EBM vibe here in the music as it becomes more evident in "The Principle," with a copious amount of sequencing and synth sounds you've heard a million times before, but good melody lines and harmonies keep it from heading into clicheville. The instrumental titled "Siroccos" is a sort of dark ambient mood piece with a simple synth line. Very effective. As we move further into the album, I'm noticing one thing I really like about the songs on 'Flicker Out' is the lyrics. They're poetic and meaningful without being pretentious, and a cut above what you usually find in a lot of dark electronic music today. They were written by Kristy Lupejkis and Katie Petix. The songs on the A side of the record were pretty good. Let's turn it over on the B side.

First up is "Negative Space," the song that was released as the first single. I'm getting a strong Depeche Mode vibe on this one, but in a good way. There's this dialogue sample they use in this song from Jean-Paul Sartre's 'No Exit' - "you can't throttle thoughts with hands". (It took me a while to find the source.) Although "Hands" figures prominently in the song lyrics, I'm not a big fan of movie dialogue samples in music. The band uses them in other places on the album, but so far it hasn't really worked against them. (It will, soon.) Still, the song is about the best so far, and the obvious choice for a single. "Trapped" will carry you back the the 80's. Speaking of the 80's and dialogue samples, "Factory 1981" begins by bludgeoning the listener with the (manipulated) dialogue sample "1981 began with the spectre of violence..." and carries on with an apocalyptic theme. Enuff is enough though with the dialogue samples. The kicker on the album though is the revival of an old song by The Cure from their 'Pornography' album - "One Hundred Years". I never really thought much of the song, figuring it to be rather minor in the band's ouevre, but somehow Technophobia manage to inject a new vitality into it and make it theirs; a powerful version and an outstanding track on the album.

So now let's take a look at that "Negative Space" 12" single. First you get the album version which we've already discussed. Then there is the hERETICS iN tHE lAB Meaning Nothing Remix which gives the song a more industrial edge. The Void Vison Remix is full of distorted beats, echoes up the vocal and strips away most of the music replacing it with some high-pitched synth sound in places. Garbage. Hated it. The Alter Der Ruine Remix keeps the vocals and uses minimal beat and minimal synths to begin with, then just changes it into this sequecner-heavy mess. Didn't care much for that either. Final track is a different song altogether called "Passing People". It has a nice groove, but the only vocals are dialogue samples. Overall, I'd pass on this unless you're a rabid collector of colored vinyl. BTW, I forgot to mention that 'Flicker Out' comes on soda bottle green vinyl. Now that I'd recommend buying. Your money will go to a good cause too because this altruistic band is donating 100% of the proceeds to their charity project, Life Pieces to Masterpieces, an arts-based, youth development, and mentoring organization for African American males ages 3 to 25.

Some final thoughts - Technophobia is a band with a lot of potential. I think if they lean heavily on their strengths (melodicism, good lyrics, powerful vocals and harmonies), cut down or eliminate the dialogue samples and rely a lot less on the 1/16 note synth sequencer they could be a force to be reckoned with. As is, 'Flicker Out' is a pretty good album with more ups than downs and has the potential to grow on you. - Chain D.L.K.

Technophobia is a band that I discovered through a very lovely E-Mail containing a lot of information about them and, more importantly, links to their music. When I started listening to their music I couldn't help but think - as I shall later state in the interview - that this duo is part of the old school industrial/EBM renaissance that other acts of recent memory have launched. They seemed like decent enough folks who would give out detailed enough answers in a good interview and they have done just that. Below you will read along my interview with Stephen and Katherine Petix concerning history, their charity raising label Working Order Records, and most importantly their just released album Flicker Out.



Hi there Technophobia! Nice to have you both on the site. Let's get a little introduction to yourselves. Who are you, what do you each of you do in the band, and what's your favorite movie?

Katherine: Dude! I’m stoked to be here! I’m Katie, primarily I am the singer of Technophobia, but also I play synths. I don’t know how anyone can have a favorite movie, doesn’t it just depend on your mood? The time of day? I’ll go for a movie I can recite word for word, even though it isn’t necessarily representative of my fave films as a whole, Wayne’s World. It’s a classic.

Stephen: Hello and thank you for having us! I’m Stephen and I do most of the programming in Technophobia along with playing synths live. Hmm, I agree with Katie, that is a difficult question. I will say I am very much into science fiction and John Carpenter films.

So, since I don't know much about Technophobia, I'm gonna ask about some history. What was the first instrument that each of you played and what inspired you to start playing? Did you have any musicians that you looked up to?

Katherine: I’m actually a classically trained musician. I began playing clarinet when I was 9. I wanted to play saxophone, but my uncle had a clarinet he was willing to give me. I played through elementary and middle school. In high school I had an amazingly supportive teacher, he really helped shape my confidence as a musician. If it wasn’t for him, I’m certain I wouldn’t have gone on to major in music at university, which for the record was a disaster, but that is a whole nother story. Right around the nervous breakdown period in my musical training I was exposed to the ‘goth’ scene in Baltimore, MD. It really changed me. It was the first time I ever felt really free and accepted, though that had less to do with the music itself so much as the people in the scene.

Stephen: I was pretty fortunate to grow up in a musical household as my father is a drummer. The first instrument that I played was trumpet when I was little, but I got over that pretty quickly. My older brother exposed me to punk and hardcore at a young age and I inherited his Dead Kennedys records. It’s really been all downhill from there. The first real instrument I played was guitar, a Fender Telecaster I believe, and my interests grew from there. I have always been into electronic music and into programming. I remember I had a Boss Dr. Rhythm when I was younger, that was a bitch to program by the way! But never really did anything with it. I have played in a variety of bands over the years, everything from punk, deathrock, ska, post-punk and now in this dark electronic project.


That being said, could each of you list a couple of musicians that you look up to as inspirations? And how have they impacted your current career?

Katherine: I’m gonna switch gears since classical and jazz woodwinds is no longer my focus (duh). Again, I question how anyone can pick?? WHY ARE YOU PUTTING PRESSURE ON ME? While my list of inspirations is massive, I think my biggest love lyrically and vocally is Fiona Apple. Her vocal range is epic, and she is a poet, her lyrical content is so good it makes me angry (screw you and your stupid talent you dummy face magical creature). She performs with such intensity that it at times can feel exclusionary. It’s internal, it’s personal, it’s of herself, it’s for herself, but she shares it anyway. Powerful shit.

Stephen: For me the early era of sampling is everything. Bands like Depeche Mode, Ministry, Pop Will Eat Itself, De La Soul…hmm. They have definitely impacted me creatively in my approach to music. All these bands layer sounds and samples to create something unique and I hope that is what we have achieved on this new record.

And how was it that you two met? I'm assuming based on last name that you're both married. Did you possibly meet because you both have love for the same type of music?

Katherine: We actually met not because of our mutual love of music (although that was a nice bonus), but rather our mutual love of horror and gore movies. After my university disaster I stayed in Baltimore and fell into a crowd of people performing horror musicals, which eventually evolved into B-Horror movies. Talk about fun times. Steve found me online because of this, and after a few months of back and forth chatting and missed opportunities to meet (movie stuff in Bmore that he couldn’t make, shows in DC that I couldn’t make) we finally met up in December of 2004. By February of 2005 (nope, not a typo) I had moved and we were living together in DC.

Stephen: Yep…What she said! It was definitely meant to be!


And when was it that Technophobia was born? Since then, how has your sound matured?

Katherine: Steve had been itching to do a project of his own for a while. School was in the way and it was easier for him to just play in other bands rather than start his own band. Once he had completed his Masters degree it was full on building mode. Finding the gear, creating the sounds, and most difficult finding bandmates. As a former musician it seemed natural that I join the project, but I was hesitant for a variety of reasons, the main being I was nervous how people would perceive me. I know, kind of shallow I suppose, but I was worried people would assume I was just "the wife". I couldn't keep my nose out of it though, always having input, tweaking sounds, writing lines, and I finally caved and officially joined playing lead and bass synths as well as singing backing vocals. Finding a lead vocalist proved to be VERY difficult, but in the end we were so stoked to have our good friend Denman take the mic. I feel that original set ups sound was much more "retro" and a lot less "dark". We definitely fell more into the realm of synth pop at that point. The thing that really made us stand out at that point was our BIG sound (we are anything but minimal) as well as dual vocals (Denman on lead and me harmonizing). Alas, everything was forced to change when Denman relocated to New York. We were stuck in the same lurch as before with the unpleasant task of finding a new vocalist. After some time of fruitless searching, Steve finally convinced me to leave my synths behind and move front and center. From that point on our sound changed drastically.

Stephen: Katie is totally right. After Denman moved we scraped all of the songs we previously had and started writing this album. Out of about eighteen tracks eleven ended up on the LP and single. So to answer your question, our sound has definitely evolved and I feel it is much darker now. I feel we are much more focused and sonically cohesive. We have spent a great deal of time and effort creating a unique sound through sampling and using different reverbs and delays. A lot of the sounds we use are found sounds that we recorded and manipulated into something we could use. I personally feel I have matured greatly as a song writer from this process of rebuilding. I am very happy about how far we have come.

Skipping to the present, you guys have your full length album Flicker Out due out soon. It’s going to be on your own label Working Order Records. What’s different about the record label, however, is that it’s a non-profit label. Which charities are you donating to and why?

Katherine: This first release is supporting an awesome charity based here in Washington DC called Life Pieces to Masterpieces. Life Pieces' After School Program is a unique daily opportunity for African American boys and young men to build their leadership and academic skills, advance their social/emotional development, and build their confidence through creative expression. The program teaches individuals to use their own unique set of gifts, talents, and abilities to make positive choices and navigate through challenging circumstances. I couldn't be more proud to be working with them. The social climate in America right now is a scary one. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be frightened just because of the color of your skin, I am honored to be donating the profits of our art to assist in the cause.

Stephen: The idea for Working Order Records really happened during a snow storm last January when we were trapped in our apartment. We had discussed the idea of having all the proceeds from the record go to charity, but I really had one of those “light bulb” moments. I told Katie, we should just start a nonprofit and we went from there. Working Order Records really merges our passion for music with our drive for social impact within our community and ultimately nationwide. The tagline for WOR is Music-Vinyl-Impact-Change with a mission to partner with musicians to leverage their music to raise funding and awareness for the community based charity of their choice. We are very excited to be working with Life Pieces To Masterpieces (LTPM). All of the proceeds from both the 'Negative Space' single and the Flicker Out LP sold between May 12, 2016 and October 31, 2016 will be donated to support LPTM’s summer program. The summer program includes breakfast, lunch, and three field trips a week, and serves to prevent summer learning loss, while engaging the program participants in a cross-cultural experience. The fund raising goal for this campaign is $3,000. We are already 1/3 of the way to our goal and our album has just been released. We ware really excited about this.


Now, I understand the Working Order is non-profit, but when you go and play shows and the like, do you still donate all proceeds from those shows to charity as well? Do you find it wrong to be making money off of the music you produce?

Katherine: Well, yes and no. The campaign for Life Pieces runs for 6 months. During this time, yes, all the proceeds from our shows, record sales, and merchandise are being donated to the charity. But no, we don't at all think it's wrong to profit from music! And in fact we will once the charitable campaign has finished. We didn't start the label because we thought it was wrong to profit, rather we started it because it aligns with our passion to support organizations making a direct positive social impact.

Stephen: I agree with Katie, I definitely do not feel that it is wrong for bands to make money for performing their music or make money from the music hey produce. We just decided to take a different approach.

So far, how has Working Order Records helped out in the community? What has it done so far that you can look back on and be proud of?

Katherine: We are three months into the campaign and thus far we have raised over $2000. Pretty fucking exciting! Beyond the financial aspect we hope to be able to set up times in the programs curriculum to bring in our synths and drum machines to let some of the boys learn about programming. Life Pieces focuses on painting as their artistic expression, we feel this might be a excellent opportunity to get hands on experiences with a different expressive medium.

Stephen: Awareness is also big part of this campaign. We have been lucky to have some very talented people help us out with this mission. Our good friend Kylos Brannon has shot a bunch of footage at LPTM and we have created several awareness videos. These videos are interviews with people inside the charity doing the great work they do. We want the awareness piece of this to outlive the actual campaign.


Flicker Out seems to be on the same page of what I like to call the old-school Industrial/EBM revival. When you were writing the music for the album, did you have in mind that you wanted to create music that spoke to a past dark electronic era? Or was it just an unconscious choice that so happened to work out perfectly?

Katherine: I feel like it wasn't absolutely unconscious, we are definitely heavily influenced by that dark electronic era and the majority of our machines are of that era, so naturally we lean toward that sound. But on the same note, I don't think we were "trying" to be anything in particular. Especially after we lost Denman, it was more of a "well, let see what happens now" moment in our sounds evolution. I had never sung anything but backing harmonies before, we didn't really know what would happen. And it wasn't all good, Ha! It took us a little while to figure it all out, my vocal leanings are very different than our old sound. Everything had to shift accordingly.

Stephen: Honestly, when we started to rebuild our sound the first thing we did was restructure the way we used our gear. I felt we could do more with less and we focused on the synthesizes that we wanted keep. We use analog gear, some of it being vintage, and spent weeks, months even developing sounds before we even started writing sequences and structuring songs. I feel we use a classic approach of layering and sampling definitely used in the era you suggest. That being said, I do not feel that this record is derivative. I feel the melodies and vocals set us apart a bit. All this being said, we are more than happy to be included in that categorization…honored even.

Technophobia seems like the type of project that doesn't make music just to make music. It seems you guys always have a theme or message involved. Lyrically, what does Flicker Out invoke? And do you think the tougher music matched with soft vocals reflect your opinions?

Katherine: Absolutely, this album lyrically is very existentialist. Heavy themes of isolation and at times anger. I feel that most of us can relate in someway or another to feeling hopeless, helpless, alone. It's funny, I never thought of my vocal approach as being soft, but reflecting on it now I suppose that comparatively it is. I don't think there was any intention to have this juxtaposition of hard and soft, it's just what happened naturally when I stepped up to the mic.

Stephen: Agreed! I would add that I am definitely drawn to melodic music and I feel that shows through on this album. We wanted this album to be as cohesive lyrically and vocally as is it was sonically.



And now that Flicker Out is all said and done, how do you guys feel about it? Do you think it could have been better or worse? Or are you content with what you made and don't find reason to change it in any form?

Katherine: I am so pleased with Flicker Out. When we went into the recording studio there were definitely some tracks and lines that needed help. It was all good at the core, but needed an outside ear to really make it that much better. Were are so lucky to record with Mike Fanuele at Lavabed Recording. He and I get on just famously. The positive creative environment completely elevated all of our tracks. Especially considering I am so new to singing. It's one thing to sing at band practice in front of your mates, completely another to be put in a vocal booth with a microphone that cost as much as your car!

Stephen: Writing an album is a daunting task at best and that is what we did with Flicker Out. What I mean is, this wasn’t just a collection of songs, we wrote each track with an overarching theme and sound in mind. Again, we were very lucky to have some great people help us achieve this goal along the way. Mike produced and recorded Flicker Out, and was a great help to us in attaining the sound we were looking for. We were also extremely fortunate to have Sarah Register from The Mastering Palace in NYC master the album and single. We were really excited to work with her as she had mastered several bands we admired. The most difficult thing is knowing when to stop fussing over a track or the album as a whole. We put in a lot of time and effort into this records and over all I am very happy with the outcome.

So far, have you had any reception for the album? Good? Bad?

Katherine: So far it's been overwhelmingly positive. A couple reviews expressing personal distaste for particular elements such as our use of sampling, but nothing bad really. I'm surprised really, I mean in the age of the internet it seems no matter what you put out someone is going to hate on it just for the fun of hating! I suppose there is still plenty of time for that though, haha!

Stephen: TOTALLY! Haha. Being a relatively unknown band internationally we are excited to have this record as a vehicle to get out name out there and play LOTS of more shows!



And what are your future plans for Technophobia? Do you have any live shows planned? If so, when and where will they be held? Any singles, EPs, or remixes in the works?

Katherine: We will continue to play shows regionally (in the North East and Mid Atlantic US) throughout the summer and autumn months, but ideally? Ideally I would love to get over to Europe and tour there. Getting our record label up and off the ground while simultaneously writing, recording, and releasing Flicker Out has been intense to say the least. I'm pretty content to just be playing out and supporting it for now. That being said Steve and I are always in create mode. You can definitely expect to hear new songs out at our live shows in the near future.

Stephen: We definitely have a focus on playing live and we want to come to Europe this fall if at all feasible. So any and all booking agents feel free to contact us!

Lastly, I’d like to thank you for your time and wish you the best in your career! The space below is yours!

Stephen: Thank you so much for your interest in our band and in our new record, we really do appreciate it! You can get a copy of Flicker Out on colored vinyl and/or digital download at Working Order Records. Both our LP and single will also be available on vinyl (all vinyl comes with digital download) in Europe through Kernkrach; save on those crazy US shipping costs. Keep a look out for us in the Fall! - Brutal Resonance

Washington, DC based electro/industrial group Technophobia will celebrate the release of a new full-length album, Flicker Out, on July 17th with a launch party at The Black Cat. Flicker Out is, according to band members Katie and Stephen Petix, “a unique sonic brew of synthesizers, sampling, layers, and sound manipulation alongside themes of isolation, existential thought, and loss.” A supporting tour is slated for fall 2016.
In addition, the duo has partnered with Working Order Records, a non-profit label whose releases are limited run vinyl pressings, with proceeds going directly to the charity of the artist’s choice. All profits from the album and its first single, Negative Space, will go to DC non-profit Life Pieces to Masterpieces, which “uses artistic expression to develop character and leadership, unlock potential, and prepare African American boys and young men to transform their lives and community.”
Negative Space is now available via Bandcamp, featuring remixes by hERETICS iN tHE lAB, Void Vision, and Alter Der Ruine. Flicker Out is available for pre-order now at the label’s website. - ReGen Magazine

Technophobia has a really great sound. Analogue minimal synth, EBM bass lines, and a great darkwave vocal style, all rolled into one tight package. The first glimpse from their new album, “Negative Space,” is a poppy, brilliant dance track that definitely will spread pretty quickly through the different clubs here in Portland. It hits all of the right areas of both markets in my mind. The vocals are distinct and clean and the synth work is catchy and varies nicely throughout the song. I am excited to hear the Alter Der Ruine remix on this single because I can see their style blending well with the original track. This single is only available - on vinyl (with digital download) - via the Working Order Records website, and all proceeds from the release are being donated to Life Pieces To Masterpieces, which is an art-based charity. - Talking To Ghosts

Background Noise: Music has often been a vehicle for social justice and positive impact, and that’s doubly true for Working Order Records, a nonprofit organization as well as a record label. Founded by “socially conscious music lovers” Kristy Lupejkis, Stephen Petix, and Katherine Taylor. Working Order Records operates under the “belief that music is inextricably linked with the potential for positive change.” All proceeds from their releases go to charity.

Now Playing: Working Order’s inaugural release, the debut album from darkwave/electronic duo Technophobia (Katie Petix and Stephen Petix), is due out in July. - Washington City Paper

Dark electronic duo Technophobia announces the release of their new full-length album Flicker Out on Working Order Records. The band will hold a record release party at The Black Cat in Washington, DC on July 17, 2016, prior to their fall 2016 tour in support of Flicker Out.

Based out of Washington, DC, Technophobia is the dark electronic project of Katie Petix and Stephen Petix. Using hardware and analog synthesizers, they use a classic approach of layering, sound manipulation, and heavy sampling to create their unique sound. There is a consistent tone and mood to this album touching on themes of isolation, existential thought and loss. Technophobia has shared stages with such notable names as Skinny Puppy, Laibach, Douglas McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb), Youth Code, Cold Cave, and Void Vision.

While recording Flicker Out, Katie and Stephen began to explore an unconventional record label release approach to better align with their personal ideals. As a result, Technophobia has partnered with Working Order Records on a charity campaign designed to benefit the Washington, DC-based nonprofit Life Pieces To Masterpieces (LTMP). LTMP uses artistic expression to develop character and leadership, unlock potential, and prepare African American boys and young men to transform their lives and community. Technophobia is donating 100% of the proceeds from both their previously released single, Negative Space, and their to-be released full-length album to LTMP.

Working Order Records (WOR) is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization based in Washington, DC. WOR’s operating model promotes the belief that music is inextricably linked with the potential for positive change. Partnering with artists and bands, WOR leverages recorded music to help raise awareness and funding for community-based charities the artists and/or bands designate. Each WOR release is a uniquely personal fundraising campaign enabled through limited-run vinyl, with 100% of the proceeds from each release given directly to charity. - Peek-a-boo Magazine

Steve and Katie Petix of the DC synth duo Technophobia last week launched Working Order Records (WOR), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization “intended to bridge the gap between musician ideology and social impact through limited-release vinyl,” according to the label.

Also based in DC, WOR described its philosophy in a press release Friday, saying, “WOR’s operating model promotes the belief that music is inextricably linked with the potential for positive change. Partnering with artists and bands, WOR leverages their recorded music to help raise awareness and funding for the community-based charities they designate. Each WOR release is a uniquely personal fundraising campaign enabled through limited-run vinyl, with 100 percent of the proceeds from each release given directly to charity.”

In its first campaign, Technophobia itself is stepping up for a release to benefit the nonprofit Life Pieces to Masterpieces (LTMP). The LTMP mission: “Life Pieces to Masterpieces uses artistic expression to develop character and leadership, unlock potential, and prepare African American boys and young men to transform their lives and communities.”

On June 14, WOR will release “Negative Space,” a 12-inch single by Technophobia with remixes by hERETICS iN tHE lAB, Void Vision, and Alter Der Ruine. - Parklife DC

Cold hope. Firstly, because - given the refreshing style of recording a duet Technophobia - their music can really bring much new to the contemporary sounds cold / synth / dark wave. And secondly because of that single Negative Space (LP, and he preceded, as well as many publications accompanying them) throughout the income from the sale of its support to the interesting and noteworthy initiative combating social exclusion of talented young people. In Washington (where they come from musicians and acts mentioned initiative) is probably far less excluded than a medium-sized Polish town, so the more - similar to Life Pieces To Masterpieces ideas - should sprinkle the native consciousness. Although it just seems to be the crux of the "cold" (that is impossible) hope. Here (in Poland) man has no meaning, and counts only "GDP" (WTF?).

Let's go back to the music, as performed by Technophobii it is particularly beautiful and revealing. This Washington duet (Katherine and Stephen Petix) is on the scene already from 2013, mainly playing live music - until July 19 will release their debut LP Flicker Out. Concerts is a good school for musicians - teach that music should be filled with energy and directly hit the sensitivity of consumers. Such a single Negative Space:

Dark pop and something more, right? The track on the singles release pomieszczono three more remixes by: Meaning Nothing, Void Vision and Alter Der Ruine. All are great and they treat differently cool melodic composition "output" Negative Space is probably the best album "and variations" I've heard in recent times! Closes the album "Passing People" - melorecytowany track that could be associated with the recordings of Spanish duo Synths Versus Me . The whole single is not available to listen - in this case, so trust me. If publishing trafiłoby in the hands of pirates, the non-musical function would cease to make sense. Be sure to have them in the physical version for one more reason ...

Both single Negative Space and LP Flicker Out, captivate also in visual terms. No wonder - their graphic design prepared Rimel Neffati , champion spectral mood and themes of artistic photography. - Wave Press Blog