I don't think I need to say much in way of Syncfactory; they're a dark electronic group from Finland and they just launched a brand new album full of infectious beats called "Panopticon". I wanted to speak with them about history and the new album to discover what they're all about, and they gave me just that. Read on below for the full rundown on Syncfactory and be sure to click that play button below!

<a href="http://insane-records.bandcamp.com/album/panopticon">Panopticon by Syncfactory</a>

Hello Syncfactory, and welcome to Brutal Resonance! Let's start off with the basics: Tell us what Syncfactory is, what type of music you perform, and who your favorite musicians are.

Syncfactory: First of all we want to say hello to all at Brutal Resonance readers! Syncfactory is a dark electro/industrial band from Finland. We create music with dark lyrics and melodic composition, harsh sounds and some influences from the 90's industrial music. All Syncfactory members have a different taste of music, so unfortunately it is very hard to make any kind of top-list about bands and artists that we like.

When was it that you guys first produced dark electro and industrial? And were you influenced by any other dark electro/industrial bands?

Syncfactory: Mika started making music in 2009 under the project name of Syncfactory, with Petri writing the lyrics. The band formed its current state in 2014 when Janne joined the band. There are many influences from the past and modern music that are part of the Syncfactory sound. We have listened to industrial/dark electo/ebm for like 20 years and our sound is a natural result of what we have grown up with.

Who are the members of Syncfactory and what do they do?

Syncfactory: Mika Mikkola programs and composes music, Janne Vilen does vocals in the stuidio and live, and Petri Kiukkonen writes the lyrics and helps Mika arrange them into composition and carries out graphic design.

What was the first song that you put out for Syncfactory? And how was the overall reception for the song?

Syncfactory: It is impossible to remember which was the first completed song, but the first songs we created as Syncfactory are on the Rhymes in Minor album. This album was self-released in 2010. That release was originally meant to be for our own amusement only, to try out some musical ideas, nothing more. All those thirteen songs are from the very beginning of our project and the first songs we ever made. The record was finished without leaving any songs behind – everything we wrote also made it to the record. This album has never been meant for big public audience.

Has it always been easy producing music under Syncfactory? Or did you have a couple of crashes along the way?

There have been no real problems to make music under Syncfactory, because Syncfactory was originally meant to try out some musical ideas in the industrial and dark electro genre without any specific goals or targets. But our history includes a quiet period also – until 2014 Janne joined band and Syncfactory was revitalized again and now we are working hard together and making new material all the time.

Your debut album Panopticon has just been released. I read that it has to do with the concept of privacy. What exactly do you talk about in Panopticon? Do you relate the material to the modern world?

Syncfactory: Panopticon is not a concept album, it has songs that cover a multitude of topics. But the title track indeed addresses the issue of privacy: how far are we willing to sacrifice our privacy to increase our security? There are several types of privacy, and they all are violated to some degree in a modern world. Privacy of a person (i.e., body characterictics, like genetic codes and biometrics) – modern passports require biometric data, and most governments already have DNA databases which also contain DNA files of people who have not been convicted of a crime. Privacy of behaviour and action, privacy of communication, privacy of data and image, privacy of thoughts and feelings, privacy of location and space, privacy of associates – social networking services are collecting data on all of these, actively urging people to voluntarily give away as much personal information as possible. Surveillance and traffic cameras track our movements. So do our mobile phones, and they also have access to our every word – as has everything that has a microphone and means to deliver information elsewhere. And with phrase and motion detection capabilities, every day the amount of devices that are actively tracking our actions grows. Cookies and service providers track our browsing habits. Governments and employers want to have access to our emails and private messages. Are we really comfortable with all of this? Or should we be concerned? Orwell’s 1984 is no longer dystopian fiction, groundwork for everything depicted in it has already been laid.

When you wrote the music for Panopticon, what mood or feeling were you going for?

Syncfactory: There were a lot of different moods that we targeted, because there are so many different song subjects; hence there was not only one all-encompassing feeling when the album was composed. But let’s take as an example the album’s title track 'Panopticon'. Because of the subject matter, the music aims to deliver a feeling of pressure and dark, subtly threatening mood.

When you put Panopticon together and listened to it when it was done being mastered, how did you feel about the album? Were you proud of it, or did you think you could have improved it?

Syncfactory: It was a very satisfying feeling after the hard work of getting all the songs, lyrics and vocals finally ready and into one compact pack. We are happy with the album, it turned out the way we wanted it to be.

So far, how has reception been for Panopticon? Have you heard positive, negative, or mixed reception for the album?

Syncfactory: We have got quite a small amount of feedback so far. We are certainly following all the time how listeners take our first official release. All kind of feedback is very welcome!

And what's next for Syncfactory? Do you have any other material in the works? Are you planning a tour, or do you have a couple of shows that you'll be performing at?

Syncfactory: We have started to make new material. Hardware and software are running hot already! We are not planning any big tours. But gigs are definitely coming. Our next live gig will be in February 2017 in Tampere /Finland, where we celebrate also our album release.

Lastly, I'd like to wish you the best of luck in your career. I'll leave the space below for you to fill in any final words. Cheers!

Syncfactory: Thank you for your interest and good questions! These are not our final words for sure, because this is just the beginning! We hope that readers go and listen our new Panopticon album. You can purchase the album from www.insane-records.com and listen it on Spotify. Remember to support dark music all around the world and keep the scene alive! Cheers!

Panopticon is now available for order via Insane Records' Bandcamp.

Syncfactory

Jan 2017

Dark Electro