Pressure Points has taken a leap of faith going against the cookie cutter format of current EDM trends. Formerly known as Flufftronix, the soundscape created by Pressure Points could be described as the theme music to an epic journey of a hero against a villain in an 80s synthesizer-bathed orchestra. There are so many elements involved in this new wave of dance music that one can only struggle to name them.
I was able to catch up with Pressure Points for a brief moment between him battling interstellar techno demons and trapped out space slugs to inquire a bit about his new found audio/visual weaponry.
EARMILK: So Pressure Points, why and when did the name strike you?
Pressure Points: It was probably about six months ago. My main criteria was basically something that I could picture on the cover of a Sega cartridge or VHS box, while still sounding current.
EM: The sounds and synths that you use under your new alias are much larger and dimensionally massive compared to most tracks from electronic producers these days, was there a certain approach that allowed you to achieve this?
PP: A lot of emphasis lately has been on sounds that smack you in the face, and lots of them, which is fine and all.. but I've always thought that stuff works best in moderation. I'm using a lot of the same tools everyone else is; all these tracks were made in Ableton and I don't have any particularly fancy gear (yet). I will say though, that learning about room treatment and acoustics definitely helps a lot to make sure the stuff you're hearing actually comes across to other people the way it sounds coming out your speakers.
EM: What does Pressure Points mean for Flufftronix?
PP: You know, I'm really not sure yet. I don't have any plans to stop doing stuff as Flufftronix. The main reason I started Pressure Points was to push some pretty specific themes, which I can say will probably be more absent from my other projects.
EM: The image that you are sporting now is somewhat…..shall we say, different, than what you had going on. What inspired this sudden change?
PP: Well Flufftronix is sort of just me, so the image has just been whatever I'm into. As for Pressure Points.. I wouldn't say it's a character per se, but there's a look, feel and attitude I want coming across from all aspects. So the artwork, the visuals, and even I look like how it sounds, and vice versa.
EM: Your track Sleeper especially stood out to me. The ominous vibes of it give off a sort of epic battle somewhere in the distant future mental image. Few producers will tread on this kind of territory in this "mainstream overtaken EDM scene" of today. Can we expect more tracks of this nature?
PP: A lot of the vibes on that specific track I have to thank Anne Clark for, since it's a re-interpretation of her track "Sleeper In Metropolis". There definitely are a good bunch of producers making music heavy on throwback retrofuture themes right now. Though a lot of it seems way more focused on emulation than innovation. There are definitely a handful of producers out there that use as many weird, progressive elements as they do nostalgic ones.. as some of that is my favorite music I'd certainly hope for more!
EM: Your cover of Rudimental's "Feel The Love" touches on certain seemingly….Luvstep inspired elements for sure, but with more of an electro-trap feel. Seriously. Huge buttery bass and trickling melodic layers. Do you think the Luvstep series was an inspiration for you on "Feel The Love"?
PP: It wasn't a direct inspiration, but I've done 6 or 8 Luvstep-style tracks now and I guess it just sorta came out that way. The bass synth was definitely a nod to Joker, and the drums were obviously trap music-inspired.. but I really just wanted to throw those elements in with a coming of age sci-fi adventure movie love theme and see what came out.
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