Paul Feder Biography:
As a child in the 80s, Paul Feder would listen with rapt attention whenever his parents would play their cassette tape of Kraftwerk’s Trans Europa Express in the car. This early exposure to electronic music set the stage for Paul’s first remixes and mashups in high school, synth instrumentals in college, and MIDI interfaces in grad school. In his 20’s and 30’s, Paul started DJing, producing songs, and gigging all over NYC.
Paul’s first release was his synthpop project Pico Fermi’s Start It Over in 2010. Pico Fermi’s Daft Punk-inspired vocoder sets would often lead to dance parties, and Paul’s role as a DJ emerged organically from the need to keep the party going. In 2012 Paul became the resident DJ at Tromba on the Lower East Side. Also during this time he co-founded Charcole Federation – a sitar-infused electronic band – which released its eponymous EP in 2015 and performed at such venues as the Rubin Museum and Holi Festival of Colors.
One day in early 2019, Paul brought a laptop, a synth, and an old beaten-up harmonizer to Battalion Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn, and pressed record. The solitude of that day, coupled with trying out old gear in a new way led to a creative and technical “aha moment”. Paul’s debut solo EP Nightwalk took off from there – five songs that combine sparse, open-ended lyrics with dense, visually evocative production. Over the course of the year, Paul’s solo sessions at Battalion expanded to group jams with Jane In Space members Jesse Jensen, Tom Vickers, Andrew Tell and Brian Korpalski. The live instrumentation injected raw energy into the budding tracks of the EP.
In February 2020, Paul Feder and Eric Martich (aka Permian Strata, live visuals artist) filmed the music video for “Lose My Mind”, the first track on Nightwalk. In the video, Paul’s journey through the industrial landscape of Gowanus is accompanied by Permian Strata’s wild visuals. To achieve some of the custom hypnotic effects, Eric Martich used a video synthesizer “to create shapes that mirror the architecture of the city, paired with its “neon” color palette, which matched the bright colors of the street art” He then patched those shapes into another video synth “which generated an internal feedback loop, creating the illusion that the shapes are receding into the distance”.
Brooklyn-based Electropop artist Paul Feder innovates on melodic, synth-driven debut solo EP “Nightwalk”, out via Aion Records on August 20, 2021. Paul Feder’s music is a multi-layered, mood-inducing affair that requires multiple listens to fully appreciate. Those looking for an upbeat soundtrack for their city walk will gravitate towards EP opener “Lose My Mind”, whereas electronic and ambient music enthusiasts should appreciate the mystical vibes and heady atmosphere of “Desert Run”. “In Floodlights” is a a four-on-the-floor psychedelic dance journey about personal triumph over a dystopian society. Ultimately, this is an artist who adeptly balances his melodic pop leanings with his experimental streak.
About the Paul Feder’s projects:
Paul Feder’s debut solo EP Nightwalk distills his years of experience making music with sitar-infused electronic band Charcole Federation and vocoder synthpop project Pico Fermi. The songs on Nightwalk were developed and refined over the course of a year at Battalion Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn, starting as solo vocal harmonizer experiments, developing into full-on jam sessions with Jane In Space band members Jesse Jensen, Tom Vickers, Andrew Tell and Brian Korpalski. Nightwalk combines sparse, open-ended lyrics with dense, visually evocative synths.
“Lose My Mind”, the EP’s lead single, was released on July 23, 2021, accompanied by a surreal, dream-like walk through the city in the official music video.
The “Nightwalk” EP is available on Bandcamp as well as all major platforms.
More Info about Paul Feder:
- Artist Name: Paul Feder
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Release Title: Nightwalk
- Release Date: August 20, 2021
- Label: Aion Records
- Musician Names/Instruments: Paul Feder (vocals, production, songwriting), Jesse Jensen (additional production), Andrew Tell (guitar)
- Producer Name(s): Paul Feder
- Similar/RIYL: Chvrches, Thom Yorke, Bon Iver, Passion Pit, Electric Youth
- Genre(s): Electropop, Synthpop, Indietronica, Ambient Pop, Indie Electronic
Track list:
- Lose My Mind
- Nightwalk
- Desert Run
- Tooth and Heart
- In Floodlights
