EXCLUSIVE: Castel - Astral Portal

Young vapour phenomenon known as Castel gets his first physical release called Astral Portal.

This record includes the album NEO RISING, previously released on Pinkbox Teleport, the rare Dream Entanglement and completely new material which tool Castel six months to complete.

"All that stuff was remastered and refined together with professionals from Asura Revolver studio.

I feel like it will help new listeners to dive into it,

and for my old fans this will be an opportunity to open the sound they love once again, with new breath and special energy.

This is not a secret, I'm perfectionist but also I have big respect to people who believe in me,

so working on Astral Portal was more than just recording a new album.

I would say this was like creating a portal to the New Era" - Castel.

oh, yeah...

it was predicted by NEWAGE MAG and now we see how easily this newcomer has become game changer for vapour world.

We can endlessly talk about the reasons for this, so we better just admit some facts.

6 facts you should know about Castel

1. When he just made soundcloud page and uploaded the first song, it was played on NTS.radio on the next day by the labelhead of Dream Catalogue HKE (yeah, we know how much it means)

2. Three days later his debut album was signed by the most forward looking label of the year—Pinkbox Teleport

3. Month later his track was featured in the legendary second episode of Black Market Trade which was banned for all world (the creator of radioshow was forced to change his country of residence because of Disnay’s constant push)

4. Castel's debut album was nominated for the Album Of The Month by Ogritch himself

5. Castel's second album "THE SAVIOR" was released on the cult hardvapour label HVRF-CC.

Castel obtained all these achievements in only 4 months, nitro speed definitely... this could only be achieved by a real genius,

and we can consider this as an undeniable proof of his great talent.

No doubt, his sound and vision are unique, and this is exactly what vaporwave needs right now.

Break the world from your previous experience,

coz there is no value for it anymore.

Neo Rising

so it’s time to make a step into the Astral Portal

enjoy!

in case if you missed rare interview with Castel:

MIRAION CONVERSATION WITH CASTEL

Torn Hawk, Investigation of Extra-Terrestrial?

How deep the rabbit hole goes? 

Fearless Torn Hawk walking in dangerous zones and filming everything supernatural.

We met Luke in some realm of the twilight zone and ask him a few questions. 

Special Brief Interview:

NEWAGE MAG: Hey Luke! Please tell us about the main idea of your radio?

Luke Wyatt: you know , I love to walk around, so once I realized that all mystical things is everywhere, I take my old panasoci vhs cam and start a journey,

 creating portals for people , so they able to see that things too.

NEWAGE MAG: but why it's called Radio if here video as well?   

Luke Wyatt: sorry, but this is stupid question . 

Luke Wyatt: ok here the answer "owls are not what they seem"

NEWAGE MAG: this is more than enough pal, thank you !

Luke Wyatt: sure...
t r ansmi ssion is los t

....wait. seems like here some signals...

MORE ABOUT: LUKE WYATT

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: 

INRA - Suburbs of Utopia

"VAPORWAVE IT'S SOMETHING MORE THEN JUST NOSTALGIC THING" INTERVIEW WITH XENOX KAMIKADZE

XENOX KAMIKADZE The underground vaporwave/hypnagogic pop producer - whose debut LP "CLASSIC VAPORWAVE HITS" was one of last year's critical smashes.

Equally, few of those who know him as XENOX have any idea of his identity outside music. That means this piece can't give you a potted biography, dwell on his childhood, or tell you what he's been up to for the past year. He won't say.

XENOX doesn't do DJ gigs, live performances or radio shows. 

"Only about 8 people outside of my family know I make tunes, I think. I hope," 

he says.

Technically, XENOX doesn't do interviews, either. Our meeting only comes about after much gentle persuasion and the realignment of our "interview" as a "casual chat about tunes". As I stand in the 90210 drizzle waiting to meet someone I have no chance of recognising, my mind plays tricks. That guy crossing the road who looks like Daniel from Freaks and Geeks, could that be XENOX? Or the wild-eyed Turkish guy on crutches? Or the Japanese guy in the green suit?

When XENOX does turn up, he talks with incredible passion and sincerity - and does it so quietly that my Dictaphone barely picks up his voice, making him sound in playback like a ghostly presence. Which is appropriate, because XENOX richly atmospheric music leaves you feeling slightly removed from the tangible world. His debut was clouded in pirate-radio crackle and cassette fuzz, the soundscapes dotted with the sound of rain, fire and distant voices. 

"I was never expecting anyone to hear it," XENOX says. 

"I was buzzing, totally buzzing. But I had to hide that feeling, I didn't really have anyone to tell, apart from my brothers and my family - but that was all that mattered to me."

NAAM: There’s currently a lot of new bands making aesthetically similar music in wake of your influence. Do you ever feel like bands are rinsing your sound? 

XENOX: No art is completely original. People constantly take from and are inspired by each other. Plus, if a band is making music that’s similar to mine, it just means there’s more of a chance that we’ll like it, or be re-inspired by what they’re doing. It’s an exchange of ideas.

NAAM: I heard that you don’t really use samples when making music, but your music does sound very sample-based…

XENOX: It’s achieved by, in some way lots of hard work, and in some way, it’s very simple. It’s just a matter of what type of filters you want to put on a certain sound. I use samplers but I don’t sample from other people’s music or sounds, meaning I created every sound from scratch.

....here XENOX just stops responding, then he decided to skip some our questions, and sure we ok with that ...

NAAM: So performing didn’t feel as emotional before? It was more about creating melodies and moving the crowd than anything physical?

XENOX: Yeah. To be honest, I don’t even know what it was about. I never had much experience with it and then suddenly I was expected to perform. I was lugging my Casio synth all over USA with a bunch of loopers and delays. I don’t even really know why I did it. I think it was because it was my comfort zone to just kinda loop Casio stuff over samples. It was like I was bringing my bedroom studio everywhere.

NAAM: your album brings life to 80s nostalgia, it sounds like you're highlighting the deathly aspects of it here.

XENOX: Yeah, this is like compounding death upon death. [laughs] It's depressing that people would buy these DVDs of old commercials and watch them while eating Cheetos. And it's annoying when a lot of my stuff is framed as "ultra-nostalgic music" because ultra-nostalgic music to me would be the Sonic Youth. There is nothing wrong with it, but I don't feel like I'm that nostalgic, I would say vaporwave it's something more then just nostalgic thing.

XENOX KAMIKADZE EXCLUSIVE FOR NEWAGE APOCALYPSE MAG

*

DOWNLOAD 'CLASSIC VAPORWAVE HITS'

for all inquiries just mail us

newageapocalypse@yahoo.com

STAY TUNED!

read interview with rising star Castel

MIRAION CONVERSATION WITH CASTEL

Hey there, couple of days ago i've discovered a new and promising producer Castel. His works was an immersive experience and there was a chance to ask him about who he is, a few words about his influences and what served as an inspiration for his recent "NEO RISING" and "Dream Entanglement". As well as about his thoughts about vapour scene in general and plans for the future.

Please tell us about yourself and your influences in music?

A little bit about myself; I am a teenager from a city in the midwestern portion of the United States, and I have been making music for about a month or so now. My world changed when I heard 2814's Birth Of A New Day. I had never heard music so perfectly paint a picture in my mind, on a very guided and intentional level. Before that point, I was fine with listening to the latest hit on the radio. After that melancholic night of browsing the bandcamp of Dream Catalogue with insomniac fervency, I knew that this was something I could relate to on a philosophical, and spiritual level. Obviously, HKE and Telepath have been major influences in my direction with music, but I would also like to include wosX/Wolf, as well as other artists outside the Vapour genre, such as Nujabes, Vangelis, Tim Hecker, and Franz Liszt's piano pieces. My current Bandcamp discography sort of represents the combined elements of melancholy, wonder, and passion that I think drives the "Vapour" scene.

Can you tell us what was behind/inspired you at NEO RISING and Dream Dream Entanglement?

The main inspiration behind NEO RISING was the evolution of the soul. Certain spiritual gurus had instructed me to watch The Matrix, and one of them had even came up with the title NEO RISING. I also coined the genre "Soulgaze" just for this album. I spent 30 minutes designing, the sound, and then recorded the 22 minute improvisational progressions; a short gaze into my soul. Dream Entanglement was composed last night, and was inspired by a girl who I sadly fell out with. We used to have this shared dream (both hopeful visions of ourselves, and lucid dreams) of sitting on the beach, watching souls gain consciousness for eternity; as the tide comes in, they are born, as the secede, the transfer of energy creates a new generation. I felt strongly enough to make an album about it.

"NEO RISING" Castel's debut album released on PINKBOX TELEPORT RECORDS

"Dream Entanglement" second album. Self-Released

And the last one is about your thoughts on vapor scene and your plans for the future?

I think the "Vapour" scene is at an ambivalent stage right now. I certainly am not the go to man for this, but I'll give it a shot. From what I've heard, the Vapourwave scene has become rather hostile to innovations that are unexpected. Look at their reaction to Hardvapour if you want an example. It is sad to see that creativity has become the enemy. Again, I'm not the go to guy for this; talk to HVRF, or HKE or OESBEE if you want a more nuanced, well thought out answer if they're gracious enough.

As for the future; I have no clue. I know where I'd like to be, and who I'd like to working with, but I haven't gotten a solid plan.

I am working on a project that you will hear more about soon if you keep your ear to the ground, and I will continue to pump out more music. I get too many ideas at 3 am in the morning - it is more of a mathematical probability to hear new music from me than it is anything else. 10 years from now I can see myself making classical music, or composing soundtracks for films, or being a computer hacker, or being a buddhist monk out in Laos. For now, I'll continue to make music that revolves around spiritual concepts, lord knows my friends would rather hear new music than recieve 15 texts at 5am from me because I've discovered a new thought experiment.

Be sure to follow and support him on

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ivCASTEL
Bandcamp: ivcastel.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ivcastel

Rare interview with Castel, published by Miraion
no longer available from the original source
Edition 2.0 made by NEWAGE APOCALYPSE MAGAZINE