Mass Hype

Arthur Cayzer – aka Pariah (a name which came from a song by one of his favourite bands, Cursed, picked as a “kind of homage” to them) – has but two releases to his name. However, what Cayzer has said with such a short resume shows a sound that separates him from the rest. Granted, it's a sound that is hard to pin down as one genre, or even a few; but what do genres matter when the music makes you feel good?

His six-track Safehouses EP and single Detroit Falls/Orpheus were both released in 2010 on esteemed label R&S Records.

“I see it as a stroke of good luck that R&S ever heard my tracks. I never sent demos to producers, DJs or labels, just to friends,” says Cayzer. “Detroit Falls ended being featured on Pitchfork having originally been picked up by a blog called No Pain In Pop and by chance Dan, who runs R&S, heard that track and got in touch. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a message on MySpace bearing the legendary horse logo!”

Cayzer currently uses Logic on a Mac, however, he is making a move backwards to analogue, and has already started investing in “a few bits and pieces” of gear. Pariah will be playing alongside Blawan at Geisha Bar, but lately the twosome have come together on a new project.

“God knows where the name Karenn came from,” laughs Cayzer of their odd collaborative alias. “Blawan (Jamie Roberts) and I decided that we were going to prepare an entirely analogue live show for Karenn. Getting away from the computer and onto machines has been a breath of fresh air!

“We met about 18 months ago up in Leeds and we were swapping tunes with each other,” Cayzer says on how he linked up with Roberts. “We were playing a lot of shows together and soon realised that we had a very similar taste in music. I don't think we originally intended to start a whole new project but we found that we work really well together and forming Karenn just seemed to be a natural progression.”

Karenn have started their own label named Works The Long Nights, which to date has released their duo-debut, a three-track untitled release. The second release for Works The Long Nights is an EP from Sunil Sharpe.

“Blawan and I have also been working hard on preparing a Karenn live show,” reveals Cayzer. “I find it really enjoyable and rewarding working with others. It can be a lot more exciting when there are two of you bouncing ideas off one another than when you're sitting alone pulling your hair out.”

Work as part of Karenn doesn't put a hold on Pariah releases, as Cayzer affirms: “I finished a new three-track EP recently for R&S that should be out at the end of this month and, currently, Midland and I are just doing the finishing touches on our collaborative 12” for later in the year.”

It will be Cayzer's first visit to Australia and he says he can't wait to get here. “I'm sure it'll be an experience to remember for a long time.” As for what the audience at the Next Hype launch should expect, it looks to be quite and exotic and unpredictable ride: “I always try and play a variety of styles in a set but they have always differed somewhat from the music that I make,” he explains. “I tend to draw for a lot of stuff that's darker and less melodic than the music that I'm known for, and I never really know exactly what I'm gonna play until I start playing!”