IAMX play The Casbah Sep. 20, The Constellation Room Sep. 21 photo: Saryn Christina
Purveyor of “sinister synth,” IAMX (Chris Corner), return to The Casbah Sep. 20 and The Constellation Room Sep. 21. Fans can expect music from IAMX’s sixth album, Metanoia, a stunning visual show, and maybe even some cupcake-fueled revelry.
“There was a nice, buttery moment in Seattle when somebody brought a big pile of
cupcakes with ‘x’ marks, maybe 20 of them, and we smothered ourselves in cupcakes on stage.
“We forgot that butter is very slippery, so everybody just fell over and it was absolutely ridiculous, you couldn’t move on stage because it was so slippy. That was fun! And then we just smothered it on the crowd too so it was just like, a cupcake orgy.”
So what else might fans expect from an IAMX show? Corner’s setlist is still unformed.
“I often have a problem choosing because there’s so many songs now,” Corner said. “I think what I’m gonna try and do is base it on this new album, which is a good deal more electronic than the previous albums. It’s more purist and simple in its approach, so I’m going to take songs from the past that are more like that, and that are easier to translate into an electronic vibe. I can plan it as much as possible but once you actually get into rehearsal things will often just develop.”
However, Corner ensures a unique experience with stunning visuals that he creates
himself, and passionate crowds that are ready for a good time.
“There’s a lot of energy wherever we go. You get this release where people are just so hungry to connect with you on an outsider level. We get lots of freaks and outsiders that come to the show, which we love because we are freaks and outsiders.”
Metanoia, meaning a profound transformation or conversion, is a fitting name for the new album, considering Corner has changed his sound as well as his surroundings. A move from Berlin to LA had a profound effect on his state of mind and his music.
“I moved from Berlin mainly because of the dark, oppressive winters, and every time I found myself making an album in the winter, because I would tour during summer and spring,” Corner explained. “Whenever I had time to actually be creative it was always in a very dark and dreary period, so that was really getting me down.”
The new single, “Happiness” explores Corner’s journey through his lowest points, as well as his grapples with the corruption and hypocrisy of the music industry.
“It’s something that’s a recurring theme in my music because I think about it all the time, and it’s not something I can really, truly let go of,” Corner said. “This album is about the attempt to let go of that stuff. It’s about breaking things down, going through a period of despair, and then rebirth, and flourishing in something new.
“It’s like therapy. The whole album is about that. It’s about quite a dark period in my life a couple years ago. I went through a lot of depression and I had really bad insomnia, so it describes that process and how you can turn that around into a rebirth.”
The new album was funded by fans on pledgemusic.com, an organic and rewarding
process that has only increased Corner’s already unique and close-knit relationship with his fan-base.
“We were very scared to do it, actually,” Corner admitted. “It was a big step for us because we just thought, ‘Who the fuck’s going to buy this?’ As it grew, and we realized the intensity of the love that we were getting from the fans, it was just incredible. We became more confident with it.
“I’ve always been very independent, almost anti-music industry, and this just solidified that for me. The fact that we didn’t have to have all the bullshit in between, we could just go directly to the fans, they love that, and it’s really the new way for us. It helps us to stay out of the bullshit of the industry with all the hype and all the money, and we have that personal contact.”