Portland-based artist Eprom has an upcoming at the North Warehouse Saturday, April 22nd called SYNTHEISM ROBOTICS. This one-night-only event created in partnership with King & Queen Presents is the “next evolution of the audiovisual experience” and features robot systems from Motorized Precision.
Due to how quickly this event sold out, an Eprom Vault Set with G. Jones, Mr Projectile, and Nikki Nair was added for the night before on April 21st. In contrast to the SYNTHEISM ROBOTICS show, Eprom mentioned on Twitter that his Vault sets would be “100% non-visual” to center the experience solely around the music.
Eprom has been promoting his new album Syntheism and released the first single called What’s Her Name on March 3, and the follow-up single untitled emotional acid on March 24. He also took to Twitter in early February, saying he was “about to drop the biggest project of my life”.
The SYNTHEISM ROBOTICS show on April 22 will feature opening acts IMANU, EASTGHOST, and Fise. IMANU is from the Netherlands, affiliated with Deadbeats, and makes drum and bass primarily. EASTGHOST is Portland-based as well and said in 2022 on Facebook that his oldest track was having its 10-year anniversary.
Credit: The North Warehouse, Eprom
Syntheism is a combination of technology and music
Motorized Precision is a Portland-based company that works with programming robots to move in specific ways. Its website primarily shows examples of these robots being used to move cameras in film settings, however, it appears they can be utilized in many ways. From Eprom’s promotional posts about the event, it appears he is alluding to incorporating these robots into the audiovisual experience he is creating.
It is fascinating to watch the relationship between technology and electronic music, as well as the relationship between technology and live concert experiences. The conversation about artificial intelligence and specifically how these advances may impact the electronic music space is one to watch, however, this event by Eprom is unique because he is trying something new. In some ways, he is creating a new path for ways in which electronic music and the overall concert experience can not only benefit from these advances, but possibly push in a different direction than AI-created electronic music.
This show is also significant because not only is Eprom pushing the barriers of what’s possible in live shows, but he is also synchronizing this with his album release, and utilizing it in artistic expression. Eprom stands for erasable programmable read-only memory. This is a type of early computer/circuit flash memory. Early technology is an influence that Eprom clearly expresses in his sound and artistry. For him to release the biggest project of his life, alongside a one-night-only sold-out robot system audiovisual show in a warehouse venue in the city he is based, is a pivotal moment in his career.
Portland-based Eprom, the brains behind the operation
Eprom is also one-half of the alias Shades alongside Alix Perez and he also has numerous releases with G. Jones. Eprom, or Sander Dennis, made his entry into the dance scene roughly around 2008. In an interview dating back to 2012 with Headphone Commute, Eprom described his sound as “[a] digital dysphoria propelled by dreams of a dead pixel billboard sky. Programs for robot ascension.”
Eprom continues to explain his early fascination with distorted sounds and the influence of video games as well. He quickly started his career at 18 when he moved to the West Coast. While here, he met Glitch Mob, Nick Argon, and Matty G. The group propped up two weekly drum and bass parties (called Colour and Flow) in Santa Cruz. Eprom followed this thread and continued to develop his own sound and find his niche within electronic music, amplifying his vision and artistry.
We can’t wait for the two-night event at the North Warehouse to celebrate Eprom’s new album Syntheism, and to continue to watch all the success he rightfully deserves. Be sure to stream What’s Her Name! Although the SYNTHEISM ROBOTICS show sold out, you can still find tickets to the Vault set at the North Warehouse on April 22.
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