Disconnectica and the slithering underground subversions of "Deviate" (Official Video)

 

"it's a train wreck / it's a car crash / don't stop to /  look... / go on 'round..."

The slithering underground subversions of "Deviate" by Disconnectica, the solo project of Melbourne, Australia's singer-songwriter, sonic provocateur Robert Webb, exists in an alternative universe, one where it is 2024 and 1980 at the very same time. Within Webb's deeply wonky synth stilted cadence and boomy bombastic drumming and his vocal countenance that floats between alien from outer space and alien robot from outer space I feel a wonderful connection to David Bowie's artistic flirtations with Robert Fripp- circa "Scary Monsters" (Super Creeps) and Kraftwerk and The Normal. Webb's performance artful sound comes from a place, a wonderful place when certain artists didn't deviate sonic art from sonic imagery. It was inhabiting the same space, behind make up and an actors facade. 

Love it. Besides the overall atmosphere, there are so many delicious individual sounds that bounce off each other. Interestingly all the sounds are virtual, as a musician maybe that is a wee bit disappointing but the proof is in the pudding and what Webb cooks up tastes pretty divine. 

LINER NOTES (bracketed):

[Disconnectica is a DIY artist using only virtual instruments on a computer, but gravitates towards realistic sounds, and has fooled musicians with his electric guitars and drums. However, only the vocals are are recorded from outside the computer.] 

[Being interested in the whole package, he also designs his own cover art and makes trippy music videos. A programmer by trade, he writes software to create mind-bending geometric effects for these videos. He writes “It's great to have a single purpose that brings all my big interests together: music, film, geometry and programming.”]

Robbert Donker Curtius  

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1L1vRCHFZ21DhYyyPui5ZE

https://soundcloud.com/disconnectica/sets/alternative

https://www.youtube.com/@disconnectica

https://disconnectica.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mrdisconnectica/

https://www.tiktok.com/@disconnectica

https://www.facebook.com/Disconnectica

https://www.disconnectica.com/



Disconnectica is the solo project of singer/songwriter Robert Webb from Melbourne, Australia, delivering genre-hopping under a broad alternative rock umbrella. Quirky songwriting reminiscent of Bowie and Beatles, with elements of rock à la White Stripes and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the downright weirdness of Radiohead and Zappa. At times playful, at times sinister, often both. But always unique.

“I'm excited that the release of my debut album Eclectic Dystopia is finally imminent after years of work and tweaking” Robert writes. Five singles already received airplay on Australian FM radio, including 3RRR, RTRFM, 4ZZZ, and played over 150 times on Antipodes Radio, and played on Big Satsuma Radio in the UK.

His music videos have won Best Music Video at the Aasha International Film Festival 2023, won Best Music Video, Best Original Idea, and Best FX (twice) and been nominated for Best Director, Best Music Video (twice), Best Original Idea (twice), Best Editing (twice), and Best FX at the Top Indie Film Awards 2023/2024, won Best Visual Effects, Best VFX in a Music Video, Best Avant Garde Music Film and Best New Wave Music Film at the Festival de Indie 2024, won Best Music Video at the Cuckoo International Film Awards 2024, won Best Music Video at the Cuckoo International Film Awards 2024, won Best Art Music Video and Best Experimental Music Video at the Parai International Musical Awards 2024, been finalists in the Rome Music Video Awards 2024 and the Prague International Music Video Awards 2023, received an honorable mention from the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival 2023, received a Special Mention from the United Kingdom Music Video Festival 2023, and been part of the official selection for the Europe Music Video Awards 2023, Tokyo International Short Film Festival 2024.

“That was wild... Beatlesque” - Tim Shiel (host on Double J & Triple J)

“The psychotic madness of Disconnectica” - Kate Kingsmill, 3RRR

“I really enjoyed listening to this song. It is so different but familiar at the same time. I am intrigued and want to hear more” - Indie Music Insider Blog's review of Somewhere Always

“...tonight we'll be shining the spotlight on his latest single White Noise... With old-school wailing electric guitars and an amazing solo in the middle this is one to make you move and think at the same time.” - Dirty Harry, S.O.S., 2MCE FM

Disconnectica is a DIY artist using only virtual instruments on a computer, but gravitates towards realistic sounds, and has fooled musicians with his electric guitars and drums. However, only the vocals are are recorded from outside the computer.

Being interested in the whole package, he also designs his own cover art and makes trippy music videos. A programmer by trade, he writes software to create mind-bending geometric effects for these videos. He writes “It's great to have a single purpose that brings all my big interests together: music, film, geometry and programming.”

Robert played piano in his youth. His family had two synthesizers and a hardware sequencer, and he remembers spending many hours composing and recording long instrumental pieces on their primitive interfaces. Who needs a computer when you have two lines of dot-matrix text?! He moved onto other things for many years, writing the occasional piano solo. But eventually answered the call and returned to music production.

Disconnectica, alt rock, alt pop, space pop, avant garde, post punk, proto punk, Melbourne, Australia, singer songwriter programmer Robert Webb, 70's / 80's experimental music, "Deviate" (Official Video),