Culture

The mysterious new kid on the block
The New Zealand electronic music scene is a strange beast. From the sustained success of Shapeshifter to the boom and bust of Mt Eden Dubstep, many acts flirt with excellence only to fall on the wrong side of the success-mediocrity divide. But we have a new contender to champion and cheer. “Who is it?” I hear you ask excitedly. Well, that’s the interesting thing really. You’re not actually allowed to know.
The man behind Faster Than Light (FTL) is a modern day Peter Parker or Bruce Wayne, possibly minus the sticky webs and utility belt. Faster Than Light is the mask. The eardrum is Gotham City. And his powers? Supernatural production skills. “Deep Space”, FTL’s lead track, is an epic with a spaced out vibe and incessant drumbeat, a master class in melody and restraint. It’s a track that belies FTL’s experience.

Faster Than Light is the new project of someone who’s already been around the block, a “well known New Zealand producer” and this is his brand new outlet. “I’ve always wanted to write soundtracks for film”, he told me over email, “and I think that a lot of epic films, music and dubstep have slowly merged into FTL”. And why dubstep? “I love the feeling of goosebumps washing over you as a good track hits that epic height of heights . . . I think it happens more in dubstep because there is room, tempo wise, for the tracks to build and build and then hit you hard”.

It speaks to both FTL’s mysterious profile and production skills equally that his debut gig is at the main Easter Weekender, on the same bill as Skrillex, Nero, Skism, ShockOne and Trolly Snatcha, a serious achievement for any New Zealand act at any stage in their career. “I’m really excited and nervous” he tells me, “ it’s been a lot of hard work, especially after the dates were all locked in getting the tracks ready, then preparing everything for a live set, so I really want to make sure I am at a level where any support artist should be able to support the likes of Skrillex and Nero”.

One of the things that always amazes me about electronic music artists, and especially FTL, is their personal control of their social media outlets like their Facebook page. Any great musical career is built on a solid fan base, and what makes fans happier than conversing with their favourite act and not some record label-controlled fan page? Seeming approachable, even just online, makes your music approachable by association. And FTL agrees, “I guess I’m no expert on tech trends or anything, but I think bridging the gap between artists and fans via a social networking site like Facebook is something that will ultimately stick around, because people want to be heard and have their opinions on the music noted and acted upon”.
So who is Mr. Faster Than Light? I can’t tell you because, honestly, I don’t know. But I can tell you that in the long run, it won’t matter. Mr. FTL seems down to earth, refreshingly he cares what his fans think, not just want. He has the experience, he has the billing and the technical production to amaze and excite. But Faster Than Light is something bigger than the man behind the mask, and is about to take its first steps onto the right side of that tightrope. FTL isn’t going to be remembered for what came before, but for the brilliance that is coming now. As Ra’s Al Ghul says to Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, “If you make yourself more than just a man…then you become something else entirely…A legend”. But am I still placing bets on who FTL is? Of course I am. And I will see you front of stage on Wednesday to collect my money as Mr. Faster Than Light is revealed to the world.
 
Faster Than Light plays Wednesday, April 20 at Union Hall