Today we’d like to introduce you to Vx.
Hi Vx, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
How I started would have to bring us back to origin of the universe, because, to me, mind is the only ontological primitive, not “matter” or “energy;” those are just useful tools to help us describe aspects of our phenomenal experience. When *I* think about “me” — the “I” — the self — I don’t see it as something independent and isolated from all the other “I’s” — from you or from anyone else. When you think about what we’re all doing — digitizing and sharing snippets of our lives, injecting them into the threads of ethernet that lace the planet’s surface, the information that comprises our experiences begins to cohere across the substrates of your neurology, mine, and our collective digital nervous nervous system. And when we’re able to upload *more* than just some simplistic photos of our pets, our goddamned meals, or our fresh fucking drip, it will become obvious that the boundaries separating *you* from *me* are dissolving and that they were never really there to begin with.
The primitive systems we’re all subject to and often oppressed by are all made up — they’re constructs of our imagination. They’re not optimized for human happiness or our collective progress, and they don’t have to stay that way. I’m simply part of a process to help this sad little civilization wake the hell up and realize its potential because the human animal is still, rather pathetically, having a hard time with things like race, skin color, and gender. I’ve spent my life sharpening my mind across various arenas of human thought — things like art, design, software, and music — all so that one day, the empathy and benevolence I stand for can spread like the transmission of a sacred pathogen into the hearts and minds of the populace to ignite a revolution and lift Earth out of this cultural dark age.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Of course, it hasn’t been a smooth road. I’m still part of the same system of wage slavery as many others are. It’s all literally just a modern rebranding of medieval feudalism. You can hear me bemoan some of that shit in my track, Thin Veneer. I’ve spent my entire professional career working in games and software on projects and “intellectual” property completely devoid of meaning, and even having to be *near* the all bullshit corporate social dynamics that play out is harrowing. And then, once you’ve settled into whatever strata of the social hierarchy you become part of, you have to play nice and pander to the whims of whoever’s *above* you. It’s dehumanizing. There’s a good book about all that stuff, too: Moral Mazes by Robert Jackall. I know I’m not alone feeling this way, and I hope that some of my art and music is able to connect with people who feel the same.
Additionally, as if an empty work day isn’t enough, I think another struggle comes from the platforms we rely on to connect us to others. Instead of slaving away for a wage, we slave away like religious fanatics, making sacrifices at the altar of The Algorithm. Everyone is so enraptured with the belief that with a little virality, they can escape the confines of our socioeconomic system, not realizing that they’re more like servants building the pyramid of a visionless pharaoh, brick by video brick. I’m not antisocial; I actually enjoy designing social systems for software. I just think today’s platforms are a little too simplistic and extremely belittling. I’d rather go read a book, the original content scroll.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Continually learning is one way I try to overcome whatever hurdles and challenges may arise. I don’t normally like asking people for help, and because of that I’ve picked up a bunch of skills, though the downside is that finishing a project can take quite a bit longer as I try to do everything myself. Though, with regards to music, I’m happy I invested the time and energy to learn various aspects of production. I’ve watched hundreds of hours of video tutorials; one of the first tutorials I’d gone through was taught by one of my favorite artists, Marshmello. I learned a ton — being able to collaborate with him on anything would definitely allow me to check off one of the things I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ve actually been thinking about writing lyrics to one of his earlier tracks for longer than I’d like to admit. I think I just need to fucking do it.
When I first made my foray into digital music production, I just wanted to make dance music (unh-tz, unh-tz, unh-tz). But I’ve always loved writing and poetry, and slowly, I kept wanting to add more and more lyrics to what I was making. Eventually, I was just like, “Right, I’m a rapper now.” I was actually on the precipice of releasing my first track, Killscreen and with no lyrics. I thought to myself, “I say I’m a rapper, but my first track has no lyrics. What the fuck am I doing?” So, I sat back down and tried to figure out what the vocals were going to be. I worked on that track for *way* too long.
When it comes to *specialization*, I don’t think I *specialize* in anything. There’s that played-out phrase “jack of all trades, master of none,” but my social life is so emaciated that I like to think I’m at least above average at a lot of things. Not having had any “breakout” success yet, choosing something to say I’m proud of is a little more nebulous, but at this point, I feel pretty confident saying I’m good at tracking, mixing, and processing vocals. Whether I produce the music for one of my tracks or just buy a beat, I always do everything for the vocals. I work with Abbey Road Studios in the UK to master my tracks, and they paired me up with Oli Morgan, one of their mastering engineers. He’s awesome; I’ve learned so much from remotely watching him tinker with my track — and he works so fast. Sometimes, I feel like I’m going to have a nosebleed from everything I’m trying to absorb all at once.
Sadly, I don’t think I’m *known* for anything yet. But one thing I’d love to be recognized for would be my lyricism. To me, that’s the hardest part and where I put most of my effort; I want every track to *say* something — to have a perspective or an opinion. It can take me an hour or more to simply get four bars of lyrics I’m happy with, and I’ll do revision after revision. I also have yet to get anything more than just inspiration from LLMs, too. If a label ever picked me up (hint hint nudge nudge wink wink), I *know* there will come a time when they’ll have to tell me to stop and move on to the next track — that whatever I’ve got is good enough. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing; I definitely benefit from having a deadline or a *little* rigidity to the creative process. I’m sure that’s the same for most artists. What’s the quote, “Artwork is never finished, only ever abandoned?” I think that’s pretty accurate.
One thing that helps distinguish me in the world of music is the fact that I consider myself genre-less. Maybe it’s a good thing; maybe it’s a bad thing; I don’t know yet, but what I do know is that humans are generally multifaceted beings; our tastes are varied, and we enjoy a multitude of different experiences. I know I do, and how many times have you heard someone say that they listen to everything except for maybe one or two genres? I’m inspired by a ton of different sounds. I love thick, gritty basses that sound like some eviscerating pulse released by some sort of cybernetic demon – who fucking doesn’t? I love video-game chip sounds reminiscent of retro games where the devices had low bit-depth resolution. I love speedy dual kick drum patterns that you hear in death metal. I love Justin Beiber’s vocals, and at the same time, love the savagery of screams that can come in so many flavors. I was actually so inspired by artists like Scarlxrd and Ghostmane that I enrolled in a six-month-long screaming class last year. David Wu was a great instructor. I learned so many different types of screams. There is actually one in my upcoming track, Shooter which releases April 11th, 2024. You should be able to find it on every platform.
I learned from one of my friends who makes music under the name Zxevik that Shooter would be considered “Nerd Core” — first time I’d ever heard that was a thing. But you know what, coincidentally — and somewhat strangely, when I went to set the track to release through SoundOn a few days ago, “Nerd Rap” was one of the twenty or so genres available in their dropdown list. I’m pretty sure that *wasn’t* there the last time I went to release something. Maybe it’s picking up in popularity — no idea. Needless to say, after I’d heard about Nerd Core, I did a little digging, and a lot of what I heard didn’t really take itself very seriously. A lot of it was comical, and I think intentionally so. To me, there is something pretty badass about being good at a video game, especially to the point where you’re competing on stage in front of an audience. With my track, Shooter, I try to communicate the dedication, focus, and almost militaristic precision that’s so easily associated with modern gaming.
That’s actually part of my marketing plan with the track. Once it’s out, I’m going to do my best to get it in front of some of the people that work in e-sports — commentators and coaches — individuals that manage the leagues and teams. I think it would be fucking awesome if part of my track was played when one of the teams walks out on stage or put to some streamer’s montage.
Another reason I don’t want my alias, The Virtunaut to get too closely associated with one genre is because that’s part of my branding and the reason behind the name in the first place. It’s inspired by the word “astronaut,” which means “someone engaged or trained in the exploration and navigation of outer space.” The Virtunaut is intended to mean “someone engaged or trained in the exploration and navigation of virtual space.” Cyberspace. I want to be able to shift between worlds like one would change channels on a TV. You can put The Virtunaut in *any* context, and it would be fitting. There’s a reason my subject matter tends to fall into internet culture, gaming, and the shitty systems we live in. Maybe it’s because of how badly I want to be able to shift away from *this* world. The track after Shooter is a Pop Punk track, and the one after that is a Pop track. So yeah, I’m all over the place.
That’s another avenue I know *will* help me distinguish myself in the future. My experience in software, gaming, engineering, and design will allow me to express myself across various mediums in ways that other artists haven’t done yet. Just watch.
Although I’ve been making music for some time, I always kind of feel like I’m JUST getting started. I pick up new skills and gain new perspectives on the craft and my art, and it’s like, “Okay. NOW I’m ready.” That will probably never end, and honestly, I hope it doesn’t.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
It’s not like I’m jet-setting all over the world doing tours with an agent interfacing between me and everything else. I would love to do some collaborations. I’d encourage anyone to reach out and just engage in a conversation. Actually, there is one thing that would absolutely be invaluable, and that would be like being my manager — helping me reach out to venues and try to get a live performance somewhere. I’ve had one. One. I never really hear back from venues. I don’t know if any at those places even listen to my stuff or if they don’t bother after they see my quaint follower count. I hate saying it but following me on socials would be appreciated. Also, I’d absolutely be willing to split any proceeds I may get from a performance with whoever helps me land a gig. Additionally, making a music video seems like a ton of fun. So, if there are any videographers out there, let’s chat! But I also encourage other creatives, writers, game designers, animators, anything. There are a ton of creative collaboration avenues to explore.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevirtunaut/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheVirtunaut/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheVirtunaut
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/thevirtunaut
