You’re curious, aren’t you? This omniscient article and video probably didn’t help answer any questions. So what is Destroid? Well, Destroid is the collaborative dubstep-band of Canadian bass master Excision, fellow bass artist Downlink and the drummer from legendary Pendulum KJ Sawka. Destroid is already pushing the envelope on ground-breaking…well anything.
Let’s start with the hardware: because Destroid is a band, they need some real instruments, so Excision had to get some futuristic stuff. This includes Custom MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Guitars with LED Fretboards with a body full of pads and knobs, topped off with string triggers and a Roland V Drumset. The program used is Ableton Live, which had to have a special Max/MSP external written just so the guitars would behave properly (all done by the wonderful technician Matt). It gets crazier; this included on-the-fly mapping changes, a multiple output port routing system, pathways for the appropriate LED feedback, and MIDI to Artnet conversion that sends commands to the lighting console for CO2 blasts, helmet and arm-mounted lasers because fuck Ironman, and many, many more “toys” yet to be unveiled (remember, their debut concert was 5/31).
Speaking about suits, they are insane! First of all, they are giant metal suits. Your move, Daft Punk. Second, they’re insanely heavy, yet when you see the video, these guys are still moving around raging somehow. They have on-board power, under-suits that circulate cold water, helmet mics and in-ear monitors. Then there are the embedded RGB LEDs that are individually addressable and controlled by the lighting team wirelessly.
Wait, there’s more! C’mon, you didn’t think it was all about the music, did you? There’s the dynamic light show that has made Excision legendary, times about 12. Thousand. The group is sending song unique time codes from the Ableton rigs to control all the lighting and video cues. Some of these are built into the song, and some are controlled by the instruments. The creme dela creme is a video rig running Modul8 that sends the video output to a projector that makes, what else, post-apocalyptic cityscapes or a spaceship control center backdrops come alive.
So a lot of this you don’t understand, right? Well it’s awesome. It’s groundbreaking. And all put together? It’s fucking mindblowing. Now imagine Excision, Downlink and KJ Sawka playing music with it all! Fucking. Jaw-dropping. Folks, there has been one show to date. That means that this is going to improve. And get better. Crazier. Filthier. So keep your eyes peeled and hold your hand over your ears folks, because when it hits you, you won’t be prepared. I guarantee it.
