Rex
Domino – Transcription
Based in Portsmouth, Rex Domino is a spoken word electro-poetry artist with a new EP coming
out this month called ‘God’s Teeth’. We caught up with the lyricist fresh from
a visit to the Tate Modern to chat about his single and his music, starting
with the EP with the three tracks on it described by him as having a sombre and
dystopian tone.
“The
words themselves are quite bleak and yearning but the music paints a kind of cinematic
landscape behind that, quite electronic and glitchy. It’s somewhere poetry and
EDM.”
Described
as part-MC, part-poet, part spoken word artist, Domino was more open about
himself. “I’ll be whatever the person wants me to be. I’ll wear whatever hat
sits at the time.
“I’m
very much interested in doing hip-hop things, or grime things. I enjoy the
intimacy of the spoken word where people can latch onto the words.”
The
message behind the lyrics is also important for Rex Domino. “It’s important to
say something. It need not be political, not necessarily all that clear, but
something sincere or honest. Something that will get a point across rather than
being for its own sake.
“We’re
in a time where you can draw parallels to the Thatcher era and the punk music
that was coming out back then, but I think because everyone is so self-absorbed
in this realm of digital narcissism there’s less of that rebellious spirit. But
I think we’re seeing more of that in the emergence of grime; music that has an aggressive,
anti-social message becoming cooler, which I think is only a good thing.
“There’s
certainly an appetite for music that’s got some substance to it.”
A
video has been made for ‘Sam’s Spoon’ taking from the EP, with Rex positive
about the creation of it, which was made with support from his collaborators
Stanky and Polar Kid.
“They
took their glitchy audio techniques and conveyed them into the aesthetics. [The
video] is proper dark, proper twisted, proper obscure. The vibe I was trying to
get was like a broken scanner; like a digital purgatory, the bit between the
buffer where everything is messed up.
“[The
video] emphasises the darkness and the strangeness,” he told us as we discussed
the visual side of his work complimenting his music before we moved onto
talking about his future gigs.
“[My
set] is essentially live electronic stuff; we work with a tape machine; we like
to keep it all weird and organic and I run my vocals through some effects. It’s
all about that electronic performance. It’s just me and the two producers!”
Coming
up for Rex Domino looks to be more work with his producers and he looks forward
to more collaborations and developments as an artist. “Writing more things,
coming up with new angles of ways of explaining my thoughts and such. Keeping
on writing, and pushing for an album sometime next year!”
And
for other ambitions? “I find ambition can be dangerous. I just want to really
enjoy the things we are doing and continue to build something. I want to make a
really sincere, affecting project and push it as far as we can.
“Play
to as many people as possible, get the song heard by as many people as
possible, all whilst maintaining a modicum of obscure integrity!”
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