We live in a world where therapists put the symptoms of a broken society down to chemical imbalances, corruption lies around every corner, people are pushed into poverty by politicians, and capitalism continues to pollute the planet. For those seeking solace and the first trickles of revolution, discover Older Brother, an artist designing dystopian dance tracks for over a decade.
A blend of Producer Cameron Morse’s mind-wobbling melodic synths and Older Brother’s, provocative poetry providing a raw view of the reality we’re living in right now, ‘The Sedated Century’ is primed for those seeking a first step in unplugging from the matrix. Re-emerging under his new alias last year, Older Brother sat down with Broke Magazine to discuss divine inspiration, medicinal music and resistance…
Broke Magazine: You’re translating our daily dystopia into danceable tracks. Can you tell us what pisses you off about the state of society right now?
Older Brother: Toxic positivity. Collective punishment. Lack of eye contact. VAR. What I love about the state of society right now is the resistance.
Broke Magazine: Your new single, ‘The Sedated Century’, just dropped. Can you tell us where the name came from?
Older Brother: The Sedated Century is just the term they used to describe 2024-2124. Also known as the E-RA. We digitise, we dehumanise. Players become played. We forget how to love and humanity, along with our planet, dies of a broken heart. True story.
Broke Magazine: You’re a poet by nature, we’re curious…which comes first, the words or beats?
Older Brother: I know if it could be an OB beat cus I get addicted to it. Then I just go about my business with the track in my ears until it becomes a soundtrack. It creates an atmosphere, tints everything like a lens. I write with that lens on. I have these fragments, take them to the studio, hit record and see what happens. The fragments float about and some hold on to each other, some disappear forever. I come incomplete to the beat, to avoid floating on top or just plugging the holes. But it doesn’t always happen like that. You can’t always wait for some kind of fucking divine inspiration to transmit the message like you’re Chris Martin. Writer’s block is a work of fiction, journalists can’t afford to have writer’s block. I have a bad memory so I record everything, I have like 10,000 notes on my phone and I use these if I need somewhere to start. Even if it’s shit there is probably something there you can repair. Or just make sounds and make up lyrics after, it’s not that deep.
Broke Magazine: Your melodies and synths are like medicine, or sonic painkillers as you call them. How do you decide which producers to work with?
Older Brother: Yeah I’d like my music to be medicinal. I’m naturally drawn to darker subjects because they need the most light. I step back far enough that it’s not my story anymore, and so I can see it clearer. And then I say it like we’re in a loud room and I’m whispering into your ear. You need the virus to make the vaccine. I work with any artist that increases my heart rate.
Broke Magazine: What’s it like being an emerging artist in 2024?
Older Brother: Richie Culver said it well the other day. It was something like shout out to the artists investing in creating and sharing experimental music, beside major labels, because it’s enriching even though it’s loss-making.
Broke Magazine: You’ve written an exclusive poem for this interview which is sick, can you give us the context behind it?
Older Brother: This original work for Broke Magazine on the theme of turning dystopia into dance music, it’s sheet music for ‘SECOND HAND WONDERLAND AT 116BPM’.
Broke Magazine: How did your collab with Cameron Morse, the producer behind ‘The Sedated Century’ come about?
Older Brother: Soundcloud. Like years ago when he was making the LittleBabyAngel record. My mate found him as ‘threefiftyfour’, a load of timestamped demos, I used to rip all of them and do live shows over them. The Sedated Century stuck. He lost the project file so Metrist had to do god’s work with that ripped mp3.
Broke Magazine: Since you’re called ‘Older Brother’, we’ve gotta ask, what’s the sibling situation saying?
Older Brother: Born with 1 younger brother, as of 02.24 8.1 billion siblings and counting.
Broke Magazine: Last but not least, what venues do you frequent in London?
Older Brother: Little Tesco, my studio in Bethnal Green and Cafe 338, The Eagle on Ladbroke Grove.