My musical training came about through a general curiosity/wandering interest in lots of styles of music like jazz, metal and classical. I work as a music lecturer and guitar teacher teaching predominantly jazz guitar. I’ve heard the argument that musical training is almost like revealing a magic trick, where the mysticism is diminished by having a heightened understanding of notation, harmony etc. Although I’ve never felt this to be the case. In all honesty, I’m not thinking about theory at all when composing, I’m just hoping inspiration strikes! My understanding of theory has been useful for decoding ideas that some of my favourite composers veer towards and it’s certainly been a huge part of my love for music, but I think it’s equally important to un-learn theory in order to feel free creatively. Piano was technically my first instrument, but I moved to guitar quite early on. These days I’m finding myself writing a lot more on the keyboard. I wanted the record to sound naive (specifically playful) in places, to reflect the persona of the Strange Orc character I had in mind whilst composing. Although Dungeon Synth as a genre I think is so far from naive. It might actually be one of the most sophisticated musical genres out there. Creative freedom and individuality is celebrated (similarly to other outsider art styles) and perhaps it’s only genre tie-in/classification is that it adheres to a certain sound-world and aesthetic. Other than this, there’s no limitation on harmonic vocabulary, stylistic influences, etc. I think to fall under the Dungeon Synth umbrella requires more of an aesthetic adherence than a musical set of rules.
Hiding From the Moon came to me through an email. It was a standard email which described a new record in fantasy terms and made allusions to pipe smoking wizards. This was something I was familiar with. The art was also wonderfully handdrawn and looked like it went through the copier a few hundred times before coming home to soak in a bath of purple tint. Again, standard fare in the land of dungeon synth. Because I dont read normally and skip around, I immediately noticed a email signature at the bottom. Joseph Perkins, the email’s author and creator, rested at the bottom as well as some academic titles like Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, as well as visiting lecturer for the University of London. What was this person doing emailing me — who was drinking day old black coffee out of a mason jar? Joseph’s website had copious amounts of information for students wanting to take music lessons and his channel had shorts of him playing Coltrane’s Giant Steps on guitar. I then reread the actual email, since I didn’t read fully the first time, and realized this dungeon synth album was made using old sampler CDs in addition to Acid 2.0 and Music 2000. I was immediate intrigued mostly because I had no idea what was going on.
Dungeon synth, as a genre, offers a lot to the naive. It’s at home production, distribution, and audience offers a world of receptive listeners who appreciate experimentation without the need mastery. While dungeon synth is just a form of electronic music, it feels more accessible to the untrained who just need enthusiasm and at bare minimum music making software to be an artist. Dungeon synth has always been outsider music which supports a host of styles and approach. It is also music which has spent so long on the outside it feels strange seeing someone with actual degrees and background in academic training make an album. Dungeon synth is not without its “professionals” or creators who have a background in traditional music composition. Anecdotally, I have been in Discord servers and other forums which run the gamut of people who can discuss the finer points of musical scales and theories. I have also seen the same places with people who look at these as some sort of magic that mystifies them that they hope to one day learn. There are also many people in between who have picked up bits of knowledge and use them much like hedge wizards absorbing bits of knowledge as they barrel through their adventure. Joseph Perkins doesn’t have a degree in dungeon synth since that sort of thing doesn’t exist (yet) rather this was a person who has wandered far into distant lands celebrating their journey with some outlandish music making.
My first introduction to Dungeon Synth (although I’m not sure what genre label they’d use) was Dead Can Dance. Similarly, synth/keyboard-heavy prog like Tonto’s Expanding Head Band, Don Bradshaw and Keith Emerson, (particularly his film scores, my favourite being The Church) have been influential. I discovered Mortiis through his second-era work on TV, later learning about his association with Emperor and, in turn, his early Dungeon Synth material such as Fata Morgana. That’s when the dots started connecting – the ‘outsider art’ aesthetic, metal-adjacent but genre-fluid approach seemed to unify many of these influences. Though one of my original entry points as a guitarist was through black metal, my broader interest in synthesiser-based music began with an appreciation for the shared aesthetic across many metal-aligned genres, regardless of sonic outcome.
For my debut release as Strange Orc, I exclusively used old sampler CDs from Zero-G, EastWest, and others, along with audio samples I found on a CD copy of Acid 2.0. During the writing process, I was listening to a lot of Moondog and Don Bradshaw, so the record definitely carries a hint of that influence. It’s also the first release I’ve written that doesn’t contain a single note of guitar. Music 2000 is a PlayStation game I’ve had since I was really young. I recently rediscovered it and actually learned how to use it to its full capability. Its only limitation for composing is that you’re stuck to a 16th-note grid, which means you’re limited rhythmically (only a minor issue). It’s got some great-sounding reverbs and effects inbuilt and playback compresses in quite a satisfying lo-fi digital way. For more intricate rhythms, I work in Logic Pro using the inbuilt sampler VST, utilising instruments from my Zero-G CDs! Acid 2.0 is another piece of software I’ve had forever, but admittedly never used – so in the end I extracted the samples and used them in Logic’s inbuilt sampler for easier integration into the compositions. It’s inspiring using old software, but I think partly integrating elements into my modern DAW has streamlined the creative process slightly.
Its strange for me to recommend another album for this premiere but if you have never fully experienced Tonto’s Expanding Head Band’s 1971 debut Zero Time, an album that was referenced many times throughout our correspondence, I would suggest absorbing it along side Strange Orc. This 1971 debut was an absurd innovator in synth based records which influenced perhaps an entire generation of musicians and whose approach to music making is the reason for its continual cult success. From the first opening notes of Strange Orc’s Hiding From The Moon, there are ghosts of weirdness and a legacy of the odd which are present in its foundation. There is a boundless creativity and desire to rearrange reality which lies at the nexus of both projects. While dungeon synth is many things to people, Hiding From the Moon soon becomes an escapist daydream which is perhaps the furthest from background ambient for the D&D table. There are moments of pure mania this is music which invites itself in, sits on your couch, and breaks into a million pieces of refracting light which you are then required to clean up.
Hiding From The Moon is weird but it doesn’t take a lot to be weird in a genre full of weirdos. What Hiding From The Moon does do however is make that weirdness interesting for its running time. While the creator is under no contract to make an accessible record, songs like “Potions,” a track hidden deep within the record is a maddening build of Aphex Twin liminality before finally breaking into a 90s era drum machine beat. The first time and ninth time I listened to this track it made me realize I was in a different place spiritually when listen to this type of music. This mindset of the strange is one that accepts everyone for who they were and was receptive to listen to any sort of crazy batshit idea that came to the forefront. This record and its creator illuminates perhaps one of my favorite aspects of dungeon synth which is the embrace of the outside. There is not a desire to mimic or be discreet nor is there a quest to create its inverse. The notion of being outside is the desire to speak in a language which is most comfortable to people and for Joseph Perkins that is through angular sentences which have been baked in the sound of archaic music making software perhaps with the ghosts of jazz guitar floating in the background.
This record comes to us through Sokol Keep, a UK based label which has supported many local as well as international acts. For a record this unordinary, Hiding From The Moon feels at home on this label and perhaps a starting point for a strong catalog. Below you can stream a preview of the record which will be available July 25th.If you are reading this today on the 24th, enjoy a preview and also some recommendations on traditional and non traditional jazz guitar which I was more than happy to play while writing this article. Also enjoy the blurb in the email that was sent to me.
“Busily swashing broths of various iridescent colours and painting a wondrous mirage with his pipe smoke, the wizard spoke. “You’re not just hiding from the moon, Strange Orc. You’re seeking it. Or maybe,” he added with a chortle, “it’s seeking you…” As frogs chirped away below, and tree Elves snored away high up in their hollowed out Oak houses, Strange Orc felt different – stepping boldly into the moonlight, he heard the beat of drums. The Strange Orc danced in circles for what felt like an Eternity…”
Three Traditional Guitar Albums and Three Non Traditional Guitar Albums
Gypsy Dreams is a duo record partly inspired by the music of Django Reinhardt. Recorded in the 70s, it has more exploratory harmony and lots of open space for the melody and surreal conversational playing to wander.
Moonglow is another duo record by two legends, Bucky Pizzarelli (on a 7-string archtop) and Frank Vignola. This is in many ways a very traditional record, mostly a ballad repertoire but played so beautifully and evokes the moody and still atmosphere of the front cover.
Virtuoso is a solo guitar record that lives up to its name. A very intimate recording of a 175 archtop unplugged, with some incredible arrangements of old standards. One of the greatest guitarists of all time!
Sparse, pensive, improvised textures that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Dungeon Synth record. Cold soundscapes that could rival Paysage d’Hiver.
An improvisation-heavy, almost black metal-influenced record featuring Julian Lage and Matt Hollenberg on guitar. At times, it evokes the atmosphere of Ved Buens Ende. Grindcore fans should also explore Zorn’s Painkiller albums.
One of the greatest virtuoso guitarists of all time. This sonically rich power trio record is groove-heavy, harmonically unique, and full of effortlessly creative solos. For similar jazz-rock fusion with power-trio energy, I also recommend Hedvig Mollestad.