https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNR0XN5SEko
James Kent, known by his stage name
Perturbator,
is a French electronic musician from Paris.
Kent has a background as a guitarist in several black metal
bands. Since 2012, he has produced electronic music inspired by cyberpunk culture and with inspiration from movies like
Akira,
Ghost In The Shell and
The Running Man.
He uses a variety of software synths in his productions, such as the emulators of old vintage synths like the OB-X or the CS-80.
Since his debut EP
Night Driving Avenger he has released four full-length albums,
the latest of which is
New Model on the Blood Music label, and has performed several live shows. Several of his tracks were featured in the 2012 game
Hotline Miami and its 2015 sequel
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. Perturbator's EP
Sexualizer was released in part to officially release the song "Miami Disco" and as a way to thank the developers of
Hotline Miami.
The success of the
Hotline Miami games resulted in a greater amount of exposure to a mainstream audience.
Perturbator released his fourth full-length album
The Uncanny Valley on 6 May 2016 through Blood Music on a range of formats including Digibook CD, vinyl, and cassette tape. The album was met with generally positive reviews, with MetalSucks and Bloody Disgusting both writing in praise of it. Some versions of the album also included a bonus EP, with Kent writing that "The first three songs complement the themes covered within
The Uncanny Valley, and the final track—'VERS/US'—is a demo from
The Uncanny Valley writing sessions that fits the mood and atmosphere of the album but didn't quite make it into the final cut."
Bloody Disgusting gave the album 5/5 and wrote that
The Uncanny Valley "is sure to not only please fans of the genre but also win over newcomers."
Kent became interested in music in part due to the influence of his parents, who are journalists and rock music critics.
His parents were themselves musicians and had a tech trance band when they were young, which influenced Kent to take an interest in synthesizers.
Kent also has a side project called L'Enfant De La Forêt.
Discography
Adapted from AllMusic
and official website.
Studio albums
- TERROR 404 (May 2012, Self Released)
- I Am the Night (December 2012, Self Released)
- Dangerous Days (June 2014, Blood Music / Telefuture Records)
- The Uncanny Valley (May 2016, Blood Music)
EPs
- Night Driving Avenger (March 2012, Self Released)
- Nocturne City (August 2012, Aphasia Records)
- The 80s Slasher (October 2012, together with Protector 101, Aphasia Records)
- Split (March 2013, Revolving Door Records) - Collaboration between Perturbator and Protector 101
- Sexualizer (June 2013, Aphasia Records)
- The Uncanny Valley - Bonus (May 2016, Blood Music)
- New Model (September 2017, Blood Music / Music of the Void)
Singles
- "She Moves Like a Knife" (January 2014)
- "She Is Young, She Is Beautiful, She Is Next" (March 2015)
- "Assault" (April 2015)
- "Tactical Precision Disarray" (December 2016)
- "Vantablack" (August 2017)
