Eleven Pipers Piping

So after (hopefully) getting to know Lost Valentinos a smidge better with yesterday's post, it's the perfect time to get acquainted with the band's split personality (of sorts), the Knife Machine. LV boys Pat and Jono make up the side project, and have been doing some great stuff of late. The duo specialise in gritty and muddy electro makeovers as we've been privy to as the Knife Machine have hijacked big tunes from Goose, Muscles, Soft Tigers, Bloc Party and more. While chatting to Pat Santamaria about Lost Valentinos I managed to pry some nifty deets about the Knife Machine off the dude. So read on for more.

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Dave: What’s the rundown on the Knife Machine?

Pat: For the last yeah and a half or so, we’ve been djing and playing lots of clubs to get some extra funds on the side, but I think it’s really started to take on a life of its own, the Knife Machine. It’s great to be able to turn our attentions and musical abilities towards this little side project.

D: That must be pretty cool for you guys.

P: Yeah it is cool and it’s good to have another musical outlet outside of the band. We have heaps of fun djing in the clubs, and we enjoy having those two worlds.

D: Yeah I can understand that and definitely as you were saying, it does seem to be gaining a lot of momentum, it must surely be satisfying for you guys to know that you’re getting acclaim for stuff outside of what you’re known for.

P: Yeah, see we wanted it to take on a life of its own from the very outset when we started, that’s why we called it the Knife Machine, not Lost Valentinos DJs or Lost Valentinos Tech. You know, we kind of wanted to keep them a bit separate. I think it deserves to have its own identity.

D: Well, yeah, because it is certainly different from what you guys do in the band. That was one thing that impressed me the most when I first heard some Knife Machine material. It’s clear that you dudes have range.

P: We’re not into any one type of music. None of us are. Seriously, all of us in the band could have about five side projects each, and they’d all be vastly vastly different. But I don’t see it taking anything away from Lost Valentinos. Jono and I take stuff that we learn when doing Knife Machine stuff and apply it to the band material. Vice-versa as well.

D: But with that difference between the two how do you guys decide what goes into what? Do you want to bring more electro to Lost Valentinos or a rawer, more punk rock edge to the Knife Machine? How do you strike a balance?

P: Every time we sit down to write music the ideas are different from the last. Like it could start with a guitar idea or a drum beat or a nice little loop, but even a song that starts out as a Lost Valentinos track could end up as a Knife Machine track. The lines definitely blur a lot. But we’ve expanded our horizons with the project. We’ve learned lots from both.

D: What goes into a Knife Machine track? Like, how do you guys set about starting something new?

P: Well now that we’ve got our own studio we can spend more time on each remix, so we usually just sit down and listen to the original a couple of times, then we lay down a beat and then start laying in the vocal track and then just build the track around that, basically.

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If you're still not convinced check out this swag of Knife Machine treats. Jono kindly hooked me up with some of the band's newer stuff to share with the faithful out there, and first up is the duo's remix for the Dirty Secrets' Five Feet Of Snow. Jono and Pat already spruced up the Secrets' White Lies last year, but this baby was recently released on the My Heart Is On Fire single, alongside Miami Horror's remix. The Knife Machine pin this sucker to the dancefloor with those huuuuuge drums and dirty synths. I like it more and more with each listen. Super stuff.

The Dirty Secrets - Five Feet Of Snow (Knife Machine Remix) [HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION]

I also got this little exclusive nugget, the Knife Machine's remix of Rio (by Bumblebeez, duh). I've been hanging out for this sucker ever since hearing about it. What's even cooler is that Bang Gang's Gus Da Hoodrat sneaks behind the boards too to tweak and mess with this.

Bumblebeez - Rio (Knife Machine vs Gus Da Hoodrat Remix) [HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION]

Finally, I couldn't resist posting this one where the Knife Machine get incestuous. Yep, it's like some kind of weird brother on brother action with the Knife Machine taking on Lost Valentinos. Hot stuff.

Lost Valentinos - Nightmoves (Knife Machine Remix) [HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION]

Woo hoo!

Knife Machine MySpace
Buy Mr Ice Cream 12" w/ Knife Machine Remix