Introducing: Glied

On January 31, 2024, Exildiscount’s new side project Glied released the debut EP ‘Gone Viral’ via Unboxing Shadows. In case you’re wondering why they deemed it necessary to release the EP under a new alias – or want to know more about the project in general – they’d like to shed some light on the matter below.

Why does this project exist?

The short version is: I just thought that the world really needs a band or such that goes by the name of „Glied“.
But to give you the full story… it all startet with me listening to one of my favourite radio shows, Soundcheck on RadioEins.

The name and the general concept

As music has always been one of my special interests, not only do I enjoy learning about the history of certain album classics or hearing experts explain music theory – I also love hearing a group of people talk about new albums, sharing their subjective opinions on why this or that is good or bad.

Some years ago, while talking about the band Friends of Gas, the radio host or one of the guests listed other great indie rock and post-punk bands such as Die Türen, Die Nerven, Trümmer and so on. The fact that I was living in a world where bands had such great names made me really happy. And just a moment later I found myself wondering if anyone has had the idea yet to make music under the name „Glied“. If you know enough German it might be obvious that of course I was partly joking. But I thought that this weird, primary school sex ed kind of uncomfortable sounding word for the penis bears a lot of power on a meta level: in a unique way it combines male fragility and fragile masculinity. (Just imagine a group of macho boys trying to assert dominance – but the only word they can use to describe their oh-so-impressive genitals is a technical, unsexy term like Glied…)
I took a note to do some research later and, if necessary, get this thing started myself.

More concepts! Titles! DIYaf!

When I decided to start Glied I knew it had to be different from the stuff I do as Exildiscount.
Back then I had already bought a few hardware synths, so the idea grew on me that with Glied I could try removing the process of composition from the computer, using only hardware synths and drum computers instead. I chose this path mainly because I wanted to a) examine how the use of a rather limited medium might spark my creativity in new ways, and b) learn embracing the flaws that come with my somewhat amateurish DIY approach. I felt the urge to promote and celebrate imperfection as a cultural technique again.

Over the last couple of years, no place has been as inspiring for me as the Red Room of Renate. Dancing to long after hour sets, I fell in love with a kind of music I was rather unaware of until then. I‘d use the term ‘psychedelic disco‘ to describe how it takes elements of italo and dark disco, EBM, world music etc. to take the dancers on a journey that affects their minds as well as their bodies.
I sensed that the new approach I had in mind for Glied could be a great opportunity to explore this path further with my own music.

With instrumental music it is quite likely that the name comes after the music – and it’s safe to say that often there is no meaningful link between these two. I’m sure I’m not the only artist who keeps a list of ideas for track titles, and because of my affinity for the absurd, mine is full of silly wordplays.

Still, for me it’s not just nonsense.
I like to think that the right title can also spark a thought and prepare the ground for meaningful discourse in whoever is open for it.

Where ’Svp3rm4nspr34d3r’ is a goofy mishmash of superman, super spreader, and manspreader, ‘Careful with that .exe Eugene’ was just my computer age take on a Pink Floyd b-side’s name.
It’s obvious that these titles were influenced by the times they were created in, so calling the EP ‘Gone Viral‘ felt appropriate.

Lastly, the cover artwork is an illustration by the wonderful Kiki van den Molen. In my opinion it perfectly captures the multi-layered quality of the title.

The long and DIYnding road…

If I may be honest, the tracks for ‚Gone Viral‘ were mixed and mastered over two years ago already, and the cover artwork was ready shortly thereafter. Even a music video for Svp3rm4nspr34d3r has been sitting on my hard drive since November 2022.
So WTF took me so long?!?

I needed press photos… but I wanted them to be more than just the usual artist portrait. Actually, I didn’t really want to show my face this time.

Glied is a ridiculous name for a band – and I wanted the visual concept to reflect its absurdity in some way. One silly day I saw a multi-coloured, somewhat dildo-shaped lollipop near the checkout at my local supermarket, and I knew I had found the key.
Soon, more ideas took shape: me wearing a skirt and high socks, perhaps sitting in an U-Bahn…? And Groucho glasses to disguise my face.

It’s funny, I never thought it would be so hard to buy these gadgets, considering what a ubiquitous part of pop culture I thought they were. In the end, I’m grateful that this circumstance pushed me to seek an alternative solution (even if this is ultimately the main reason why the release of the EP was delayed for so long).
Said solution involved me wearing the Groucho glasses not on my face, but printed on a shirt.
But this meant I’d have to:
- learn how to design a logo using vector graphics
- buy a screen printing machine
- learn how to use it

Why didn’t I just ask someone else to design the logo, you ask? Why not use a professional printing service?

Indeed, I could have had it a lot easier. But for me, the DIY aspect of Glied is paramount. Handing over these steps to someone else wouldn’t have felt right.
Also: unique merchandise!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why the logo’s eyebrows and beard look so strange, this is where my skills as a dilettante really reached their limits.
But in the spirit of making a virtue out of necessity, I eventually hit upon the idea of replacing the tufts of hair with letters. The resulting slogan, „Der P3n!s ist die Kl!t0r!s des Kleinen Mannes“ – courtesy of my favourite human The Heribert – is as profound as it is silly… and hence the perfect fit for Glied.

Going underground…

As the track titles ‘Svp3rm4nspr34d3r’ and ‘Careful with that .exe Eugene’ suggest, the music on ‘Gone Viral’ was profoundly influenced by the time it was created in: a time of overwhelming uncertainty and isolation. While the steady beat and the repetitive bass sequence of Svp3rm4nspr34d3r might usually offer some comfort, the addition of dissonant drones and harsh modulations creates a darker soundscape evoking a seemingly endless struggle between hope and despair.

Shortly after the track was finished, I had the basic idea for the music video: a walk through a never-ending, completely empty U-Bahn – the descent into madness through a rabbit hole of post-pandemic signs of civilisation. But it’s only through the fantastic work of Colombian visual artist Jipsx (José Palacio) – whom I met by coincidence in Görlitzer Park one summer evening – that Svp3rm4nspr34d3r got the psychedelic video it deserves.

JIPS’ work explores altered states of consciousness and what lies beyond reality through new media and painting. So, by using AI-generated pictures and digital drawings, he created a sinister and trippy take on the manspreader’s natural habitat, the Berlin U-Bahn.

Watch the full video and read more about JIPS’ approach here.