Perturbator: "I'm not interested in nostalgia for nostalgia's sake"

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The writer's fascination with the utterly intoxicating art of the French artist Perturbator, a.k.a. James Kent, goes many years back, to the early 2010s, when a wave of artists exploring '80s synthwave through a distinctly dark aesthetic began attracting attention. There were several factors that suddenly made this aesthetic extremely popular - the NewRetroWave channel, the indie gaming scene that embraced such sounds for soundtracks since its visuals and overall style heavily referenced the 1980s, the broader wave of '80s nostalgia injected into countless Netflix series alongside the unprecedented success of "Stranger Things", and if we were to analyze it sociologically, we would probably find many more reasons.

What is certain, however, is that one of the artists who quickly found himself at the center of attention was Perturbator, who skillfully used imagined dystopias and fragments of the past, combining them with his personal visual influences from cinema and comics, as well as his musical background as a black metal musician. His quality stood out immediately. The double strike of his early releases, "Terror 404" and "I Am The Night", raised many green flags and lit countless neon lights, something that continued relentlessly through the much darker and more introspective "Lustful Sacraments" and the confrontational spirit of "Age Of Aquarius".

Otherwise a rather private individual, James tries to avoid the spotlight for anything unrelated to his music. The only lights that truly interest him are the ones surrounding him while he is on stage. Because if there is one thing even better than his recorded music, it is undoubtedly his live performance. There, he can transform both the smallest concert venue and the vastest festival grounds into one giant dance party.

This year, Perturbator is touring in support of his latest album, last year's "Age Of Aquarius". As part of this tour, we will have the pleasure of seeing him for the third time in our city. On this occasion, we were delighted to have our very first conversation with him, one that gave us some truly meaningful answers. Read on, and find the inspiration to meet him this Tuesday night at Gagarin; we promise it will be a night you will remember for a long time.

Hello and welcome to Rocking.gr! I am very happy to have this opportunity to speak with you. How are you James? How is 2026 treating you?

Likewise, it's a real pleasure. 2026 has been pretty calm so far but that's about to change pretty soon with all the shows so I'm looking forward to that.

I am extremely proud of "Age of Aquarius" and it's what matters the most

We are meeting you at an era that you are touring extensively for your new record, "Age Of Aquarius". How has the feedback for the new album been so far?

Divisive so far, just like the rest of my more recent output. If I had to guess I would say that the themes may be a little too close to reality, and maybe there's a sort of synth music fatigue going around as well. Admittedly I do not make the most radio friendly tracks either! I think that maybe in a couple of years the album will find its audience, the same way "Lustful Saacraments" and "New Model" – which were very much disliked at release - did. I am extremely proud of "Age of Aquarius" and it's what matters the most.

Age of Aquarius is different: It's about conflict, war and the place of the individual that is caught in the middle of it

In "Age Of Aquarius" we found you drifting from the direction that previous "Lustful Sacraments" took you, going deeper into the metal sound, and you redirect yourself towards your roots and electronic darkness. Was that decision deliberate or did you go with the flow?

It was very deliberate. Lustful Sacraments was mostly an inward-looking album and so the sounds and tones needed to reflect this kind of introspection. Many of "Lustful Sacraments" tracks are quite sad in a way. Age of Aquarius is different: It's about conflict, war and the place of the individual (you or me) that is caught in the middle of it. So, by design it has a much more chaotic, angry and spiteful energy. The writing and the sound palette needed to convey these ideas.

It's very obvious when music is being made as a product and I believe that most in the black metal scene are good at detecting that as well

I always wondered why you didn't opt to stick to black metal as your music of expression since it's something that you used to play, and decided to experiment with electronic music. How do you feel about the current status of black metal and its constant exploration and experimentation, ranging from queer takes on it to dungeon synth?

Most of the things I wanted to express musically had already been said in some shape or form through black metal by artists who are far more competent at it than I am. And the mood and atmosphere I wanted to convey in the early days of Perturbator was very specifically a sort of homage to John Carpenter and other horror movie soundtracks which required synthesizers to be on the forefront of it all. Only through the writing process and my own experimentations that it ended up sounding the way it did. As for the current state of Black Metal, I see that there has been a huge spike in its popularity and so has obviously attracted many newcomers. Some stuff I find insufferable and some stuff I find extremely interesting. The main thing that I'm all about is authenticity. If you make music promoting satanism for example and then say "No it's just for the show" in interviews, you can be sure that I won't like you and your art. Sincerity is everything. It's very obvious when music is being made as a product and I believe that most in the black metal scene are good at detecting that as well.

Why did you choose the name of the album? Do you truly believe that we are approaching an era like the one perceived by this phrase, or was it just the astrological happening at the same era you released the album?

It's an ironic title. It's more and more obvious that we aren't reaching such an era. Still, I am fascinated with the definition of it and being Aquarius myself, found it interesting to sarcastically play with the concept.

I do not necessarily want people to have fun. If I can shake them emotionally, that's what is important

In the dark eras that we are currently living, where do you draw inspiration for your music, both to write and to find the courage to be a performer and make people have fun?

I do not necessarily want people to have fun. If I can shake them emotionally (in good or bad ways) that's what is important. So I draw inspiration from a lot of things that shake me too, including our current era.

What is your goal when getting on stage? Do you want to make people get lost in their thoughts or totally forget about them? And how do you experience your live performance? 

Like I said, shaking people emotionally is all I can wish for. But it's impossible to predict how a concert is going to go. Most often I find myself lost in my own thoughts onstage but I believe that if I'm 100% invested in what I do then the audience will be too. 

Is there a particular piece of equipment that you enjoy a lot using live currently? 

Currently not especially but I'm always happy with my custom made Dunable. I couldn't wish for a more comfortable, bright sounding and easy to play guitar. 

I prefer club shows to big festivals

As mentioned you have been on the road for quite a long time, and currently you are in a position to compare bigger open air festivals, indoor festivals and club shows. What do you prefer of those three nowadays? 

I'll have to go with club shows. I was never a fan of playing festivals, not necessarily because of the festivals themselves but the logistics are always very stress-inducing. Having to set up just an hour before while another band plays and all of that, as opposed to having a full afternoon of soundcheck in which if any problem occurs it can be fixed calmly; Yeah, I prefer club shows. 

I always had a penchant for darker and moodier atmospheres which may have come from my extreme metal background

You have been one of the first people to be involved with dark synthave music, back in the days when it was mostly underground and combined with indie game soundtracks. One can say that this music is living a big prime period, how do you feel about that? 

I dont think it's as popular as it used to be back then but yeah this kind of music had its big heyday throughout the last couple of years for sure. I don't see myself as a pioneer though, since I took inspiration from aforementioned actual pioneers like John Carpenter, Goblin, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream etc.. as much as i did my contemporaries at the time (College, Miami Nights 1984, Power Glove, Mitch Murder). The main difference is that I always had a penchant for darker and moodier atmospheres which may have come from my extreme metal background.

I personally am not into nostalgia just for the sake of nostalgia

More people seem to be closer to things that are reminiscent of the past, especially the 80s decade, showing love for tv series that showcase a revival of that era, as well as synthwave and cyberpunk revivals. Where do you believe this is coming from? Could it possibly be the reason why synthwave music has become increasingly popular again?

I think it comes from pop culture, mostly. Like you said, the past decade has seen many shows, music, video games and movies all taking cues from the past. I personally am not into nostalgia just for the sake of nostalgia and always tried to make my music a bit more personal and even modern at times. 

Depending on how the music is written and presented, and if it has a very particular intensity, it can be considered extreme music

Did you ever find it strange that of all people, those who seem to enjoy your music more are metalheads and not people more familiar with electronic music? Why do you think that's the case? 

I really believe that depending on how the music is written and presented, and if it has a very particular intensity, it can be considered extreme music. Merzbow is all electronics too and is widely appreciated by some metalheads as well for example. It is near impossible for me to deconstruct and analyse my own work without bias, but I think the intensity of it is probably the reason why it resonates with metal listeners. 

We mentioned of course the relationship of your whole music genre with gaming, and I have seen that you are a big gamer yourself. DO you enjoy any new games currently? 

I play a lot of indie games mostly. My two favorite genres are retro shooters (I.e. Blood, Doom, Ultrakill, Dusk, Ion Fury, Selaco, Ashes 2063, Cultic) and survival horror (Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Hollow Body, Tormented Souls, Ground Zero, Crow Country etc). I'm also really into immersive sims like Deus Ex, System Shock 1 and 2, Prey and Cruelty Squad. 

If the track is already perfect as is, I'd rather not spoil it with a remix

Reworks and remixes are also a big part of what you do - both remixing other artists' tracks, or inviting artists to remix yours. Where do you locate the magic in reimagining someone else's material? Which are a couple of your favorite remixed tracks? 

It's a fun exercise. To be honest I'm extremely selective about who and what I remix. If the track is already perfect as is, I'd rather not spoil it. And if the track doesn't inspire me at all I refuse as well because I know my heart won't be in it. 

What sounds do you enjoy as a listener? Do you have in mind any upcoming artists that you'd like to recommend? 

It changes all the time. Recently I've been listening to a lot of Nuovo Testamento, some L.O.T.I.O.N and some Scimitar. 

The road is going to take you again in the streets of Athens, for the third time now. How do you like it here? Shall we expect something special? 

I love Athens. It's unsure - although not impossible - that I may do something a little unique for the show. So far I don't know, and even if I did I wouldn't tell. 

What does the future hold for Perturbator? Is there any particular project that you can share details about? 

So far Perturbator is only for shows as I need to renew my inspiration before starting a new album or EP. But I've been working on an upcoming Ruin Of Romantics record and possibly another L'Enfant De La Forêt release as well. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Please feel free to summarize this interview however you like, with something to share with our readers. 

Thanks to you for having me, it was a pleasure.