CONFINES - Work Up the Blood

CONFINES: Synthicide label to release new "Work Up the Blood" EP; new track streaming now

NYC vocalist and producer David Castillo announces the release of Work Up the Blood, the newest manifestation of his solo project, Confines. A five-song EP, Work Up the Blood will see a December 3rd release via the acclaimed Synthicide label.

Stream first single "Oro y Muerte" and pre-order the EP, available in digital and cassette formats, here: https://synthicide.bandcamp.com/album/work-up-the-blood

A lynchpin of Brooklyn's nightlife scene for more than a decade, Castillo synthesizes his experiences and passions into Confines, a project which sees him out on his own for the first time and zealously pursuing a new mode of expression.

Castillo's first forays under the Confines name included 2019's debut EP, Geography of Nowhere 1, a Full of Hell remix track, and this year's "Hammer and the Dance" single. This small handful of tracks established the blueprint: hard, seductive industrial-techno built on irresistible rhythms and heavy ambience, the type which could only be created by a person who knows firsthand the euphoria of early morning hours spent on NYC's darkest, smokiest dance floors.

Of the new EP, Castillo states: "I saw Jeff Daniels play Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway. Instead of using the phrase 'work up the nerve,' he said 'work up the blood,' and it just hit different. I needed to work up the courage to fully be myself and just explore everything I am, or could become, musically. NO FUCKING FEAR."

On Work Up the Blood, Castillo's newfound energy radiates from every beat and hook. "My ideal for this EP was to create dance music that incorporates the rhythms and bass heaviness that get me excited to move, while juxtaposing it with a memorable mood that gives it depth," he says. The result is five absolute bangers that demand to be spun repeatedly. Reference points range from the militant EBM of Nitzer Ebb to the moody synth-pop of Depeche Mode; from the darkest techno of Vatican Shadow to the Colombian cumbia music that played in Castillo's childhood home. 

"As far as process goes, I recorded a bunch of my own samples in my dad's machine shop," he says. "I produced the entire thing at home." Work Up the Blood's rhythms and textures are designed for maximum impact and they deliver, but the secret weapon is Castillo's singing voice, an element which barely appeared on previous Confines tracks. Castillo peppers Work Up the Blood's songs with soulful screams and murmurous vocal melodies that elevate the EP from mere "electronic music" status to something even greater and more universal – music with the potential to stir the passions of anyone with a pulse. "I am happy to be using my voice more now," he says. "Vocally, I am a product of years in punk, hardcore, metal and that reflects clearly, alongside some new more melodic approaches."

Lyrically, Castillo credits NYC as his first and foremost muse and his lyrics navigate the existential highs and lows of life in the city. But not only has Castillo been a resident of NYC and witness to its extremes, he has been a very central figure in the city's music scene for the past decade. As co-owner and booker of Saint Vitus Bar – the wildly popular Brooklyn venue where all manner of heavy, underground sounds coexist under one roof and where artists ranging from Converge to Dreamcrusher have performed intimate shows since 2011; as a vocalist in stage dive-worthy bands like Primitive Weapons; and, most recently, as the co-founder of new label Faktor Music; Castillo's efforts have arguably been shaping the culture of the very city he is singing about.

Confines is Castillo's most personal project to date and Work Up the Blood is its ultimate representation so far. In Confines, Castillo has created a space where he can exorcise his own demons while also selflessly providing a thumping, cathartic soundtrack by which for others to find their release.

Work Up the Blood was produced entirely by Castillo at his home studio, Chateau Castillo. The EP was mixed and mastered by Kris Lapke (Alberich). The cover art was created by AJ Annunziata.

Tracklist:
1) Oro y Muerte
2) Buried Clothes

3) Every Day the Warehouse Shook

4) Concrete Club

5) Parma at Midnight

Discography:

Geography of Nowhere 1 (EP) - 2019, Synthicide

Angels Gather Here, Confined (Full of Hell remix) - 2019, self-released

Hammer and the Dance (single) - 2021, self-released

Work Up the Blood (EP) - 2021, Synthicide

Photo by A.F. Cortes