Vampire shoo-er

>>Le Castle Vania concocts rockin’ disco,
tells Paris Hilton to piss off

ALWAYS GOING OFF: Dylan Eiland

by JACK OATMON

While everyone from Bergen to Montreal, London to Miami and Paris to Rio de Janeiro jitter and headbang to the latest wave of robot rock to bathe dancefloors in waves of distortion, minor franchises of this latest incarnation are sprouting up in unlikely corners all over. Such is the case with Atlanta, Georgia native Dylan Eiland, whose production alias Le Castle Vania packs just as much near-historic technological nostalgia as the name implies. Vitalic’s synth-guitar wash, the contemporary analog/vocoder renaissance and the seminal charm of mechanized disco are all suspects here. At 24, Eiland is a pup in a kennel of established house and electro personalities, but he’s quickly cutting his teeth with original compositions and remixes of Sinden and 120 Days. The Mirror communicated with Eiland about A-town’s growing love of disco and how to politely get rid of multi-millionaire groupies.

Mirror: How did you get into electronic music in the first place?

Dylan Eiland: Well, I started DJing at raves in my hometown, Atlanta, back when I was 16 years old. I wanted to start producing because I wasn’t satisfied with just playing other peoples’ music. I wanted to create something of my own. I want to make a career out of it because it’s fun. I love making music, I love performing, DJing and seeing other people get into what I’m doing. I’ve played in bands and have been playing with production since I was 16 years old or so.

M: You’re from Atlanta, a place normally more associated with hip hop than what you do. How do the crowds there react to your music? Is there a scene for it?

DE: Atlanta has a pretty good indie rock scene, which is starting to come over and get into some of the newer, cool, dirty electro and remix stuff. My production company Always Never throws a party there once a month called Fuck Yesss, which is an all-dirty-bangers electro party that always goes off.

M: How heavily do you identify yourself with all these second-wave lo-fi and electroclash acts like Crystal Castles, MSTRKRFT, Guns ‘n’ Bombs, Klaxons and so on?

DE: Well, I don’t really get behind the term “electroclash.” That term makes me think of the more gimmicky acts from three or four years ago. Out of the artists you mentioned, I would say my sound is closer to MSTRKRFT and Guns ‘n’ Bombs. I’m also into artists like Boys Noize, Digitalism, Does it Offend You, Yeah?, Van She Tech and stuff like that.

M: Is electronic music becoming more accessible where you’re at?

DE: It’s definitely on the rise.

M: I saw the video with you and Paris Hilton—what’s the story behind that?

DE: Ha ha! Well, obviously she was trying to get with me at some party—duh. Actually, I was just DJing a Coachella after party that she happened to be at with Lindsay Lohan. She was all dancing in the DJ booth next to me while I was spinning but I didn’t even know it was her—she was wearing a hat and sunglasses. Anyway, I turned around and asked her to back away from me and give me some room. It was kind of funny. I didn’t find out till later that night that I basically shooed off Paris Hilton. Ha!

With Sta and Nu Ravers On the Block
DJs at Academy Club on Saturday,
July 28, 10 p.m., $10