Debuting their collaboration with the 6-track EP 'FR​!​!​ENDLY F​!​!​RE W​!​!​LL NOT BE TOLERATED', these songs were accompanied by two music videos and a healthy amount of nicely packaged social media propaganda coercion. These two creative dynamos have cultivated their fascination with footwork club music, video game aesthetics, neo-futuristic design, and internet culture into a multidisciplinary work of art.

Their music videos reek of nostalgia from their choice of sampling, visual memory cue points via recognizable video game assets (enter G-man from Half-Life 2), and hypnotically captivating music which takes the Footwork genre into an even further leftfield direction. While simultaneously leaning into the future with its unique arrangements, upbeat tempo, and uncanny visual animations. PEROXIIDE presents its audience with a refreshingly original fusion of sounds, energy, and enthusiasm in a way that only a new unbridled creative venture can.

It's a pleasure for us to sit down and talk with Kai and Mikołaj about PEROXIIDE on behalf of Rendah Mag. We hope you enjoy it!

Tell us about the Origins of PEROXIIDE. How did you two meet and decide to work on a project together? What inspired the visual and audio direction of the project?

Mikołaj: We have already known each other since 2020 when the pandemic started and since then we talk pretty regularly. PEROXIIDE started as a fun side project for us after hearing a guest mix on a Euro Truck Simulator radio in December 2022. They were playing a lot of Dub, Footwork, Juke, and Jungle tunes and we said as a half-joke that we're going to make a Footwork duo. Right after that, the first thing we made was 'STREAML!!NE' which is a reference to the Scania Streamline truck from the game, and we had a lot of fun just messing around making random sounds.

Kai: We both have appreciated Footwork as a genre for a long time, and it has seen a lot of influence in our solo music. So there is a lot of passion there for the music and the scene.

Mikołaj: For the audio/visual aspect we both love the mid-2000s games aesthetic which we grew up on. For example games like Portal, Half-Life, Mirror's Edge, Sonic, and Call Of Duty series which to this day have insanely good sound design and art direction.

Kai: We decided to introduce this aesthetic into the music with samples from games like that and we got a mix of old-school sampling with this new-age type of sound. It's kind of like sandbox music, where you can bring all these sound assets from all over the place and put them into one thing. I think that's probably the most inspiring part.

Kai: As for the name...

Mikolaj: I'm DJ PER

Kai: I'm DJ OXIIDE

Mikołaj: We mainly got the names from what we heard in the chopped-up samples and called some of them depending on what felt natural in this context of aesthetics.

Kai: Either that or they were a reference to something or some media.

Can you tell us about the creative process and workflow a bit between you two? Collaborating on the music and then aligning it with the music video, like on your latest single 'ONe2ONE' - What does the back and forth look like?

Mikołaj: 'ONe2ONE 'was initially made for the 8th FORM All Nighter where people make songs/visual art within 24 hours. It unfortunately didn't go through, but we were still insanely happy with what we've done within the time constraint, so we just put it out. Already had an image in my mind for the video loop when I was in the middle of making the intro with breaks. Very chaotic but beautiful at the same time.

Kai: For the workflow, we only sent stems to each other twice. Most of the ideas we put into stuff are done through Discord screen share or text. There are instances where we just make our own stuff and see if the other person likes it. We don't stress about it.

The art direction on this project is amazing. From the music video to the still images, and even the online promotional assets. Can you tell us more about the art, and is there any deeper intention or meaning woven into the imagery?

Mikołaj: Thank you! I also love how we came about this stuff, and I'm really happy with all of the pieces. And no, there's no deeper meaning, just helping to describe the overall aesthetic of a piece.

The album is available on all streaming platforms as well as Soulseek where it can be pirated for free. You even invite people to steal your music! Seems only appropriate, can you talk about your thoughts related to piracy and music?

Kai: Well, realistically it's an inevitability of the internet for me and I assume us too. I think having this project born entirely out of the web, we just have to embrace that. PEROXIIDE is more of a creative outlet to just create things and not worry too much about getting things back for it. I also feel as if it's quite fitting for our theming, seeing as we are completely moulded together by the internet. There's nothing more internet than piracy. And I think that's a part of our aesthetic.

Have any of these tracks been played out live yet? Do DJ PER and DJ OXIIDE want to perform live together in the future?

Kai: I have played some PEROXIIDE songs out. I didn't exactly tell the crowd or anything, or really anyone. In my solo sets I often explore tempos and 160bpm is usually my middle ground to go from drum & bass to whatever genre. So I like playing these tunes whenever I get the chance. Hoping that in the future, we can explore more live options for PEROXIIDE and really introduce a live or performance aspect. I have been dying for a B2B with Micky!

It's great that you've been able to showcase these tracks in your latesleeper sets. Your productions have always had Footwork and multi-genre adjacent influences, which made me excited to hear about this dedicated project from you. Do you feel this alternate alias gives you the ability to explore different nuances of your sound?

Kai: I would say my way of approaching music isn't too different with PEROXIIDE. It's just a pressure is off kind of scenario. It's definitely really freeing to make stuff for the sake of making stuff. PEROXIIDE hasn't got any money in the bank, and that is pretty amazing for the creative process. There's no A&R or sound that you need to go for, you can just do anything. So I would say I think differently about the stuff I make for PEROXIIDE, but I don't think differently about what I like or what I want to do when making the music. I think my musical decision-making is pretty consistent throughout. I am very set in my ways of what I like.

It’s great to see you push your music videos to the next level Mikołaj. Are live visuals something you're interested in pursuing? If so, what do you think you could bring to the table that's unique?

Mikołaj: Live visuals would definitely be something I want to do if we had a chance for it. I love recycling ideas, so maybe not unique, but incorporating Chris Cunningham’s style of direction into this aesthetic would be a challenge that I want to take on in the future.

Do you plan to continue with self-releases, or do you have any interest in pairing with any labels?

Mikołaj: Self-releases are very stressful but rewarding. Releasing on a label would do us really well in terms of recognition, although we don't think much of putting our stuff on a specific label.

Will this remain as a project between the two of you, or is there anyone you'd like to collaborate with?

Mikołaj: Hard to say. For now, we just make stuff together and have lots of fun doing so. Someone at the right time and place can make all the difference.

If we like this project, what should we check out? Who are some of your musical inspirations for this project?

Kai: I think everyone needs to hear DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, and just the whole of TEKLIFE. That label and its producers are so influential to Footwork, and its growth across the world, I think they are essential to know about if you're into this music. Even just dance music in general. Digging on Bandcamp is also great, you can find so many gems that aren't anywhere else. I think me and Mikołaj found a lot of music that's been very influential to the project while we were making it. With that being said, I don't think our horizons are set to only be around 160 bpm. We draw a lot of inspiration from a lot of music genres, and it's very possible we make all sorts of stuff. This era is just the beginning, and I don't think we are the type of people to stay the same creatively a lot of the time. We are always sharing music with each other and potential samples and whatnot. It all stays pretty fresh between us.

What's next for PEROXIIDE release-wise or otherwise. Anything you want to share with our readers and listeners?

Mikołaj: For the visual side, making more and better art pieces is not necessarily connected to a specific release, but still with our sound beneath it. As for the music, we have a lot of demos that are waiting to be finished and eventually released. 'FR!!ENDLY F!!RE W!!LL NOT BE TOLERATED' and 'ONe2ONE' are out now so listen to it on Soundcloud and Spotify, buy it on Bandcamp, and steal it on Soulseek.

Listen to it on Soundcloud

Buy it on Bandcamp

Steal it on Soulseek.