Decades In: Kitbuilders on ‘Stupid Games’ and the Long Memory of Electro
Punk Head: Stupid Games pulls from material spanning more than two decades. How did you decide which moments from the archive were worth reopening and which ones were better left untouched?
Kitbuilders: Some of our tracks in the archive are like Schrödinger's cat, oscillating between being and non-being, while others leap out of the box like panthers. We included a few of these songs in special versions—remastered and edited—on the album because they were no longer available, and many people had asked us for them. However, the majority of the tracks on the album are new. When compiling the songs, we tried to create a certain mood. You can also tell whether a track still works or not when you perform it live.
Punk Head: Electro, New Wave, IDM, etc — these genres often get treated like museum pieces. What keeps them alive for you rather than nostalgic?
Kitbuilders: The essence of almost every genre of the 20th and 21st centuries lies in a special vision and a certain attitude. This attitude is often rooted in skepticism towards particular historical, cultural, and political situations, as well as an independent state of mind. There are a lot of loose ends in these styles, and it’s fun to take certain elements, put them in another context, and create something different. We love Elektro because it has a funky DNA and allows for a wider range of expression. It’s a very open musical style—it can be funk, club music, synthpop, new wave, experimental, or whatever else—and it’s still very much alive and kicking.
Punk Head: The decision to release this with no DSPs and limited physical formats feels intentional. What's the thought behind that decision?
Kitbuilders: A lot of streaming services like Spotify were a good idea in the beginning, but they are a joke right now. The Spotify owners create playlists with AI slop to make money, and the artists can be happy if they get a few pennies.
Punk Head: You’ve had your music played by DJs who helped define underground electronic culture. Do those early champions still echo in how you think about making and releasing music today?
Kitbuilders: Yes, these DJs and musicians are still relevant. The ideas of pioneers like Dave Clarke, DMX Krew, Radioactive Man, Drexciya, Dopplereffect, Keith Tucker, Aux 88, Aphex Twin, the late Andrew Weatherall, Adult., Bass Junkie, Magas, Bolz Bolz, Stel-R (and many more—the whole class of the ’90s) are very much alive today. There are also a lot of younger DJs and activists who are pushing the music’s evolution forward, like Kim Cosmik, Alienata, Ekata, Helena Hauff, Bassagenda, DVSNME, and many, many more.
Punk Head: After decades of releases, remixes, and collaborations, what still excites you about making music together?
Kitbuilders: We love to work with hardware synths and drum computers. They force you into certain strategies when you produce; it’s fun to get the ghost in the machine out of the bottle. It’s like having another band member in the studio, who brings in their own aesthetics and way of working. Most classic music machines are based on an idea like "It should sound like a real drummer," and they failed to reach this goal. The failure is the interesting bit—this difference creates something unique, another distinct aesthetic direction.
