Meet Pittsburgh’s Humanaut Crew

When thinking of Pittsburgh, Techno destination does not immediately spring to mind for most, but Pittsburgh’s Humanaut crew has been throwing down quality events with headliners that make it a must for some.

This Saturday (April 27) they will be bringing their unique sound to U St Music Hall for a special BLISS Humanaut Pittsburgh Techno Takeover. Tickets and info here.

We had a chance to catch up with the crew ahead of this week’s party…

Tell DC a bit about how you got started with forming your crew?

Paul Zyla:
I came pretty late as a crew member. I’ve hung out with all these idiots in varying capacities since about 2004 though. Paul and Aaron can tell you about Muse where I first met them, but I really ended up becoming friends with people at this shitty open-decks night called Trainwreck Tuesdays. That’s where I first started playing in Pittsburgh. I used to show up there and just play weird shit.

Kevin Lind:
I moved to Pittsburgh in late 2009 and met everyone at a Humanaut party with Octave  One, thanks to their message board. I officially joined forces in 2011.

Paul Fleetwood:
Prior to Humanaut, Pittsburgh held a series of small, splintered groups that shared similar taste in underground music and DJ styles. We were often on the same lineups, we booked each other, threw events together, and cut our teeth practicing in a sometimes casual, sometimes competetive manner. Ultimately it made sense to take the best and most valuable members of these groups and meld them into a single entity in 2005.

Humanaut’s roster has changed over time. Aaron, myself, Steve Simpson, and Ken Clunas are all founding members. We mostly consist of DJs and promoters, but our two most recent members, Paul Zyla (Relative Q) and Kevin Lind (Revy) added production experience.

Aaron Clark:
I was a part of a crew briefly with Paul Fleetwood and Philo called Digital Goodtime back in 2003/2004. We decided we wanted to start something more in line with our musical tastes, so we then created Nightvision with a few others. We did a small weekly for two years at a hilariously tiny lesbian bar, that’s where the whole family started to come together. In 2004, Nightvision started to buddy up with SoulGlo and Dynamix Crew. That’s when we threw our first bigger party in tandem with those crews – Steve Porter @ Sanctuary. Eventually, fast forward to 2006 – we decided we wanted to really get serious about our promotion and party production quality, and we merged the three crews into Humanaut.

Kevin, can you tell folks a little about the label you run, and any plans for the future?

I started the bleepsequence project in 2010 as a way to give back to the netlabel scene that greatly affected my music tastes since I first started mixing digitally in 2004, after about 5 years of playing vinyl exclusively. In the late 2000s it seemed like a lot of great netlabels were retiring or switching to pay based models, so bleepsequence felt like carrying on the torch for creative commons, while raising the quality bar as well. There’s a big stigma on free music these days that it’s not any good, and we try to be an exception to that. And it’s a relief to produce an artistic platform that is not affected by finances or catering to a certain market or demographic. From its inception, I’ve been really blown  away by the amazing music that gets submitted and have formed a lot of great relationships through collaborations there, and it’s been immensely rewarding to see it develop. Someday, I’d love to do more world traveling and meet a few of the contributors! On that note, donations are accepted at our bandcamp page.

What are the different sounds each you bring?

Kevin Lind:
My tastes can get eclectic but there are recurring influences of industrial, glitch, psychedelia, chiptune, and utter weirdness, mostly within a techno frame. I strive for spontaneity and natural impulse in both djing and my own productions.

Paul Zyla:
I tend to be the most chin-strokey of all the Humanaut DJs, but my realm of influence ranges from early electronic music, through industrial and classic techno, to idm and glitch. In DJ sets, i tend to prefer playing raw, abstract techno.

Paul Fleetwood:
I try to keep a balance between blatant dancefloor tracks and heady soundscapes. Lately, I’ve been really into tracks that don’t have a four to the floor beat. I also enjoy playing very deep and patient music, often mixed with ambient.

Aaron Clark:
I’m a bit all over the place. I bring the weirder stuff out for Humanaut. More on the techno end and heady house. For Honcho/Hot Mass I tend to get more funky – house/disco oriented. And quite a bit heavier. But I think at most points I’m still pretty versatile. Acid techno still makes it’s way to my honcho sets for the late night hours.

So you guys like techno?

Paul Zyla:
No shit we like techno

You throw quality events, what are some of your favorite moments over the past few years, the ones you’re most proud of?

Kevin Lind:
My favorite Humanaut event was probably when Rrose played our monthly Out of Order. Everything seemed to click into place, and I had a great time running monochromatic visuals on old TVs to one of the best live sets I’ve heard in years. I think some of the crowd was a bit perplexed though. Not exactly the most accessible music that night, but right up my alley. Playing in Denver last January was also a blast. Those folks know how to get down.

Paul Zyla:
Opening for Rrose, then Rrose being awesome. Also from what I remember, playing the afterparty after Adam X’s set was pretty killer.

Paul Fleetwood:
There are many! A personal highlight for me would be when I had played Humanaut’s first “Hot Mass” afterhours party in December. The crowd was attentive that night, and I played well. It felt rewarding to have their attention throughout the whole set, right there with me, through the late morning.

Aaron Clark:
It’s stretching back a bit, but Sascha Funke in 2008 was a major turning point for Humanaut. We ditched the posh/bigger clubs and took our party into a dark smokey bar – Belvedere’s. That was our first step into our new direction, and to this day Sascha’s set was one of the best we’ve ever had. Other notables would probably be Octave One and the Shawn Rudiman vs. Claude Young party. Oh, and Kirk Degiorgio’s afterhours set at the space now known as Hot Mass was unbelievable. That was our very first party there.

I like the vibe of Belvedere’s a lot, I think the lounge/ultraclub environment is generally my largest turnoff, just give me a dark room with good music and I’m a happy camper…

What should we watch out for over this coming year?

Paul Fleetwood:
Pittsburgh’s homebrew production scene is stewing something fierce. Relative Q & Revy have really stepped up their game lately, and the general culture here in Pittsburgh is warm and inspiring. In the short term, our Movement pre-party with Aril Brikha & Brian Kage is happening in May, and is expected to have a huge turnout. Beyond that we’ve got some exciting guests scheduled – the Humanaut Facebook page is probably the quickest way to get updates.

Kevin Lind:
Out of Order is getting more sustainable thanks to Hot Mass, so I foresee some more good bookings in the future. Aril Brikha next month should be pretty major. But more importantly you should probably watch out for Zyla taking his shirt off again.

Paul Zyla:
Total devastation

Aaron Clark:
Aril Brikha will be a great one coming up soon. May 11. Also keep your eyes peeled for August’s lineup. It’s a total smoker, and something we’ve been wanting to do for a while.

Describe each of yourselves as a fantasy character or superhero:

Kevin Lind:
To quote Fleetwood… I’m Super Dodge Ball personified.

Paul Zyla:
I’m a goddamn Wizard!

Paul Fleetwood:
Let’s just say I’m a bad enough ninja to kidnap the president

Paul Zyla:
And here I always thought you were the reincarnation of Simon Belmont, Paul.

Paul Fleetwood:
I didn’t want to bum everyone out talking about my curse… but now that you’ve blown up my spot..

Aaron Clark:
Is there a gay superhero that fires rays of sunshine and snarky comments?

We should get you a costume 😛