Photos taken at The Warfield, San Francisco on April 16, 2010.

Orbital sent the iLL.F.O. to another planet… read the Confession here.

Here’s some trivia for ya:

Q: What does Nerd Revolt slack on the most?

A: Slacking.

It’s true… we’re notoriously obsessed with cranking out projects, so we usually forget to stop, take a moment, and let it all soak in.

Here’s some behind-the-scenes action on the night “Haze of introspection…and sh*t.” was released. After all the hard work that went into our EP, it was really rewarding to look back on everything that went into it.

Now, it’s time to kick off the next chapter of NR!

This is the iLL.F.O. and Rekraktor Overlord, reporting to you from Planet Earth.

We are collecting precious data on the humans, which we will divulge to you here in confidence.

We will continue to share our findings as we continue research on the mortals.

Our formidable plans for takeover shall not be undermined!

“Haze of introspection…and sh*t.” is out now on iTunes, Beatport, and Amazon.

Check out this week’s Data Breaker column in The Stranger for a review by Dave Segal.

Many thanks to Innerflight Music and everyone who’s come along for the ride… we’ll keep the creativity flowing from the 415!

On their rig, their blog, their new EP, and what it’s like being a jaded idealist.

by Katie Harkins

The Revolt has begun.

Nerd Revolt’s debut EP “Haze of introspection…and sh*t.” (dropping April 1 on Innerflight Music) is a pensive journey into the intricately layered, synthy fresh production of San Francisco duo m.0 (em-point-zero) and the iLL.F.O. Immersed in atmospheric depths, it is a coolly defiant departure from a dance music industry too caught up in the scene to remember the music.

Classically trained musicians m.0 (Maurice Jackson) and the iLL.F.O. (Catherine Phan) each bring a distinctive sound and an honest, disciplined vibe to the Nerd Revolt project. Armed with an impressive live hardware rig, also known as “The Great,” Nerd Revolt’s mission is simple: transcend negativity, express creativity and inspire others.

After poring over their brilliant blog, dejaded.com, which details the past, present, and future of Nerd Revolt, I was spilling over with questions, especially about the circumstances and twists of fate that brought these two artists together. I caught up with m.0 and the iLL.F.O in the weeks leading up to the release of their first EP and asked them about their musical upbringings, their synth connection and the new release.

I thought I’d start by asking the iLL.F.O. to tell us about the blog, dejaded.com.

[iLL] It’s been incredible to watch dejaded evolve over the past year. Back in my NYC days, I kept journals to stay sane throughout my experiences in the club scene. It was overwhelming to face those struggles on my own– trying to get out there as a DJ, yet having all the drama and politics bring me down along the way.

I knew that one day, I wanted to make it all worth something. I wanted to share my stories to connect with people and inspire them… I felt so beaten down and alienated by all the bullshit I experienced, and yet I couldn’t share these feelings with anyone. For the most part, everyone was just competing with each other and trying to make it to the top– too wrapped up in their own agendas to support other people’s dreams.

When I met m.0, it was the most refreshing thing to connect on our personal experiences in the scene and be real with each other. We’d both been loners who had dealt with disappointment, backstabbing, egos… all of it made us question our skills and feel discouraged. It eventually made us both want to quit… we’d become so jaded.

I told him my idea for dejaded– something that would let us take the negativity and turn it into something positive… something to inspire people who also felt burned out by the scene. I was actually pretty hesitant to put my writing out there– I’d never published anything before.

It turned out that he’d been obsessed with the idea of having an online platform for artists to share their ideas. He’d always wanted to get involved with forward-thinking technology in a creative sense… and from there, we kicked it all into action.

dejaded started out as an outlet for our scene-related and life stories, but it’s turned into something much more complex than we’d planned. Adding the visual aspects to it with photography and video has been so much fun, and we’re really excited about building on the foundation we’ve laid down.

Do you feel that your creative process differs when you are writing for the blog vs. writing music?

[iLL] Definitely. They’re both inspired by the same life experiences and emotions, but they’re two different languages. Writing– even if it’s more abstract, surreal stuff like “Jaded Chronicles”– is more literal and narrows in on a more concrete meaning. I think in terms of characters, dialogue, events… the ideas are much more tangible.

When I’m writing music or designing sounds, it’s all about tapping into my intuition. Sometimes even expressing things I don’t understand. Ideas I can’t capture in words… raw emotion.

Both processes are interconnected though… the more I open up in my writing, the more risks I take in the studio (and vice versa).

You met in Seattle, April 2008. Did you hit it off instantly, or did it take a while for you to realize the connection? How did BFF bonding sessions turn into studio sessions (or was it the other way around)?

[both] Looking back on it, it’s kind of baffling that we didn’t meet sooner. For years, we knew the same people, went to the same parties, and people eventually knew about our synth connection– yet no one ever introduced us. Now we just joke that we were DIY from the very beginning.

There was definitely an instant connection between us. iLL’s very first sentence to m.0 was about the fact that her Virus Polar was about to arrive, and she couldn’t think about anything else. The Virus was the synth that m.0 connected with more than any other, so our first conversation was extremely giddy!

Next thing we knew, we were talking about how much we both loved San Francisco and wanted to live there someday (m.0 had lived there before and iLL visited often from NYC and Seattle)…. and now here we are, living in San Francisco with 3 Virus synths.

Our friendship and creative connection evolved together– they were both deeply intertwined the whole time. We didn’t even plan on forming a collaboration… we just started jamming, getting to know each other, and then Nerd Revolt grew organically out of that.

As we started making beats together, our studio sessions would be filled with personal conversations, pipe dreams, and reflections on our past. The more vulnerable we were to each other, the more comfortable we were expressing ourselves creatively. Our jam sessions were all about exploring and experimenting, and it was refreshing to have a supportive and positive environment for that.

m.0, you’ve been interested in synthesis and sound design since childhood. How has your style evolved over the years?

[m.0] It’s been a very exciting time to be into synthesizers and creating electronic music. The evolution of the tools available and their increasing accessibility have been mind-boggling. It’s allowed me to focus more on the self-expression side of things, versus the once-challenging logistics of taking an idea from thought to production.

My style is simply a reflection of where I happen to be at any given point in my life. Technology’s allowed me to capture these moments, instead of getting in the way.

How has the iLL.F.O. influenced your growth as an artist? How does the Nerd Revolt project differ from projects you’ve worked on in the past?

[m.0] the iLL and I share a very similar musical history, so there are many points of connection in the way we communicate while working together. The way we work off each other is incredibly fluid. It never feels forced or like “work”. One of the things that makes NR different from other projects is the fact that we’re both keyboardists and synth peeps, so having this common language removes a lot of hurdles you might normally have.

NR has pushed me to grow exponentially as an artist, and we challenge each other in ways that’s really exciting for me. the iLL.F.O.’s energy is really infectious, and has completely rekindled my own excitement and passion for synths, sound design, and writing beats. It makes me feel as if I’m starting out on the whole music tip for the first time again.

I recently saw an Innerflight video featuring footage of your live gig at the 2009 Decibel Festival, and it reminded me how great “The Great” really is. Can you describe the elements of your rig?

[both] It was really important for us to have a rig that let us play spontaneously like a live band. Every part of it has a solid purpose and isn’t there because it’s the flashiest or latest piece of gear. The combination of hardware and software is streamlined yet powerful, and most importantly gives us total control over our sets.

We’re both rocking MacBook Pros with Ableton Live, Access Virus TI synths (a Polar and a Snow), and Native Instruments Kore 2. m.0 drops and manipulates our beats with Native Instruments Maschine, while the iLL.F.O. triggers and mixes melodic and percussive sounds with her Akai APC40. Both of us play melodies on our hardware and software synths, as well as lay down vocals.

Between our hardware, software, and MIDI controllers, our rig is extremely tactile, making it possible to throw down a tight yet spontaneous set. We definitely get an insane rush out of playing live!

How much does the energy of the crowd and the environment determine what direction your set takes?

[both] The crowd energy and vibe is an essential part of how and what we play. We never want it to feel disconnected– like we’re just showing up, sipping our drinks and looking bored in front of our laptops. We want it to be an experience– something people will be emotionally engaged in.

We feed off each other, put it out there and feed off the crowd, who gives the energy back to us to play off of. For example, a more “clubby” set might be more banging and aggressive, while our outdoor set last summer had lots of psychedelic breakdowns. We never know how a set will turn out– we just tap into the moment and bring people along on our spaceship.

Your new EP, “Haze of introspection…and sh*t.” is out April 1 on Innerflight Music. How did you connect with Innerflight?

[m.0] I’ve known Manos for quite some time and we had even done some stuff together in the past. I met J-Sun in ’06. At the time, I was performing in Tekgnosis and was also doing a whole bunch of solo live PA’s around the Northwest. Manos was always saying that there’s this guy J-Sun I should meet and that he thought we would hit it off.

The first conversation I remember having with J-Sun was at an amazing outdoor party called “Natural Mystic”– a party Innerflight was involved with throwing and that Tekgnosis was performing at. Turned out Manos was right, and as a bonus “Natural Mystic” turned out to be the most memorable night I remember having in the Northwest.

Over time I’ve come to fall in love with their philosophy of music and life. It’s completely in sync with my own. When the label side of things started to get going, I kicked them “Lift Us Up”– a track I had actually just kinda written for myself, but one that over time I began to think would be a match with Innerflight’s vibe.

Working with them on both the production and performance side, I’ve really come to appreciate their support and genuine attitude towards what they do. The hard work they put into everything really helps inspire us to not only push ourselves with Nerd Revolt, but also to be ourselves while doing it.

[iLL.F.O.] I first met J-Sun at WMC ’05. It was some ridiculous hour at the Marlin Hotel, and we struck up a conversation. He told me about Innerflight– a Seattle-based label that was just getting off the ground. We kept in touch, and I reconnected with him once I moved to Seattle. I soon met the whole Innerflight crew and it was so refreshing to know there were positive, passionate, and genuine people who wanted to push dance music forward.

Over the 3 years I was in Seattle, I would cross paths with everyone in the crew… I was always amazed by how dedicated and enthusiastic they were about throwing parties and running the label. Over time, I’d gotten really jaded with elitist cliques who just hype themselves up. There was none of that attitude with these guys… they stay true to what they do!

I’ve been blown away by the support Innerflight has thrown behind NR. They really get and believe in what we’re doing… m.0 and I know this is a rare thing, and it’s played a huge part in letting us get into our creative zone.

art by Jeremiah Hammer

What influenced this EP?

[both] We started “Working Title” in the winter of ’08, which was a pretty emotional time for us. We were in an introspective head space, and the dark Seattle winter definitely added to that. Over the next spring and summer, we went on a very intense personal and creative journey– individually and together. As we faced things within ourselves and opened up to each other, it was all documented within our beats.

The music video you just produced for “Insomnia” off the new EP is dope!

[both] Thanks! It’s our first music video, and working on it was an amazing journey to go on together. We wanted the flow of it to fit with the dreamy, heady feel of “Insomnia”. We wanted the video to tell a story, and also introduce people to NR.

The production process had a lot of elements of how we collaborate on music– attention to detail, a constant back-and-forth creative dialogue… Being so emotionally connected with the track, we were inspired to edit the video to the ebbs and flows of “Insomnia”. It was an incredibly rewarding experience.

What attracted you to San Francisco?

[iLL] Individually, we’ve both been drawn to the city for similar reasons: the energy, progressive mindset, open-minded culture… We knew that everything that drives Nerd Revolt– our creativity, ideas, and dreams– would be nurtured in this environment. We each ended up in Seattle for the same reasons– being burned out on the club scene; wanting to clear our heads and sharpen our studio skills– and we’d both separately planned on moving to San Francisco after pulling ourselves together.

There have been so many parallels between our lives that it was startling at first… but now we know that we were meant to meet, form this incredible friendship, and go after our dreams here together.

[m.0] I have always felt connected to San Francisco, but my decision to move to Seattle was an attempt to reboot. Things at that time in my life were incredibly tumultuous, and I needed to step out, catch my breath, and regroup. Seattle definitely gave me a chance to do that, but it was always my intention to move back. Nerd Revolt was an unexpected, but very cool development on the way back.

Written, produced, and directed by Nerd Revolt.

Additional production by Drew Phan.

…the quiet before the storm.