Pendulum is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Perth. They aimed to create a new sound combining elements of dance music and rock that they felt was missing. They gained popularity internationally due to their unique blend of genres. Their website and live shows reflect their distinctive style through mystical graphics and use of lights and lasers. The band members cite influences from hard rock, metal, drum and bass, and electronic artists like Skrillex. Two members later formed the successful electronic duo Knife Party, allowing for a more flexible live performance format. Pendulum is known for their experimental blending of genres and abstract visual style.
2. PENDULUM INFORMATION
• Pendulum formed in Perth, Australia- The music in
Australia ranges across a broad spectrum with
trends often concurrent with those of the US, the
UK, and similar nations. This is what makes
Pendulum so popular due to them being relatable to
lots of nations as they‟re all musically linked.
3. PENDULUM BACKGROUND
Pendulums aim was „to create a new sound that they felt was missing from
dance music‟.
Pendulum had connections which allowed them to become the band they were
„DJ Fresh who asked Pendulum to join their recently formed Breakbeat Kaos
label in order to form a tight crew of like minded musicians.‟
„Pendulum have also been making huge strides towards breaking through in
America having earned praise from the likes of Billboard (who described the
band as a “breakneck brand of aural dynamite”) and the LA Times (“The
electro-rock band evokes the Prodigy's sense of screaming, face-crushing
bombast with savvy beats straight off the contemporary low-end-heavy
zeitgeist”).‟
4. PENDULUMS WEBSITE
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The website it is in keeping with their digipack as it has similar graphics and this adds to that Pendulum sound as they‟re
so different to anything else in the industry. The space like background reflects their ethereal trademark and makes it
relatable to the fans when visiting the site. This makes the band feel quite fantasy like at the same time due to the use of
stars and dark hands within space. The blue tones are used throughout Pendulum‟s work and is one of their main colours.
This adds to the mystical feel to their work which compliments their single release „witchcraft‟, as it is all to do with the
unknown and sixth senses. The use of their bold logo „Pendulum‟ being situated at the top of the page imprints their name
into the space and adds impact. The logo is projected onto the imagery of the sea with the coral at the bottom of the „P‟
and the shark looking creature down below. This is resembling different worlds and makes it feel like pendulum take you to
different places with them when you listen to their music. It feels almost like they‟re underwater. Contrasting the „space
like‟ background being so high up and the „sea like‟ background being so low down in the world. This adds a feel of magic
and a sense of teleporting from one extreme to another. I think this is reflective of their music as one second its down beat
and slow lyrics then the next it‟s raging music without words. The website demonstrates their fiery juxtapositions within
their music.
5. SHOWS
Their gigs include the strobe lazers used in their music videos. Almost bringing Pendulum to life. They have also brought the colours
from the album cover to the tour of that album as a lot of Pendulum‟s work is in keeping with it‟s colour with the songs „Hold Your
Colour‟ and „Watercolour‟ all relating to the theme of colour which makes it a big part of their brand. They have incorporated these
colours within their website also which ties the whole brand together in order to create a more identifiable brand. The lazers are
reflective of their music as they hold power and are static in their movement just like how Pendulum sound.
6. PENDULUM INTERVIEW
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CM: In terms of musical artists, what are your influences?
P: A lot of stuff. Hardcore and metal groups such as Cancer Bats or Devin Townsend .
Electronically, everything from Deadmau5 to early drum n bass such as Conflict. I'd love to
work with Marvin from The Shadows or Greg Ginn from Black Flag; just obscure people that
would bring something different I guess.
CM: What was your favourite record from 2010?
P: Probably the Skrillex 'The Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites' LP. It was just a completely
different take on dubstep and electro. I think they were two genres that were starting to feed
on themselves a little bit so he completely put a different take on it.
This interview I have researched that was carried out on paramour, I found that their musical
influences are Skrillex, Deadmau5 and metal groups. Combining the two genres of rock and
electronic drum and bass to create that unique Pendulum sound.
I looked into Skrillex‟s video and they were all quite abstract and reflected a surreal approach
which Pendulum carry throughout their work. This could be something that triggered inspiration
for Pendulum.
7. PENDULUM‟S NEW VENTURE – KNIFE
PARTY
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Pendulum have recently moved onto a new successful venture in the music industry named „Knife Party‟.It is an Australian
electro house duo founded by two members of the drum and bass band Pendulum, Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen.
When and how did you know what Knife Party were going to sound like?
I think between the „Save The World‟ remix and „Internet Friends‟ we really figured it out. Before that it was just “not like
Pendulum”, but we knew we wanted to try more house and dubstep.
With a full band it can take ages to sort the stage sound out but a DJ just plugs in and plays. How much did this influence your
ideas of what Knife Party would be?
Well, we had just come from touring extensively with Pendulum and initially we were just taking a break. We started putting
tracks together and realised that none of them fitted the Pendulum mould, and that we certainly couldn‟t ever play them in a band
format – so Knife Party was born. After travelling with truckloads of expensive equipment for so long, it‟s very refreshing to be
able to turn up with an SD card and a laptop and play a show.
Has your sound been affected by the way the electronic dance music explosion in the US is genre blind, so that a trance act can
follow industrial dubstep monsterism, and so on?
It probably has been affected by that, yes. We‟re much less afraid of doing whatever we want than when we were in Pendulum.
In the drum ‟n‟ bass scene there were so many taboos – you couldn‟t use trance synths, you couldn‟t have white male vocals,
you couldn‟t use guitars. If you played house in your set, people would throw things at you.. We really hated that and almost
consciously ran against it, which was probably one of the reasons why Pendulum were ostracised from the scene to an extent.
Things are much better now – any sample is OK, any instrument is OK, you can play six different tempos in a set and the crowd
appreciates the contrast, especially in the US. We love it.
This shows Pendulum have their own distinct sound that is different to everything else and this could be reflected in the video
through subverting conventions.
8. PENDULUMS COVERS
These all reflect quite abstract/surreal art and this is played
on with the actual content of the music, with it being a
combination of styles its quite fantasy like and unknown. This
therefore allows them to create quite arty videos and gives
you scope for artistic liscence.
