Feral Business – Dark Music You Can Dance To
There’s no need to hide your dark side under a blanket of coolness. It’s okay to sweat. It’s okay to bounce. It’s okay to make the whole room bounce. Those beliefs are the foundation of Feral Business.
Although the songs may contain anxiety, defiance, social pressures, ruined beauty, strange animals or the notion that today's society has quietly fallen off the leash, they seldom sit still. Under the shadows, there's always a beat. Feral Business makes dark music you can dance to – not by lightening up the dark side – but by giving it a body.
Movement is part of the Meaning
Often times, we use dancing rhythms to avoid thinking about unpleasant things. For Feral Business, however, dancing rhythms serve another purpose. Dancing rhythms provide a physical manifestation of tension. A bass line can turn nervous energy into forward momentum. A programmed beat can turn repetition into obsession. A sharp guitar can become percussion. A vocal can work against a rhythm, with it or unexpectedly interrupt it. Pressure is felt in the body before the brain has time to process it.
Therefore, rhythm is an excellent way to communicate complex concepts. A song can express anger without becoming rigid. A song can create unease without losing its hook. A song can describe confinement while encouraging listeners to break out of their cages.
Post Punk Permission Slip
Post punk provided artists with the idea that rock instruments didn't always have to behave like traditional rock instruments. Bass could lead. Guitars could grind, pierce, repeat or disappear. Synths and drum machines could exist alongside live performances. Funk, dub, disco, noise, art rock and electronic experimentalism could co-exist in the same space without permission. Feral Business takes advantage of that creative freedom. The goal isn't to reproduce a museum-quality representation of post punk or dark wave. Instead, the goal is to take advantage of the same permission slip: pick out the sounds needed for a song, eliminate unnecessary parts and let rhythm be the structure, emotion and attitude of the song at the same time.
Thus, a track with a dark wave vibe and a dance-rock engine could be born. A track featuring punk abrasion over electronic drums could evolve. Or a track featuring a weird pop hook framed by industrial textures could be developed.
Ultimately, it's the inherited principle that matters more than the period specific costumes.
Hooks With Teeth
Even though Feral Business is experimental; it doesn't shy away from hooks. A memorable phrase, bass pattern, vocal rhythm or synth line can introduce a listener to unfamiliar territory. The hook isn't a surrender to safety. It's bait – beautiful, useful bait. Once you open the door, a song can become sarcastic, confrontational, surreal or emotionally bent. An impactful chorus can take an uncomfortable truth further than a lecture. A beat can generate enough enjoyment for a difficult concept to remain present in a room. Finding a balance between these two extremes is vital to the success of the project. The songs should leave a lasting impression; however, they should also inspire listeners to come back for more. They can bite and still be catchy. The teeth are part of the smile.
Darkness Without The Uniform
Dark music has recognizable traditions that Feral Business respects. Atmosphere is important. Tension is important. Drama, negative space, distorted textures, repetition and emotional ambiguity all fit into the picture.
However, darkness isn't a uniform. Just because a song moves slowly, avoids humor or continually displays ceremonial despair doesn't mean it's deeper. Feral Business allows for speed, color, absurdity, swagger and unexpected beauty. Dark humor can show you what solemnity hides. A dance rhythm can bring a threat closer to home. A bright sound in the wrong spot can be more alarming than additional layers of gloom. Contrast is essential to this project because life is full of contrasts. People dance when they're having a bad year. They laugh while their world is crumbling around them. They find beauty next to tragedy. The music should reflect that ability to hold all those competing feelings simultaneously.
Built By Bear Cole, Led By The Song
Feral Business is written by Bear Cole; unless another producer is specifically credited, it is produced by Bear Cole. Feral Business is one piece of a larger body of work by Bear Cole; however, it operates under its own set of rules, instincts and environment. Within that environment, production isn't categorized into "real instruments" and "electronic instruments." A guitar, synth, sampled texture, programmed beat, voice, bass line or studio processing element is merely another tool available to a song. Production can begin differently each time. Sometimes rhythm comes first. Sometimes a phrase, character, bass line, guitar tone or discomforting idea starts production. The final product dictates what goes where – not a pre-determined genre template. That creative freedom enables the catalog to evolve while maintaining a constant pulse: restless, physical, alert and refusing domestication.
Listen Through The Rhythm
The best way to experience this aspect of Feral Business is to track movement throughout the catalog. Go to the official Feral Business Music Page to find releases, credits, artwork and listening options. The official Feral Business Playlists offer paths through the music based on mood, energy levels, style preferences and creative associations. Post punk fans, dark wave fans, electronic music fans, alternative rock fans, funk fans and experimental music fans can also use the Genre Directory as an entry point instead of a restrictive category. The Video Collection extends the music into a visual world made up of feral beings, damaged elegance, surreal menace and dark comedy. You can learn more about the project, releases and evolving concepts at the Feral Business Story Archive.
Part of The 1st Drop Music Ecosystem
Feral Business is part of 1st Drop Music – an independent platform for Bear Cole's interconnected yet distinct artistic endeavors. That larger ecosystem enables each project to develop its own sonic identity and language. Feral Business enables dark alternative energy, electronic pressure, post punk instinct, pointed hooks and animalistic behavior to coexist without being sanitized for polite society. The system links the work. The music stays feral.
Bring The Darkness To The Floor
Rather than using rhythm as a way to avoid difficulty – Feral Business uses rhythm as a way to enter difficulty from a different angle. The beat gives anxiety a place to go. The hook gives defiance something to remember. The movement turns a private emotion into a public physical experience. That's the pulse underneath Feral Business: music with shadows; music with teeth; and music that anticipates you dancing. Check out the official Feral Business website and connect with the project through its verified official links. Stay feral.