Pitchshifter - Celebrating new dysfunctions

Pitchshifter are among the pioneers of the English industrial scene alongside groups such as Head of David, Godflesh and Scorn. Their style has diversified since their early days, increasingly adding a marked electronic component with punk-rock influences. This is a chat from Italy to the USA with Js Clayden, frontman of the English outfit.It had been a long time since our staff last had any editorial interaction with the band, and even though there's no new album on the way, PSI still come back on tour every so often to celebrate new musical dysfunctions.

Hi John, you've just wrapped up a tour in England - what did you think of it? Do you still enjoy touring?

It was fantastic! The band now lives across five cities on two different continents, so it's not easy getting everyone together and in sync, but we managed it! We're lucky to have people who still care about live music, who show up to our gigs and support us. It was five shows back to back and they flew by. The guys are already asking me when we can do it again. My thanks and respect to everyone who was there.

Any plans for new music? What would Pitchshifter sound like now?New music is hard - it's a lot of work for, potentially, little payoff in today's climate. I guess it's all down to me, since I'm the songwriter, but if I feel the time is right, I'll write a new song. Otherwise I won't. That said, I do think new music would sound like an offshoot of that era: breakbeat and heavy guitars.

Which writers would you recommend reading? In the past you've mentioned authors like John Fante, Carlos Castaneda, Charles Bukowski…

These for sure: Hunter S Thompson, William Burroughs, Iain Banks, Irvine Welsh, Aldous Huxley, Jean Paul Sartre, Franz Kafka, Chuck D, Nick Cave, Henry Rollins, John Lydon, Herman Hesse… I could go on forever! These are definitely some of the ones who've influenced me the most.

What's your take on the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in music and in general? There was the case of a band, Hail Darkness, who revealed on their social media that the album they'd just released had been created using artificial intelligence.

Look, I think creative people are creative in general, and they'll express that creativity through various tools and platforms. It's like sampling - I have no problem using AI as a tool in the creative process. Neither a sampler nor AI defines my output; they're tools that help me achieve the image and sound I see and hear in my mind. Does a recording become less valid because artificial intelligence optimized the EQ levels on the vocals?

Do you still listen to electronic music? Any new artists, if so?

Right now I'm listening to instrumental synthwave, because it lets me focus without being distracted by vocals. There are a lot of great artists in this scene - check out Emil Rottmayer, Hotel Pools, Evans, Virtua, Com Truise and Yoens.

Covid, the post-pandemic era, cancel culture - all subjects tailor-made for Pitchshifter. Things have changed a bit over the years. How do you see society today?

Honestly, nothing has really changed! That's why we called this tour "Everything STILL sucks". We all live our own lives, but Plato's allegory of the Cave still rings true, the military-industrial complex still drives wealth, while us proles consume "panem et circenses" trying to get by. Eat the rich.

Five essential rock records and five essential electronic records for you

I'll give you 10 records in general that defined Pitchshifter:

Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Big Black – Atomizer

Nas – Illmatic

Dj Shadow – Endtroducing

Led Zeppelin – I

Goldie – Timeless

Helmet – Strap It On

Squarepusher – Feed Me Weird Things

Ac/Dc – Back In Black

Celtic Frost – Morbid Tales

Are there artists you'd like to work with (either on remixes or as guests)?

We've worked with some very cool artists over the years (Prong, Biohazard, Dead Kennedys, Enter Shikari, Wargasm, This is menace…). I'd love to collaborate with Squarepusher, Dj Shadow, Goldie, Pendulum, Metallica…

Five favorite films of the last 5 years

Well, for recent ones I'd say these:

“Everything Everywhere All At Once”, “The Endless”, “Color Out Of Space”, “Titane” and “The Vast Of Night”.

I'd also like to mention some other classics I love: "Essi vivono", "Thx 1138", "Blade Runner", "Scanners", "Dark Star", "Il giorno dei trifidi", "Tetsuo", "Alien", "La casa", "Zombi", "Il giorno degli zombi", "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", "The Brood", "Santa Sangre", "The Killing Of America", "Taxi Driver", "Pink Floyd – The Wall", "Duel", "Delicatessen", all of Bill Hicks' videos, and many, many more!

Any memories of past tours in Italy?

I remember once a promoter pulled a gun on me and told me to ask for less money for the show if I wanted to live. They assured me it was a one-off and that another gig with a different promoter would go better. So, a few years later, we set up another show, but this time the organizer didn't do enough promotion for the event and refused to pay us. We lost a lot of money (I still paid the crew even though we didn't get a cent, since they'd still showed up for work). I'm sure there are happier memories of Italy from our 30 years on the road (we love our Italian fans!), but these are two that have stuck with me.

(April 5, 2026)

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google