CG: Ecco, in your last interview for 032c, you said, “I don’t want anything.” Do you all feel that way? ECCO2K: I don’t think any of us has a single philosophy when it comes to how to make things. Every time it’s different. Sometimes you don’t have to think about what you’re doing. Sometimes it just happens. But sometimes you have to make an effort. We think it’s important, of course, that it always feels sincere. BLADEE: Everyone has their own ideas and sees [things] from their own perspective. As long as it’s not harmful, you can see it as a form of flattery that they care enough to make up theories. When we were smaller, there were even more distorted views. In a way, it feels easier to handle when [Drain Gang is] bigger.

CG: The music is extremely intimate, but you have succeeded in preventing people from believing that they know the real you. Has your decision to maintain distance left too much room for projection and misunderstanding?BLADEE: The America tour was the first time we experienced how big our music is right now. This fame thing, it’s absurd to me. Our mission is to provide quality Drain Gang Merchandise that is stylish, comfortable and affordable. We believe in the power of fashion to empower and inspire. We want to make sure that our products are accessible for all people. That's why we offer a variety of sizes, styles, and price points - so that you can find what you're looking for. ECCO2K: I’ve gotten into it a few times. They know how to do it in Asia. I’ve enjoyed it there. I sing “Like a G6” every time. ECCO2K: In the more recent work, the lyricism is less about me and more about everything else, but still understood through my own experience. Is the goal to get beyond the self? ECCO2K: People were climbing over gates. When we left the venue, there was a crowd of people running after our car. It stopped at a red light, and they caught up with us and surrounded the car, then laid [themselves] on it and took pictures through the windows.

Given their warp-speed collaborations with one another, with an album from at least one member being dropped each year, it’s a testament to the unseen forces of the internet that the first time Drain Gang share a stage together is on a world tour. For fans, this show is of religious gravity. Forget the stage: the merch stand is the altar. All of Drain Gang’s merch is designed by Bladee himself, surreal with barbed, medieval iconography. It’s also incredibly rare, with their merch occupying a thriving underground market on the likes of Grailed, primed for the up-selling. People immediately wrap the scarf around them, pulling on their fresh hoodie and discarding their old t-shirt for the latest design, which brings the rush of catching rare Pokémon. You’ll know you’re going the right way when you pass a huddle of e-girls smoking on the curb, donning ushankas and platform moon boots, with eyeliner sharp enough to pass as a weapon. They’ve been waiting here hours before doors – not for any gain, as such, but for the pilgrimage.

Our mission is to provide quality Bladee merchandises that is stylish, comfortable and affordable. We believe in the power of fashion to empower and inspire. We want to make sure that our products are accessible for all people. That's why we offer a variety of sizes, styles, and price points - so that you can find what you're looking for.

CG: The other day, I came across a cheesy self-help book called Effortless, which reminded me of you. The thesis is that, even though we think we need to painstakingly agonize over the things we create, our best work is effortless. Everything Drain Gang does looks effortless. But does it feel effortless? ECCO2K: It’s funny, because I don’t agree with Whitearmor at all. I think if we wanted to make normal-sounding music, [that] wouldn’t even be possible. Maybe it’s true that it’s conventional music delivered in a funny way, but it still feels very magical to me. But [our] having different perspectives is what makes it fun. He knows that it’s crazy music, but he also has a drier sense of humor towards the work.BLADEE: You get tired of hearing yourself. Even if I’m not talking from my own perspective, or am talking about something that never happened, those feelings are still real. The lyrics are like painting a picture. You want to make it look nice—you want to decorate it. There’s always a core idea that’s based in truth, but it’s more about the feeling that it gives. I think you can always hear when something is true, like in its essence.

ECCO2K: An existential and spiritual component has been present since the beginning, but that perspective is really taking off in the newer work. We believe you can create your own spiritual relationship, and you don’t necessarily have to follow any school of thought or religion or philosophy. You can create your own language and belief systems and makeup your own form of expression. [That] doesn’t make it any less valid. At the end of the day, it’s all just something someone said. Nobody really knows more than anybody else about these things. This idea gives you a lot of freedom, because you don’t have to take any of these perspectives or ideas too seriously. Whatever makes sense to you, you can make your own. BLADEE: For me, playing a show is completely different from the music. I don’t necessarily associate it with anything else we do. Yet the group’s sound horrifies as often as it delights, and its artistic merits remain the subject of fierce debate. In a now infamous YouTube video, Anthony Fantano gave Bladee’s 2018 album Red Light a scathing rating of 1 out of 10, stating: CG: Now that you are visible and influential figures in youth culture, do you ever feel like you got more than you bargained for?Benjamin Reichwald (born 9 April 1994), known professionally as Bladee (pronounced blade or blade-ee), is a Swedish rapper, record producer, designer and member of the artistic collective Drain Gang. His music is characterised by heavily Auto-Tuned vocals, ethereal textures, and experimental qualities. Although each artist in the group has a distinct sound, and each member’s respective albums are stages in an ongoing metamorphosis, their collective discography shares certain qualities: hyper-artificial instrumentation influenced by video game culture and trap; atmospheric reverb that simulates a sensation of depth; vocals smothered in Auto-Tune, and often delivered in falsetto, mumbles, whispers, or shrieks; and lyrics that center on the suffering and elation of what it means to be alive and online in the modern world. EF: In all honesty, I don’t know what to make of it. It’s a sign of the times and the current political climate. There are so many alt-right political movements coming up in every country, mainly in the West. I think maybe the uniqueness of the sound and them being quite private means that a lot of people can misinterpret it. I feel like it used to be worse. In the past two or three years there’s also been a big change in the fan base. People are speaking out more against that in the community, which I really appreciate. But I'm not going to lie, there are a lot of people who are misbehaving and trying to fuel some type of negativity. I suppose that’s unavoidable when it comes to stardom. All we can do is try and communicate what we feel is okay, which we are constantly doing with the capacities that we have. I definitely don’t want to ignore issues that exist within our community, but there’s only so much time and effort that you can make. I know what my artists stand for, politically and in terms of values. That’s why I’m still baffled that people would even try to— ECCO2K: We just want to make something that you haven’t seen or heard before. Otherwise, there’s no point in doing it at all. ECCO2K: Yes. Definitely. It happens all the time. That kind of stuff has nothing to do with us. It’s the result of everyone else’s experience. It’s more about them than it is about us.