Photo Credit: Marjorie Becker In June of last year, we wrote an article about an 8-bit re-imagining of the classic Nine Inch Nails album ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ created by an artist by the name of Inverse Phase. The post became a huge hit, and we were recently able to talk to Inverse Phase about the project. Inverse Phase actually began recording his ‘Pretty Eight Machine’ record with the help of donations via Kickstarter. He managed to raise enough money to bring the project to life, even receiving complimentary messages from Trent Reznor and Rob Sheridan. We wanted to know more about Inverse Phase and ‘Pretty Eight Machine,’ and he provided us with some intriguing answers. How did you come up with the idea of creating an 8-bit version of ‘Pretty Hate Machine’? The idea for Pretty Eight Machine came as a somewhat random idea … a few friends and I were at a convention, talking about how there had to be some Nine Inch Nails chiptunes out there. When I didn’t really find much of anything, I decided to write a few minutes of one and surprise them the next day. Upon playing it, they asked where I found it, told me it was really good, and … “coerced” me into doing more. Hahaha! So, I decided to arrange a few important chunks of the album to see if I could really pull it off, and when my friends and I listened to the results, we pretty much knew it had to happen. I didn’t have the money to do the licensing/etc on my own dime, so off to Kickstarter I went. How much money did you earn and how essential was this fundraising to the creation of ‘Pretty Eight Machine’? I raised about $3,600, and at this point ALL of it will have gone to licensing and materials…well, that and a laptop battery for my performance/composing laptop I use on the road. Kickstarter was really what encouraged me to finish the project. I actually got very little support from the NIN community (“You’re destroying my favorite music!” “Chiptunes suck!” “You mean you’re actually going to sell this?”). Surprisingly, I also got very little support from the general chiptune community, too (“Why NIN covers?” “Kickstarter? More like BEGSTARTER!” etc). The people that really ended up pushing the project to succeed on Kickstarter were, again, my friends, fans, and other acquaintances / supporters that didn’t hate my guts. If the Kickstarter hadn’t succeeded, even if I knew it would’ve gotten as much press as it did, I would’ve still done the album, but I probably would have had to back-burner the album a lot more than I already had. With my current ongoing contracts (I’m currently working on four game soundtracks) who knows when I would’ve gotten to it. How did you get Rob Sheridan’s permission to mimic his artwork? Getting a hold of Rob Sheridan … well, I got lucky. My art doesn’t actually use any NIN IP/trademarks/etc, but I just wanted to do the nice thing and get in touch. I’m a fan, not an a–hole. So I sent an email to him detailing what I wanted to do and a rough draft of the artwork, and then pinged him on Twitter once or twice to let him know. He just replied on twitter and said, “Yeah, absolutely.” Super nice guy. Married now, too! You mention on your Bandcamp page that you hope that Trent Reznor and Rob Sheridan would enjoy the project. Have you gotten any feedback from either of them? So, when I was making my initial contacts towards the beginning of the project, my contact at Rebel Waltz said he would love a few copies of the CD when it was finished, and he said he’d get a CD out to Rob, Trent, et al. Then the album came out. I actually didn’t know what Trent or Rob thought. Even when Rob very kindly tweeted out the album at first, it was very matter-of-fact, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I guess he wanted everyone to decide for themselves. But since then, I’ve heard from both of them! Again, Rob’s pretty active on Twitter, so I caught him at the right time, and he mentioned that he enjoyed it (I sent him a download code). Through crosstalk from The NIN Hotline we also found out he’d pick it up on vinyl if it ever became available. Chiptunes on vinyl is kind of an amusing thought though, since it’s digitally created. So, the same arguments made FOR vinyl actually work against me. I had pretty much given up hope hearing from Trent, but about a month after the album came out, he sent me this incredibly down-to-earth email. He had just gotten out of working on some stuff in the studio and had really nice things to say; my jaw is basically permanently ajar. Seriously brought some amazing closure to an already fantastic release. You also mentioned that ‘Pretty Eight Machine’ was produced during a turbulent time in your life. Would you mind telling us about what was going on at the time? Sure. Before the Kickstarter, I stepped back from a major part of my life: doing volunteer work for a large video game party/rock concert called MAGFest , and then shortly thereafter I lost my day job due to some major layoffs. Granted, this was the kick in the ass I needed to say, “Okay, maybe I can go full-time with music,” but then, after the Kickstarter succeeded and completely unrelated to all of that, I had some personal issues which led to a bit of an emotional breakdown. Oh, and there was that earthquake in Virginia while I was away from home, and my water heater at my house exploded. I just felt really trapped by a lot of situations that all hit me at once. So, I ended up moving myself to another state, it took like four months, and I left some close friends behind in the process. All of this was of course happening while working on ‘Pretty Eight Machine,’ which was already well-behind deadline, not to mention I had my other game music deadlines to meet. It was a rough patch for sure. Stream ‘Pretty Eight Machine’ in the player below and check out Inverse Phase on Facebook and Twitter . To buy a copy of the album, click here . Listen to ‘Pretty Eight Machine’ ?
Posts Tagged ‘pretty-hate’
Inverse Phase Discusses His 8-Bit Nine Inch Nails Tribute ‘Pretty Eight Machine’
February 11th, 2013 
Metalkult 
Posted in News 
Tags: a-download-code, a-large-video, album, eight, friends, inverse, inverse-phase, kickstarter, pretty-eight, pretty-hate, trent, trent-reznor, water 
No Comments »10 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs
October 10th, 2012 Metalkult Frank Micelotta, Getty Images After a creative detour into the world of soundtrack scoring over the last few years, Trent Reznor is ready to revive Nine Inch Nails , and because of that we're going to count down the 10 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs. One thing is for certain, Reznor has kept things interesting over the years. He's explored industrial dance tracks ('Down in It' and 'Sin'), worked through some thrashier moments ('March of the Pigs,' 'Wish' and 'Head Like a Hole'), and dug deep into the soul for some deeply emotional catharsis ('Hurt,' 'Something I Can Never Have'). He's questioned both political ('Capital G,' 'The Hand That Feeds') and religious ('Terrible Lie') leaders, and all the while sustained a loyal following always anxious to see where he taking things next. So step right up and check out the 10 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs. ? 10 'Survivalism' From: 'Year Zero' (2007) ? ? Trent Reznor not only adapted with the times for 2007 album, 'Year Zero,' he ventured beyond and incorporated a futuristic concept for the disc. The blips and beeps of electro-aggression of 'Survivalism' set the pace throughout, while Reznor tells a futuristic tale of processing the images we're presented on a daily basis. He exclaims, “ I got my propaganda / I got my revisionism / I got my violence in hi-def ultra-realism / All a part of this great nation / I got my fist / I got my plan / I got survivalism .” Listen to 'Survivalism' ? ? 9 'Sin' From: 'Pretty Hate Machine' (1989) ? ? After 'Down in It' and 'Head Like a Hole' found success in the clubs, Nine Inch Nails chose the ultra-danceable, synth-led track 'Sin' as the final single from 'Pretty Hate Machine.' Reznor dips into themes of sexual control, belting such lines as “ You give me the anger / You give me the nerve / Carry out my sentence / While I get what I deserve .” Listen to 'Sin' ? ? 8 'The Hand That Feeds' From: 'With Teeth' (2005) ? ? After years of railing against his own demons, Trent Reznor turned his attention elsewhere with 2005's 'With Teeth.' The breakout single from the disc, 'The Hand That Feeds,' turned the spotlight on the human race's following of political and social leaders, with Reznor challenging the listener, “ Just how deep do you believe? / Will you bite the hand that feeds? / Will you chew until it bleeds? / Can you get up off your knees? / Are you brave enough to see? / Do you want to change it? “ Listen to 'The Hand That Feeds' ? ? 7 'March of the Pigs' From: 'The Downward Spiral' (1994) ? ? 'March of the Pigs' is a must for the 10 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs, as it shows Trent Reznor's musical growth. The track delivers sleepy piano breakdowns, Chris Vrenna's percussive onslaught, and a blast of aggression that has made the song a circle pit favorite. In the one-shot video for the track, Reznor couldn't contain the adrenaline, thrashing about into his fellow musicians and tossing the microphone away on multiple occasions leaving stagehands to retrieve it for him. Listen to 'March of the Pigs' ? ? 6 'Down In It' From: 'Pretty Hate Machine' (1989) ? ? 'Down In It' is a perfect choice for the Top 10 Nine Inch Nails Songs, as it was the track the officially kicked everything off for the band. It was issued as a teaser cut prior to their breakout hit 'Head Like a Hole,' and gave a glimpse of how the band could find a blend between heavy industrial music and something more club-oriented. Listen to 'Down in It' ? ? 5 'Closer' From: 'The Downward Spiral' (1994) ? ? Nine Inch Nails hit on something in the summer of '94 when 'Closer' became a monster hit. The funky track with the morphed bass and drum line definitely hooked listeners, but both radio and TV needed edits for the profanity-laced lyrical and sexually explicit visual content that came with the song and video. Even with the edits, the track went on to become one of the biggest songs of their career. Listen to 'Closer' ? ? 4 'Terrible Lie' From: 'Pretty Hate Machine' (1989) ? ? 'Terrible Lie' has become one of Nine Inch Nails' live favorites over the years, with the track frequently either kicking off or near the front of the band's sets. Reznor's early angst is on full display here, asking the big questions about faith and religion, begging for a sign of a higher power, and becoming dismayed when his questions aren't answered. Listen to 'Terrible Lie' ? ? 3 'Wish' From: 'Broken' EP (1992) ? ? Nine Inch Nails were in full industrial mode with 'Wish,' a thrashy gem of a track that blended Trent Reznor's tormented vocal delivery with a full on guitar assault. Oddly enough, Grammy voters got behind Nine Inch Nails ahead of their massive fame, rewarding the band with 1993's Best Metal Performance Grammy for 'Wish.' According to the book 'Nine Inch Nails: Self Destruct,' Reznor would later joke that his epitaph should read: “Reznor: Died. Said 'fist f—' and won a Grammy.” Listen to 'Wish' ? ? 2 'Hurt' From: 'The Downward Spiral' (1994) ? ? Not all of Nine Inch Nails' songs got their intensity from the instruments. The minimalist track 'Hurt' was every bit as heavy as the band's other work, and definitely packed an emotional punch. The track accurately portrayed isolation and depression, with Reznor often performing the song alone at the center of the stage with horrific images flashing on a screen behind him. The track took on even more resonance when legendary country crooner Johnny Cash made it one of his final recordings. Listen to 'Hurt' ? ? 1 'Head Like a Hole' From: 'Pretty Hate Machine' (1989) ? ? We bow down before the first big hit that Nine Inch Nails served. 'Head Like a Hole,' with its synth bass meets primal scream sound effects, proved to be an interesting concoction. It borrowed industrial influence from Ministry , but also had elements of thrash metal in it. Lyrically, Trent Reznor was in full snarl, raging against the almighty “God Money.” Reznor says in the song, “ You're going to get what you deserve ,” and what 'Head Like a Hole' deserves is the No. 1 spot in our Top 10 Nine Inch Nails Songs. Listen to 'Head Like a Hole' ? ? What Is Your Favorite Nine Inch Nails Song? There you have it – the 10 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs, in our humble opinion. What songs would you like to see on this list and what songs should be dropped? Should we have included a tune from 'The Fragile'? Here's your chance to let us know what you think. Share your thoughts in the comments section below. ?
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