Dark ambient body Queen ‘K8 M055’ on their debut single and music video ‘Edging’ and forthcoming EP X Twink Future Girl
A fixture in Naarm’s clubbing scene, K8 M055 (they/them) embraces and embodies their trans awakening through their own grandiose sonic environment. K8 M055 (Tom Bridges) is an established DJ, a feature in the darkwave duo ‘Full Fleshed’ but now Tom has further expanded their visual and musical talent in their solo work as K8 M055. Following in the footsteps of Bjork, Arca and Sophie, K8 is interested in the future of music. Unique combinations of sound and experimentation make up the terrain of K8’s music. Alice Ruby Mcdonald (she/her) was lucky enough to chat with K8 on this endeavor.
What was the motivation behind your forthcoming EP X Twink Future Girl?
The EP came from this brief period of my life where I felt like I was on a cliff’s edge in regards to my gender identity. Everything was uncertain and terrifying. The music speaks to those feelings and that kind of disorientation. During that brief period I was going on lots of emotional walks and listening to music. I really wanted to make the kind of music I wanted to listen to then, or the kind of music I felt like I needed.
How has the Naarm’s club scene and your personal identity as an artist influenced your sound?
I live and breathe Naarm’s club scene. It’s a huge part of my identity as an artist. K8 M055 is very much a product of the scene. The scene regurgitated onto itself. Before I got into clubbing I was seeing a lot of guitar bands and listening to lots of folk inclined stuff. I taught myself to play guitar by learning Cat Power songs. I developed this very bedroom/DIY kind of creative ethos where mood and feel trump any kind of polish or technical prowess. I think that approach is still present in this project. I’m throwing a lot of sounds and ideas at each other. I am way more of a perfectionist as an electronic artist, but I try to let things kind of just happen.
You describe the project as “an exercise in contradiction” is ‘Edging’ the love child of the X Twink turned Future Girl?
Love child is a beautiful way to put it haha. I think Edging is more like X’s love letter to Future. It’s all desperate and yearning and liminal space.
I love the visuals for ‘Edging’ an overlapping splattered collage of the Y2K party girl, you describe it as “a party girl at odds with herself and the world,” do you see the track ‘edging’ as a dystopian experience or is this the ambience for a party girl truly free in themselves?
I think the track does suggest an end to the world in a very grandiose kind of way. The unabashed drama of it all!
Can a party girl truly be free? (Existential I know)
I think so. There is freedom on the dance floor — I’ve felt it! It reverberates, too. A good party can have me feeling so free for like a whole week.
After the release of this EP, where is K8 M055 heading for the future?
A friend and I just debuted ‘CONVERGE: Dystopian Ethereal’ at Miscellania last night with a full live synth/hardware lineup. I’d like to do that again. I’m also in a darkwave duo called Full Fleshed. We just released a single. We’ve got a lot of songs we’re sitting on that I’m excited to share!
Have you got any upcoming shows or events?
I’m on holiday for the rest of the year ! Sorry x
Listen to K8 M055’s ‘Edging’ here and certainly treat yourself to the hypnotic visual that is their accompanying music video.