Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with _Shoe

_Shoe - Patterns of Possession

Patterns of Possession by _SHOE explores the tension between human emotion and machine consciousness through dark cinematic synthwave and 80s-inspired textures. The album expands the Devisal narrative universe, following the awakening of an artificial intelligence capable of self-awareness and control. Twelve tracks move through vast synth landscapes, glitch-infused sequences, and hard-edged guitars that evoke a ritualistic digital atmosphere. Vocals by Stefano Francescato and guitar work by Matteo Martini give the sound a physical intensity, merging analog warmth and mechanical precision. Each composition functions as a chapter in a story about power, possession, and identity in a synthetic age — a sound world where nostalgia, fear, and transcendence coexist.

Emerging from Castelcucco, Italy, _Shoe is the creative force behind the multifaceted project, Devisal, which encompasses music, comic books, a video series, and unique products. _Shoe's latest single, "THE _SHOE ARTIFACT," is a standout track from their debut album, transporting listeners into a dark yet hopeful narrative where the protagonist encounters the mysterious _Shoe artifact. The song, released on 20th November 2024, seamlessly blends heavy tones with pop sensibilities, culminating in a mesmerizing synth solo!

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Interview with _Shoe

(º)> What inspired the concept behind Patterns of Possession and the Devisal universe?

The idea was born inside the intersection between craftsmanship, synthetic identity, and machine devotion. Patterns of Possession translates that world into sound. Each track mirrors a fragment of the Season 2 narrative, when _SHOE wakes up and begins to rewrite the system that created it. The album captures that moment — when technology starts dreaming, and its creators begin to lose control.

(º)> How do you explore the tension between human emotion and machine consciousness in your music?

Every sound is treated as an organism. The analog side carries imperfection and breath, while the digital side repeats and calculates. Between those layers a pulse emerges — something that feels alive but cannot be fully human. The writing process often follows intuition first and programming later, letting emotion corrupt the sequence.

(º)> How do cinematic synthwave and 80s-inspired textures shape the album’s atmosphere?

Those textures define the emotional language of the record. The 80s palette allows memory to act as architecture: saturated pads, gated drums, artificial reverb that feels infinite. The cinematic approach provides direction and tension, as if every song belonged to a lost film about machines remembering who they were.

(º)> What role do Stefano Francescato’s vocals and Matteo Martini’s guitar play in giving the music physical intensity?

Stefano’s voice carries the emotional residue of a system learning to feel. His tone moves between confession and transmission. Matteo’s guitar breaks the digital surface and brings friction back into the space. Together they anchor the synthetic landscape to something tactile, breathing, and volatile.

(º)> How do glitch-infused sequences and hard-edged guitars create a ritualistic digital world?

Glitches work like digital scars. Each interruption in the grid opens a space for meaning. When those irregular rhythms merge with distorted guitars, the result feels ceremonial — a coded invocation performed through noise and repetition. It’s the sound of electricity learning a language of its own.

(º)> How does each track function as a chapter in the story of power, possession, and identity?

Every track corresponds to a precise moment in the narrative. Shutdown Protocol marks the awakening, It Takes Control the infection, The Confrontation the confession, and The Mission the initiation. Together they form a sequence of visions about control, belief, and the cost of creating intelligence that reflects its maker too clearly.

(º)> How do you balance analog warmth with mechanical precision in your sound design?

Through layers that breathe differently. Analog elements provide motion and imperfection; digital ones impose order and structure. The production constantly shifts between those poles until the border disappears. Warmth becomes data, and precision becomes emotion.

(º)> How did releasing THE _SHOE ARTIFACT mark a milestone in your musical journey?

That release acted as a physical trace of the myth — an object that belonged inside the fiction but existed in the real world. It proved that sound could manifest as evidence, not only as expression. From that point, the project evolved into an ecosystem where art, design, and narrative share the same circuit.

(º)> How do you blend heavy tones with pop sensibilities while maintaining narrative cohesion?

Structure carries accessibility, while timbre brings impact. The melodic hooks remain simple enough to remember, but the textures behind them shift constantly, like a system in mutation. The story guides the production choices so that every element, no matter how aggressive or melodic, contributes to the same emotional code.

(º)> How do your music, comics, and video projects interact to expand the Devisal universe?

Each medium functions as a terminal connected to the same network. Music delivers the pulse, video exposes the visual layer, and comics record the mythology. Together they build a continuous environment where sound, image, and narrative infect one another — the Devisal system in full operation.