Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with RIVERLABS

RIVERLABS - FRACTURED REALITY - HUMAN CODE

Cinematic darkwave/electronic from Chile. Fractured Reality: Human Code (12 tracks) moves from fracture to pulse—disconnection to revelation. A rebuilt, independent comeback. RIYL Depeche Mode, NIN, Moderat, Jon Hopkins. Try “Fractured Truth,” “Synthetic Hearts,” “The Edge of Time.”

RIVERLABS is an electronic/darkwave project based in Santiago, dedicated to the space where circuitry meets soul. The sound lives between cinematic electronica, industrial tension and ambient afterglow: heavy low-end, neon synths, and glitch-etched details that feel like messages from a parallel city at night. The new 12-track album, Fractured Reality: Human Code, unfolds in two movements—The Fracture and The Pulse—moving from disconnection and urban stillness to resistance, collapse and revelation. Across the record, RIVERLABS turns rupture into resolve: steel rhythms, widescreen pads, and melodies that carry a heartbeat.

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Interview with RIVERLABS

(•)> Fractured Reality: Human Code feels like both a collapse and a rebirth. What personal or creative experiences shaped this concept of fracture and pulse?

A personal and creative rupture: a previous release was pulled, and I had to rebuild the project from zero. That break became “La Falla.” The comeback, discipline, and new intent became “El Pulso.” It’s collapse → reset → motion.

(•)> The album moves through disconnection, resistance, and revelation. How did you translate those emotional states into sound?

Disconnection: “no-signal” textures, clipped transmissions, detuned drones.

Resistance: gritty bass pulses, syncopated hits, tactile drums that feel physical.

Revelation: widening harmonies, breathing room, humanized takes and melodic release.

(•)> Your music sits at the crossroads of electronica, darkwave, and cinematic tension. How do you approach blending those worlds into one cohesive identity?

I write story-first, sound-second — each track solves a scene. I limit the palette (granular layers, analog-leaning synths, post-industrial percussion) and keep energy arcs consistent, so the genres meet inside the narrative rather than as references.

(•)> Santiago has a distinct underground energy. How has the city influenced the mood and sonic texture of your music?

Santiago at night has a particular pressure: mountains like walls, long avenues, sudden quiet. That tension—underground energy vs. reflective solitude—filters into the low end weight, concrete-like rhythms, and the late-night melancholy of the pads.

(•)> I've been there, actually! The night is always alive! What are your thoughts on Electrodomesticos' "Viva Chile!"?

Love them - total pioneers of Chilean experimental / post - punk. "Viva Chile!" is pure nerve. Carlos Cabezas is still creating great music. Huge inspiration for the textures in Riverlabs.

(•)> Tracks like Fractured Truth and Synthetic Hearts pulse with both emotion and precision. What was your production process like for this record?

Most tracks began with a tone poem—a drone, a field texture, or a pulse—then I carved space with granular edits and layered percussion. I combine hardware immediacy with in-the-box precision, printing mistakes on purpose to keep it human.

(•)> The album’s two-part structure, The Fracture and The Pulse, feels almost like a film. Was there a visual or narrative journey you wanted listeners to experience?

Act I (La Falla) is the moment you realize the city is cracked—control, silence, shock. Act II (El Pulso) is movement—resistance, collapse, and a fragile revelation. The midpoint hovers at the threshold, like time suspended before the fall.

(•)> There’s a strong human undercurrent beneath the machines. How do you balance technology with emotional vulnerability in your music?

Rule of thumb: every track must contain at least one uncorrected human gesture—a late snare, a breath, a synth wobble. Technology frames the feeling; it never replaces it.

(•)> You’ve cited influences like Depeche Mode, NIN, and Moderat. How do you carry their legacy forward while keeping RIVERLABS’ sound distinct?

I practice subtractive homage: keep the emotional DNA (tension, minimal hooks, weight) but remove retro signatures that would turn it into pastiche. Then I rebuild with my narrative pacing and current sound design choices.

(•)> This record feels like a comeback. What does independence and creative control mean to you at this stage of your journey?

Owning direction, pacing, and masters. No playlist-chasing—just honest work, sustainable momentum, and collaborations that respect the vision.

(•)> If Fractured Reality: Human Code is a message from a parallel city at night, what do you hope that message says to the listener?

“Even when the grid flickers, the human pulse remains.” The signal you’re looking for might be your own.

(•)> That's all Folks! Check out RIVERLABS on the Pigeon Spins Playlist