Drain Gang Merch Men's T-Shirt Size S-2XL

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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. CG: Now that you are visible and influential figures in youth culture, do you ever feel like you got more than you bargained for? Drain Gang(formerly known asGravity Boys Shield Gang) is an artistic collective, focusing on music and fashion. With a discography as dizzying as Drain Gang’s, with their solo and collaborative projects to account for that amasses to hundreds upon hundreds of songs, it was a wonder what the setlist would hold. The group are acutely aware of how to electrify their audience, deploying the most iconic tunes in their arsenal: era-defining “Obedient”, and Trash Island classic “Victim”, to prove that their command was no effort. But in a classic Drain Gang tradition, there are more curveballs than you’d imagine for a world tour, leaving you second-guessing their logic.

BLADEE: For me, playing a show is completely different from the music. I don’t necessarily associate it with anything else we do. 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. 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. 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.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. 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. 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. BLADEE: We always arrive at something interesting through the music that we didn’t expect. We never set out to play huge shows or to have a cult fanbase, but there’s always something fun and unexpected happening.

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.

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. CG: Ecco, in your last interview for 032c, you said, “I don’t want anything.” Do you all feel that way? 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. 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.

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: 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? 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. I’ve really only heard a few projects–a few artists, who are at this visibility level, who are so beyond the help that Auto-Tune can provide .... I guess this album does have a certain awkward-European-who-sits-around-all-day-getting-high-with-his-friends-and-consuming-American-media-through-the-internet appeal to it .... I will commend Bladee on one thing with this record, though: this album, and his sound in general, would be nearly impossible to parody .... There’s no way to tease a funny moment out of it by making a worse-sounding version. But each member, distinct in style and aesthetic, has earned their own devout following independent of the group. Ecco2k, who notably supported Yves Tumor on the US dates of his tour, is an androgynous, pixie-like creature whose instinct for image has been behind the creative direction for both Drain Gang and Yung Lean’s visuals. When he’s not at the helm of design at Eytys, modelling for Alyx Studios and pioneering his own brand, g’LOSS, Ecco2k is making gleaming experimental pop that feverishly interrogates self-image, perfection and the weight of being seen. The final of the triad of vocalists is Thaiboy Digital: ‘Chief Commander’. He is by far the most elusive member, partly because he was removed from Sweden by immigration and now resides in his native Bangkok with his wife and baby daughter. The closest aligned with rap in its traditional sense, Thaiboy Digital is still undeniably melodic, and with their music guided by producer Whitearmor, the effect of their sound is otherworldly.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.

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. 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: BLADEE: I can’t do anything when I have to. I can’t work in any other way. So, in that way, it’s effortless. If I feel pressured to do something, then I won’t do it! WHITEARMOR: I always thought we were getting into the world of the music we listened to, which was pretty normal rap music. I couldn’t understand why our stuff was not connecting with the people we wanted to work with—which, in the beginning, was someone like Chief Keef. I couldn’t understand why only niche internet artists wanted to work with us. I thought, “This is not like our music.” To me, our music sounded normal. [ all laugh] 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: Although we’ve managed to keep things within our inner circle, we have to accept that we can’t control outside narratives. 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: Usually, you think it’s going well because you’re seeing numbers and statistics. You don’t ever really see what that means until you go somewhere, perform, and see all the people who are listening to the music. All you have to do is look someone in the eye and say hello. You can tell it’s a really big deal to them. ECCO2K: When you’re tuned to listen for certain things, you have to retune yourself. Those normal things that you’re listening for are not in the same place in our music, or [they] are often not there at all. If you’re coming at it expecting to hear something you would normally hear in what you like, you have to adjust.