Manufracture Music is the Vienna, Austria-based dark, hardware-driven industrial/EBM project of electronic producer and sound designer Valerian Steel. Built around analog synthesizers, drum machines, sequencing, and hands-on sound design under an “Analog Core Industrial” (A.C.I.) philosophy, the project explores dystopian narratives, mechanical rhythms, and cold synth textures. Ahead of the release of the single “System Apathy”—which contrasts its hardware-built industrial sound with a deliberately machine-made, AI-assisted visual world to provoke questions about authorship and authenticity—we caught up with Valerian to talk about technological collapse, the agony of bleeding machines, and blurring the boundary between human intention and machine-generated culture. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?
Manufracture Music: Music has always been the ultimate universal language for me—a way to communicate when words fall short. Growing up, there was a lot of noise, pressure, and expectation around me. Music quickly became my retreat. It was the one space where I didn’t have to explain myself, where there were no rules, no outside pressure, and no sanctions. Having that unfiltered escape early on gave me a sense of freedom and control that completely shaped who I am and why I create today.
2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?
Manufracture Music:It’s a mix of both. I come from a classical foundation—singing in a choir for theater productions and taking piano lessons as a kid. But eventually, I stopped just playing sheet music and started improvising my own ideas. At the same time, I was fascinated by gear. I used my pocket money to buy my first synth—which, looking back, was more of a glorified toy keyboard than a real synthesizer! Two years later, I saved up for a proper analog synth, and everything clicked. Life happened, and I actually had to take a long hiatus for many years, but I came back to it two years ago with a completely fresh perspective on creating analog electronic music.
3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, what’s the story behind choosing the name ‘Manufracture Music’?
Manufracture Music: I started out listening to Britpop and Depeche Mode, but I was looking for something with more depth and darkness. That led me to acts like Skinny Puppy, The Cure, and Joy Division.
The ‘R’ in Manufracture Music stands for ‘fracture’ and friction. That’s where my Analog Core Industrial (A.C.I.) approach comes from: I produce my tracks strictly analog, but deliberately pair them with ‘AI-slop’ videos as an artistic protest against unreflective AI usage.
When I launched this, dark scene purists completely bashed me on Reddit for using AI visuals—while blindly worshipping major scene bands whose music and visuals are actually 90% AI-generated today. It’s incredibly cynical. But the protest is working: after my A.C.I. Manifesto was featured in Side-Line Magazine, two of the people who originally attacked me messaged me privately. We started a real dialogue, and I’m still in touch with one of them today.
4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?
Manufracture Music: While my side projects explore different spaces—Music of Synergia is cinematic ambient and Fourtyfication*5 is more dance-heavy—Manufracture Music is strictly anchored in EBM, Darkwave, Gothic, and Industrial.
What sets my sound apart is that I refuse to make ‘mindless’ EBM. Too many acts just layer a kick, snare, and bassline, milking the exact same loop for four minutes straight without any real melody or variation. My tracks build an atmosphere and demand actual attention. They are the exact opposite of today’s fast-food 10-second swipe culture.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as EBM?
Manufracture Music: My earliest takes sounded pretty terrible technically, but they had a real sense of depth and emotional weight. Music was my safe room to process life. I spent countless hours experimenting on synths, capturing sound patches whenever a moment hit me. I couldn’t care less about commercial radio formulas or forcing a chorus at a specific mark. To me, music is pure emotion, and I simply let raw ideas drive the track where they want to go.
6. Music often transcends entertainment. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
Manufracture Music: Music isn’t just background noise or pure entertainment. Because it’s a universal language, it has a duty to address social and political issues. Through Manufracture Music, I use my A.C.I. project to spark active friction around how algorithms, AI memes, and echo chambers manipulate our mindsets and democracies. Luckily, there’s still an underground audience out there that values real substance over instant gratification.
7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment you’re still seeking?
Manufracture Music: I’ve always had a strong sense of mission—when I care about something, I stand up for it. I don’t look at music production as a business investment where I’m calculating ROI or waiting for major label validation. The real reward for me is simple: when listeners and curators connect with the tracks and actually understand the story and message behind them, that’s all the fulfillment I need.
8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, what’s the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?
Manufracture Music: My creative process starts with a mood rather than sudden events. I have a very simple litmus test for my ideas: if a melody stays stuck in my head during a long bike ride or a hike, I know it’s solid enough to produce. Other times, tracks emerge completely organically from hardware jam sessions—just twisting knobs, routing patch cables, and letting the analog gear interact.
9. What moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And let’s talk about your latest release and future plans.
Manufracture Music: Coming back after a multi-year hiatus and fighting through the daily flood of new music wasn’t easy. What fills me with genuine pride today is the organic response: receiving unpaid article and interview requests from people who actually care about the scene, and becoming a recognized name among darkwave curators.
I’m currently releasing fresh singles every few weeks, and I have a dark, vocal-driven track coming up next that takes the tension to a whole new level. Plus, after a long break, I’m finally stepping back into the studio to produce new material for Fourtyfication*5.
10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
Manufracture Music: My songs tell stories and build cinematic atmospheres rather than serving up cheap 10-second hooks. Listeners already know what Manufracture Music stands for: raw analog production, dark moods, and the Analog-Core Industrial ethos. It gives people the freedom to feel their own emotions while still delivering a very clear, unmistakable core message.
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