Interview: Aesthetic Perfection

By Neil Shumate, OOTB Publications

Industrial and Dark Wave music generally doesn’t garner much attention these days, unless it’s already propelled to success in the mainstream with the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry; however, there remain glimpses of the genre within the pop of Lady Gaga, the rock of In This Moment and moreso industrial with Deadly Apples, I Ya Toya, KMFDM and others…along with an underground Industrial Pop artist that’s been doing it for more than two decades: Aesthetic Perfection, whom we feature in this OOTB Interview.

Residing in Austria by way of Los Angeles, the person behind Aesthetic Perfection is singer, songwriter, producer Daniel Graves.

Eight albums in since the 2005 debut Close To Human and most recently 2022’s MMXXI, Aesthetic Perfection also recently released a new song and video for “We Bring The Beat,” which will be followed by another single, “Sorrow,” releasing Monday, March 30.

While in preparation for an extensive April tour alongside Julien-K—which is fronted by former Orgy/Dead By Sunrise/Adema member Ryan Schuck and former Orgy/Dead By Sunrise member Amir Derakh—and Priest—featuring two former members of Ghost—Graves took time out to reflect on his influences, career, live show experience, stage fright, collaborations and more.

First of all, thank you for keeping industrial alive and well—your work is phenomenal! Who are some of the pioneers or artists that influence your sound and approach the most?

Thank you for your kind words.

I would say that my musical philosophy has been shaped equally by Top 40 pop and industrial music. Both were highly influential to me in my youth and helped me appreciate multiple approaches to creating music.

In the pop realm, it was Michael Jackson and Madonna who influenced me the most, and Nine Inch Nails, of course, along with Wumpscut on the industrial front.

With your new single “Sorrow,” what do you hope listeners will take away the most from the song?

I don't try to tell people what they should or shouldn't get out of my music.

Art and its consumption are deeply personal experiences and how one approaches them depends entirely on their perspective.

All that matters to me is that people connect with it in some way, shape or form.

Spanning more than two decades of music and eight album releases, what has been your biggest difficulty or struggle in the music industry and how have you overcome that?

I would say that I have yet to overcome my greatest hurdle: self-doubt.

On the other side of that, what are some of your biggest highlights that stand out in your career?

More than anything, I'm simply happy to still be here.

I was fairly certain I wouldn't live beyond 40, and the fact that I've reached the other side of it and still get to create music for a living is more than I could have ever hoped or dreamed.

In four adjectives, please describe your live performances.

Terrifying

Exhilarating

Exhausting

Sweaty

What can attendees expect from the tour kicking off in April?

As always, audiences can expect me to give everything I have to them every single night.

I hate playing live. I have horrible stage fright.

I don't do this for myself. If I did, I would never set foot on a stage.

I do it for the audience.

What artists or bands would you love to collaborate with and why them?

I've been in this business for over 20 years. If I've learned anything, it's that your heroes let you down, and the folks you THINK you want to work with, are never worth your time.

My best collaborations are the ones that come out of nowhere, are entirely unexpected, and flow effortlessly. Give me more of THOSE!

After this tour, what are your plans and goals through the year?

My new album is six months overdue; I should probably finish that first thing when I get home.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks to everyone who still cares about my art after all these years. It means more than you'll ever know.

Watch “We Bring The Beat”