Meet Bias Selector, The Anonymous Industrial Music-Making Duo

Bias Selector is a gay industrial dance band from Cleveland, Ohio that was formed in late 2021. Drawing inspiration from 1980s-era Wax Trax Records, hiNRG disco, and Prince’s Minneapolis sound, their style is quite unique, bringing a crispy touch to every track. The anonymous duo make old-school industrial funk that is fast, largely improvised, and deeply shadowy, preferring to let their raucous music speak for itself.

After listening to a few tracks, I was immediately brought into the world of Bias Selector. The dark industrial vibe seriously transported me to a different realm, making me feel like I was almost lost in a trance from the crispy percussion and 80s synth waves. Imagine yourself in a dark room somewhere at a leather bar in the 80s, and add a modern touch to it with some poppers, and you’ll be exactly where their music put me. Listening track to track from both of their full length albums and two-pack single EP released last year titled “Music For Eating,” “Music For Prey,” and “Let’s Eat,” it really made me want to experience their sound live. Now that I’ve been put onto their music, I am excited to listen to it for all my future commutes, friendly hangs, and sleazy endeavors.

On June 1, Bias Selector will unveil their first vinyl LP, “Music For Eating, Music For Prey” collecting 12 songs from the first 3 digital releases.

I had the privilege of interviewing the mysterious duo themselves about their music, live appearances, and more! Check it out below.

Bryce Quartz: Hey there, Bias Selector! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. How are both of you doing today?

Bias Selector: Thank you, Bryce! The windows are wide open, so it’s a great day for us in Ohio. The sun isn’t out, but let’s not get too greedy, right?

Bryce Quartz: So, how did both of you meet?

Bias Selector: We are a cyber love story. We met online about 4 years ago and have spent pretty much every day together since.

Bryce Quartz: How did both of you come up with the name “Bias Selector”?

Bias Selector: It just sort of came out of thin air. Very little of our music or visuals are planned out. We leave everything to chance and edit the results. It can get a bit edgy and weird because we’re drawn to strong, suggestive symbols that can mean many things, but we don’t really like telling people because we don’t even fully know. It’s like late at night, the synths and drum machines know what to do, and we just hit record. There’s some weird energy around Lake Erie.

Bryce Quartz: If you could describe your music in one sentence for new listeners, what would you say?

Bias Selector: “Disco panic attack” was the first thing that came to mind, lol. We also like to call it anonymous hard industrial funk.

Bryce Quartz: Are there any other musicians who inspire your work or inspire you personally?

Bias Selector: Since starting Bias Selector a little over a year ago, we’ve met so many supportive people in the underground queer community, visual artists like Ky Horde in Cleveland, and bands from all over like Voix in the Dark and Poison the Vicar—people who truly inspire us to do what we do because there is this mutual energy. It’s really cool.

Bryce Quartz: If you could suggest three songs from your discography to new listeners, what would they be and why?

Bias Selector:

1. “Lion’s Den” – Prince and the Revolution meets the high-energy industrial of early Meat Beat Manifesto. It’s fast, funky, and hard, just shy of abrasive but definitely a good time.
2. “Open Flamer” – an homage to the Jackson’s “Torture” and Skinny Puppy’s “Too Dark Park” with the serious chord sequence and hard, robotic groove. During the chorus, a robot asks you to rip off its skin.
3. “Let’s Eat” – The first song we wrote together. It features a very direct house beat with a prominent cowbell, the bass line sounds like something off the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and the ambiance sounds like a dying television.

Bryce Quartz: What is a Bias Selector live show like, and do you have any shows we can catch you at soon?

Bias Selector: We like to overload the audience and give them an experience that is about them as much as it’s about us. It’s like a haunted workout class with live percussion and a giant flashing skull, TVs with crazy shit going on, strobe lights, disembodied voices that are horny and hungry. Quality adult entertainment for arty queers that wanna get down.

Bias Selector Live Summer 2023:

• 6/2 Small’s (Detroit, MI) with Leaetherstrip, Plack Blague, and Crune
• 6/3 No Class (Cleveland, OH) with Plack Blague, Uniity, ASMR, and Pleasure Boy
• 6/10 The Garage (Binghamton, NY) with Pleasure Dome, Nu Expressions, Wax Girl, and Jacqui

Bryce Quartz: Tell us a little bit more about your first vinyl record launching for Pride Month. What songs will be on it, and where can we purchase a copy?

Bias Selector: We are big lovers of vinyl, so there has always been a desire to press a Bias Selector record. Since we booked a few shows around Pride this year,

we decided it would be a good time to make it happen. We chose 12 songs from our first 3 digital releases with the intention of making a record that people would want to have on their shelves and turntables—something to play while you party or when you turn the red lights on and get nasty. Right now, you can pick it up from biasselector.bandcamp.com or via our distributor at steadfastrecords.net. Our music is available on streaming services everywhere as well.

Bryce Quartz: Do you all have any music videos or visuals planned for the future?

Bias Selector: We’ve made a lot of backing videos for our live shows, but those are kinda exclusive to that. Beyond that, no plans for any music videos at the moment. We like to think that the live show and vinyl record are the best ways to enjoy what we do, very much a conscious throwback to pre-internet days.

Bryce Quartz: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us, Bias Selector!

Bias Selector: Thank you for showing love to big sexy boys everywhere! 🙂

Be sure to stream Bias Selector on all platforms now and give them a follow on social media to stay updated, and purchase a t-shirt or vinyl to show your support even further!

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