Interview: IMPERATOR on new Exhumed album

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“There are no gods here — only the machine.”

27 Magazine caught up with the “Commander in Chief” of futuristic dystopian machine music, IMPERATOR (Giuseppe Scaturro), to chat about his new project and capture some behind-the-scenes moments in his Sydney studio.

“IMPERATOR emerges from the ashes of SNVFF with a sound that feels feral, futuristic, and unapologetically raw. Blending industrial DnB with environmental textures and bleeding-edge tools, the project pushes into territories both mechanical and deeply human. This is an artist standing at the edge of their own abyss and choosing to step forward.”

1. Given the legacy you built with the industrial duo SNVFF, how did the sound and vision for IMPERATOR begin to take shape? Was there a specific moment where you knew it was time for a new creative chapter?

SNVFF was a necessary crucible – loud, chaotic and full of lessons I needed to learn. By the end of that era I was already drifting into darker territory, obsessing over the precision and brutality of neurofunk drum & bass. I could feel that shift in my body long before I had the technical ability to execute it.

I locked myself in my studio and tore everything down to rebuild from scratch. No boundaries, no expectations, just pure, unfiltered creation. That’s where IMPERATOR was born. It now feels like the truest expression of my artistic instinct: sharpened, deliberate and impossible to ignore.

It’s like conjuring something feral, bloody-nosed, teeth coming in, already screaming to evolve. I’m standing at the edge of an entirely new universe with this project and I’m hungry to keep pushing further.

2. Exhumed conjures futuristic industrial DnB landscapes. Beyond the genre itself, what specific influences whether film, literature or other artists helped you manifest that distinctive sound?

A lot of the DNA in Exhumed comes from the worlds I disappear into. Video game soundtracks, cinematic scores and artists who reshape sound into something visceral. But truthfully, my influences are far stranger and less predictable than any simple list. Inspiration strikes from anywhere: the metallic groan of distant construction, the low-frequency hum of a subway, the uneasy silence of a forest, or some buried noise in my mind finally clawing its way out.

Those accidental, environmental and subconscious textures shaped Exhumed just as much as any direct musical reference. I’m collecting ghosts of sounds and stitching them into something mechanical, hostile and unmistakably alive.

3. When you sit down to create a new track for IMPERATOR, what does that initial spark look like? Do you start with rhythm, sound design, or melody? And can you share a bit about your preferred tools and software?

For me the initial spark rarely begins with a neat pre-packaged idea. Most of the time it ambushes me. Some instinctive hit that pulls me back into Ableton. I usually begin with the beat and bassline because that’s where the pulse is. Once the foundation feels alive, I build the world around it. Melodies tend to come last, they’re the final piece after the visceral core has been fully fed.

A major part of my recent process has involved resampling artificially generated vocals paired with lyrics I write myself. I know it’s controversial and I understand why people are cautious. But for me it’s never been about replacing anything human. It’s about expanding the palette of what’s possible.

I’d hit a creative wall for almost four years. Trauma completely shut down my ability to write and I felt disconnected from the craft that once defined me. Experimenting with AI-driven tools became a bridge back into making music. Not a shortcut, but a way to unlock ideas I couldn’t access at the time.

People fear AI because they assume it erases the human element, but that’s not how it feels to me. It feels more like a new instrument. One capable of pushing sound into unfamiliar territory. Technology has always changed the way artists create.

For me AI isn’t about replacing human expression. It’s a collaborator that helped me reconnect with creativity. I understand if that makes some people hesitant to engage with the project. I genuinely respect that perspective. But my intention has always come from an honest place, reconnecting with creativity in a way that feels exciting, meaningful and genuinely fun again.

4. Now that Exhumed is out what’s next on the horizon for IMPERATOR? Can fans expect a tour, music videos or another release already in the works?

For now I’m keeping IMPERATOR in the shadows underground, unpolished and exactly where it should be. I’m still testing the waters while willingly diving into the River Styx. This project scares me in a way that feels alive and there’s always the possibility I could slip back into the void just as quickly as I emerged. That uncertainty is part of its heartbeat.

A live experience is absolutely calling to me. I already know how it would look, how it would breathe, but there are no official tours or music videos announced yet. What may surface soon is a proper release ritual: something intimate, intense and not easily forgotten.

And believe me, Exhumed is only the first ripple. If people want more I have entire worlds waiting beneath the surface. This is only the beginning.

5. Having established the sound world of Exhumed, where do you see IMPERATOR evolving on the next project?

There are no boundaries for where this sound can go. IMPERATOR was never meant to stand still. What I can say is this – the next chapter will be heavier, harsher and far less forgiving. I’m pushing into territory that feels almost alien, raw, unrestrained and completely out of this world.

This is a passion project in the deepest sense. Built from obsession, grief, tension, experimentation and catharsis. Not a search for purity, but a search for expression. A way of turning pain, memory and pressure into sound.