RUNE JAIL has just come out of fucking nowhere. The first track from this instrumental, Italo Disco, synth-driven horror project from longstanding singer//songwriter KING DUDE [USA], emerged just last year on Halloween.
While this artist has been living on the east coast of Australia for some time now, his heart + soul lies with his local love + their daughter. With some scattered shows interstate, this new music persona grew from a passion for blood, fun + his adoration for a particular instrument.
HEARTS OF DARKNESS’s own JESS KILL chats to the man himself ahead of RUNE JAIL’s international live debut in Boorloo on the winter solstice, June 21…
RUNE JAIL is just a total deviation from KING DUDE… in a super fucking fun way. What inspired this project?
T.J: “I got a Yamaha PSR 6300 because I read that’s what Leonard Cohen primarily used to make ‘I’m Your Man’. I set off to try + understand how I would sound with that instrument + ended up making Italo Disco with it. Didn’t expect to; just sort of did. Then, with only one song ready, I decided to send it out into the world on Halloween of last year (2023). I didn’t think too much about it; I just sort of did it!”
It seems obvious there has always been a passion for horror + soundtrack-inspired synthwave in you. What made you decide to take the jump + just finally delve into this other musical persona?
T.J: “I think everyone was expecting something else from me, so it felt only natural to throw them a curveball. I like it + that’s the point. It’s super fun to make this sort of music from a producer // engineer // songwriting perspective. [And] it’s all the Yamaha PSR 6300. Drums + everything; it’s very limited technology from 1986.”
Where did the name for this project come about? Were there any particular films/musical projects/literature that you just clicked with that brought it all together?
T.J: “RUNE JAIL is what I call getting locked out of Facebook for posting offensive content that is literally just runes. I guess I coined the phrase back in 2021 when I got put in ‘Rune Jail’ for a month for doing a collaborative song with Death in Rome [updated video with different footage]. They used images of the capitol building being stormed by the protesters. Even though the song was recorded months earlier, it was hilarious with the footage. People are very easily offended these days, so it’s easy to get to sent to ‘Rune Jail’ without even knowing what you did wrong. It all has a very religious ‘… confess your sins’ sort of vibe to it. It’s just a funny name to me.”
Italo Disco has such a massive crossover with the slasher soundtrack style. How were you able to put your own spin on it, or was it just a total homage to you?
T.J: “I think my brain works the same way no matter what kind of music I’m working on. I hear the same melodies + structures everywhere. I don’t think I could do anything without my ‘spin on it’, so to speak.”
With a few singles now available for our ears, is there a full-length in the works?
T.J: “I only have three songs at the moment. I’m trying to write more songs to play at Strange [Fest] so that my set isn’t only 10 minutes long [laughs]!”
How did you bring to life your latest single, ‘Night of the Crystal Huntsman’?
T.J: “Night of The Crystal Huntsman is another track of horror-inspired disco mania that I made entirely with my Yamaha PSR-6300 synthesizer. It’s the title track to an imaginary soundtrack of a disco slasher flick set in the Australian outback. If you wanna hear more about my imaginary movie ideas, you can call me anytime for more details. My number down under is +61 YAMAHA-PSR-6300.”
Not only will this be the first time RUNE JAIL will perform in Boorloo/Perth, but will it also be an Australian first?
T.J: “This will be the first RUNE JAIL show ever!”
What can we expect from RUNE JAIL, in comparison to KING DUDE? Just a total all-out horror spectacular?
T.J: “I’m hoping that it will be a sight to behold! FM synths + horror galore! Everyone should expect a total Halloween disco slasher party. Everyone should dust off their spookiest costumes + dress up for it too! It would be great to see a bunch of 1970s Halloween-style costumes out there in the audience.”
