// Interview
DN AIDEATH
Sometimes I don't even trust what I believe in.
Photos: novantino, mmaxisdeath
Sompit Tanaya is the person behind DN AIDEATH, a Power Electronics project from Yogyakarta. Even though two newer albums have been released, Pesona Dekadensi is still the one I keep coming back to. Maybe it's because I believe the first encounter is always the most memorable. Ha. Let's get into it.
ED
Hi, Sompit. How have you been? It was great meeting you at BONES 2026. I really appreciate you making the trip. Let's start with the name. Why did you choose DN AIDEATH?
Sompit
Hi Mas Ed! Yeah, it's a pity — we really should have talked more back then, but I wanted to catch the act performing that day. Well, let's just say I was making a dark joke, and since I felt like using a politician's name that might offend people, I went with that one.
ED
Pesona Dekadensi came out in 2022, but when did DN AIDEATH actually begin?
Sompit
Yeah, in the same year, because I was actually just experimenting with recording methods at the time — I was getting bored with the same old noise.
ED
Your two latest releases came out through Tesco Organization and Phage Tapes. Can you tell us about them?
Sompit
Both were released in the same year (2025). SNAKE PIT is a flashback narrative centered on the colonial-era exiles of Boven Digoel, Ende, and Banda Neira. SECTION OF ITSELF is a continuation of that fragmentation, expanding further based on Operation Kraai at the time. It feels good to be the winner (depending on whose version you're looking at), so I created my own version of victory.
ED
Where do your lyrics come from? What drives you to write about those subjects?
Sompit
The writing process was quite tricky; I quoted a lot of what the interviewees and sources said word-for-word.
ED
Are those lyrics a reflection of your own perspective, or do they speak through a different persona?
Sompit
Yeah, based on my own perspective, of course, because I don't feel the need to claim the moral high ground from any side.
ED
What's next for DN AIDEATH?
Sompit
I'm currently waiting for two releases to come out — one from the Japanese label Teito Sound Company, and an LP on Tesco Organisation.
ED
I'm still new to the world of modular synthesis. Could you walk us through the gear and instruments you use?
Sompit
I used a small modular synthesizer system: 2 OSCs, an envelope, a multi-function modulation, and 4 LFOs to drive the drones. I relied on a feedback-loop patch technique and send-return routing for the modulation.
ED
Which books have influenced you the most? What are you reading these days?
Sompit
Mein Kampf! Hehe, just kidding. I'm currently enjoying Byung-Chul Han's Infocracy: Digitization and the Crisis of Democracy (2022). It's fascinating how his critiques resonate with what's happening today.
ED
What beliefs or ideas keep you moving today?
Sompit
Ah, that's a puzzling question... sometimes I don't even trust what I believe in.
ED
Any final words for our readers?
Sompit
....
ED
No? Ha, okay. Thanks a lot, Sompit. Hopefully we'll get the chance to sit down and talk more sometime.
One last thing — besides DN AIDEATH, Sompit also runs a harsh noise project called DETROAK. Be sure to check it out.
// Gallery
