The Edward Skeletrix Interview

Skeletrix among friends
Welcome

Edward Skeletrix is a multifaceted cultural enigma. He makes music, clothes, and visual content, at least.

His career is longer than many know, musically beginning in 2013 under the stage name cight before in 2018 founding Syckli. He didn't become Skeletrix until 2023. He was one of the first artists to heavily implement AI imagery into his works and online personas.

Skeletrix’s aesthetic style is singular, unsettling, and obscure. His careful selection of imagery for his Instagram evokes a fresh and specific feeling, often playing with the uncanny edges of AI and digital imagery. Frequent use of skeletal and demonic visuals, coupled with a dim color pallet and rough resolution preference, gives his persona a darkly deep-digital affect.

Museum Music, his most recent album, is a surreal and hyper-produced body of work rife with storytelling elements. It applies a deep-digital sound that compliments his visual persona. The album deals with absurdist themes and makes clear that Skeletrix is an investigator of the contemporary world, not just a particularly interesting participant.

Music has never been Skeletrix's sole or even primary focus. It is simply one medium through which he can convey his fresh and quintessentially contemporary aesthetic. He should be seen as an artist first and foremost, exploring what storytelling and aesthetic experiences look like in the virtual age.

More than that though, Edward Skeletrix is a mystery. We asked him a few questions in an attempt to solve it.

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Welcome: Who is this man? Tell us about him.

Edward Skeletrix: That’s Hubert Skeletrix. Originally I was trying to do some storytelling without making a film and that was one of the characters I created for the story.

W: Who is Edward Skeletrix? What is the origin behind the name?

ES: Edward Skeletrix is a character in the story I created. The name came from Lotta Skeletrix, one of my inspirations.

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Skeletrix among friends

W: What is Skeletrix Island?

ES: Skeletrix island is a setting in the story I was telling. My dad bought me an Amelia Island hat with fish bones on it that inspired me.

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You recently tweeted: “I want to present the idea of an off brand artist.” What does an “off brand” artist mean to you?

An artist that gives an off-putting feeling but also a familiar feeling.

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Brennan Jones seems to have become one of your closest collaborators. How did you both meet? How do you complement one another as artists? As friends?

I was trying to get a Sterling Ruby shirt and my friend Kingsly said he knew someone who had it and linked us together. We don’t really complement each other artistically whenever we make music together we’re just joking around and having fun, or at least I am.

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How did AI photo and video become synonymous with Edward Skeletrix?

I was just playing with AI and fans of me took it and ran with it so it became something bigger than what it was.

Who were your biggest musical influences, artists, creators growing up?

I have a crazy amount of influences but the biggest one by far is someone named deadlydollaz. He was a very small artist who stole music. At the time I didn’t know he was stealing. But when I found out he was stealing music … it inspired me even more. The visuals he would use along with the music would align and give a crazy feeling that the original artist was incapable of giving. He basically was the first creative director I ever knew. It’s funny because eventually he started beefing with me and getting all of my music taken down.

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Is Edward Skeletrix a one-man project?

Yes.

Tell us about Syckli. What did it creatively represent for you?

Just a stepping stone so I can get to where I want to get to.

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SYCKLI Backpack (2022)

What are your dreams like?

I don’t dream much.

How do you want to be perceived online by your fans, and the public alike?

I just want them to know I’m having fun.

How do you feel about the current state of music? The state of rap? How do you view your peers in the space if you even consider them peers?

I don’t really listen to much music now you get burnt out of music when you make it.

What currently inspires your sound?

So many influences and real life.

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What should new listeners expect from your project Museum Music?

Don’t expect anything.

What does your day-to-day look like?

I’m just by myself all day.

What is life to you?

Life is about having peace only. That’s the only important thing. Just do whatever you want.

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