Goodbye to I Killed Techno! - 15 Years of Oddities and Horror
The McAllenite - Rio Grande Valley alternative music site
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The horror-themed electropunk project that captivated audiences for 15 years will conclude after two final performances.
After 15 years, Eric Linares is ending his I Killed Techno! project. Recognized for his violently intense stage presence, especially at house venues, Linares’s music is distinguished by its horror movie campiness, dystopian cyberpunk, and lo-fi electronic mayhem. He will perform two last shows, with the first taking place tonight at Fat Kittie Club in downtown McAllen, and his final performance on the 17th at 707 Coffee House in Alamo.
Linares has considered retiring IKT before, but increasingly difficult circumstances have pushed him to commit to the decision. “It’s becoming harder to get shows and get paid. I feel it takes a lot of stress and I’m getting older. It was fun then, but now it feels like a job. I think my last album (“Don’t Dream In The Grave”) was my best work, so I don’t want to drag it out,” Linares says.
Shocking stage antics and jarring soundscapes is not all IKT is known for. Political commentary and social justice have been a factor in Linares’s music and online presence. Criticism of politicians, law enforcement, and faux democracy have been expressed through his signature blood-curdling shrieks. Outside of music, he has used his influence and reach to help keep the local scene safe from problematic people. He was featured in a TruchaRGV article about the importance of calling out predatory behavior and the need for everyone in the scene to do their part and look out for each other. He has been vocal on social media, and even when receiving pushback from defensive individuals, he remains confrontational and vigilant. “I have two sisters, so I’ve been protective of women and care about their issues. I’ve seen good venues go down the drain because of stuff like this. If we can’t keep our venues safe, where will we go to play shows?” he says.
While the rudimentary electronics and campy aesthetic evoke horror movies of the past, it also brings forth images of dystopian cyberpunk futures, which comes from his cynical lens he’s had since his musical origins. “When I first started writing lyrics, I wrote about Bush and the war. I saw what was wrong with the world. I was politically motivated and wanted to make a punk band. Even back then, I saw the problems with social media too. At the time, we had MySpace, and people were doing the pic4pic thing and obsessed about being in someone else’s top eight friends. It was ridiculous. I even made a song making fun of people basing their whole beauty and aesthetic on MySpace. It’s only gotten worse since then.”
Linares has had the name I Killed Techno! since his MySpace days, and revealed its humorous creation. “Me, my girlfriend, and her friend were sitting in a park, and her friend was telling us about this guy she liked who was into techno music. After uploading three songs to MySpace, I didn’t have a name, so I called it ‘I Killed Techo!’ just to spite her,” he says while laughing. “I showed her and I was like, see?! I told you I’d do it!”
Linares also shared his bizarre memories of his first gig which was at the Hardback Cafe at the old Hastings in McAllen, and how the venue clashed with his strange style. “The people who ran the show left early and took the PA and microphones with them, but I had brought my amp just in case. Everyone was so confused. I had these weird beats and crazy goggles on. The only one that was cheering me on was Juicy Mouse Box. It was one of my worst shows ever.”
Another notable memory was his time at Unisex Fest in 2017 and 2018. “It was way out there at a ranch in Edinburg. People could bring their tent and sleep there. It was two to three days that first year. There was music and video games. It was fun. It was wild. I kept warning my girlfriend to get out of the way before I started playing. During the set I threw a trash can and it almost hit her head.”
Linares’s signature masks made of cloth and pillow sheets have been part of his look from the beginning, due to stage fright, but it also amplifies his sinister appeal. His horror influence has been a part of his life since he was a child. “My mom got me into horror movies. She liked to scare me. I think those cheesy horror and sci-fi movies from the 80’s were great with their practical effects at the time. They get pigeon-holed as ‘b-movies’ but they’re pretty good.” The resourcefulness of these older movies are reflected in his sound as well, with his lo-fi electronics and harsh production quality adding a sense of immersion into the dark worlds of his music. “I used pirated versions of FL Studio. I used old laptops, old microphones. I made music anyway I could. Someone once called my music ‘no-fi’. I’ll take it. I think that’s pretty cool.”
I Killed Techno!’s final show at 707 Coffee House was already scheduled when Linares made his decision to end the project, but tonight’s gig was last minute and had some personal interest to him as well. “Fat Kitty Club used to be a house venue. We did a lot of damage to that house, but the owners were okay with that. So I wanted to play at their new place. I also wanted to do it so I can play with Posterboy 2000.”
Linares will remain a part of the scene by attending shows and experimenting with analog instruments in his new project called “Crust Fund”. Despite his departure from IKT, he would like to encourage aspiring musicians to continue their pursuits for the right reasons. “There’s no money in music, but you should still do it,” he says. See the flyers below for information on his final two performances.