Gokul Parasuram is no stranger to creating intricate, interesting music. As the guitarist/vocalist for defunct art rockers Pillage & Plunder, Parasuram, along with bandmates Noah Kess (who appears on this record) and Hsiang-Ming Wen (now the bass player for Baby Baby), pushed the boundaries between punk scrappiness and prog rock complexity while also finding small pockets of space to hit you with unexpected jazz chords and vicious guitar licks.
Self-recorded over the span of six months, Hallucinojerk is his first solo venture under the moniker Freddy Chops, and it finds him exploring the deep abyss where furious electronic beats meet live guitars and bass. On both the opening track, “Cryo Chamber,” and the closing cut, “East Of West Vol. 3,” Parasuram pulls off a stellar, modern-day Frank Zappa-using-GarageBand impersonation by placing layered guitars and synthesizers over a patchwork quilt of electronic bleeps and thuds. The end result hints at the electronic weirdness of Zappa’s Jazz from Hell combined with the freewheeling guitar work of Hot Rats. Elsewhere, the sprightly, shape-shifting “Auntie (This is Not What Family Feels Like)” harkens back to his Pillage & Plunder days, with Kess joining him on drums.
Simply put, Freddy does have chops, and isn’t afraid to show them off, whether it’s behind the computer or when he’s attacking the fretboard and deepening the calluses on his fingers. Ultimately, Hallucinojerk leaves you longing for more, which is a good thing because Parasuram plans to be very busy in the coming year.
“I want to become an artist who releases music constantly, almost on a monthly basis,” he says over email. “I needed to find a good sound and process to build my approach on, and ultimately, this release serves as a foundation to what I’m going to do (harder) in the future.”
Hallucinojerk is available now as a pay what you want download on Bandcamp.
More Info
Bandcamp: freddychops.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @freddychopsmusic