Revelation interviews Isaac Howlett of Empathy Test:
What is the origin of your band name?
 The name Empathy Test comes from Blade Runner; one of our favourite and arguably one of the best sci-fi movies ever made! It stars Harrison Ford as a hitman tasked with tracking down and killing rogue replicants. Replicants are androids so advanced itâs virtually impossible to tell apart from humans. To do so, they use an âempathy testâ called the Voight-Kampff Test.
 We used the name for few reasons. Firstly, because we love the movie, but also because although we make music with a computer, our songs and lyrics communicate with people on a very human level. You could say they are an empathy test in themselves. Also, the soundtrack by Vangelis is a brilliant example of the use of analogue synthesisers to create atmosphere and narrative through music, which is something we do!
 What can you tell me about your debut album âShadowsâ to be released this year? Is there anything else you are working on at the moment?
 Weâve already released a couple of EPs but the album is still on ice. It might come out this year, it might not. Weâve certainly got enough material stockpiled. Weâve turned down several record deals because they havenât been the right kind of label or theyâve wanted us to sign up for more than one album and we donât want to make such a big commitment. There would be nothing worse than being stuck in a deal we didnât want to be and having to make a second or third album we didnât want to.
 So the plan  is to keep self-releasing singles until the right deal comes along or weâre big enough for people to take notice. To be honest, a lot of people in the industry are wondering if âthe albumâ, as a format, is dead anyway. The amount of time, effort and money that goes into releasing one doesnât seem worth it when the majority of people just download the tracks they want or stream them in a playlist on Spotify or whatever. It just means fans waiting longer for new music.
 Weâre self-releasing a new double A-side single Demons /  Seeing Stars on September 9th and weâll just see how it goes.
 So synthesizers seem to feature as a big part of your musical style, has electronic music been a big inspiration for you?
 Adam, who produces all our music, has always worked electronically and taught himself to produce through making underground dance music. Heâs heavily influenced by 1980s sci-fi film score composers like Brad Fiedel (Terminator), John Williams (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and James Horner (Star Trek, Aliens). A lot of them used synthesisers as they were a new technology at the time those movies came out. They made a comeback in recent years with Winding Refnâs Drive of course, thatâs when we realised synths could work for us!
 What genre or style of music do you consider your work to be?
 Electronic Pop. Our musicâs definitely electronic and itâs definitely pop. Pop isnât a dirty word for us; we like catchy choruses and hooks. All our tracks have one or the other but usually both. However, we do use synth sounds so you could say weâre a Synthpop band. But weâre not keen to be pigeonholed as purely a Synthpop band. We want room to grow, basically.
 Which artists or bands are major influences on your work?
 We wouldnât really cite anyone in particular as a major influence. As we said, Adamâs influenced by movie soundtrack composers and underground dance music producers. He doesnât really consume music in the way most people do, he hears stuff he likes, appreciates it and then tries similar ideas in our tracks. Isaacâs entry into songwriting was thanks to â90s guitar bands like Placebo, Pulp, James etc. Intelligent pop songs with great melodies but also real meaning and intelligent lyrics. Interestingly, despite the electronic â80s style, which gets us compared to Depeche Mode and OMD, people have heard those â90s guitar bands in the songwriting.
 Is there anything you guys do outside of music that inspires your work or contributes to your musicality?
 Adam is a freelance illustrator and does all of our artwork. Thereâs a link for him between the music he makes for Empathy Test and the artwork he does for us. For both of us music is a source of self-expression and so everything we experience that inspires us in some way no doubt finds a way into our music. That could be a person, an artwork, a book, a movie; whatever. The prevailing theme is human relationships, our relationship with the world as a whole and also with technology.
 How long have you two known each other? How did you meet?
 Weâve known each other since we were six and eight. So most of our lives. We met at a kind of hippy community (at least thatâs how we remember it) our parents used to visit in Smarden and have been friends ever since. We were both really into comic books and Star Wars so we got on well.
 How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
 Weâve attempted to make music together in the past, mixing acoustic and then electric guitars with electronic beats but we were never quite satisfied with the way things sounded. It wasnât until we dropped guitars completely and tried synthesisers that things suddenly clicked.
 Which are your favourite original songs to perform? Do you ever play any covers?
 We did a cover of Gotyeâs Somebody That I Used To Know (youâll find it on YouTube) when we first started out but people much preferred our first original track Losing Touch so we tend to just record and perform our own stuff now. However, if we find the right track, who knows.
 Could you briefly describe your music-making process? What comes first, lyrics or music, or is it an integrated approach?
 Isaac writes the songs on an acoustic guitar and records a rough demo. He then takes it to Adam and we build a track around it on the computer. Adam works out a bass line and a beat and begins to extract melodies from the guitar part using synths and pads. Eventually the guitar part is erased completely. During this process Isaac will often jam along on a piano or guitar, improvising new melodies which Adam will weave into the tracks as he goes. Then we re-record the vocals properly and Isaac leaves Adam to work his magic. Tying the track to a solid, standalone song seems to help make it more memorable.
 What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you guys have a rigorous routine or is it more spontaneous?
 We donât really rehearse together much at all. Isaac rehearses alone at home and sometimes with our live drummer when we have one. Isaacâs not sure Adam rehearses at all, to be honest.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
 Just finding a way to work together was the biggest challenge. Itâs still hard and involves a lot of compromise, usually more for Isaac haha. But our success so far shows weâve at least achieved that - for the time being anyway. Finding the time to get together and make music is also hard. We both have day jobs and all kinds of other things going on in our lives so it can be hard to find the time. A lot of people donât realise that - they think Empathy Test is all we do and wonder why weâre not releasing new music every few months!
 What's the ultimate direction for Empathy Test? Where do you see your work taking you 5 years from now?
 Most of our success so far has been in Germany. The Germans have been really good to us. But weâd love to see some more success for us in the UK and America. We see us moving away from the âsynth sceneâ and embracing a more modern, cutting edge electronic sound. Expand our audience basically. Hopefully in five years weâll have released a load more music and be a lot more well known!
 What advice do you have for aspiring musicians who want to form their own bands?
 Just do it! And do as much of it yourself, because these days you can.
 How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
 You can listen to everything weâve released in various places on the web including our SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube. Take your pick!
 Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
 Our good friend Robert in Germany, who has provided so many opportunities for us already and Isaacâs girlfriend Tanya, who stops the whole project falling apart more regularly than probably anyone realises!
