Three years on from the release of his latest single ‘Boyz in Plastic Resurrection’ and a good five since his debut full-length Experimental Pornography, Dr. Chicken Gristle’s re-emergence catches the enigmatic musician taking his freakier tendencies to their extremes. Although his previous releases were still designed around warped electronica, these tracks were anchored by pop sensibilities with the Doc’s soured vocals shaping the voyage; however Floating as a Lifeless Vessel Suspended in the Air feels like it consciously moves him from the stage to the floor of a grimy rave.

With the exception of the two atmospheric pieces that provide the listen with a natural ebb and floor, Floating is purely hedonistic and instantaneous, built around tracks ‘Hentai Hours’ and ‘Heaven’s Gallery’, two doses of pummelling beats and immersive synthwork. Much of the EP’s power lies in the fact that the bustling dancefloor is still slightly out of reach, but across these five tracks, there’s a thrilling (yet fleeting) feeling that we’re back in the thick of it.

To get to know the new EP a little better, we had a chat with Dr. Chicken Gristle about Floating as a Lifeless Vessel Suspended in the Air and what he’s been up to over the past few years.

TJ: For the unacquainted, who is Dr. Chicken Gristle?

DCG: Mick Gristle is an electronic musician, video artist, swindler and loosely stapled together human slinky. I make genre-hopping music under the moniker Dr. Chicken Gristle. I received my doctorate from Hollywood Upstairs Medical College - albeit in a fever dream.

Your new EP Floating as a Lifeless Vessel Suspended in the Air is out today! What's the story behind this EP? How'd it come to life?

The two lead tracks, ‘Hentai Hours’ and ‘Heaven’s Gallery’ began as sound sketches in 2018 and 2017 respectively. They came from a time where I was immersed in a nocturnal lifestyle, filled with parties, genuinely unhinged escapades and half-baked schemes - something that feels all too alien now. The tracks bring me a great sense of nostalgia to a time vaguely remembered, in part Floating could be viewed as exploring the mental landscape of the contexts in which we often encounter dance-oriented electronic music. There are also definite themes of desire, perception and reinterpretation that emerged through the development of the EP and its related video content. 

It’s your first new music since 'Boyz In Plastic Resurrection' in 2018 - what have you been up to in the meantime?

Avoiding reality. It’s remained on the rim of my existence, slowly spinning kept at a respectful distance.


This will be your second release through Stargazed Records, who reissued your 2016 album Experimental Pornography. How’d you team up with Stargazed Records, and why is a multi-media label the right home for Dr. Chicken Gristle?

Alex from Stargazed got in contact late 2019 to express praise for my debut, Experimental Pornography, and Stargazed and I have had a quaint working dynamic since. Working with a multi-media label I think is a necessity for an artist like myself who struggles to work within the one genre and who often feels more comfortable doing a VR performance than one IRL. 

It’s a bit of an unlucky time to be in Melbourne at the moment, but what are you doing to celebrate the release? Anything we can look forward to?

It definitely is hey. We’re still incredibly fortunate here in Melbourne though, the world on the whole feels disturbingly bleak. Unfortunately there are no shows planned for the foreseeable future, but the EP’s video content will be slowly released over the coming couple of months and I’m just beyond excited to get that all out. I’m incredibly grateful to be putting new music out there and hope that it brings some enjoyment to those who listen.