BROKEN TELEPHONE rewire shoegaze through experimental hip hop lens in “RSTRT”

Cape Town-based experimental artist Broken Telephone and Auckland-based producer M V Z have joined forces across continents on RSTRT, a glitch-infused shoegaze single that blends dream pop textures with the weight and rhythm of hip hop.

Built on a beat-first foundation, the track was sparked by an instrumental M V Z sent to Broken Telephone just before relocating from Cape Town to New Zealand. What followed was a back-and-forth of sonic manipulation, glitching, and shaping that resulted in a sound neither of them could have made alone.

“I ended up writing a song around it and running the entire thing through my SP555 (sampler),” Broken Telephone explains.

“Mark was into the glitchy results, and so, we bounced it back and forth until we were both happy. It turned into something neither of us could’ve made alone.”

The pair co-mixed the track, with Broken Telephone handling mastering and visual work. The result is a distorted and disorienting piece, described by its creators as cinematic and surreal, pairing submerged, bitcrushed melodies with distant, raw vocals that float “somewhere between prayer and protest.”

The video (watch above) — a psychedelic collage of abstract art and found footage — deepens the sense of dream logic. Broken Telephone admits they’re “still figuring out my relationship to the song,” but points to existential themes, long-distance dynamics, “how history repeats itself and the disconnect that can come with online interactions, even when they feel intimate.

For M V Z, who’s been living in New Zealand for six months, RSTRT is a reflection of both past and present creative scenes. “Making this song has meant a lot as Neil and I are good friends,” he says. “Since moving away to NZ has created a big physical distance, working on this together has made it feel less so.” M V Z adds that they’re often on the same musical wavelength — “and when we’re not we’re constantly pleasantly surprised about the rabbit hole the other has found.”

While the glitch-hop-meets-shoegaze sound feels unclassifiable, the intention behind it was clear. “From my side, it was intentional from the start haha,” says Broken Telephone. “I reckon M V Z suspected I would do something like that. We’re both hip-hop heads.” For both, the blend of shoegaze with hip hop is more than just a stylistic experiment — it’s a conceptual extension. “Resampling a shoegaze song, or incorporating sampling into the genre, ties in beautifully with its maximalist, sonic aesthetic. As a musician, it almost feels like you’re taking it that one step further, in a way.”

 

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The track draws from a wide palette of influence. Broken Telephone points to artists like Spirit of the Beehive, Chanel Beads, CFCF, Dean Blunt, Dälek, JPEGMAFIA, and Sampha as sources of inspiration. “They’re the ‘kings’ of the ‘weird but catchy’ sound, if you ask me.” M V Z notes that the track also carries a punk rock undercurrent — not necessarily in distortion or pace, but in feel. “There’s still some driving guitars in the mix and a general forcefulness of the track itself in the instrumentation.” He also credits JPEGMAFIA’s experimental take on hip hop and the band Glare for inspiring the mix of heaviness and gentleness in the song’s shoegaze elements.

Looking ahead, RSTRT is one of a batch of singles Broken Telephone began releasing in May. Next up is a collaborative four-track EP with rising Cape Town MC Jarry Pitboi and M V Z. “The project also incorporates shoegaze and noise elements,” he says, “but is more explicitly hip-hop in nature, I would say.”

Both artists remain deeply connected to their local scenes, while M V Z shares what he’s seen in Auckland so far.  “I’ve discovered a beautifully diverse and inclusive alternative music scene. The one punk show I attended had two out of three bands with mostly women members — it made me really happy. Even the people in attendance felt very wholesome, like we’re all here for the love of the music, as it should be.” He also notes a similarly open energy in electronic events: “When you find the right events, it’s really lovely.”

While RSTRT is geographically scattered, it’s rooted in a shared language of sonic experimentation, sampling, and boundary-pushing friendship. As M V Z puts it, “We’ve got loads of collaborations coming up.” The distance doesn’t seem to be slowing them down.