I decided to use something based on my given name for my latest project, just for a change. Sometimes my mom calls me Ericus. Then, as I was working through the production, I started coming up with all sorts of crazy names, some of which will probably surface in the future. Then, after going through all of them and changing my mind multiple times, I went back to the original idea of using Ericus. The main reason is that this record combines a lot of different things, musically, I have enjoyed over the years, so it worked on a personal level. Also, using the Roman numerals for 2012, which is synonymous with the end of the world, but a year of personal rebirth, for me, musically, made it all the more fitting to just go this route.
The background image was a frame from an old animation I produced. It was made using Cinema 4D and the project involved animating alpha channels in the texture of the models, which were animated abstract forms. It created the silky organic shapes you see. If you look closely you can see some polygon edges. I used this image for the top and bottom of the album cover, as well, mixing them with photos of satin sheets to create the lustrious effect that was important to the feel of the cover.
I did a lot of research for the cover art. I wanted something with a possibly iconic feel, and something that was edgy, but not evil. Something that sort of reflected my personality. The cute baby devil was the result of that. Just to give the image that extra, otherworldly oomph I put tiny people on the ground, to give it scale. For the horns, I killed a klippspringer and taped the horns to the neighbors' baby's head and snapped a photo. Just kidding. I took those from a photo and reworked them. Adding their shadows to the baby's shadow, plus the people in the foreground and the sky in the background pulled it all together for a great image.
Musically, this record continues my journey of mixing things together and trying different techniques. I was way past due for guitar integration and that mixed with my desire to make more dance music fueled this project. I had a blast making it. It's essentially an electro record with guitars, but where others create a darker, aggressive sound, I really wanted to focus on dance production techniques. It has elements of electro, EDM, rock and dubstep all mixed together.
This was the original frame from the animation. I've always imagined creating these unusual dimensions and these images in particular fit this project and the main cover image.