Mephisto Odyssey

Mikael Johnston – producer, songwriter
Orpheos Dejournette – Vergoan songwriter, producer, Guitarist, Audio Craftsman
Barrie Eves – Turntables, beats, samples and Rizla
Josh Camacho – DJ

“After the death of 80’s rock, I was a frustrated guitar player and wannabe songwriter without much direction. I had never even heard any kind of club music at this time – the closest thing to electronic music I had ever listened to was Depeche Mode or New Order and some breakin’ stuff like Mantronics. I literally got so frustrated that I prayed for an answer as to what to do with myself with the threat that I was going to quit music if I didn’t get an answer. That night I had a dream and a voice told me to “buy a computer.” The next morning I woke up, bought a computer and had absolutely no idea what to do with it. After a chance visit to a recording studio I learned about Midi and the rest is history, so to speak,” recalls Mikael Johnston.

Around the same time, Mikael met Orpheos Dejournette in Alameda, California (a suburb of San Francisco), a like-minded guitar player who had been playing in local Goth bands without much success. The two decided to put a studio together in a shared apartment and after try their hand at electronic music. They release a 12″ single titled “Dream of The Black Dahlia” and named themselves Mephisto Odyssey. While doing a little self-promotion, they visited Berkeley-based Primal Records (considered to be one of the premiere dance music stores on the left coast) and ran into the feisty ex-Brit who owns the shop, Barrie Eves. “Barrie’s strong connections helped ‘Black Dahlia’ become an underground hit in both the US and UK,” explains Orpheos.

After a slew of self-released singles and a full-length album Catching The Skinny released on City of Angels, the inexhaustable songwriting by the band led the members into side projects. Orpheos began releasing solo material, while Mikael formed an alliance with Barrie. During this period, Orpheos stopped by the studio to play a new breakbeat track he had written; Barrie and Mikael flipped, leading to a re-birth for Mephisto Odyssey.

Now a trio, they were busily working on new music and set to release it themselves – with Barrie owning Primal Records (which has a healthy mail order business) and their previous successes, they were assured of some level of underground success. In the midst of their feverish writing – the band was offered a re-mix opportunity they couldn’t pass up. Jane’s Addiction had reformed and wanted to delve into the world of dance music, they asked if Mephisto Odyssey would re-mix “So What!” The significance of this moment wasn’t lost upon the band members. Not only were they the only act ever allowed to officially re-mix a Jane’s Addiction song, they were getting recognition on another level. Following the very successful Jane’s Addiction re-mix, Mephisto Odyssey signed to Warner Bros. Records. The band continued working on their full-length album (now a major label debut) and re-mixed songs from Soul Coughing and Static-X.

The band began playing live shows and dj’ing at local clubs in and around their home turf of San Francisco. Ironically, during a stop at Guitar Center they ran into Josh Camacho. He began helping out at their lives shows doing everything from set-up to working the turntables. He became indispensable and now the trio grew to a quartet.

The Deep Red Connection stands as the result. A striking listen, the album seamlessly moves through as many variations of style as there are songs.
There’s the ragamuffin flavors of New York City’s MC Jamalski and Mad Lion, the tough, street savvy hip hop of Oakland’s Bigg Sauce and the manic, metal madness of new sensations Static-X. On the flipside of those testosterone-fueled tracks are the haunting, ethereal vocal deliveries of Iceland’s Angelcat and the Goth-tinged “Wish” featuring Paula Frazer of Tarnation.