Xeno & Oaklander / Ye Gods / Vigilance State

Xeno & Oaklander are a minimal electronics duo (Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride of Martial Canterel) based in Brooklyn, New York. As artists, they have been deeply involved in the analog synth community since 2004 (the release of their debut Vigils LP on Xanten), and have helped promote and inspire the revival of synth wave and the rise of dark wave in the US and throughout the world through their extensive touring and prolific output.

Following their debut on Xanten, they released the Sentinelle and Sets & Lights albums on Wierd before signing on to Ghostly, where they unveiled their widely acclaimed albums Par Avion and Topiary, introducing their innovative mastery of analog synth production to a wider audience. During the Ghostly album sessions, the duo also recorded Movements and Movements 2 commissioned by the National Center for the Arts, Grenoble, and Ecole du Magasin: an inspirational 35 minute piece recorded live and inspired by travel in space and time. 2017 saw their most recent effort, the Moonlight single on Ghostly, originally released as a split single with Chris und Tina by Electronic Sound Magazine UK. They released their ‘HYPNOS’ album on DAIS in 2019.

Xeno & Oaklander record their songs and film scores in their Brooklyn studio and are known for their commitment to recording and performing on analogue synthesizers exclusively. During Covid they relocated their studio to Connecticut. They perform both at art institutions, music venues and festivals worldwide, and have performed at SF Moma, PS1 Warm Up, Miami Art Basel, Kunsthalle Zürich & the New Museum NY with sold out shows at Echoplex LA, Elsewhere NY & El Club Detroit. Festivals include SUBSTANCE LA & CMD Mexico City. They’ve appeared on numerous live streams and NIGHT FLIGHT TV.

Sean McBride has created original music for visual artists Dara Birnbaum, Lucy McKenzie & Richard Kern. Their latest remixes are for Tobias Bernstrup and Robert Calvert of Hawkwind.