Assassin's Creed

Imagine the surreal soundcheck: you’re standing in The Lowry, Salford, as one of indie’s most revered bassists sends his riff from ‘Transmission’ hurtling towards you from the stage. It’s your first gig, and you’re up next. Super White Assassin’s Argentine producer found himself in that exact situation last November.

“I just thought, ‘Woah, we’re supporting this guy!’ It was exciting to be with Peter [Hook And The Light], but hearing all those old Joy Division songs being practiced was very weird.”
‘Daunting’ is the word I’d plump for, but you don’t expect much trepidation from a man who calls himself DieGodzilla. The musical force behind fledgling two-piece Super White Assassin, he’s known as Diego to his mammy back in Buenos Aires. Retracing his steps, we find Diego as a young, self-confessed synth geek. Were his teenage years spent messing with samples in his bedroom?
“I started making music with a drum machine. Then I heard a few bands, started using samples, and recording them with old tape machines. I got the impression that because technology advanced so quickly in the ‘90s, that a lot of equipment from that era hasn’t been explored too much. You can still do new music using those machines from 20 years ago.”
He relocated from South America to London before heading north.
“There’s more of a community feel in Manchester than London. In the ‘80s and early ‘90s it was one of the most exciting places in the world music-wise.”
Hoping to revive that in his own small way, and realising his limitations (“I needed someone to sing, because I can’t sing at all!”), he sought a partner. The answer came just over a year ago, when he found Tuey, a lady who lends vocals, lyrics, and a touch of the Orient to the endeavour.
“I saw her ad, she wanted people to do something like AC/DC, which I thought was quite interesting! We started making music eight hours a day, six days a week.”
Sadly for Tuey, but luckily for us, the chilled, synth-heavy sound they arrived at is miles away from hairy Aussie rock. Then the big break – signing for Peter Hook’s new Haçienda Records.
“He was DJing at a club Sankey’s and I gave him our CD,” Diego explains. “A couple of weeks later he sent me an email. We met and he offered to release our stuff.”
Next came the release of the Dark Teenage Fantasy EP and the start of their life as a live proposition. They’ve more striking sci-fi videos planned, an LP in the works, and are talking about making their own comic for distribution with it.
“It’s early days yet,” he concludes, “but we’re getting there!”

Dark Teenage Fantasy is out now on Haçienda Records.