Designing a Post-Apocalyptic Riot
When Thomas told me the story behind the circuit—that it was inspired by KAHFA’s track “Capharnaüm”—I immediately knew the design needed to feel violent, ancient, and strangely beautiful. Not just noise, but something meaningful within the chaos. We kept coming back to this shared image: a post-apocalyptic riot. That’s how the song felt to us. Like a crowd screaming under a blood-red sky, surrounded by ruins that had been burning for centuries.
That was the emotional starting point for the artwork.
The Sound That Started It All
KAHFA’s song didn’t just inspire the pedal—it was the reason the pedal exists. Thomas described how the band’s sound—especially Théo’s voice—shaped how he tuned the circuit. When I first heard the track, I imagined a lost city crumbling in time with the beat. The design had to honor that. Not literally, not as an illustration of the song—but as a reflection of how it felt. That combination of weight, dust, and defiance. Something holy being reduced to noise.
Ancient Ruins Under a Violent Sky
The core visual was simple: a blackened landscape of broken columns and scorched stone, set against a massive, bleeding red sun. I wanted it to feel timeless, like it could have come from the past or the future. The ruins stand low in the composition, broken and barely recognizable—just the ghosts of structure. Above them, everything is burning. The vertical layout pulls the viewer’s eye upward, like the heat is rising off the pedal itself.
It’s not just destruction—it’s something ritualistic. Like the moment after collapse, when the dust hasn’t settled yet.
Minimal, Modern, and Full of Meaning
Even with all this chaos in mind, I still wanted the design to feel sleek and minimal. That contrast—between ancient violence and modern restraint—was key. So I stripped everything down to its most essential forms: jagged lines, textured shadows, circles that feel like celestial warnings. I left space intentionally empty. The red explosions aren’t decoration—they’re tension points. Triggers. Emotional spikes. And the black? It’s not just a background. It’s the silence between screams.
The red knobs—Wrath, Scorch, Pillar—became small monoliths. I placed them to feel like part of the scene, not just controls.
Final Thoughts
This design wasn’t just about making a beautiful pedal. It was about channeling the energy of a track that meant something. About building a visual space where that sound could exist. A city already lost. A riot that’s still echoing. I hope it feels like a place you’ve never been, but somehow recognize.
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