The Secret Chiefs 3, featuring members of the disbanded influential experimental band Mr. Bungle, are bringing their genre-hopping sounds (casually switching between electronic, surf rock, arabic, indian, and death metal, just to name a few) to the Turner Hall Ballroom this Saturday.

Wooden Robot and local musician and experimental artist, The Demix will be opening for the band. OnMilwaukee.com sat down to find out just how giddy he is to be opening for the guys that inspired him to join the music scene.

OnMilwaukee.com: How's it going?

The Demix: Great.  I'm on vacation from reality.

OMC: They let you do that at work?

TD: (Laughs) No.  I'm a slave. I'm really on vacation -- or a stay-cation as it were. First time I've taken a week off in three years.

OMC: Wow, nice. What's the occasion? Getting ready for the show on Saturday?

TD: Yep,  basically. Can't wait for tomorrow. Did you enjoy Boris last Saturday?

OMC: I did! A lot of the people I knew went to see Torche but Boris rocked my world.

TD: Boris are not humans.  I want to be that loud.

OMC: So what got you into experimental music?

TD: That's a good question. I would say boredom. But the defining moment was when I discovered Mr Bungle. I just don't really like much "normal" music... in any way.

OMC: No pop music for you?

TD: It depends on what is pop. Gnarls Barkley is pop, but I freaking love Gnarls. I guess for me to like it the music just needs to offer something different or unique regardless of the genre.

OMC: Gotcha. What was it about Mr. Bungle that you found unique enough to start pursuing music yourself?

TD: I was already pursuing music by way of learning Metallica songs on guitar and then I guess Bungle opened me up to the fact that there are so many sounds out there and I don't have to be a guitar player and didn't have to stick to one "genre" and so on. That kind of music just makes sense to me and it speaks to me. Making music really isn't a choice, it's just part of me as a person. And I want to freak out the squares.

OMC: (Laughs)

TD: Then I got into rave music about 10 years ago and that's when the DJing became a part of this.

OMC: So speaking of being a part of you, where does your music come from? How do you organize your thoughts into sound?

TD: The source material for my music is largely sample based.  I try to cut up things and put them back together in a different context to create a new work. I feel like my stuff is very cinematic in its sound, so most of my songs have a concept behind them that help me focus where they are going.  I see it as a soundtrack to a post apocalyptic sci-fi/horror flick.

I find inspiriation in everything. In music. In movies. In destruction. Construction. Noise on the street. Thunderstorms. Sounds are sounds to me and they can all go together to make some sort art.

OMC: Even crying babies?

TD: Yes. Sounds that annoy me, sounds that get under my skin... I try to make sounds that will get under the listeners skin. And I try not to turn people off, but getting a reaction like that is special. I want you to feel uncomfortable when you listen to my music.  I want you to get scared, but in good way.

OMC: What other goals do you have for the audience? What do you want them to take away from your performance?

TD: When it's all said and done, love me or hate me, I want people to feel as though they just experienced something totally unique and sonically intense.  And hopefully they realize that I work hard at what I do and I'm not just playing a bunch of noise or playing other peoples music.  The Demix is my dark heart and cybernetic soul being worn on my sleeve... but usually people are just really confused.

OMC: Excellent! Thanks for taking time out of your stay-cation to chat.

TD: No prob. Thank you.