Some artists treat music discovery like archaeology. Digging through layers of sound, genre, and obscurity, not just for enjoyment, but as essential research for their own work. Kevin Labaziewicz, who performs as Ghoul Bae, is one of those diggers. His experimental hip-hop doesn’t arrive fully formed from a single influence or scene; it’s the product of years spent connecting dots between vaporwave YouTube channels, industrial pioneers, and whatever else catches his ear that week.
The result is music that refuses to sit still or play nice. It’s abrasive, confrontational, and built for the mosh pit. His latest single, “Black Law”, pushes even further into darkness and intensity, but understanding its origins requires knowing the obsessive listening habits and creative process behind it.
I hopped on a call to learn about the records that have shaped him, how he translates those influences into his own work, and what it takes to build something genuinely experimental in a state better known for its folk and indie rock scenes.
What have you been listening to lately?
Kevin: Coil‘s album, The Ape of Naples. It was always on my radar, but I skipped it because I assumed it was overrated. But after I heard “Fire of the Mind”, I knew it was special. There’s a whole story behind that album, but just listening to the music gives such chills. The bass lines are great, the shouted vocals on “It’s in My Blood” are so ear-piercing that it sounds feral.
I like that record a lot now. I always skipped it before, but it finally clicked.
Who is the first musician that you remember discovering on your own and obsessing over?
Kevin: Death’s Dynamic Shroud. I was quick to that. Back in high school, I did a lot of searching for new plunderphonic and vaporwave music, because I was really into it at the time.
I was going through the Vapor Memory [YouTube] channel and saw this album cover of an abstracted female portrait for Regret When It Was Lost, which is now one of my favorite albums. I was like, “Oh, that’s a cool album cover,” so I listened and was bouncing between “God, this is so depressing” and “This is so great.”
After that, I started listening to more of their discography, and then I really got into doing music because of them. Before that, it was all vaporwave-inspired
What was the journey like as you started making music in that vein?
Kevin: It all started when I wanted to discover new music to sample. I was all about sampling songs, so I had to keep up with fresh new material and never run out of songs to use. So I started listening to music for that. Like if I expand my music vocabulary, the more I can put out there.
First it was Billie Eilish, and then it was jazz. And then it was like fucking Polish folk music. I slowly started going towards more hardcore, like Bad Brains. I went from Suzie and the Banshees to really liking Peep Show. I jumped around to Bright Eyes and then Death Grips, which was something I had never heard anything like in my life. I wish I had the words to describe listening to The Money Store for the first time. It was astronomically mind-blowing. I was just sitting there like, “This is so fucking different.”
Given all these influences, how did you tap into them when you started putting songs together?
Kevin: It was basically just “let’s go with something kind of synth heavy, but let’s also sample some stuff.” I’ve made videos on my Instagram where I explain the samples I chose and why. Like the first song I made, “Teeth”, uses a Jimi Hendrix sample or another older one, “Plastics”, has Cocteau Twins references.
Other ones come from what I was listening to at the time. I have a whole inspiration playlist that I play through and think about what I like most about them so I can smash those parts together. My song “Hardboys” came from loving the texture and sound on “Hell’s Girl Reunited” by Five Star Hotel. I wanted to recreate it, but when the time came to structure it, I looked to “Doubt” by Jeff Rosenstock, which was a simple “verse, chorus, verse, bridge, outro” pattern.
So in the process of being inspired by something, it fuses with a completely different idea and becomes its own song.
I like that approach — it’s a novel way to get started towards something completely new. At what point did you start performing live?
Kevin: Last November at etc. in Greensboro. I mostly did songs from my She Sleeps Elsewhere album, and the show went better than I thought. [laughs] Whenever I perform, I’m always bringing a different vibe. One show had a lot of MC Ride-esque performance, but the next one was more off-the-wall like JPEGMAFIA. I try to be an energy that matches the artists I’m playing with.
I’ve been out in Winston-Salem and Raleigh, too, which was awesome to experience. Definitely a lot more shows in Greensboro, but I’m also connected with the folks at etc. and like playing there.
Have you had to learn any specific vocal techniques for the more intense performances?
Kevin: Oh yeah, definitely. There’s only so much screaming you can do, and I’m not advocating for yelling so loud that your voice gives out. I’ve been learning safe screaming techniques — false-chord stuff.
When I was in Illinois, I met some people who had access to this folder of pirated materials, just old files used for vocal training, and I’ve been making full use of it. It’s been really helpful for learning how to navigate performing in noisy environments and understanding what limits your voice has.
How would you describe the experimental music scene in the Greensboro area right now?
Kevin: It’s a very small scene. Girl Brutal is probably the biggest I can think of. We have a lot of indie rock bands in Greensboro. There’s a decent mix of genres and so much talent, like there’s always going to be good folk, Americana, bluegrass, and country because we’re in North Carolina. There just isn’t as much in the hardcore punk or experimental space.
I’ve even seen some eggpunk, which is a little crazy, and noise is apparently more popular than eggpunk. But it’s still quite small compared to everything else. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a turnout or people won’t listen to this stuff. It just means people should have those expectations going in.
Who are some of your favorite local/North Carolina musicians?
Kevin: Obviously Girl Brutal. SCOBY and Mostly Mesh are both great. I loved seeing Brighter Than A Thousand Suns; they have an awesome synth sound and live drumming. Blankstate. is so good live.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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