INTERVIEW: Hinako Omori

It’s 9:30pm on a Thursday evening and Hinako Omori has just completed a day of rehearsals with Kae Tempest when we begin speaking over the phone. The London-based musician and sound engineer is incredibly bright and generous with her time as she talks me through the inspirations for her upcoming debut album, a journey…, set for release via Houndstooth on 18th March.

With a hectic schedule as a session musician and a solo artist, it’s unsurprising that Omori has crafted a beautiful, tranquil soundscape on her debut record, underscored by patience, empathy and kindness. a journey… is a gift to listeners who need respite from the overwhelming stresses of daily life – whether that was during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic when it was created, or for the present state of “new normal” that often still sends us spiralling.

Differing from her 2019 EP, Auraelia – which was inspired by her experience of intense migraines that were accompanied by auras and other visual distortions – on a journey…, Omori seeks to further understand the physiological effects that music and sound frequencies have on the body. This exploration includes field recordings with binaural heads, tampering with mood-altering frequencies and inspiration from the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku aka “forest-bathing.” Her music seeks to connect with and understand the human condition in intricate and invigorating ways.

We spoke about the many influences that helped to shape Omori’s debut record, the joy of collaborating with other musicians and artists, and her anticipations for her performance on 19th March in the Purcell Room at Southbank Centre, accompanied by the London Contemporary Orchestra. (you can buy tickets here)

 

Let’s start from the beginning…can you tell us who or what first inspired you to start making your own music?

I feel really lucky, because lots of friends who I admire and I spend a lot of time with have their own musical projects, which has been hugely inspiring.

I think one person that I can definitely can pin point is my friend Hannah Peel. She’s wonderful and I’m such a huge fan of hers. We actually met three or four years ago through a mutual friend and we had these lovely coffee meet ups where we would get together and chat about music. At that point, I was mainly session playing and I hadn’t really made any music of my own. Hannah and I were just getting to know each other when she very kindly asked if I would be interested in doing a remix for her Mary Casio album. My heart was saying “yes!” but I wasn’t entirely sure how, or what I could do at that point. But I jumped at the chance and the remix ended up getting played on 6Music and that was the first instance where I thought “this could really be something.” I really enjoyed the process and there were such kind words from from the output of that, which was a big catalyst for me having the confidence to do more of my own thing.

I remember last year you remixed a track for friend of Get In Her Ears BISHI too. I imagine approaching a remix is completely different to creating your own songs, so what’s the process like each time someone asks you to remix a track for them?

That’s a really good question, I guess it’s a different thought process each time as it’s so specific to the artist’s original music. It’s just an honour to be considered to rework someone’s beautiful music. I always want to make sure I can do it justice in some way. I love spending time with stems to dive into specific sound worlds, because they’re all so beautifully different. So I guess it’s taking those things and trying to craft them into something or shine a light on them that is a little different, that’s the main part of the process. It’s a joy to take something that already exists and is beautiful and make something else from that. It’s a challenge, but in a really fun way. Anything with music is never is never anything other than fun.

I’ve been listening to your debut album, a journey…this, and it really resonated with me and helped me to de-stress after a long day. It’s such a gentle, soothing collection of songs, rooted in a deep sense of calm and peace. I know that you’re inspired by the physiological effects of music and sound frequencies, so can you elaborate on these influences and how you incorporated them into your album?

Thank you so much, I think that’s all I can ever ask for when I make a record really.

It was kind of a patchy process. The album came about from some demos and short synthesiser loops that I’d recorded whenever I was learning a new piece of equipment for a show, or if I’d acquired a new synthesiser. The way that I love getting to know a new piece of equipment is to experiment with it. When I’m experimenting, I hit record and save everything, not necessarily knowing what’s going to be used for something in the future, but so I can always refer back to it. It’s like an audio diary in a way, I squirrel them away on a hard drive.

I had an opportunity last year during the pandemic to take part in an online festival called WOMAD At Home, which is an immersive audio experience. A lovely friend of mine Oli Jacobs who I went to University with, who works as a sound engineer, very kindly sent me an email asking if I’d like to be involved, and I was like, “absolutely!” Firstly, because binaural audio is something I’ve been really interested in for a long time. Although I didn’t do a huge amount of binaural recording at University, I was always really fascinated by it. We had a binaural head there and we’d learned the fundamentals of using it, but I hadn’t really been able to put it into practice much. So I was really excited about that.

When I was given the opportunity to make 40 minutes of music for the festival, I initially thought, “what do I do?” I thought maybe I’d go up there and see what came from an improvisation, being inspired by the surroundings, but then I thought maybe it would be nice to see what material I already had, to take something up there and mix both things together.

So I re-discovered all of these synthesiser loops and I tried to piece them together into a full 40 minute piece of work. Really strangely, when I was assembling all the songs together, I realised that a lot of them just seemed to fit quite naturally in terms of the key that one song finished in and the key that another song started in. It just seemed to somehow magically fit together like a puzzle. I took that and then thought about re-recording some of the parts. That’s kind of where the healing frequencies came in.

I’ve been really interested in binaural beats and how we can train our brains to be in a more relaxed state – alpha, beta, theta, delta. For example, delta waves are said to contribute to deep restorative sleep and healing, and theta waves are supposed to help with creativity, intuition and emotional processing. I wanted to create something for the stressful pandemic situation that we were in at the time, to have something that you can just pop on some headphones and just fully relax.

Mainly, the inspiration for this came from a gong bath I went to just before the pandemic when I was on tour in February 2020 in New York. I just really fully lost myself for the whole time. It was such a beautiful experience. Researching into it and how it works with the frequencies and how that takes our bodies into a more relaxed state, I was really keen to try and incorporate that into the music as well. I recorded some synths and de-tuned some of them to create these binaural beats, so when you’re listening to the record with headphones on, hopefully it will create this relaxing state. I guess the idea of it was to make something that would really promote peace.

I definitely think your records promotes peace. I know you were also inspired by the idea of “forest bathing” as well, can you elaborate on the concepts behind this too?

There’s a term “shinrin yoku” in Japanese, which is kind of a study into nature and the forest and how spending time in a forest environment has been scientifically proven to lower stress levels and is really good for our well-being. So with that in mind, I was really keen to capture some field recordings using a binaural dummy head. I took one out and recorded the nature around me and incorporated that into the music. I was mindful of the fact that not everyone might be able to access nature in the same way – as it was kind of hardcore pandemic time when I was creating it – so I was trying to create an environment where you could just pop on headphones and just immerse yourself in nature for a little bit. I think having the binaural head was such a lovely thing as well, because you really do you feel like there’s a 360 audio experience there too.

Listening to the record feels like a natural form of escapism, I think you’ve captured that beautifully. What would you say you are most proud of about your debut record?

I’ve not really been asked that before! Can I change it to what am I most grateful for? I’m really grateful for the experiences that I’ve had in connecting with with the wonderful team that I’ve worked on the album with. So that’s everyone at Real World studios and everyone at Houndstooth I’ve worked with. I think for my own project, it’s the first time I’ve been able to collaborate with so many creatives who I admire so much. It’s been a huge inspiration and a big learning experience for me as well.

It’s also been fascinating to experience what other people take from the music. I think that’s something that I’m really, really grateful and appreciative of. I’ve worked very closely with a wonderful visual artist called Emi Takahashi whose work I connected with online on a website called itsnicethat.com. I reached out to her not really knowing whether or not she would be interested in working together, but she very kindly was up for collaborating. I think from that, just seeing how she interpreted my music without me explaining much about it and how it naturally connected with her, that was really inspiring for me.

I’m just honoured to able to do this and to be able to call it a job, because it doesn’t really feel like a job!

That’s the dream job!

Do you have a favourite track on the album? If so, why?

I have a track that’s very special to me. It’s a collaboration with a friend called Emily R Grosholz. Emily is an amazing poet, philosopher and a lecturer at Pennsylvania University. We were sat next to each other on a plane about four years ago now, and we had such a lovely chat and a really nice connection. I feel really grateful that we’ve kept in touch and been emailing each other ever since we met.

Emily very kindly sent me a book of her poetry and I was floored by her beautiful words. I immediately felt this pull towards one particular poem in her book Great Circles: The Transits of Mathematics and Poetry. It’s called ‘The Richest Garden in your Memory’ and that screamed out at me, I felt this real urge to put music to it. I asked her if she would be happy for me to do that and she very kindly agreed, so I recorded some piano and synths. I didn’t really want to put too much on it, because I think the words are so powerful and I didn’t want to detract from that. I sent her a demo and it just came about quite quickly and very naturally. Emily was really happy with what I sent over.

That sounds like another very organic collaborative process, which is something that really underscores your album.

How would you say your knowledge and skills as a sound engineer have filtered through into your music?

I studied sound engineering at University, but technically I haven’t worked as an engineer since I left. It’s been so helpful for various projects I’ve worked on though. In terms of working in studios as a session musician, or as a session musician when you’re preparing for a set, it’s really useful to have what I learned at university to guide that. In terms of needing to record something from home to send to other people, especially during the pandemic, it’s been really useful to have a remote recording set up. It’s helped me immensely in creating my own album too. Whatever role you work in in music there are so many things or skills that are interchangeable. So what I learned at University has been a huge help for what I do now.

Finally, you’re playing a show at Southbank Centre with the London Contemporary Orchestra on March 19th to celebrate the release of a journey… What are your anticipations for this performance?

My friend Penelope Trappes played a show there a few weeks ago and it was really magical to hear her music in that setting. I’m just really excited to work with the London Contemporary Orchestra, I’ve been such a big fan of theirs for quite a long time. They have such a unique sound and they can transform something completely. It’s quite a unique format, we rehearse on the day of the show, which is where the collaboration comes about, then we perform it that evening. Being able to perform my music with other such esteemed musicians is an honour.

Pre-order Hinako Omori’s debut album a journey…here

Follow Hinako Omori on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Annie Lai

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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PLAYLIST: February 2021

We’ve made it through the first two months of 2021! Despite the current lockdown here in the UK, the GIHE team have been busy unearthing more new music gems to help you get through these long and tedious days. We’ve put together an eclectic mix of alt-pop gems, atmospheric electronics and gritty guitar tunes on our February playlist.

Take some time to scroll through our track choices below and make sure you hit play on the Spotify playlist at the end of this post. Follow GIHE on Spotify to hear all of our previous playlists too.

 

Scrounge – ‘Leaking Drains’
The new single from South East London duo Lucy and Luke – aka Scrounge – ‘Leaking Drains’ offers a stark soundscape reflecting on the state of society at the moment. Propelled by Lucy’s raw, snarling vocals and slashing guitar alongside Luke’s immense, thrashing beats, it builds to a colossal cacophony before coming to a disconcerting, abrupt end – only adding to the stirring tension that has built up throughout. Oozing a ferocious power, the duo have created something that is striking both in its jarring potency and rage-driven force.
(Mari Lane)

HAVVK – ‘Home’
The first single to be shared from HAVVK’s upcoming new album, ‘Home’ is a stirring reflection on appreciating those closest to you. Propelled by a shimmering ethereal fuzz, the track showcases the soaring celestial majesty of front woman Julie’s vocals, as they float with an impassioned splendour over scuzzy hooks and a gritty, driving energy. Fusing together tinges of ’90s grunge-fuelled angst with twinkling shoegaze sensibilities and the band’s own unique poignant grace, it’s a truly captivating soundscape. (ML)

Softcult – ‘Another Bish’
Informed by their love of Bikini Kill and Smashing Pumpkins, alternative duo Softcult blend atmospheric guitars, energetic percussion and bittersweet vocals to create their hazy, antagonistic sounds. Formed of Ontario-based twin sisters Phoenix and Mercedes Arn Horn, this single ‘Another Bish’ was born from their desire to resist and relieve the pressures of existing in a patriarchal music industry. I had a lovely chat with the grrls over Zoom a few weeks ago which you can read here. (Kate Crudgington)

New Pagans – ‘Harbour’
A tenacious celebration of women’s strength and resilience throughout pregnancy and childbirth, New Pagans’ latest single ‘Harbour’ is based on the experiences of vocalist Lyndsey McDougall’s pregnancy with her own daughter. Full of the Belfast band’s trademark urgent riffs and catchy melodies, it’s an empowering examination of the fears and triumphs that accompany this unique time in a woman’s life. I can’t wait to hear New Pagans’ debut album, The Seed, The Vessel, The Roots and All, when it’s released on 19th March. (KC)

Grandmas House – ‘Always Happy’
A thumping post-punk anthem that seethes with sardonic wit, ‘Always Happy’ is the latest single from Bristol-based trio Grandmas House. Released via Brace Yourself Records, the track is a raucous juxtaposition of the confident image we project externally to others, when internally we often feel the complete opposite. (KC)

Pretty Happy – ‘Salami’
A wise-cracking anthem about the complexities of processed meat, ‘Salami’ is the new single from Cork art-punk trio Pretty Happy. Full of sarcastic lyrics, gutsy vocals and crashing percussion, the track is a ridiculously good off-kilter banger that rambles through the band’s many absurd thoughts and feelings about the pork-based snack. (KC)

Hadda Be – ‘Another Life’
Complete with a refreshed line-up and new name, Hadda Be (formerly Foundlings) bring their shimmering joy to latest single ‘Another Life’. Despite the track’s somewhat melancholic sentiment – “it covers me in worry, now that’s all I ever know” – it’s buoyed by an infectious jangling energy as scuzzy hooks whirr alongside frenetic beats and Amber’s rich vocals. An uplifting slice of indie-fuzz-pop that’ll leave you longing to dance along to its sparkling sounds live. (ML)

Lauren Auder – ‘Heathen’
“I think this may be my favourite song I’ve ever worked on,” explains London-based songwriter Lauren Auder about this track, and I can see why. ‘Heathen’ is actually my first introduction to her sound, but what an intro it is! It mixes everything I love about electronic music – yearning vocals, urgent beats, rapturous synths and guitar noises – it’s all here and it gives me goose bumps every time I listen. Definitely check out Auder’s new EP, 5 Songs For The Dysphoric, if you’re into this. (KC)

Tyler Holmes – ‘Nothing’
I’ve only recently become acquainted with Tyler Holmes, but I have fast fallen in love with their poignant, affecting and utterly unique sweeping electronic soundscapes. Holmes has spent a lifetime crafting their own Black, Queer narrative by pushing the limits of their imagination and their innovative ability to fuse together genres to create truly stirring, instantly immersive sonic trips is showcased perfectly on ‘Nothing’. Holmes is set to release their new album next month via Ratskin Records. Watch the video for ‘Nothing’ here. (ML)

SPIDER – ‘Water Sign’
Born in Nigeria but raised in Dublin, London-based twenty-one year old SPIDER blends jagged electronics and brooding guitar riffs alongside her distinctive vocals to create her evocative sounds. Her focus is on how a track makes you feel – whether that’s a feeling of power, fluidity or chaos – and on ‘Water Sign’ she weaves these emotions into a cohesive, stirring electronic soundscape. (KC)

Roma – ‘Stay Like This’ (Tiiva Remix)
I’ve been following queer artist & producer Tiiva since I heard their re-working of Despicable Zee’s ‘We Won’t Stop’ last year, and I’m continuously impressed by their instinct for choosing talented and interesting artists to collaborate with. Tiiva reached out to songwriter Roma during lockdown after hearing her track ‘Stay Like This’ and the pair have worked together to create this lush, dreamy electronic tune. Roma originally wrote this song from the perspective of her daughter, exploring what it means to grow up in a modern world and Tiiva overcame their own adult cynicism to create this woozy new remix. (KC)

Show Boy – ‘Turn It On’
Following 2019’s Surreal, London artist and producer Show Boy has today released his much awaited brand new EP Ishtar Lion. A wonderfully eclectic collection, the EP showcases Show Boy’s knack for blurring genre boundaries, combining influences from across the musical spectrum to create perfectly catchy offerings oozing an uplifting, vibrant energy and heartfelt emotion. Driven by the soaring power of his unique vocals, ‘Turn It On’ interweaves an intricate musicality with a sparkling soulful splendour, resulting in a euphoric ode to new beginnings. (ML)

Callaz – ‘Queima Essa Ideia’
Recorded in Berlin and produced by the brilliant Ah! Kosmos, the title of this latest single from songwriter Callaz translates roughly as ‘Burn That Idea’. Based between Lisbon and Berlin, Callaz has recently released her second album, the brilliantly titled Dead Flowers & Cat Piss, and it’s full of her soft vocals, candid lyrics and alt-pop soundscapes. (KC)

Grove – ‘Ur Boyfriend’s Wack’
Bristol-based hyper-pop artist Grove blends chaotic synths, warped beats and wicked rap verses on this high octane track ‘Ur Boyfriend’s Wack’. Taken from their debut EP, QUEER + BLACK, this song forms part of Grove’s aural journey through their experiences of being young, black and queer. (KC)

Ci Majr – ‘Summer Drug’
Ci Majr is an emerging non-binary artist from Atlanta and this new single ‘Summer Drug’ is a flirty, joyful dose of dancing beats and smooth vocals. Of the track, Ci explains: “I think a lot of us have been in a place where we’ve been hurt from a relationship and have a hard time opening up again…so this song is saying ‘yes, you can absolutely satisfy my physical needs but we’re not taking it further than that’; likening ‘using’ someone for their body just like you’d use a drug of some sort.” (KC)

Desire – ‘Zeros’
The latest single from Desire, ‘Zeros’ will capture the ears with its sweeping celestial aura. As a majestic, electro-driven soundscape provides the backdrop for Megan Louise’s honey-sweet soaring vocals, glitchy beats and twinkling hooks create a truly moreish offering, oozing an ethereal, effervescent grace. Of the track, Desire explain: “As the calendar pages fly by, we are all reaching for a new normal on what sometimes feels like an endless loop. The cyclical music echoes flashback sequences of a recurring dream.” (ML)

Blonde Maze – ‘Fade Into You’
An exquisite rendition of a Mazzy Star classic, Blonde Maze’s ‘Fade Into You’ oozes all the poignant, rich emotion of the original, whilst adding her own unique blend of soaring electronics and uplifting chiming beats to create something truly euphoric steeped in its own ethereal splendour. Another blissfully cathartic creation from Blonde Maze, showcasing her ability to take an already beautiful track and transform it into something that is completely, undeniably, and majestically, her own. (ML)

Kalbells ft. Miss Eaves – ‘Pickles’
A dreamy tune about escaping a romantic pickle, ‘Pickles’ is a delightful new offering from cosmic-pop collective Kalbells, featuring rapper Miss Eaves. Kalbell’s will be releasing their new album Max Heart on 26th March, which they describe as a “portrait of badass women harnessing their improvisational magic.” (KC)

pecq – ‘Stranger’
‘Stranger’ is the debut single from Oxford psych-pop duo pecq, aka Nikò O’Brien and Hannah Jacobs. It’s a delicate, lush soundscape which the pair wrote, produced and self-released through their own label, Upcycled Sounds Records, earlier this year. pecq are set to release their debut EP, also called Stranger, this summer. (KC)

Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business – ‘Woman Is A Word’
A cover of Empress Of’s ‘Woman Is A Word’, this latest offering from the six-piece choral punk ensemble highlights the power of voices coming together in unity. Oozing a sweeping, celestial splendour, the many vocals flow together in harmony, propelled by an upbeat, jazz-infused musicality. Adding their own unique euphoric energy to the poignant sentiment and soulful passion of the original, Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business have created an emotive and empowering rendition. (ML)

BAXTR – ‘Grace On Fire’
The latest single from London-based trio BAXTR, ‘Grace On Fire’ reflects on the feelings of helplessness that come with seeing someone you love suffer. A sweeping, uplifting slice of alt-pop it oozes nostalgic tinges harking back to the anthemic indie classics of the early noughties, whilst maintaining its own unique shimmering power. As Floss’ honey-sweet vocals flow with a celestial majesty throughout, the track builds with explosive, soaring riffs and a swirling heartfelt emotion to create something truly stirring. (ML)

Samantha Crain – ‘Bloomsday’
Taken from her upcoming new EP, I Guess We Live Here Now, Samantha Crain’s latest single ‘Bloomsday’ is a poignant slice of Americana combining beautifully strummed melodies and a stirring warmth. As the impassioned subtle power of Crain’s rich vocals ooze shades of the raw emotion of Sharon Van Etten, twinkling hooks flow with a rustic charm to gently grace the heartstrings. I Guess We Live Here Now, the upcoming new EP from Samantha Crain, is out 9th April via Real Kind Records/Communion Records. Watch the video for ‘Bloomsday’ here. (ML)

Ex:Re – ‘Where the Time Went’ (with 12 Ensemble)
This song stopped me in my tracks when I first heard it. The title, Elena Tonra’s vocals and lyrics, composer Josephine Stephenson’s cinematic string arrangements – they all resonate so much deeper during this extended period of lockdown. ‘Where The Time’ went is one of ten beautiful tracks on Tonra’s new collaborative album, Ex:Re with 12 Ensemble, and it’s accompanied by a wonderful music video that she directed too. Watch it here. (KC)

Hannah Peel – ‘Ecovocative’
I’m very late to the Hannah Peel party, but I’m in love with her ambient electronic soundscapes. This single ‘Ecovocative’ is lifted from her upcoming album Fir Wave, which is set for release on 26th March via Peel’s own label My Own Pleasure. (KC)

 

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INTERVIEW: ESYA

Performing under her new moniker ESYA, Ayşe Hassan (Savages, Kite Bass, 180dbm) has been busy crafting electronic sounds designed to delve in to the obscure and absurd nature of life. Having recently self-released her second EP titled Absurdity of ATCG (I), her trademark thunderous basslines are now fused with urgent synths and brooding vocals which captivate by their marked urgency to tell the truth.

Propelled by her desire to always be creating, her new (and older) projects are as eclectic as her influences; ranging from Gazelle Twin to Hannah Peel. We caught up with Ayşe before her headline gig at Hackney venue The Glove That Fits to talk about her new EP, her plans for the year, and what first inspired her to venture in to electronic music… 

Hello Ayşe, what are your anticipations for tonight’s ESYA gig at The Glove That Fits?

With this project, it’s brand new because it’s electronic and I’m singing, so I have slightly different concerns compared to if I was just playing bass. I just want to make sure that everything sits correctly in the mix, which is hard as I’m behind the speakers so I have to trust the sound engineer. I’m excited. I really enjoy doing something that scares me. I feel scared again – in the good way – in the fluttery way when you play in front of people and you’re nervous.

You released your first EP Absurdity Of Being last year. How does your new EP – Absurdity of Atcg, Pt. 1 – differ? What have you learned in the interim between the two releases?

The whole idea of the EPs is that they’re going to be a trio. The first one focused on the construction of the voice, which is my voice and the fact I’ve never really sang live before. This must be the fifteenth time I’ve sang live. The second EP focuses more on electronics which is also quite new to me, as I’ve had to go through this learning curve of learning how to use the equipment I have and how to make it sound good in multiple venues and spaces. The third EP is going to focus more on sounds and bass, so it’ll be a record led by bass and electronics, which I’m writing now. I write a bit every day, I’m constantly writing. The difference between the first and the second EP is that with the second one I was more focused writing the electronics. So on the vinyl I decided to put out, I didn’t want the first few tracks to have a split, I wanted a continual 16 minute song, because that’s how it was originally written.

That sounds really cohesive. The title of your new EP references ATCG – the building blocks in human DNA – how did this influence the sound of your music? It’s quite a unique concept.

I think it’s just me focusing on what I’ve been going through in the past 6-8 years. Life is kind of insane, and it’s kind of absurd and I feel like the whole concept of it and the experiences we go through have a humour in them, but also a beauty that we’re all here on this planet and it’s all a bit mind-blowing. On a more microscopic level – or not [laughs] – being in a band like Savages and playing to thousands of people, and then basically going back to starting something [like ESYA] from scratch is kind of absurd. I find it funny in a strange way because you should never be too comfortable, life has a funny was of messing around with you.

I think the ATCG title is fitting because everything that I sing about on the two records is a reference to the life that I lead, so I feel like it encapsulates every kind experience. There’s so many angles that I was looking at that title from, and I really liked that it could mean so many things to so many different people. Depending on your own experiences, it’s quite ambiguous. I felt that was also relevant to what I was going through and I wanted to express that all of this is absurd so just enjoy life.

Sounds great. What kind of reaction have you had from fans and critics so far?

I self-released both records, so I’ve had a limited budget and I’ve been working in order to earn the money to put out my EPs. I’ve only got 50 vinyl left of the new EP, and I’ve sold out of the first one which is amazing, and most importantly people are responding well to the music. It’s different to what I’ve done before, you’re hearing my voice and everything is recorded by me. I’ve done everything, which has been a challenge in itself. I’m not a Producer, I’ve never really recorded myself other than to write demos, so it’s been a huge learning curve which I’ve found quite empowering.

One thing that used to frustrate me in the past with other records, is that I felt like I didn’t have as much control as I would’ve liked. There’s so much beauty in imperfection, so [the recording] doesn’t have to be perfect. The vocals on both EPs were recorded with just a handheld microphone, so it’s pretty lo-fi if you compare it to a studio record. The bass is recorded in a similar way as well, and I love that. I feel like we’re bombarded with over-produced stuff at the moment and I wanted it to be honest. I’ve worked a job that I don’t particularly like in order to put this record out there, and it’s really amazing that people have purchased it. I really appreciate that.

Having been on a label before, it’s really interesting to see the differences and learn how to navigate an environment without the help of a label. PR was a big thing, when you’re doing it yourself you have to think of everything. How to be creative with getting the word out. I come from a very particular world where I started playing punk bass and have always done things myself, and then being in a band where we were lucky enough to have the support of a big label, and then going back to doing it all myself – I have a lot of respect for musicians who don’t have that kind of support. Because it’s hard, really hard.

Being in different bands sounds like it’s taught you a lot then. From Savages, Kite Base, 180db, and now your new solo project – can you talk me through how each has led to the other? What’s different between what you’ve released before, and the music you’re writing now?

I absolutely love playing live, so me creating this new project was born out of the frustration of being on other people’s schedules. I can’t control when other people need to rest and I do respect that, but also for myself I need to keep playing live, it’s in my blood. Even when I was a teenager I used to put on shows in my house at house parties and get friends bands to come over and play – my neighbours hated it! I was originally thinking with this new project that I was just going to do living room shows, nothing at a venue. So I can go back to really being up close to people and doing the things I’ve missed doing for so many years. It’s that intensity when you’re close to people who really love music, and it’s just you and them, so close to each other.

With Savages I was a bass player, but we all came together to write. I knew at some point because we’d been touring so intensely people would need to take a rest, so midway through that time I started Kite Base, because I wanted to have another option of being able to tour and play. Also, when you’re with three other people who are as passionate about the music you make it can be complicated, it can be amazing but it can be dysfunctional.

With Kite Base it was easier because we were a duo, two halves make a whole! We achieved some really cool things, we put out a record that I love, and we supported Nine Inch Nails [on their American tour] last year which was incredible. That was just the most ultimate of dreams. To actually be able to achieve that in a slightly different way was really special to me. Kite Base was self-funded and we went through stages of having managers and not having managers, so it was another short sharp lesson of how to use what I’d learned through Savages and put it in to practice, which I think is a really great thing to do. We sorted everything for ourselves so it was quite intense. The cost to get out there, and bearing in mind we were self-funding everything, we knew there was no way we weren’t going to say yes to the tour – but the logistics were quite stressful at points. If my visa got turned down, I would’ve cried!

Alongside that, me and Faye [Savages’ drummer] decided to write together. I love working with Faye, I really connect with her so we thought we’d do collaborations. We’re working on a record at the moment and it will feature lots of guest singers, people who we admire, and we’re really happy with the people we’ve worked with so far. My first shows [as EYSA] were just in living rooms performing to friends in America after the Nine Inch Nails tour, just to try out whether I could sing live. I knew I was going to put out an EP because I had so much material and I didn’t want to waste it.

That’s interesting, with the singing, did you always know you could sing? Or was it a confidence issue? Or something that you picked up along the way?

I always wanted to focus solely on one thing. I didn’t want to sing while I was playing bass because I wanted to focus my whole attention on playing one instrument and to lose myself, which I did. I remember many years ago Jehnny [Savages lead singer] joked about me having a mic and I remember thinking “I do not want to sing”. I don’t feel like I’m a natural in front of a mic. Maybe it was because I’d never tried it, but it got to a point where I was so frustrated because there were no shows coming up and I didn’t know when I’d be performing live again, that I thought I’d just try it. How scary could it be? Turns out, it was quite scary!

I think the way I sing has an honesty to it, and I’m talking about things that mean a lot to me so it wouldn’t have worked if someone else was singing it other than me. I remember saying to Jehnny not that long ago that my respect for people who front and sing lead vocals in a band has gone up so much, because having to go through that process is so hard. Even just thinking of the things you say in the spaces between songs! I had a different idea of what that would be before I did it, and it takes a lot of balls. To do it well and master the techniques with the mic and your environment. I’ve gone from playing my bass with my eyes closed not giving a shit about anything other than performing and playing as well as I can, not worrying about my environment and just losing myself. Also, for practical reasons – I can just get in a car with my synth and my drum machine and that’s it. I can be there, and I can sing.

That sounds great too. Who inspired you to first pick up a bass? And who or what got you in to using FM & Analog synths?

With the bass, it was the frustration of wanting to play an instrument but feeling like I couldn’t. At the time I was listening to a lot of David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails and I feel like with the bass, it wasn’t really one person or one thing that inspired me to play, it was a series of things and influenced by what I was listening to. I remember getting really in to Nirvana and thinking “I just wanna play something”. Then I happened to meet someone who needed a bass player, but I couldn’t play bass at the time. They were like “you don’t have to know how to play bass!” which in the context of the band I didn’t really, and I loved that. So I got in to loads of bands who at the time who were just loads of dudes and I was always just the female bass player. Then I got in to a band with Gemma [Savages guitarist] and we had a great lead singer and things were going well, and then when he left Gemma & I wanted to keep going – but I was working full-time and we wanted to play at least three times a week – but then we found Jehnny and then we found Faye, so it all came together. What’s really important is that I’ve always trusted my instincts. I’ve always known that I love making music, even just for myself. I lose myself in what I’m creating.

What advice would you give to anyone who’s trying to learn either of these instruments?

Just do it. Even if you feel like you can’t play, there’s nothing that’s stopping you. You can always learn. With the electronics, you don’t have to have super expensive gear. I use a keyboard Yamaha DX reface which is £200, and that’s quite cheap compared to other equipment. You can make music from sound recordings, I’ve done that in the past. Do what feels true to you, you don’t have to learn to play an instrument in a particular way, go with what feels right for you. That’s what I did with bass, my style has come from not really learning how to play. I play really low, which is terrible for the back, but I always wanted to be able to play like crazy and to be really solid at keeping the rhythm and lose myself in it and enjoy that moment. Over the years, I’ve been thinking more about tone and stuff, but I think you should do what scares you. If you’re scared to play a particular instrument – just do it. Once you’ve done it, you can just create.

If you’d told me that I’d be singing and playing electronics when I was 16, I’d be like “No way…” so you don’t have to stick to one thing. If you connect with an instrument, just go for it. The more you play, the better you get.

That’s great advice. What are your plans for the rest of the year?

I’m thinking about playing some more shows that are in record stores and are really intimate, because that terrifies me! Technique-wise, I think that’s a really good learning process to go through, and to connect with people. If I can play somewhere where people literally love the records on the shelves around them, that’s really sweet.

The third ESYA EP and the record with 180db will probably be coming out later this year too.

Who are you listening to? Recommendations?

Hyperstition duo who are playing with me tonight, they are two members from a Sheffield-based band called Blood Sport who I love.

I also love Gazelle Twin. I went to see her at Red Gallery – it might not be called that anymore, but it’s a venue near Old Street – and after she came off stage I was like “CAN YOU SIGN MY VINYL?!” and she was like “are you kidding me?” [laughs]. She’s been an inspiration to me actually, because it’s just her and her partner live, and she’s a Mother as well. I really respect how hard she works and how she juggles all of those things. She’s amazing. Her second album Unflesh, that was the soundtrack to my nightmares and I remember telling her that! It comes from a dark place, but it’s so powerful. The honesty in it, that’s why I was so attached to it.

Hannah Peel, slightly different vibe, but she is incredible too. It’s not the typical thing I’d listen to, but the way she plays violin is amazing. I did a tour with her as Kite Base, she played and so did I Speak Machine and after watching them I thought they were both amazing. Tara [of I Speak Machine] is a genius with electronics. These women are pioneers when it comes to electronic music.

Thanks so much to Ayse for answering our questions! Buy your copy of ESYA’s EP Absurdity of ATCG (I) here.

Photo Credit: Chiara Ceccaioni

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Interview: Hannah Peel

Hannah Peel is a musician who very much marches to the beat of her own drum, or rather more fittingly, the beat of her Moog synth. Always diving head first into whichever project or two she has going, always pouring in a sense of discovery and wonderment, creating her own unique blend of sound.

We caught up with Hannah to talk about her recent touring, creating the sound for a musical adaptation of Brighton Rocks, as well as the story behind her upcoming remix album Particles In Space.

“Dipping my toes back into the theatre for Brighton Rocks was brilliant for me as I could express a lot of things. I had a lot of freedom with the director and the creative team to explore what I wanted to. They were really up for pulsing, dark synths.”

But how did she cope with the pressure of the interpretation?

“The most interesting part of that discovery is the book – when you go back and read it from a musical point of view there are hundreds of references to music in there… One of my favourite films is David Lynch’s Blue Velvet – you’ve got this classical kind of you know… ‘Blue Velvet’ (she sings down the phone) underpinning it all. In the show there’s a dancehall theme and they go to the cinema. I wrote three songs which were of a classic kind of ilk.”

Storytelling is something that Hannah does best with her albums, and with her most recent Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia, Peel makes use of a colliery brass band and synths to launch Mary Casio (a wonderful, mad space lady) into outer space.

“On paper it looks like something that wouldn’t work, like it may be twee or something. But actually the power of the brass and synths, using the low end of the sub of the Moog fills that whole sonic palate of waves of the brass band. Live, you just get this overwhelming feeling – it just hits you like a force! It has this effect of making you feel like you’re really small… I would put on my glasses and play Casio keyboards, like the tango and rumba beat. Just as a way to alleviate what Awake But Always Dreaming (Hannah’s album prior to Mary Casio) was. I started taking it a bit further but there’s actually a star constellation called Cassiopeia which is the most insane thing – what if she went to space? What if she’s this mad space lady? I’ve been reading up on physics and in one of the books I’ve been reading it said we have a hundred billion neurons in the brain which are as many stars as there are in the galaxy. Reading that just cemented the idea – she’s going to go to space!”



Awake But Always Dreaming was dedicated to the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s disease on sufferers and their families. Something which Hannah dealt with first hand with her own Grandmother. Mary Casio, however, lives in the world of lost memories.

“At the very, very end of the album my Grandfather sings on the ‘Planet of Passed Souls’ and that’s him from 1927 as a 13-year-old boy. I kind of imagine that she got to this planet, stepped out of her spaceship, and has gone out and seen all the wind and rain, but the planet itself was sort of a place that might filter the rain out of the atmosphere, all the memories and sound and what you might remember. Take them off and put them into the air, swirl them around you… That is the end of the whole thing. After that I couldn’t write anymore anyway as it felt like that was the end. But maybe this was just her waking up in her garden, maybe this somebody passing into the realm of a different life. Maybe she just went there?”

With such a magical story behind the album, what was the thought behind inviting others on board for Particles In Space?

“I wanted to see how other people would interpret synths and brass bands, see what they would do with them…. I’m very honoured a lot of people have done the mix for me. I wanted to call it Particles In Space because of all these new stars that are being born and the atmosphere. All the people on there are UK based and that’s something I really wanted – to be a nod to the radiophonic workshop. I would say about 80% of it is female. Everything has its time, now seems to be the analogue, synth revival – I don’t think I’ll ever change out of it, I like it way too much!”

Huge thanks to Hannah for the chat and answering our questions!

Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia is out now and Hannah Peel is playing at BBC Music Biggest Weekend today in Belfast.

Nicky Lee Delisle
@Nicky___Lee

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