Anya Trybala AKA electronic noodling chanteuse Ninoosh, has just started a female focused electronic label called Synth Babe Records, releasing her first single 'Palms' with an EP to be released next month.
Tomatrax caught up with Ninoosh to ask a few questions.
Where did the name Ninoosh come from?
A childhood nickname actually - my name is Anya - which turned into Anoushka, which then turned into Ninoosh - my little sister called me that. My family still calls me it.
What made you decide to use a stage name?
It's kind of liberating in a way. I'm planning to release other music, more sound design, experimental pieces under my own name, but it's fun to have a moniker, especially when you sing your feelings out.
You've just started the label Synth Babe Record, what inspired you to found your own label?
I like the idea of being in control of my music and not have to conform to ideas of what might 'sell' - just make stuff that feels right in my guts and is an expression. On a widerscale, I hope to create more visibility for female electronic music producers and DJs - create some equilibrium. We are launching the first Babes of... compilation in collaboration with a Melbourne techno collective Node called Babes of...Melbourne - we have some awesome songs so far but are still open for submissions until June 30. I plan to release more compilations featuring babes from all over the world - but start with Melbourne.
What's it like to release music on your own label?
I love it. I still have a lot to learn but it's fun so far, calling the shots.
You've just released your first single on the label, what's it like to have it out?
'Palms' is a pretty emotional track, and it feels good to have it out there in the world. It was fun to pick up the trumpet again for the final version of it! The video clip from Lucy from Third Ray Productions is pretty woozy!
The single was also remixed by OK Sure, how did that collaboration come about?
Well, we met through a PBS radio host, Evan Carr who used to have a show called The Art of Bleep! - I was playing a gig and he brought her along. I heard her music, loved it and invited her to play at the Shadow Electric gig I was putting on to benefit the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in September last year. Then she won the remix comp at Unearthed for Hermitude - killer remix and I was hoping she could add some magic to one of my tracks. She came to my gig in January, just before I left for Sweden and asked to get the stems for Palms. I eventually got them to her and she blew me away!
What's it like to have someone remix your work?
I suppose you have to be selective about who remixes your work - but everyone who has remixed my work so far has done an awesome job! It's fun to hear your voice all warped and ideas spun around. I'm even remixing my own songs, they sound pretty different in a live setting as I pull them apart and rebuild them in Ableton when I play live shows.
You have an EP coming out next month, how will the rest of the EP compare with 'Palms'?
There is a lot of light and shade on the EP - They are all really personal songs and one, Football, which is more politically charged - but the songs shift in mood - from woozy to upbeat to jarring and unsettling. A lot of synths, nature samples, horns and my voice - with backing singers Eddie Fitzpatrick and Manny Sharrad adding depth. I also managed to squeeze in cello from Jess Keeffe from a band called Glasfrosch at last minute and a Spanish guitar player Gonzalo I met last year - who is releasing her solo music under the name Tarsier on SBR later this year. It was co-produced by Paul Lambert from Sound Machine Studios and he helped me pull together all my ideas and mix them beautifully. My mate Pat from Royston Vasie also added the drum parts.
Where did the title Town of Two Hundred come from?
There is a tiny town in Sweden called Sandsjöfors in Smålan with a population of about 200. Four years ago I was living there with my Swedish partner as that's where he was from - his ancestors actually founded the town! I had all this time on my hands and started to tinker with Ableton Live - so I started producing while hanging out by a lake when the 2012 olympics were on. So it's kind of a homage to that time, because I finally started making my own music. I'm actually in Sandsjöfors at the moment, overlooking the same lake funnily enough, just fishing and decompressing. We moved back to Sweden earlier this year - it is stunning.
You are currently working on the project, 100 samples, how has that been going?
I started when I moved over - when there was snow and the first sounds I recorded were snow crunches. It's going well - some weeks I'm really motivated and will do a sample a day - other weeks it depends on my moods and it might take more motivation. I suppose I'm just curious to see what unique sounds I can make in Ableton from everyday, almost mundane sounds and also it's getting me to stretch my creativity. The song Snow Crunch in the intro of my EP was made from these samples.
What kinds of samples have you collected so far?
Water lapping, birds coming out in spring, a ping pong tournament, a train ride in Stockholm, machinery, conversations...lots of random stuff! Every time I finish 25 samples, I'm going to release them for other people to use and see what comes out of it.
Do you have a song idea in mind when you collect samples?
Nope - the song ideas usually come from the random samples. I plan to release a samples only EP later this year from all the stuff I've collected - totally different from Town of Two Hundred.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Only the instrumental and experimental stuff. I find it hard to listen to my own voice - it's fun to make it and feels good to sing and perform, but listening to it is another matter.
What music do you listen to?
Lately I've been listening to old favourites Fever Ray, The Knife, Pink Floyd and newbies I found - Ibeyi Baths, Nicolas Jarr, Beirut...and also the Play School theme song! I just did a remix for the Unearthed competition and spent a week sampling the vocals and made a bit of a rave number. It's hilarious! I was dreaming in nursery rhymes for days.
What do you have planned once your EP is out?
I'm launching the EP in Stockholm on June 19 with a gig at Pet Sounds Bar with support from my newest label buddy The Fleurs and also my mate Tim Mcmillan is flying up from Berlin to play along and do his 'Goblincore' show! I'm also planning to do weekend shows around Europe - Manchester, Marseilles, Berlin, Munich and anywhere else where they might have me play. Love summer in Europe! There is a remix EP of Town of Two Hundred coming out a little later featuring artists who have remixed my tracks and a few reworks of mine, so that's a bit of fun. I also have a few exciting female artists to launch later int he year, as well as working on the Babes of... series. So lots of good stuff.
