Music
Listen to Eluize's hypnotic techno and electro mix
In her exclusive Choice Mix, the Australian-born artist uses the human voice as a guide through a diverse range of shadowy electronica.
Eluize is a storyteller, a "moonlighter at heart" who creates music for the after hours. Via her label Night Tide and on releases for imprints like NYC's Let's Play House, the Berlin-based Australian producer has experimented across different sonic planes, shifting across spacious dub, hypnotic techno, deep house, acid and more, working with their peaks and troughs to always find a centre of gravity.
Her latest release, Drama Suspended, crystallises this approach into two short tracks. The A-side, Drama, takes the feeling of an oncoming panic attack and translates it into a hypnotic, tightening movement of syncopated percussion and synths. The more meditative Suspended, meanwhile, exhales and finds peace.
Listen to Eluize's Choice Mix below:
"I love Drama because it's got that intense, spiralling energy," she explains. "I thought it might be interesting to try reframing the same elements in a gentler way and Suspended arose. There are no new parts, everything is just rearranged or re-pitched. I realised how fitting that was. Looping thoughts can terrorise you, but when you differentiate yourself from the emotion entangled in your anxious internal dialogue, the same words can be much less distressing and you can experience them in a more peaceful way."
Eluize has been keeping busy in the months since its release. She's been hosting regular tutorials and interactive production sessions on her Patreon and Twitch – "I was surprised at how intimate and cool it can be over the web" – as well as burrowing away in her ad hoc home studio, writing a new EP (due out in August) for Shall Not Fade sister label, Lost Palms. There's even bigger news, too: an impending new album, Gone, for Scottish imprint Craigie Knowes.
Eluize in the studio
© Eluize
While her music spans different sounds, the common thread throughout is her voice. Singing and speaking over her records is the main flourish in her signature sound and was sparked by a friend's suggestion that, since she couldn’t afford hardware, she could use her voice as an instrument instead. "That stuck. I sing, speak, use it for textures, to create pads or drums, right up front, or way back in the distance where it's virtually inaudible. It's so versatile and always available. Done well, a vocal can make a record," Eluize says.
The Choice Mix she's delivered here embraces the human voice, handpicking dance tracks that "manipulate and utilise voices, real and synthesised in ways I find inspiring or iconic." The result is a mesmerising journey through sounds and stories, spanning electro cuts from Green Velvet and The Hacker to sensual spoken word by LA author, Pleasant Gehman. There's exclusives from her Ca$hminus project-partner Gratts and previews of her upcoming work, too.
"I found it a wonderful trip, rediscovering, uncovering and puzzling together the pieces for this mix," she tells us. "I hope you enjoy the ride." Dive into her world in the player at the top.
Listen to our On The Floor playlist of the very best in house, techno and electronic music.
