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  • Date
    22 MARCH 2023
    Author
    MIRA WANDERLUST
    Image by
    ALYY SPACE
    Categories
    Music

    Alyy Space blending the planets of music and fashion through cyberspace

     

      

    Alyy Space was born in space, as she said 'we all are after all!' and is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Paris. She lived in Germany, with a few periods spent living in Bangkok and New York. These days, her space station is located between Germany and Paris; primarily she works as an artist and DJ, always willing to step out of her comfort zone and take risks, which has led her to some positive experiences. She loves bringing her creative vision to life in all aspects of her creative process, from writing, producing and singing her own music to creating outfits, visuals and DJing. That's why Alyy is a multi-disciplinary artist. She is self taught and has learned over the years how to use her voice as an instrument, taught herself how to play the keyboard and how to produce music with the help of her very good friend - the internet.

      

    Photo by Thomas Camarero

     

    Hi Alyy, welcome to RED•EYE Metazine!

    Tell us a little bit about your background and what Paris means to you?

    I was born in space, we all are afterall! Within this space, for the most part, I've lived in Germany, with a few periods spent living in Bangkok and New York. These days, my space station is located between Germany and Paris. I primarily work as an artist and DJ and spend the majority of my time traveling cyberspace. My mission is to blend the planets of music and fashion, and you can catch me doing so on @alyyspace *opens IG of spacey girl with green hair*

    Fashion has always been a big passion of mine, and I strongly believe that Paris is the ultimate destination for anyone who shares this love. This belief was so strong that my antennas literally drew me to the city like a magnet in order to immerse myself in its fashion culture and I'm happy to be able to witness it first hand. For me, fashion is not just about clothes, but also about highlighting your edges, expressing yourself and letting your individuality shine through!  

     

    Photo by Andrew Barber
    Photo by Phil Oh

     

    You have a strong visual cultural identity as an artist and this is making the difference. Tell us the meaning of it and why is it important?

    My visual identity is an essential part of how I express myself as a <spacey being> and my travels in cyberspace. My goal is to bring people closer to my way of seeing and understanding what it means to be from a different universe. I believe in radiating positive energy and spreading good vibes wherever I go. I know that there are others out here who also feel like they belong to another species. That's why I make a conscious effort to use my energy to connect with like-minded individuals and create a sense of community in my universe.

      

    Photo by Tyler Joe

     

    How did your musical journey start?

    Since my early days, I have always had a love and interest for music. It has helped me to express my feelings in happy and sad situations. I remember that instead of waking up to a boring alarm sound, I used to set my TV to play music videos at 6am every morning to motivate me to get out of bed. 

    I am self taught and have learned over the years how to use my voice as an instrument, play the keyboard, and make music. My best buddy, the internet, has been a big help in my learning journey! As time went on, I started branching out and exploring more and more the planet of music creation. 

    As an artist, I love bringing my creative vision to life in all aspects of my creative process, from writing, producing and recording my own music and DJing to styling and creating accompanying visuals. I strive to create my own distinctive universe that uniquely reflects my creative identity, by using a mix of diverse elements such as music and fashion to capture various facets of my artistic expression. It's been an amazing journey so far! 

     

    Tell us more about your recent music video ‘BYE’. What’s the story behind it? 

    Let me take you on a space journey! Observe, feel, and float through space with me! 

    My bedroom is where I wrote, produced, and recorded my song <Bye>. It’s also the place where I created and filmed the music video. I actually directed, edited, and created video effects from beginning to end. Because I really wanted to incorporate 3D elements into my video but didn’t have the financial resources for a 3D artist, I learned how to make 3D animations myself and created the animated 3D hair logo that you can see in the beginning of the video, as well as the 3D space animation that shows me floating through space. I also created the entire set design. My friends helped me during the filming process. Without their help, I would not have been able to shoot the video by myself!

     

    How would you describe the independent music scene? What are some of the biggest challenges that you are facing? 

    As an independent artist, I'm all about the do-it-yourself mentality! I'm not afraid to take on new challenges and learn new skills to get the job done. That means I handle everything from writing, singing, producing, and recording to promoting and distributing my music. There's no aspect (for now) that I'm not involved in - it's all on me. 

    As I already mentioned, I created both my song and the accompanying music video. This DIY music video required me to learn a bunch of new skills in a relatively short amount of time. From video editing and creating video effects, to crafting 3D animations, and even transforming my surroundings by painting my walls white and revamping second-hand furniture with spray paint. 

    One particular skill I needed to learn that was challenging was designing and creating 3D animations. It was like a whole other universe. I'm talking about disappearing for a good 2-3 months, no social life, just me and my computer, deep in the cyberspace of 3D modeling and rendering. The whole experience was stressful and mentally difficult to cope with. It felt like a very intense spaceship ride, flying into a wormhole at high speed,shaking up all sorts of emotions - from super frustrated to extremely happy every 24 hours. Eventually I finally cracked it and was happy with the 3D renders!

    Learning all these new skills at the same time while balancing perfectionism was very  challenging for me. I had to constantly remind myself not to lose my mind because nothing is ever gonna be perfect-perfect. You just have to embrace those imperfections and see the beauty in them. Looking back, despite all the challenges, the end result was totally worth all the stress, tears, blood and sleepless nights! 

     

       

    Share with us the most challenging part of being an independent artist living in Paris. 

    Paris is absolutely gorgeous and has tons of charm, but let's be real, it's also crazy expensive to live and survive here. As someone who is not from the city, it can be  challenging to meet new people and make friends. However, I am always willing to step out of my comfort zone and take risks, which has led to some positive experiences. I have had the pleasure of connecting with cool people through the amazing world of cyberspace and have even made some friends along the way. One memorable experience was when I reached out to someone on Instagram and it led to an amazing evening where we hung out at my space station and ended up having a full-on karaoke session that lasted until 1am on a Monday night - that was so much fun! 

     

    Photo by Claire Guillon

       

    You are also a DJ, tell us more about it. What style of music are you playing? 

    DJing allows me to express the essence of my universe in a unique way and radiate more space energy by mixing tracks from other cool artists. It's like I'm taking a fun and exciting journey to unexplored planets, where I get to experiment and play with different types of music and infuse them with my own unique style. These cosmic adventures are definitely having an influence on my artistic outlook and shaping my vision for future masterpieces.

    When I'm spinning tracks as DJ Alyy Space, I love to mix electronic, house, acid, and techno music. It creates a unique fusion that lets me bring those cosmic, dreamy vibes, as well as some punchy high-energy beats that really get people moving on the dance floor! So, whether you're chillin' at home or out partying at a club, I'll take you on a wild trip through different planets. Get ready!

     

    How do you prepare your DJ sets?

    The process of preparing my DJ sets is always unique. When I need to prepare for a DJ set at a club at 2am, I visualize the vibe and recreate it in my spaceship at home. To set the overall atmosphere, I like to dim the lights and activate colorful club lights so I can really be in the zone. Sometimes, I start by going immediatley down a rabbit hole of handpicking a bunch of cool tracks based on what I feel at the moment and allowing my creativity to flow. Other times, I have a specific theme in mind, and I curate the entire DJ set around it. It's similar to putting together a stylish outfit, sometimes you put on what feels good and other times you have a specific look that you want to experiment with. However, no matter how I approach it, the key is to stay open-minded and let my creativity explore both familiar and unfamiliar realms to craft a one-of-a-kind dj set every time. 

     

    Can you describe your performance style on stage? What do you think is the most important aspect of a performance? 

    As a performer and DJ, connecting with the audience is everything. For me it's not about performing perfectly, playing the right tunes or mixing them flawlessly; it's about getting on the same wavelength as the crowd and sharing my love for the music. It's hard to put into words, but when I'm on stage, I tend to get lost in the moment and space out. It's like we are traveling to a different planet, and nothing else matters except for the music and us. I can't really describe it in words… I guess you just have to come to one of my shows and experience it yourself…  

     

     

    What’s your favorite project that you’ve worked on?

    One of my favorite projects that I've worked on was my recent DJ performance at Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées in Paris. I was playing for 4 hours and it was so cool to see people's reaction as soon as they entered the shopping mall. I thought people would just come and do their shopping while my music is playing in the background... But they immediately started to groove and vibe along with my music and stopped to watch me dj. This was really unexpected and rewarding to me!

       

    What do you have planned, musically, for the near future?

    I am working on new music with a more upbeat and daring sound. As soon as it's ready for release, I'll announce it on the internet. Keep yourself updated by following me on Instagram and TikTok. Stay tuned!

       

    A letter to your future self. What would you write? 

    Hi future self,

    Don't listen to me, I’m just your past self talking about the past. Don't let me hold you back or influence your decisions. Live in the future! The future is yours to create! 

    By the way, has your dream of playing a spacey character in a science fiction or horror movie come true yet?

    With love and hope for the future,

    Your past self


     

      

    Images by @alyyspace 

    IG: @alyyspace

    TikTok: @alyyspace

      

    Interview by @mirawanderlust