Hell-o all and we certainly hope you are having a great day! Unfortunatelly neither me or ms Hellectro made it to blog anything yesterday, so apologies for the silent day, but to make it up to you we’ll be introducing a new concept and form of interview. Meaning that not only we’ll be getting busy with interrogating artists but also will be posting a number of their tracks that we consider to be some of their career highlights. As you can imagine these posts might take a while to come up with so don’t expect them to be as frequent. Anyway, here comes the first one and it’s an interview with Circe! The electro diva lady really needs no introductions as her vocals and numerous collaborations with countless artists really speak for themselves. We still managed to get hold of her though and well, she pretty much told us everything you might wanna know about her, so sit comfortably and start reading!
01. Hi Circe! Would you mind introducing yourself please?
Well I am the hard and then sometimes soft collaborator, melody maker and voice with a penchant for anything punk and anti-esblishment. I am the Electro Muse’s bitch really… but if you know anything about the mythological origins of my name… you know I don’t suffer fools 😉
02. You first appeared on the “hard electro” scene with your first collaboration track with Haezer “WTFIH”, released back in June 2010 if I’m not mistaken? A track that made not only you famous in the scene but also Haezer. How did you two meet and how did that collaboration occur?
Yeah, that’s right. It was our first “official” release together anyway. It was a great creative time for us as we begun this journey. We created some great tracks with an old mic, in a homemade studio. I met Haezer aka Eben as an editor actually. He was recommended to me by a mutual pal and he completed editing on my last feature film “The Experimental Witch”. He is a masterful editor (which informs his music) in case no one knew this and his and my creative connection was a pretty instant thing.
03. What are your influences/music background? Who are your favorite singers/vocalists?
He he… I do remember hearing “I love rock ‘n roll” by Joan Jett and the Black Hearts when I was around 5 years old and thinking the 5 year old version of “fuck yeah!”. I was on stage singing by the age of 7 (unfortunately not punk, but Broadway type shit) but the punk sound infiltrated by DNA I think, both for its grittiness but also because of its attitudes towards the mass consciousness. I have never played by the rules too well and don’t like people who arrogantly assume authority or respect in any circumstance. So my influences lie in a vast playing field, ranging from the gut wrenching live version of “Motherless Child” by Richie Havens, to “Man with the Red Right Hand” (actually anything) by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, all the way through to Pink Floyd, punk originators like The Clash, The Ramones and I fucking love Missy Elliot for breaking ground for intelligent hip hop. Anyway my influences are a subliminal mash up on the scale of a Girltalk set.
04. Do you also write the lyrics yourself usually or only sing/add vocals?
Absolutely, I write the lyrics. By definition as a collaborator, it is a 50/50 give and take exchange with whomever I work with you know… The Producer sends me a track to listen to, if I have an instinct about it, it is often a pretty quick process of writing. There are actually quite a few personal anecdotes in my lyrics if you actually listen… even with tracks like “So Fuck You”. I was genuinely pretty pissed off when I wrote that track for good reason. PTSD is great inspiration. It is also a comment on the reality tv amoeba generation. Another track speaks to what is going on with the Arab Spring etc. But, honestly, it is most often the lyric (which can even be one line) that breaks a track and defines it for the listener and it is more a tonal thing than anything else for most. Haezer and I used to be able to workshop together when I lived in SA, which was great and he still gives the strongest feedback if he hates a lyric I have written. I love that about him. With “Stars” for example… He gave me the title and a general concept of what he wanted and he had been blinded in a lazer incident around that time, so I took that story and it found its way into the lyric. Funny, but true. Not sure he even knows that…
The Boomzers (feat. Circe) – So Fuck You
05. Apparently you have collaborated and worked with a number artists/producers, Haezer, Noize Generation, The Boomzers, Determinators, The Phat Crew, Spunker, Justrock and more… Who would you say is your favorite and most fun one to work with so far?
Well that is a tough one, because I don’t have favorites. Most business, wham, bam, thank you ma’am was The Boomzers. I adore their sound and had been introduced to me through Haezer. I still love that track and would like to collab again with them sometime. My latest with Determinators is blowing up for me right now and Lexander and I work very well together. Wolf Saga (sx CHPSMKS) speaks to my love for 80’s influences and we have a great synergy. Everyone I have had the privilege of working with so far have been truly great people in addition to great artists. A relationship of mutual respect is really paramount in this business, well certainly for me and we all share that. Haezer and I have clearly worked well together creatively in the past and we had great fun doing it, but aside from the good times, it is all about pushing margins of excellence with Haezer, so yeah… I like working with him.
The Phat Crew (feat. Circe) – Revenge
06. If you could pick any EDM artist/producer to collaborate with, who would that be?
Well Noisia consistently rocks my world. GTRONIC, Proxy, Bloody Beetroots. I would like to do a lot of things with SebastiAn to be perfectly honest… but will settle for making music. Ha ha! I would love to be part of Daft Punk’s next cinematic experiment… except this time feat. my vocals thank you very much! I actually met them in LA when they were composing for Tron. I think enough time has past where I can mention that. Kavinsky,Trentmoller, Johnny Jewel, Turbotito on the more low key side of my tastes.
07. Are you involved in any other projects/bands or only Circe?
Well I have two released albums under my belt but I am currently involved in a new album project with Chris Deligiannis of Jet Set Trash Records under the title Delectronic. This sound is a leap into another delicious sound that I love but wait and see about that… It’s coming.
08. What would you say is your biggest music achievement/highlight so far?
Hmmm… Well I have charted a number of times in the top 10 and top 5 on Beatport and on the German Dance Charts, and been nominated for “Best Alternative Album” in SA, but I am no-where near where I aim to be with what I am doing as Circe. Aiming high. My live set is the true beginning of that.
09. Time for some questions I’ve been asking everyone I’ve interviewed. What’s your opinion on sampling and copyright?
Again, it comes down to respect and giving an artist their due… I don’t mean money here but credit. Someone like Girltalk for example is a genius and I cannot imagine a world where this kind of ability is hampered by bureaucracy. The old paradigms of copyright are dead but artists still need to eat, so the mutation continues on how to work that reality. Licensing and live tours are the only ways that seem to be sustaining the creators. Resting on your laurels is a thing of the past and holding onto a speeding freight train with your fingernails just hurts.
10. What is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing? Do you agree with Haezer’s “Commercial Music Is Dead” and why?
Yes and no. Haezer, himself could not argue that he is striving for the top of his field in what he does and he deserves it. He works fucking hard. So whether that means he is therefore striving to become “commercial” is debatable. Commercial is defined by how consumable a product is no? If you want numbers in terms of listeners, ticket sales, merchandize sold etc… self-sustainability (a grammy or whatever) you sacrifice your place in the underground scene. I can’t argue one way or another on the right or wrong of it. Music is not a hobby for me, it is my life. So I personally sit in a place where I want to make it sustainable, want to be inspired by great artists and want to have a unique voice in the world, but a fundamental ethos for me as Circe is that I continue to work with “unknowns”, because quite honestly, the Universe is non-partial on who it inspires with a great melody, hook and beats. This reality moves faster and faster, you need to maintain a modest respect and be vigilant about keeping your ears open for the greatness out there. This means my feet will always be firmly planted in the underground.
11. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?
I don’t earn a living from my music…My collaborators do of course, because they play them out and tour. People still have the misperception that because you have an official release that there will be money to follow from sales. Bullshit. I have multiple releases and the payouts are laughable. In fact, I no longer lose sleep over this that’s for sure. What I am concentrating on is the holy grail of licensing and of course taking Circe on tour. Building a brand is a medium term goal and a few things up my sleeve for that, but it all takes capital and as an indie artist, it is a chicken and egg scenario.
12. What are you currently working on? What should we expect to listen to by Circe next and when? Give the readers something to look forward to…
Well I am talking to Dirtyloud and Greg Kozo of Make The Girl Dance about working together right now. I am also going to be collaborating with WASABI on his new project in the works and of course… there is the Delectronic project, which I am very excited about. I approached Wolf Saga to compose a Halloween track with me, he sent me something to work with 2 days later that was right on the mark of what I had in my head.
13. Besides any collaborations, should we expect any Circe release at any point? Is anything like that in the books for you?
The album in the works with Chris is going to be a full album of Circe vocals but we are using the collective name of Delectronic. I am definitely aiming for a solo Circe release too though.
14. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?
I am finding myself going deeper and deeper into the sound of artists like Johnny Jewel and Kavinsky. If Johnny wasn’t spoken for, I would marry him and make musical babies. I am in love with the cinematic sound… music that demands visuals you know. That’s where my head lives.
15. South Africa to USA, quite a long journey for Circe and a quite a big decision I guess. How did this come to be?
That is a bit of a story. Let’s see if I can summate it… I had no plans of uprooting, but circumstances kind of forced my hand and the next thing I was committing to a permanent move. I survived a rather violent attack in my home in Cape Town. 2 men tried to cut this rather rich life of mine short by attempting to stab me and tried to slit my throat (my left hand was a bit of a casualty). It wasn’t pleasant. I clearly survived it, but it kind of spiraled from there and I surrendered to the fact that being booted aggressively out my status quo was perhaps a message to take things to the grander stage of the US market in both my career paths… so here I am. I still love my country that’s for sure!
16. Apparently, having done my research, you’re also working in the film industry, correct? What exactly do you do there and should we expect to see your name in the credits of any big Hollywood production anytime soon?
I do. I studied film and am a 3rd generation filmmaker as a Producer/Director/Actor. I see myself as a storyteller in all my mediums. I am currently an Associate Producer on a feature film in development with Fred Roos (a Hollywood big cheese and a worthy mentor if you don’t know who that is). It is a passion project for me. My ultimate vision of myself is as a Performance Artist and being able to integrate my performance, music and visual sides…
17. How long have you been living in the US and would you say there is a big difference comparing to South Africa and the way of life you were used to while there?
I have been here over two years now, but battling the work status issues is a bitch for an artist these days. Immigration is a bit of a backlogged mess, so it is frustrating. The US is just a massive playing field but people respect achievement here so highly because of that, which is really fantastic. South Africa has magnificent talent but it is still limited to its geography and remnants of an outdated tendency to be self-effacing. I miss home, I miss my people but being here in the US feels right for now.
18. What is a normal day in the life of Circe like when not in the studio recording?
Well I am my own one-woman machine. If I don’t pull shit together, there is no one to do it for me… I spend my days on PR, building my creative relationships, working on a number of Circe related visual projects and soon will be starting rehearsals for my live set. We just shot the promo for NYE using the Determinators & Circe collab “Byte of the New Ultra” as the signature tune for the whole event and will be in post on that now. Then there are my film responsibilities of course…
Determinators (feat. Circe) – A Byte Of The New Ultra
19. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?
Well you are a king sir… Always keeping your ear to the ground for greatness. Your tastes are certainly in line with mine and you speak to my ethos of listening astutely for the genius that might not yet have the followers but deserve them, as well as to those that have made their mark and are living up to it.
20. Something else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?
Nope!
Spunker (feat. Circe) – The Thief