Wild Awake fifth drop artist - Iris Ell
We probably all have memories of long drives listening to music. Iris Ell is no different and it was her sister who put music on an MP3 player and introduced her to artists that combine musical intensity with breath-taking songwriting. It was while listening to artists like James Blake or The Knife that Iris Ell wanted to learn how to do that herself. Now, we have an artist coming into her own skin, exploring her musical capabilities, and the power of her own voice. The music can be listened to as edging towards the experimental, especially in terms of sometimes off-kilter beats or the way vocals are layered. There is, however, always a catchiness and something that feels poppy. The songs drag left of centre but to do so in a way that allows them to almost hug the inside of your ear as they seep into your brain.
In her own words: songwriting
“I normally write so much. There’s always snippets, or free-verse poetry, or lyrics for songs that I never ended up using. More recently, I also started to write down my dreams, which can be more psychedelic and strange When I start on a new song, I think about its atmosphere and what I would want to say with it. I usually start from the snippets that feel connected to this when new words of melodies don’t come straight away. Once I get some kind of hook or centre for the song, I write a bunch and finally whittle it down.”
In her own words: why Wild Awake
“It’s having a way to make my music, and yes, still have to do the work that’s not actually the artistic process and that’s related to putting it out and talking about it, but in a much more direct way. It’s about having the possibility of community and knowing that people are already there because they care. I’m also interested in Wild Awake because I like tech and I’m really curious to see where it’s going to go. Not much of a techno optimist, I can also be scared and confused of this changing landscape. But I do think that when people get their hands on these technologies that have a more radical approach before it gets fully corporatized incredible things can happen. And I want to see that and speak the language before it’s fully formed and established.”
We are super excited to share this with the world so mark your calendars for the drop on 6 July via TokenTraxx.
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Check out Iris Ell’s label Death by Dagger