In Conversation With: Aliana
From her post-soviet music upbringing to obsessively spending hours in the studio, we try to portrait Aliana’s intimate approach to music and life
When we started working on this interview it was mostly due to interest in the latest work upcoming on Finest Hour, which really struck us. We took on the occasion to try and dive deep into Aliana’s artistic approach and vision, and we were pleasantly surprised by her personal answers, at times almost feeling confidential in their details and nuances. What comes together here is the portrait of a sincere artist, deeply involved with their work on an intimate level. Starting from the tales of a post-soviet music upbringing to the ups and downs life can present (particularly to someone dedicating their heart and brain to underground electronic music), is clear how Aliana puts music before everything else - not for fame or success, but for an indomitable creative force coming from within.
Her new LP on the renowned Finest Hour imprint comes with flawless production skills and inventive freshness in the composition. On the first of the two records you got the rolling force of the opener ‘FireTruck’, tasteful tech-house with ‘Stigma’, and softly psychedelic electro with ‘Counter Strike’. And the second record shows an ever more diverse side to her track creation approach, with the breaky bass-work of ‘I Believe’, fast-paced Detroit electro with ‘Universal Voyage’ and even mellow and emotive chill-out grooves with the closing track ‘Love Tempo’. The piece we are premiering in full, the D1 ‘Exoplanet Child’, particularly captivated us for its high-quality sound. We feel that it’s a perfect introduction to set the mood for this insightful reading and accompany Aliana’s telling.
Hi Aliana! Very nice to have you here on GB to ask a few questions - when we heard the upcoming LP you have prepared for Finest Hour, we thought it was a perfect time to hear from you, regarding this record but also about your career in general and this particular moment for the underground electronic music scene.
Hi Giovanni, first of all, I want to thank you for the invitation, it’s really a pleasure to be here, and I am willing to share all my classified information with you :)
It all starts with me as a 90s child in a post soviet landscape. I was born in Lviv, Ukraine at a time right after the Soviet Union collapsed. It was a weird moment where Ukraine was trying to get its footing. There was a lot of struggle enveloping many facets of life. Navigating through this difficult time definitely influenced the person that I am today. My parents were very fond of music, but the music that Soviet people were allowed to listen to was always under the strict control of the government. Nevertheless, western songs were popular all over the country; despite the fact that sometimes you could go to prison for distributing them. My father managed to buy records on the black market and even re-record his favorite band albums on cassette. My dad and his friends would share those tapes among themselves. He also had friends abroad that would share music with him which gave him further access to music outside the iron curtain.
The atmosphere around me created my reverent attitude towards music. This mystical exploration of music beyond what is known or easily accessible fit perfectly with my desire to dig. Thanks to my record collecting parents, they instilled a taste for rock, jazz, and funk. When I was 8 years old, I was sent to music school to study piano. It was there that I was able to shift and deepen my macro and micro view of music as a whole. Learning from a classically trained approach to playing music did not sit well with my rebellious exploratory side. I would have conflicts with teachers at every turn because I always added something of my own to the compositions of Bach or Beethoven. My added interpretations were forbidden under the rigid principles of classical schooling. This pushed me to start exploring my own creations and slowly feed my creative desires.
When is it that you started DJing and why?
I can't even remember specifically when I started DJing. If I’m not mistaken, it was sometime around 2015. At the time, I was playing around sketching out sounds and ideas. I was pretty open to anything that had to do with music. Through a magical type of synchronicity, I touched some old CDJ 100s at a party. Something magnetic pulled me towards them and I really enjoyed the process. I was drawn to the idea of curating music from a deeply personal approach. From that point forward, I decided that I’m going to DJ. I needed to improve and practice more. I started digging extensively. My first goal was to play somewhere, whether it be a bar, party, or club. I knew that in order to make that happen, I needed to collect more music that reflected my identity and perspective inside of this never-ending world of music... that’s how it started.
“ It all starts with me as a 90s child in a post soviet landscape. My parents were very fond of music, but the music that Soviet people were allowed to listen to was always under the strict control of the government. “
What about producing? Is there any moment you recall that made you want to get in the studio to make your tracks?
There is this feeling deep inside of me that constantly draws me to the studio. I always want to go to the studio no matter what else is going on no matter any other obligations that I may have. It is the most important thing in this life for me. It is always my priority when I wake up and go to sleep. My friends know how difficult it is to pull me out to go somewhere. I tend to always lean towards spending time in the studio over going out for a beer with friends. I have endless ideas for tracks in my head and I have this inner urge to write those ideas down as soon as possible before they disappear. People can go and have fun without me ha-ha.
“There is this feeling deep inside of me that constantly draws me to the studio. I always want to go to the studio no matter what else is going on no matter any other obligations that I may have. It is the most important thing in this life for me.”
Let’s speak about this record. We were quite impressed by its attentive production and fresh style, ranging from fine tech-house inspired grooves to interplanetary electro. How did you get the inspiration for this record? Were you precisely aiming for a specific result or is it more something that came together through time?
Thank you for the kind words about the compositions Giovanni. Coming off the collaborative release on Midibasics - "Cyber Queen", I felt an urge to express myself as a solo artist. I left the project and start thinking about my next steps...
When I made the tracks, I had no idea that they would be on an album in the future. It was a couple of years ago and I had a very difficult period in my life. I didn't really communicate with anyone. I lived in a country house near Paris where I had my studio and little routine. Unfortunately, I didn't have much inspiration because there was this emotional hole of pain and disappointment. It was a dark moment in my life where I felt alienated and alone. I found my therapy and medicine through the creative process. Making music was the only thing that allowed me to heal properly. I can say confidently that now I am happy where things landed. I didn't know that this sonic purge of emotions would one day be translated onto a double LP. It came from deep within my heart and soul.
How did you get in touch with Finest Hour? What does it mean to you to release on the label?
My good friend Federico Benedetti was a key person here haha. I knew him before he heard my first compositions because of another project I was working on some time ago. Thanks to him and Pablo Tarno, I made it onto Finest Hour. After sharing music with them, they decided that my music was worth sharing with others. It means a lot to me! Finest Hour has so many top-quality artists in its catalogue. It feels like such an honour to be the 15th release in the series with a full cover and a double LP, it's a surreal feeling!
“I found my therapy and medicine through the creative process. Making music was the only thing that allowed me to heal properly. “
The mesmerising track from the record we premiered, ‘Exoplanet Child’, also features an original video. What can you tell us about this video?
Yes, it does have something special about it. The track did not have a name for a long time, it was just 'Track 170' sitting in a folder. An epiphany for the name finally came up to me in 2018. I thought to myself that we all live on the same planet and we are all children of this planet. Behind me on the wall, I had a piece of artwork with a picture of the universe. That is the moment when I came up with the name "Exoplanet Child”. My close friend Kris came to visit me and she heard what I was working on. She said that she wanted to shoot a video of my life and we chose this track et Voila. A week later, we filmed city life, people, and my entire routine in Paris, in one day. Christina did an excellent job of which I am very grateful for. So watch out for the video and try to catch the vibe :)
How are you related to the Ukrainian scene right now? From the outside, it seems like a very exciting time in the country for this scene, what do you think are the reasons for this flourishing moment?
I returned to Ukraine only a year ago during the second wave of the pandemic. I decided that I wanted to invest in the cultural development of my city (especially after I had not been there for more than 7 years). After having some experience, I decided to create my own parties. I found a team of girls with whom we started these parties called “Muse”. In my opinion, Ukraine has been flourishing for quite a long time. We used to have wonderful music festivals that would make even Sunwaves envious. For Ukraine, this is just the beginning. Here we have a very strong electronic music scene and it is finally starting to wake up again. I think what makes us unique is that we have some kind of freedom because of all the is war and corruption in the country. I think the young blood will soon change everything. Maybe if you want to become a better person or be a better country you have to struggle before the sun can shine again.
“For Ukraine, this is just the beginning. Here we have a very strong electronic music scene and it is finally starting to wake up again. I think the young blood will soon change everything.”
With touring shows slowly stabilising back to normal (hopefully), how does it feel to be back on the dancefloor and behind the DJ booth for you? What are your feelings and hopes for 2022?
Jesus, what a tremendous and exhilarating feeling it is when you play in front of people again! They are hungry, they are happy, they are burning with life! This triumph is simple. To some extent, all these quarantine prohibitions taught us to appreciate the time spent on the dance floor more. This may have been a necessary part of our musical history. My feeling for 2022 is that everything will finally fall into place. People will travel without limits and attend all the big festivals again. I hope I can do it too :)
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Special thanks to Federico Benedetti for the help on this feature.
