Eluize: The 'Monday Is Okay' Mix

Music

Earlier this year we were presented with an intriguing release by Glasgow based record label Craigie Knowes. It was a curveball of sorts given the dancefloor ethos of the imprint and the prior material to have previously featured on the label.

The leading light from the album came in the form of a track titled "Say". A beautiful, haunting vocal inspired track with a sense of beautiful melancholy, not too dissimilar to the musical output of Andy Stott.

The EP was the work of an up and coming producer and disc jockey, Eluize. A promising, elegant musician keen to blur the preconceptions of electronic music – layering the concept of 'song' above the moody, enchanted density of rugged analogue machinery.

As such we invited her to record a mix for the site, an ambient affair perfect for a lazy easter monday…

Listen and read the interview below:

Who are you, where are you and what are you?

I’m Eluize, I’m cross legged on the sofa in my little second-and-a-half-floor apartment in Kreuzberg, Berlin. I’m an Australian musician, audio engineer, collector of sounds, moonlighter, dance floor enthusiast and admirer of beauty.

What does your music sound like? Can you draw what you think it sounds like for us (an image from the old internet is acceptable)?

Where was the mix recorded?

Where I’m sitting now, right next to my favourite window for gazing, put together in my favourite headphones while the rest of the house was sleeping – from a collection of digitised records, tracks, gifts, clips and creations I’ve been collecting for some time.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

In a place you like to daydream that would be enhanced by a gentle, contemplative soundtrack.

What should we be wearing?

Something that feels luxurious on your skin, silky, soft, or nothing at all between some crisp sheets.

What would be your dream setting to record a mix: Location/system/format?

For club music, nothing beats live at a party with sweaty, happy humans dancing and enjoying, moving the energy and pushing the vibe with you. Where we can get lost in the music together and I can throw my whole body into the transitions.

For an ambient mix like this one, somewhere in nature, with warm sun, dappled shade and a soft breeze where I can take my shoes off, preferably with a nice view, and good friends.

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

Laurie Anderson – Walking and Falling

I’ve been listening to her a lot lately, she’s a big inspiration. The lyrics in this one are so wonderful.

You're walking.
And you don't always realize it,
but you're always falling.
With each step you fall forward slightly.
And then catch yourself from falling.
Over and over, you're falling.
And then catching yourself from falling.
And this is how you can be walking and falling
at the same time.

What’s your favourite recorded mix of all time?

I’ve tried, but I simply can’t tell you…

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

This is also impossible! I keep just thinking of artists I’d like to meet and hang out with, but to actually play b2b …. oh it’s just way too difficult to choose. Let me come back to you.

What was your first DJ set up at home and what is it now?

2 technics, a 2 channel mixer and a pair of speakers, I don’t remember what the first ones were, just a repurposed home stereo pair I imagine. In the beginning I had a serato box that I used with my laptop and timecode vinyl so I could practice playing music I only had digitally. I’ve retired the serato, and have some Yamaha HS monitors, but the rest has remained basically the same for the last 11 years or so.

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

I think they’re intrinsically tied together, when I make a mix or perform I like to move in an arc, so the beginning and end are equally important parts of the story, open and close, something to introduce the journey, and something to let everyone know we’ve arrived home again.

What were the first and last records you bought?

The first album I personally owned, bought with my pocket money at a CD store in an Adelaide arcade was Paula Abdul’s Shut up and Dance. The most recent physical record I bought I think was LNS “Recons One”.

If this mix was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

A passionfruit, a deep, dark shell containing sweet juice and intense bursts of texture and flavour.

If it was an animal what would it be?

A seahorse, colourful, bizzarre, alive with intricate detail, fluid, majestic.

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything?

Everything is mixable! Maybe not in the traditional sense, and plenty can’t be beat matched, but there’s always a way to move between sound.

Upcoming in the world of…

My debut album “Confide” has just come out on Craigie Knowes, and gorgeous video clips are being released created with visuals by Misphit Circuitry. I will debut my live show this summer and have plenty of dj performances all over the place. I’m so excited to be sharing the new music with everyone! Aside from this, there’s tracks on a couple of nice compilations, look out for “Amethystine” on Future Massive, and “Ingénue” on Of Paradise plus more to be announced. I’m planning a solo EP to follow later in the year as well as new music on my label Night Tide.