Interview with Mushy

Last week I was a guest at the H▲unted H▲ll programme of State X/New Forms. Thanks to the organisation I was able to talk with two aritsts, knowing: ▲NGST and Mushy. Yesterday I posted my dialogue with ▲NGST. Today I’m sharing the one I had with Mushy after her performance.

First of all I heard you perform live and it sounded quite a bit different than Faded Heart. Why was that?
Every live performance is different for me, because it really depends on my mood. I can be happy, I can be sad. Those emotions influence what I’ll do. For example I felt like improvising tonight, because earlier today I was in a restaurant by myself and suddenly I heard these bells chime from a nearby church. So I wanted to incorporate that feeling in my set.

Which acts have inspired you to make this kind of music?
I’m heavily influenced by Italian industrial from the eighties, but also the noise acts from those days like Throbbing Gristle. After a while my own sound became an homage to theirs. But I listen to a lot of genres and every genre has something saddening. Anyway current favourites include Tropic of Cancer and Sleep ∞ Over.

And do you always look for that element of sadness?
Yes, I do. (big smile) But like I said I listen to a lot of genres, so I’m not always sad. When I’m happy I put on Italo disco or anything else that makes me happy. When I’m sad I listen to depressive music like industrial and dark ambient.

What inspired you to make Faded Heart?
The first track, Child of Light Will Burn, has it all. It’s the beginning, but also the conclusion. It was a very emotional time for me. I was depressed and felt melancholic. I broke up with boyfriend and there was a lot of sadness.

Could you tell me how you make a track?
It goes one track at the time. Music is not abstract, it’s pure emotion to me. So making a track is the same. I bottle it all up, repressing the fire as you said, and I start to work on it slowly. Then there comes a point when I’m really filled with emotion and I have to drain myself. It’s a difficult process and feels like an exorcism to me. At the end when the track is done I’m completely empty.

So what happens if your emotion changes halfway? Does that mean the song gets a twist too?
Exactly, my emotions guide me to make these tracks.

What can we expect from your new work?
it will probably have the same level of emotion, but be more layered than the last album.

Hereby I’d like to thank both Mushy for the interview and the organisation for having me and helping me get the two interviews arranged.
Now please entrance yourself with Objects In The Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear:

Tagged: Ambient, dark ambient, Haunted Hall, Interview, Mushy, State X/New Forms

Posted in: Interview