“Obsession with crystal-clear sound can be a limitation”

Emma Olsen made her breakthrough as Umfang back in 2015, releasing her debut album OK on Vancouver label 1080p. In the two years since, her raw brand of ultra-minimal, rough-edged techno – perfected on this year’s follow up LP, Symbolic Use Of Light – has seen the NYC artist quickly become one of the underground’s most sought-after names. Alongside her own releases, as co-founder of Discwoman, she’s spearheading a drive to bring more diversity to the club circuit… You tend to create minimal tracks with evolving synths and drums… “Yes, I record in live takes and do minimal editing/EQing mostly if I make a mistake. It’s a pretty simple formula of starting with one element and introducing other elements to create an evolution.” Your tracks seem to have a focus on making as much as possible out of a minimal selection of sounds – do you purposely limit yourself? “I have always liked minimal music I was just talking to a friend about how I think Drop It Like It’s Hot is one of the most brilliant songs of all time. I think it’s very powerful and relaxing mentally to be able to hear every part of a song and understand its purpose.” Tell us more about the studio setup behind the album. “I have been working in my bedroom since last fall. I shared a studio with friends for about a year, but we had to move out for various reasons. I would love to have a studio again, but it’s really hard to pull off in NYC without a lot of money. I use hardware almost exclusively but would like to get better at computer production. I like how using hardware can feel like a collaboration, there are often unexpected occurrences that wouldn’t necessarily occur with a computer. Glitches are something I really enjoy. The downfall of hardware is it’s physicality; it’s not portable, it breaks, which means I lose a lot of time when I’m away from my studio.” You – Symbolic released Use a full-length of Light – album this summer. Did you approach creating these tracks any differently to how you would an EP or single? “I always make as many songs as possible at any given time. If I’m lucky, a certain batch makes sense together and can become an album. I don’t really plan a lot.” What one piece of gear in your studio could you not do without, and why? “I will never let go of my Boss DR-202. It’s the first piece of gear I felt I could really speak through with ease. I’m very emotionally attached to it.” What’s the latest addition to your studio? “The newest addition is something that hasn’t been released yet by Moog: I’m obsessed but also have to withhold my excitement for a little while longer until it’s released. I’m lucky Moog found Discwoman and have given us some gear.” What dream bit of gear would you love to have in your studio? “I can’t say there is anything I dream of, I just want the most simple setup while still feeling like I can fully express ideas.” When approaching a new track or project, where do you start? “I usually make a drum pattern as a start. I’ll add alien noises on top of that once I am happy with drum sounds. Last fall I was trying to use more melodies without drums, in which case I would focus first on a sound I like then the melody.” Do you hook up a load of hardware and start with a jam session? “A very small load, yes, focusing on one or two machines usually. I try to keep things set up mostly so I can start quickly.” You were one of the founders of the Discwoman collective – can you tell us a little more about how and why the collective came together? “It’s not so much a collective as an agency and political agenda. We started with a desire to spotlight women in our local scene. It has since become a bigger project pushing for representation of artists that have a clear voice of their own and need bigger representation.” What are you currently working on? “I’m always trying to make more music, and lately streamlining productivity within a life of almost constant travel.”