isolatedmix 122 - Mary Yalex
Listen now
Description
  We are very excited to welcome Mary Yalex to the label soon, and her upcoming release set to be announced in August. Mary’s work has appeared on respected labels such as Muzan Editions, map.ache’s ‘Kann’’, Carsten Jost’s ‘Dial’, Sound as Language, and her own label, Yalex Recordings. Her productions have spanned various ambient and experimental styles, and I am very excited to present a new album distilling her years of hard work into her sharpest vision yet. There’s no better way to get to know an artist than stepping up to the isolatedmix series to illustrate your music style and background, and the mix is a great reflection of what to expect from her new record. Mary Yalex’s album on ASIP is set to be announced in August, so in the meantime, please enjoy a short interview and perfectly curated mix (including a track from the upcoming album to preview).~Hi Mary, what has influenced you to produce music today?As a child, I was attracted to music not played with acoustic instruments.  My mother had a Vermona Piano Strings in the DDR. It was 1989 when my mother bought them and I was 5 years old. I liked to play Rum on the piano and tried to play melodies (and the scratching of the sliders, when you wanted to switch to strings, was really terrible as I remember it). Music has always played a big role in my childhood. I would look and listen excitedly to my mother's record collection, from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin to Bronski Beat. I think the music you hear as a child is a much greater influence than what you hear today, and my interest in electronic music works was there from the beginning. Over the years, you acquire techniques and repetition, and processes for how to make music. But today's influence is much more based on what happens around you, as in the world; how you perceive things and the people you are surrounded by, more than the music you hear. A melody always comes out of a mood and feeling. Sunset Stories by Mary Yalex I’m interested to learn about this production process; how you approach making music conceptually - do you have ideas & concepts or improvise? When I make music, I sit down at my synthesizer or electric piano and play a melody first - the main core. It has to feel great, if not then I'll throw it away. I never force myself to make music, for me it is important, there must be a feeling and it must flow. I like to use the same techniques that have been acquired over the years - it is a familiar process of editing. So what motivates you to sit down and make music? Is it a personal outlet? How easy does it come to you? For me, it is a passion to make music, a feeling that has to come out. I get in a bad mood when I can't make music so it also helps me cope with moods, discovering new sounds and possibilities again.What instruments/gear do you tend to focus on or always work with?I mainly produce with Elektron Octatrack, Clavia Nord Rack 2 and Elektron Digitone. Ohra by Mary Yalex You normally accompany your releases with your own paintings - how would you describe this relationship? Were you a visual artist or a musician first?I used to paint in my childhood when I lived in Austria. I only really started producing electronic music more recently. I want to give the whole thing a picture - something that is more than just a photograph. How does your home city and local history impact your music?I have been living in Erfurt now for a year and a half. I'm getting older and I'm also looking for a quiet life. I don't need the hustle and bustle of a big city anymore. Here in Erfurt I also have my studio. During the Corona period, I decided to go back to my home country. It hasn't really changed much for me as I live very withdrawn. For me and my music, the place has never played a big role. Back when I went to Leipzig in 2008, there were more opportunities in my learned profession. Your isolatedmix is a mixture of different styles of artists, many of whom are on regular
More Episodes
  A new mix for the brilliant Monument platform, and their new series ‘Waves’ which looks to feature more of the ambient side of things, rather than the deep techno world they are known for, if the first of the series by Chris SSG is any indication. After our label showcase mix I did for them a...
Published 03/13/24
  After Sa Pa’s isolatedmix contribution last month, we continue in an unintentional alphabetical spectrum of brilliant producers, with Saphileaum. There comes a time after listening to some musicians for many years that certain instruments and musical approaches begin to stand out. Sure, most of...
Published 02/26/24
  As someone who enjoys the process of putting together mixes- specifically more conceptual ambient leaning mixes- I often think about how I would approach playing an event designed for sleep. I’m yet to play a set like this live, but I did tackle something similar in the Portals series by...
Published 01/21/24