Hi everybody, hope you're enjoying your weekends! We're excited to bring you another installment of our Interview Series as we share our in-depth discussion with Alphonsine Koh, a diversely talented multi-genre artist and DJ.
Read on to learn more about her music journey and what drives her to DJ sparks her creativity. Enjoy!
- Hi Alphonsine, Welcome to StreamLINE! Thank you for taking some time out to speak with us. We’re excited for our audience to gain more insight into your background, music journey and latest projects
- Please tell us a bit about your background, where you’re from etc. What were your early music influences?
I'm an independent artist and DJ born in Singapore and currently based in Dresden, Germany. I started developing a passion for music when I discovered indie, electronic, experimental and ambient music and artists when I was 14. Some of my early influences were Grimes, Tycho and Sigur Rós amongst other underground artists at that time.
As I was educated in visual arts and creating artworks and projects on my own, I was largely inspired by music which was always present in my creative processes and daily life. I was also a contemporary dancer in my teenage years (13-17) which allowed me to greatly understand and articulate movements.
When I started creating my own videos for projects on my Youtube channel, I started digging deeper into underground SoundCloud artists and that was a huge inspiration for me to begin my journey into music production.
I always felt unable to connect with those around me about my taste towards music when I was younger. It seemed like those I was surrounded by mostly could not relate to my tastes and understanding. It took me a long time of discovery, interactions and meeting the right people and I can finally say that I am surrounded by the right people with the same vibrations!
- When did you first start DJing and what led you to decide to start producing and releasing your own mixtapes to the public?
I started exploring DJing in 2020 and first started in 2021 in Dresden, Germany. However, I was producing music before DJing too. I started releasing my mixtapes after my gigs for myself as well as for those around me and the people back home to listen to. I have always shared my music passionately with the people around me! After years of listening to music, I really know the sounds I like and what gets me moving. When I do not feel the music. I do not move...unless I force it or when I am drunk.
- Please tell us about your latest mix, “Experimental Trip-Hop Electronic Mix 2021: One Day I Wanted To Write A Book”. What inspired the title? How did you come up with the songs in the set? Was it planned or did you just work off a vibe in choosing the eclectic mix of songs?
This title was literally inspired by the thought, while you guessed it - that I wanted to write a book. As I mentioned, I come from Singapore, a very conservative country still in this age, but that’s a whole other topic altogether. As well as that, was my upbringing and experiences that I have encountered up to this point in my life. So much of who I am and the themes I choose to express my creativity lies in my inner world and how I went through all the obstacles I faced could be translated into a book.
The songs in this set were an experimentation of genres - emotional as well as dance music. The selection and placement of the tracks were put in such a way to take the listener on an emotional journey with careful attention to the sounds and moods that arises. I wanted to blend contrasting genres like Jazz and hip-hop and switch between moods. At the end, the whole mixtape is a documentation of the genres that influenced me based on my interactions as well my own discovery.
Experimental Trip-Hop Electronic Mix 2021: One Day I Wanted To Write A Book
An unusual experimental mixtape of Alphonsine's musical influences: This was mixed and remixed with selected tracks from Jazz, Hip-hop, Trip-hop and electron...
- How did the Marmalade Mixtape Series come about? Which of the four volumes would you consider your favorite, in terms of the selection of songs and process of DJ’ing the set?
The Marmalade Mixtape Series came about as a documentation of my creative process and skills in my music endeavour. I would consider Vol. 04, 03, 02 to be my three favourites in that very order.
Vol.04 was created with a lot of time spent looking for the right places to blend and layer them over one another, altogether creating new moods and sounds.
Vol.03 was disco and house which is always pleasant, groovy and much easier to mix. Still, I liked the tracks I selected as I love disco!
Vol.02 was a little more experimental and included more electronic spacey sounds, hence it was titled Planète Disko. I was imagining how disco could be like on another planet.
Listen to The Marmalade Series on Soundcloud
Alphonsine Koh
Listen to Alphonsine Koh | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.
- What is the most rewarding part about being a DJ to you? Is there anything that is frustrating as well?
The most rewarding part about being a DJ is definitely to share your music with the world. There is no better way I can express how it makes me feel when I know I can make people dance with the music I love and enjoy; when you can see it with your own eyes of how much people appreciate and enjoy your track selection. Creating a vibe is such a beautiful thing to do.
The frustration comes with all the technical aspects that people get nit-picky about. There are so many aspects that could make a “good DJ” but having a good track selection is what I tend to focus on. However, as with all artists, we are the greatest critics of ourselves. Striving to be always be better is probably my biggest frustration.
- What’s the best advice that you’ve been given; either personally or professionally?
“Repetition is the mother of all skill” - a quote from Tony Robbins and for anyone who is endeavoring in anything they believe is worth pursuing. It is much too easy to give up when your skills and results do not meet your expectations and your idealised goals.
The smartest thing you can do is just to keep going and not beat yourself up about it. There are a few close inspirational individuals who always told me that they believe in me, and this was very assuring for me in periods of my life when I was losing faith in myself. “Whether you believe you can or not, you are right.”
- Do you feel the advancement of DJ technology and controllers has been a positive or negative for the art?
The advancement of DJ technology as with any technology are just tools in my opinion. You can still create an amazing creative set with the cheapest controllers or with a vinyl set up. It really depends on what your end goals is as a DJ. But with that said, it is worth taking the time to understand, explore and learn and not be restricted to what you have.
- What activities do you enjoy outside of your music endeavors?
I create my own digital art as well as seen with my mixtape covers. I also dive a lot into psychology and philosophy which are themes I also explore as an artist.
- We love to hear what other music artists are vibing to. What are a few songs that are personally on repeat for you or at the top of the pack in your personal playlist?
Jump Bugs by Syclops, A Thousand Knifes by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Jibal Anuba by Debruit . These are the first few tracks that come to mind. My list of top tracks are always changing but these ones were on repeat for quite some time. There’s beautiful composition, sounds and ideas that really inspired me.
- What’s next up musically for you as 2022 approaches and beyond? Any mixtape projects, features or live sets on the horizon?
2022 will include releases of my debut album as well regular livestreams and mixes! There is so much exciting stuff coming up so stay tuned.
Follow Alphonsine Koh
To stay in the loop with the music endeavors of Alphonsine Koh, follow her on any of the social media platforms below:
- Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/alphonsinekoh/
- Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/alphonsinekoh
- YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/c/AlphonsineKoh/videos
https://streamlinemusicblog.com/2021/12/04/artist-feature-interview-alphonsine-koh/
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