Resident Host on Rinse FM with a spotlight on female-identifying, non-binary and queer talent, ELLES has been an inherent figure in the London scene, and a regular headliner at instituations such as Dalston Superstore, Adonis and Little Gay Brother.

She has a catalogue of releases and appearances under her belt on acclaimed labels including Naive, Naivety, Love On The Rocks, Dark Entries and Super Drama.

We catch up with her in light of her first full length album release on Naive’s imprint label titled ‘A Celebration Of The Euphoria Of Life’ - an eleven track journey that weaves personal reflections with collective experiences through the ultimate tale of nightlife as a continuum of blissful resistance.

 
 

Can you tell us a little bit about the energy behind this mix and what you would prescribe doing while listening to it?

Well the mix was recorded in one take on the hottest day on record in London, pretty much naked, which isn’t an attempt to be saucy, it was just too hot for clothes in my flat. So the energy behind it… ‘heatwaviness’ perhaps?

In terms of listening, if you wanted to replicate those circumstances you could wait for a really hot day, ditch clothes and then put it on. Maybe treat yourself to an ice lolly. Failing that, however you want to listen is fine: on the bus, in the bath, pre-drinks with the gals etc.


Congratulations on your first full length album release on Naive! Can you tell us about what “Celebration Of The Euphoria Of Life” means to you? And who ideally, is this album for?

Thank you! A Celebration Of The Euphoria of Life is about processing stuff, learning lessons, experiencing joy, honouring the light and darkness and seeing the beauty in it all. It’s also about going out n that.

It’s for whoever is into it tbh, although it was written as an ode to the bittersweet pleasures of nightlife, the themes are fairly universal - desire, hope, loss, confusion. You don’t have to have set foot in a club to ‘get it’ per se. One of the magical things about creating music is the part you don’t know or cant predict, like who it might find and resonate with it and how, which I love.

 
 

The melodic mantras and incantations layered with snaps of dialogue throughout the album give a whimsical, bittersweet honesty to the album, along with your unique ability to really contrast these almost naive vocals with turbulent and soaring synths. Who or what are some of your biggest influences and inspirations for producing music?

Feel like there isn’t really a short or simple answer to this, sound-wise the album influences are prob fairly apparent, 90s & 00s pop, post-punk, Chicago house, acid, UKG, electro etc. Pub jukebox meets DJ set. So many loves swirling about. More generally I’m inspired by self starters, DIY scenes, film, art, fashion, poetry, critical writing, London, travel, random ppl down the pub.… an infinite number of things, a well crafted sentence somewhere could do the trIck.

In terms of process, I’m interested in the idea of channelled creativity, just start playing and see what comes out, embrace emotional honesty. Leaning into my intuition, trusting my gut- ‘first thought best thought’ like Arthur Russell said- and see where it ends up. Many of the album ideas are first take improvised, like the vocal on Out 2 4get- i made a really simple bass-line and then just recorded the first thing that came to mind, which turned out to be the entire main vocal. The intention was to rerecord but i actually preferred the original so kept it as is.

I like stuff that is both joyful and melancholic at the same tIme of any genre, so tend to gravitate in that direction sound-wise. So maybe emo-ness is my biggest inspiration of all.

 
 
“I’m interested in the idea of channelled creativity, just start playing and see what comes out, embrace emotional honesty. Leaning into my intuition, trusting my gut- ‘first thought best thought’ like Arthur Russell said- and see where it ends up.”
 

How do you feel your sound has grown since summers_of_love and A Celebration Of The Euphoria Of Life?

I think it’s always evolving in different ways, developing the intuitive aspects and honing technical. Always want to be growing, expanding, staying curious. I’m proud of all my creations, these records where made under difficult circumstances and i love that they exist for me as a document of my personal growth as well as my sonic one.

What else is on the cards for ELLES in the not too distant future? (Any collaborations, projects, releases or gigs we can get excited about?

I have a some remixes in the works - couple for different bands which is fun i really enjoy working across different genres, also an EP and zIne I’m working on, the vinyl of the album will be out at some point which is very exciting after some long industry-wide delays, also working on a live incarnation of the album too so eyes peeled for that.. DJ-wise, lots coming up, I’ll be at Gauche which is an amazing queer night in London end of Aug… i’m on Rinse FM once a month so you can find me there too. As always open to playing new places too so hit me up and In gen, keep it locked ;)

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