Words by: Zell Couver
Photo via Goldsmiths University of London
“The best thing that any artists can hear is that you sold out“
– Bill Withers
As Digital Roses prepared for their upcoming show at Goldsmiths, University of London, I had the chance to speak with them. The femme musical duo of sonic witches make music under the imperfect London stars and fearlessly express themselves without societal permission. Their artistry takes us on a musical journey to the heart that needed mending from years of grief, emotional pain and loss of self.
I was honored to be part of the process, as I was asked to dance for their audiovisual music event in London and began to learn more about the songs they produced, their stunning visuals, and the stories behind their process.
Joanna and Trudi began as postgraduates accidentally placed together in a class project, leading to jam sessions and songwriting. This twist of fate created the femme artists duo we witness today. Their musical destiny led them to recording tracks all in one raw take, thus the birth of their first three singles (Waterfalls, Under the Sea, and I’m So Tired).
Inspired by the sonic surroundings of Massive Attack, Current 93, Mitski, and Bjork, the duo explores experimental sounds and loose song structures. This allows the core behind the sound design of DR, the creative expression of Joanna’s abrasive sonorities, and Trudi’s lyrical storytelling, who lends a valorous voice of femme experience.
Their single, Waterfalls, took me to a place of peace, relieving the pain from loss and grief. This piece was inspired by Trudi’s story of birth in Zimbabwe. Prior to her life in London, she was taken to waterfalls with healing properties by witches from the tribe of her birthplace. Now, they strive to extract the negative connotations against witchcraft and to reclaim their birth rights as healers of the sonic arts, AKA Sonic Witches.
Due to their “technological sound spells”, their music transcends to mantric events of diasporic reclamation and affirmation of self identity, through the abrasive sounds of the midi keyboard, mystic audio-visualization of siren-like voices and rhythmic vortex of the human heart. Their musical aesthetics may be categorized as techno-paganism or urban shamanism, but it’s also a perfect combination of magical electronica, pop and freak folk.
Not only did they capture my subconscious, but they also led me to their audio-visual realm, filled with free-form dancing graphics and sonic vigor. Their upcoming show, Noise Petals, is a collaborative project with performers of various mediums from poetry to cabaret, featuring a blend of ethereal sensations and mesmerizing lights.
Can you tell me more about yourselves and what you represent as a duo?
Joanna: I guess it’s worth mentioning how this project came about and I think it was purely by accident. We would organize jam sessions and what we wanted to do together after this collaborative project for our Masters. I think it was one of the first sessions that we came up with our first three songs, all in one session, first take, and straight through were Boy Speak, I’m So Tired and Under The Sea and we really liked what we’ve come up with. Trudi gave me one of her projects from her Bachelor’s, and that was Waterfalls. We realized that there was something there. I always thought of ourselves as representatives of anyone who was relegated to the sidelines of society and anyone who was deemed not the “same enough” to be considered part of the general mainstream flow of society.
Can you tell me about the inspiration behind Waterfalls?
Trudi: Basically, I was born in Zimbabwe and there was a war at that time. My mother took me to this witch doctor in this area that was supposed to be a village by Victoria Waterfalls. When I was writing this song, I was thinking to myself about this particular tribe and their biggest chief was, what do you call it? A mage? Some sort of wizard? Anyways, I was imagining someone from that village, traveling to our world and the impression they would get from how we are, how we turned out as humans. We were able to create a sonic sound that spoke to a modern, contemporary society… which I think is your strongest skill. Underneath it, there was something sort of rooted and almost indigenous, if you strip away the rawness of the song.
We’re trying to make music that moves us and that allows us to express ourselves. You know, what we get off on. We make a sound that may be a mistake and if we like it, we’ll be like ‘Tape that’… there are no rules in that sort of way. That, to me, is the thing that makes a difference between being a pop artist and not being a pop artist- we’re not trying to make pop music.
How would you define musical witches in your own terms?
Trudi: We would say sonic witches! I think for myself, it’s a reclamation of a term because of the often negative connotation of witches and what it does to femme people… From my heritage, brutality is ensued with that term, so it feels like what we’re doing is shamanic, the breaking out of that. What can be more shamanic than reclaiming the word “witch”?
Joanna: Techno-paganism is something we’ve been described as in terms of an aesthetic or a philosophical angle to take with how we present ourselves as artists… I definitely want to do more research about it because the only techno pagan I’m aware of is Miss Calendar from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is not the best. (laughs). I like the term sonic witch in general because the space we occupy sonically as well, is one that can be kind of creepy. I’m really into sound design and I like creating my own sounds in any way I can. I think, for me, there is some aspect of witchcraft, as if I’m casting technological sonic spells. In a sense, modern witchcraft is deriving power and self control from your actions, feeling powerful in yourself. And I do get a feeling when I do that kind of stuff, especially if I’m enthusiastic about the sounds I’m making. I do get a boost of power and confidence.
What makes your music erotic?
Trudi: The words “trance” and all these kinds of words are to do with indigenous drumming and rituals. That’s where these originate from and it evolved because that’s where dance music started having that quality. A trance is going inside yourself and connecting with the earth and other people. What can be more erotic than that? Anyone that considers our music trance-like is basically connecting to something internally ritual. It’s not something we can point out. It gets you into a meditative state.
Joanna: Especially in terms of more erotic qualities, I’d say… eroticism and any notion of the erotic is kind of pushed off to the sidelines of society, like it’s something that should be kept private… especially in the slightly weirder sounds we’re making, there is that element of eroticism in a sense that there is an otherness to the kind of music we’re making. I mean, it exists outside of what you expect.
After Digital Roses finished their show on September 7th at the George Wood Theatre in Goldsmiths University (London), they will be releasing their singles on Spotify, Bandcamp and many streaming platforms online. You can also check their vinyl singles on Instagram
Check out their singles on Spotify, Bandcamp, and other social media platforms.
Check out more of Digital Roses HERE
Check out more of Georgia’s work HERE