Decibel Lead Up: ill-esha Q&A

This Wednesday sees the kick off of one of North America’s foremost electronic music events, Seattle’s Decibel Festival, and we here at sub|dub are pretty stoked to be heading down to cover it. But before all the festivities get started we thought we’d get a little Q&A in with one of the leading innovators in West Coast bass; ill-esha.

As one of Canada’s most well known bass ladies, ill-esha has solidified herself a place at the top and shows no signs of slowing. One look at the Glitch Hop chart on Beatport will go to show what a force she is in the bass community. Now located in San Francisco, she’s been bringing her unique take on bass music to the masses via her MC/DJing combo. If you had the chance to catch her at any of her many festival stops over the summer then you’ll know where we’re coming from; the girl knows where it’s at! Amy Kirtay, sub|div supporter and the main girl behind Dub Selekta, sat down with ill-esha to chat about what we can expect to see from her when we see her at Decibel.

Thanks for siting down and chatting! I know things are super crazy with you right now as you’re in the midst of 3 festivals and 3 shows all over 6 cities in the past week. How are you maintaing a balance?

It’s pretty hard to be honest…I’m kind of a workaholic and am always pushing myself, but recently I’ve been hitting the gym again when I’m home. I think a lot of producers, myself included, will easily spend 12 hours in the chair and forget about everything or push other stuff to the bottom of the list, but I have so much more energy now that I’m twice as productive with the time I do have. And it’s a great stress relief, and boosts my immune system. I also take a ton of natural supplements, and have been working in the garden lately. Stephan Jacobs said, “It’s not about the music you make, it’s about the music you don’t make” and I have been realizing it’s pretty important to take time away from the studio and let life inspire you to create balance.

It’s so very true. So with all this touring that you’re currently doing, do you have any shows you’ve recently played that stand out as personal favourites?

The festivals this year have been magical. Shambhala on the beach on Friday night was great, and Lightning In A Bottle was the most sublime festival I’ve ever attended in any way; performing with Joe Mousepad in between Gladkill and Heyoka was really inspiring. My top non-festival experience would be the Boom Boom Lagoon party on the shores of Lake Tahoe with B. Bravo which was completely unreal; crystal blue water, sunshine, and hundreds of people rocking out. And I even slipped some liquid DNB into my set there which is a rare treat for me these days!

Your last release, Reverie, was accurately described as “a fun-filled frolic down a bright coloured graffiti sidewalk on a scorching summer day.” With the release having been out for about a month or so, how do you feel reception to it has been and has it achieved all the goals that you set forth with it?

It’s been really great! Muti is such a diverse label, they are on top of their promotion and are well known for being a leader in the bass music genre. They’ve got fans everywhere from Europe to South Africa and I’ve definitely been connecting with people from all over the world since the release of this album. I think a lot of people are kinda burnt out on the whole slamming brostep thing, because I’ve definitely seen a “relieved” sort of reaction when I start dropping the funk stuff.

I can definitely attest to that. So You’re going to be making an appearance in Seattle next week, I’m curious about what the Decibel Festival means to you?

Decibel is well known for curating really forward-thinking music and I am humbled to be among the lineup this year. There are so many artists who don’t fit into the current trends that are making really amazing music and deserve the spotlight they are getting. The festival is also very special to me, because a dear friend who passed away some years ago was involved with Decibel’s production in the early days – he was one of the first people who believed in me creatively and helped me connect with the American scene. I know he’d be so proud to see me playing here, and I’m playing this set in honour of him. Miss you Ephraim. RIP.

You’ve got a slot at the Bassic Necessities showcase at Decibel with Mt. Eden and Breakage. For folks that are planning on attending, what can we expect to see from you at the showcase?

I’m excited to be on this lineup because although I’ve become known for playing a lot of West Coast style glitch music, I also love to make a LOT of other styles, and am definitely going to take the opportunity to showcase some of the deeper and more UK-influenced stuff coming out of my brain. It will be mostly original music, but I’ll also be playing some new stuff from the more “post-dubstep” labels I represent, such as Haunted Audio and Car Crash Set. Over the last few months I’ve been tweaking my show setup as well, and will be using a Novation Twitch controller, a VoiceLive Touch effects pedal with mic and an Akai LPK25 mini keyboard to orchestrate live harmonies.

Also curious if you’re going to be sticking around the festival to catch any other acts? Do you have some noted acts that you really want to catch?

I’m actually flying in a day early to see the Amon Tobin ISAM show. The footage I’ve seen of the 3D mapping projection is awe-inspiring! I can’t miss Monolithium at the Night Slugs showcase of course, or the Frite Nite showcase in the park. Very excited to play an after-party on Friday night as well with my Portland soul sister Natasha Kmeto, who also produces her own music and does live vocals. That’s something I don’t see enough.

And one last question for you; if you were to look at your iTunes, what would be the top 3 played songs?
I’m assuming by mentioning itunes you’re saying stuff I listen to at home, versus stuff that might be on the top of my DJ playlist. I listen to a lot more downtempo and future hip hop in my downtime; right now I can’t get enough of “Space is the Face” from the new Origami Pyramid EP (a new project from Bay Area-based Joe Mousepad and Slowspines), “Samolero” by Toronto producer Sunclef off his recent EP (totally beautiful experimental hip hop), and third place would be a tie between all the hot new tracks I’m getting from the Headtron crew’s Gladkill, ChrisB and Jobot. They put so much love and heartbreaking emotion into bass music, which is right up my alley.

You can catch ill-esha at the Bassic Necessities showcase on Friday during the Decibel festivities. For more info about the festival itself be sure to checkout their website for info on the line up and where you can get tickets.