When playing live, Nadia Struiwigh feels detached from her consciousness and instead rides on her own inner flow. She shares stories that come from deep inside of her and are based on her own memories and inspiration. Once translated into sound, they become narratives common too many of us and take listeners deep into their own psyche. As hippie as that may sound, Struiwigh is also a technical nerd who deeply analyses everything she does, and so by now can truly convey herself through her Korg, Moog and Sculpt synths.
For as long as she can remember, Struiwigh’s head has been lost in music, floating on melodies, analysing sound and trying to understand why it has such a profound impact on us. She felt it was her calling to take it to the next level. “Life is like a melody to me, a harmony. I really can’t express myself with words so music is my main language”, she says.
Since 2009 Struiwigh has been making music like some people write a diary—daily sessions to capture what she is feeling at any given time. As long as the ideas flow freely, she continues to make tracks that are often steeped in distortion, with occult lullabies, crunchy textures and a melancholic air. If it feels forced, she stops. Making music is a way for her to reset and clear her mind. Sharing it is a way to find out if other people feel the same way and understand the hidden messages within it.
My approach to this piece was very different to the one I took last year. I was forced back into a living space studio as I just moved to Australia. I must say, I love it. I love to work on a longer piece like this, especially when I can sit in my own bubble, just low key on a coach, with my beloved synths. I’ve created a lot of spacey retro patterns and I was actually just jamming around. I pressed the record button in Ableton, and the first take was the final take. At the end I felt really emotional—lots of old emotions came up and I felt I've started a new chapter in my life. This piece is very dear to me. I will ask you to close your eyes, and to dim the lights and float on this analog synth piece!
I prefer deep extended pieces, because I feel I can connect for a longer time with the artist or with myself. I try to put a lot of different emotions in one track, so the longer the better. I can tell even more. For me it’s an experience, a mindset and a full psychedelic trip. It’s asking us to be open to whatever comes and to create our own memories with the song.