A Conversation With ... Ninoosh aka Anya Trybala
Sculptor of Sound - Ninoosh aka Anya Trybala, launched her debut album Floodgates on October 25 with a single launching each day in the week leading up to the release. Each track has its own little magical world, and listeners are in for a treat, kind of if Fever Ray and Talking Heads had a sonic baby.
The Melbourne born artist who migrated to Sweden has been creating ethereal music that takes listeners to soundscapes they had not before considered. Not one to be happy killing it with one endevour - Ninoosh AKA Anya Trybala created Synth Babes - a collective aimed at championing women/non-binary and trans who make music with synths and electronic means. Their mission statement reads: The electronic music industry is incredibly CIS-male dominated, so we aim to promote the pioneers and give a platform for emerging electronic artists . Artists who currently feature as collaborators on the label include Ninoosh, The Fleurs, Ok Sure, Mila Dietrich Mama Flora, Tarsier, Loljud and others as the label grows.
With her debut album - Floodgates out we got in touch with Anya to talk about her process and all she does.
BYO: How are things at the moment?
Ninoosh: Excited and feeling better now. I've had a bit of a turbulent year with my mental health to be totally honest, so I'm in a bit of recovery mode, on strict orders from my doctor to just take it easy - but I get so damn restless! I'm pumped to finally release this album, but my condition (Bipolar 2) has taken me on a wild ride of hypomania, anxiety and depression all battling each other and my brain and mood. I spent much of 2018 in a hypomanic state and am now dealing with the consequences, like silly debts and a tattoo I’m not so sure about! But I'm just trying to push through it! I'm lucky I have such a strong support system - I'm blessed in so many ways.
BYO: How do you find living in Sweden? What is the creative scene like there compared to
back home in Melbourne?
Ninoosh: I have had some awesome opportunities creatively in Malmö, it is such an open and lively kind of city and I've gotten to play at festivals and interesting events, like supporting Zola Jesus and playing in Iceland at Extreme Chill Festival . Plus, meeting like-minded artists has been lovely. The venues are a bit limited though here compared to Melbourne, but they are always open to try new projects and things. It's a massive privilege to live in Sweden and there are so many elements I love about the place, but there are definitely some things you need to get used to. You really have to practice patience with the system - everything takes a long time to get things done or get access to, like mental health services, which can be a bit frustrating but at least it's affordable. The seasons are really beautiful and distinct though!
BYO: Can you tell us a bit about Synth Babes and what got you into starting the label?
Ninoosh: Well, I started it as Synth Babe Records as a way to release my own music and also support emerging artists that were women and non-binary. We have kind of extended into more of a feminist collective these days and still release music so are just Synth Babes now. I took a break from it for a little while but then kept meeting awesome people who shared my enthusiasm for greater gender equality in electronic music, so here we are! I think our strength is producing strong role models for other emerging artists by the music we produce.
BYO: Are there any new signing coming from Synth Babes or new releases?
Ninoosh: Icelandic artist rauður is releasing her beautiful album Semilunar in October. We met when I was running an event for the Ableton User Group Malmö and she is super inspiring - she even managed to bring us to Iceland to teach at a girls rock camp in 2018! I actually wrote on my list of goals in January to finally visit Iceland and then two weeks later we met! We are a grassroots kind of label and collective, so mainly focus on releasing compilations, which we did earlier this year and in the past few years. We hope to do another compilation next year. We are maybe even starting a podcast soon and running summer writing and producer camps. Bringing producers together for an intense period can be super effective in sprouting new ideas and music!
BYO: When it comes to your music what is your aim?
Ninoosh: When I make music it sometimes feels like I'm in a daze and can't quite remember how I made it, it just happens. The creativity is a total ebb and flow though and there are periods when I don't even open Ableton for months or I make stuff that just sounds crap, and other times when it flows freely and I make stuff I actually like. I think my aim now is to just try and reach more ears!
BYO: Floodgates has some really interesting soundscape tracks that blend beautifully into some beats driven songs. What aesthetic / emotional image was your intention with this release?
Ninoosh: Thank you! The name Floodgates was given after the #metoo movement and the song Rage came out after feeling so much anger and frustration at the sheer scale of abuse I was reading about. I think the album is a diverse mix of the ambient and peaceful moods right through to more harsh sounding tones and I want to get people to feel it in their bones. A friend said that the sound was like "If Fever Ray and Taking Heads had a sonic baby!". There are also a few reworks of old tracks from my EP and I also had wonderful synth babes help me mix this album and be my listening buddies, so a big shot-out to Ok Sure, Aphir, Sod Off, Mila Dietrich, Loljud and rauður. And also my mate Paul in Melbourne for his work with my EP.
BYO: How do you find the idea of having the record label and the music and your other endeavours? I find that the more I do the more I can be on the ball constantly but others say it is about focusing only on one thing at a time. What are your thoughts on your best method for productivity?
Ninoosh: I’m writing this at 6am, when my brain is sometimes quite fresh and it can be a good way to start the day - when I wake up early and do stuff. I am getting better at juggling and prioritising things that matter over things that don’t. My partner and I have this rule that I wait 48 hours to make any big decisions and then weigh it up, which has been working well as I don't end up taking on too much - but I also like to have a few things on the go at a time, keeps me active. I try and set goals - when I was making my album it was very intense period but I had an outcome in mind - it's good to visualise your end goal I think. The productivity goes a bit out the window when I'm just floating, which has been a bit of that lately.
BYO: Can you give us some insight to what your studio space is like?
Ninoosh: I used to have this brilliant place in an old silo factory here in Malmö overlooking the ocean - it was a great place to record sounds and I made the album there. My set-up is Ableton on the computer, an Apogee Element soundcard, a Push 2 and a Microkorg. My dream is to have a summer house in Sweden with a studio set up and I could rent it out to other musicians. That would be so very sweet.
BYO: What’s next for you?
Ninoosh: Coming to Melbourne for a few months over the summer (thankfully skipping the bitter cold winter!) so we have plans to maybe hold Synth Babes Fest in Melbourne, which we did here in Malmö earlier this year, plus a songwriting and producer camp. I’m also doing a residency at MESS (a synth library of sorts) in January, and working on the next album. Hopefully playing festivals next year in Europe, so good stuff is cooking!
