Phosphorescent textures from Leipzig.
We’re kicking off the year with an all originals mix by Leipzig-based producer The International Billionaire's Secret Love Child aka tibslc.
Aside from maybe having the best name in electronic music, the mercurial artist has released 2 highly respected albums in as many years on Manchester-based label sferic. Both occupy a very special place in the ambient music world.
The beautifully delicate textures that make those albums so hypnotic are present throughout their Theory Therapy mix. The whole recording is full of psychedelic twists and turns. I can’t think of a better way to restart the series for 2023. Enjoy the trip.
How are you today?
hii) I’m ok, thanks! hoping you’re good <3
What was the last song you listened to?
ooh,,, wait‚ distracted by chia. it’s actually on repeat at this very moment, haha~ I’m really in love with all those small snippets chia uploads on soundcloud once in a while~ serious fangirl moments tbh
Where is your favourite place to listen to music?
really depends on my mood I guess, and maybe it’s more like situations. but, I do quite enjoy train rides, in general, actually. but I like listening to music while walking too. while walking or sitting or just lying on the floor, all very cute options. small concerts? bike rides, tram rides? with friends? ahah sry I’m a mess,,, mayyybe (I know it might sound a bit generic), but maybe my favorite place is always that place I’m at, once the music creates some kind of connection, more like the music could be that favorite place itself~
Outside of music, what sounds inspire you?
I like small sounds a lot. little sounds, tiny sounds. when sounds layer, sounds through walls, distant sounds, kind sounds, sounds that surprise me. sounds that funnily contradict each other. like I’m this person that is constantly drawn to every little sound surrounding me, be it ever so small, every detail~ having a hard time to focus sometimes, but I got used to it and most of the time I really enjoy it.
What have you had on repeat recently?
cold by èvia beautiful work <333
all soundcloud snippets by chia ~haha
other than that, I really like listening to mixes by frutto~ Laura Conant~ Felisha Ledesma~ didi and I’m very into the releases of estle~ more eaze - oneiric, Justin - Furns Neigh~ James K - ‘Open (feat. Yves Tumor)’~ La Timpa - ‘Memory Phone’~ well I guess I could go on forever~~
Where did you record your mix?
in two places, actually. the initial recording took place at my desk in my bedroom in Leipzig (Germany). it is where I record most of my music atm~ it’s a very bright room facing south, and it’s on the 4th floor, which is basically as high as it gets in Leipzig and there is some space in front of the building, opening up to some sort of panoramic city view which I really enjoy. It really helps, if I feel stuck or isolated, to navigate back to the surface. I finished recording it in a small apartment in a small town in Sicilia (Italia). aah and maybe to add, it’s not like one half is recorded in one space and one in the other, but rather a layering of both all way through.
Where would you recommend listening to it?
ooh~ where ever you feel listening to anything really
Are there any tracks you’ve used in the mix that are special or significant to you?
hmmm, I’m afraid I can’t tell yet… I recorded everything just for this mix, just in the very recent past. I guess I would need some more time to pass to be able to tell. but, I really like how my feelings progress while listening and the way I feel afterward.
Theory Therapy mixes are about sharing the music that you personally find therapeutic or cathartic in one way or another. What does that mean for you?
uiii, hmm2…okkk maybe I can put it this way, I always feel very humble and grateful to be able to share things, that in itself feels very therapeutic and cathartic to me.
Also, there is something about the feeling of community, that might be initiated by music, that I deeply connect with.
at least, if people are really showing up for each other, listening to each other, stepping out of their comfort zone if they should be privileged enough to be in such position.
I think, almost all of my dearest friends that I love so much I got to know through music, in one way or another~
aaand to be able to share, the ways to get there are complex, sometimes still a mystery and most of the time it takes a minute. so that process too, might have therapeutic and/ or cathartic effects. not sure if I’d say I perceive music itself that way, but then again, since all my life seems to be so very much entangled with it, it’s kind of hard to differentiate.
~I feel, if there is music that becomes a place one likes to return to, it’s quite precious. and if, for what ever confused reasons, I should have managed to create such a place, it would make me really, really happy and that's what I’m in for
Is there a particular album or piece of music that you find yourself returning to for similar reasons?
most recently, this is the place
Tell us something exciting that's coming up in your life, music or otherwise.
very much looking forward to sharing a small release via Cime (Leipzig/Germany) probably at the beginning of March~ very cute release~ very cute people~ lots of love can’t wait!! aand there is something really exciting going to happen in South Korea at Post Archive Faction via Sound Supply Service initiated by Inwoo Jung in collaboration Inwoo Jung, Kim Deon and Hanjoo Kim in ~May… apart from that, I’m currently in the process of relocating, very exiting and challenging at the same time for various reasons.
thank you so much for having me over!
sending lots of love
<3
iona