Elsewhere/Rebecca is a sound artist, electronic music producer and performance maker based in Boorloo on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja. Elsewhere/Rebecca’s debut album With Me, We Walk sponsored by Drug Aware YCulture Metro, recently came out and featured a compilation of tracks and poems written in the past few years. We chatted to the multitalented artist about who she is and what she does, her debut album and the special way she launched it.

Who are you, what do you do and why are you doing what you’re doing?

I’m an anglo-Australian living on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja. I’m currently studying Practice Transition as part of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts course, and I’m also a boxing facilitator for the Young Boxing Woman Project.

In my practice, overall, I call myself a sound artist. I basically use it as an umbrella term for the different roles I take on for different creative projects. But in saying that, 80% of the time I’m an electronic music producer. I write electronica and design sound for most of the work that I do, whether that’s a theatre show, an installation, or my own projects. I was raised by theatre-makers, so I guess it’s in my blood to make things. I feel very lucky to have found exactly what I want to do with my life at an early age. I can use my practice to tell stories and create experiences by and for others. I thrive in my work, which makes it challenging to find a work-life balance sometimes.

Tell us more about your debut album With Me, We Walk.

I’m at the tail end of the “first 5-years” of my practice. Back in November I realised I had made a lot of sonic work. And then I thought: I could make an album. It was really difficult to acknowledge my own music for a while there, because I’m technically not musically trained. At this point I really trust my instincts as to what sounds right and what sounds wrong. And it’s also why I honestly can’t identify as a musician. So I thought it was time to share the music that I make outside of a sound design context or someone else’s project.

With Me, We Walk is a compilation of tracks and poems that I’ve written within the past few years. The earliest track in there is from mid 2016 (‘Summer Dance’), whereas the most recent piece is from late summer (‘Comfort’). It’s all soft, ambient, minimal electronica, as well as two spoken word tracks that have accompanying music videos online. I finished writing and mixing the album in the months following the initial shock of the pandemic, so I wanted the overall work to be a reflection of this time, rather than not acknowledging it. Ellen Hope-Thomson collaborated with me on the album’s launch and aesthetic, and also choreographed all the gestures and movements as part of the album’s visual components. The album is both personal and “open”: I want listeners to create their own narrative from what they can imagine through the music.

The launch of your debut album was quite special, can you explain the reasoning behind involving audience participation?

There needed to be participant engagement involved in the launch, and when the time came for Ellen and I to make that decision, there was no way we could get more than a few people in one place at the same time due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. We conjured the idea that participants could be encouraged to move to the album as they listened to it from their own homes. We made a plan that meant participants could individually “experience” the album, rather than passively listen to it. Over three days participants received a third of the album each day, which were a mix of tracks as well as spoken provocations co-written by myself and Ellen. Ellen is an autobiographical dance artist, so it was a very fluid process for us to encourage participants to respond to what they heard. The feedback we’ve received has been so generous and it’s also been wonderful to collaboratively reconnect with Ellen though this project.

How was your experience with the Drug Aware YCulture Metro funding project?

Such a great one! I feel that we are so lucky to be able to apply for this accessible grant scheme as young artists. This is my second time receiving the grant and I’m so fortunate to be able to produce and fund the work I want to generate, whilst still experiencing a generous amount of room for both expected and unexpected  experimenting and creativity along the way. If you haven’t applied before, now’s your time! 

Catch Elsewhere/Rebecca live this Saturday 24 October at Selfless Orchestra ‘Great Barrier’ Debut Album Launch where she’ll be performing with Georgina Crammond aka Ribs featuring Sarah Sim’s projection visuals. Get With Me, We Walk here, and follow Elsewhere/Rebecca on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

INTERVIEW BY: YOSHIKA KON