Scion – Petro Campaign – Interview with DJ Yomi
This account was originally found on Livejournal, I am not the original author—I am just a fan of the journal and have found reading it on livejournal clunky to navigate and rife with errors/instability (such as having to refresh multiple times due to the page in questions becoming unavailable often requiring multiple refreshes. The original post can be found here, published by DJ-Yomi, and was published on Apr 15th 2008.
Hi all. I decided to post the text of recent magazine interview featuring me. It gave me a chance to talk about my most recent albums and upcoming tour, so I thought I’d share it with my fans. ^_^ You should really go out and buy the magazine, though, because the article is accompanied by some great pictures of me, Echo, Keiko, and the rest of my entourage!
Anyway, here’s the interview:
Otherwise known as DJ Yomi, Erika Lacey is a major force in the goth-industrial and trance scenes, spanning musical genres that range from upbeat trance and futurepop to deep, dark gothic industrial beats. In bridging the gap between vastly different genres of electronic music, she has managed to do what few artists have done before. Erika’s two latest albums, Hikari and Yami, were released simultaneously last January. Hikari (Japanese for “light”) is an inspiring, emotionally evocative exploration of melodic trance featuring an incredible new vocalist who goes by the name “Echo.” Yami (Japanese for “darkness”) is a dark industrial masterpiece that liberally mixes techno beats, guitar, and darkwave rhythms with the masterful vocals of DJ Yomi’s long-time vocalists Brand, Dahlia and Quinn. Though the two albums express very different feelings and may appeal to different audiences, Erika’s deeply evocative style brings the albums together into a harmonious whole. Singles from both albums have already become top club anthems in America, Europe, Australia, Israel, and Japan, and the depth behind Erika’s music make it almost certain that her tracks’ popularity will not fade any time soon.
Erika will soon begin a worldwide club tour. Be sure to check out the tour dates on her website at www.dj-yomi.com.
Naturally, fans are curious about a darkling star as talented and beautiful DJ Yomi. Spin magazine recently had the privilege of interviewing Erika, and we took the opportunity to find out a little more about her work and upcoming tour.
Since your debut in the techno-industrial music industry, you’ve been remarkably successful among both trance and industrial fans. Can you tell us anything about how you’ve managed to span two different genres?
Well, it isn’t always easy to juggle the two. The technical aspects of the music aren’t that different, though you definitely have to approach each from a different direction when conceptualizing and composing. The real challenge is the emotional quality that defines my work. Human emotion isn’t something we can control very easily, so it’s not always easy to switch gears between the brighter, more uplifting trance melodies I write and my darker gothic-industrial tracks. Of course, there’s a lot of variety even within those genres. Even though my trance tracks tend to be uplifting, there’s often a hint of the melancholy in them. Similarly, my goth-industrial and darkwave music usually includes a touch of “light” even though it can be pretty dark. I think that’s one thing that makes my music so successful. The real human experience is rarely one hundred percent dismal or completely bright and happy. There’s almost always a hint of sadness to even the most joyful occasion, and a touch of beauty in blackest of circumstances. I tried to express that in Hikari and Yami. And I think that’s why they work so well together. One album almost makes you hunger for the other because you get a hint of light in the darkness, and a hint of darkness in the light. Or at least that’s what I was going for. I suppose I should let my fans judge how successful I was.
If record sales are any indication, you were quite successful. The two-disc set version of the albums has sold far better than the individually released versions.
True, but that may be because of the bonus disc of extras that comes with it. (laughs) Actually, I’m glad that the set is selling better that the individual albums. The goal of this project was to explore the balance of light and darkness. Over the past year, I’ve come to realize how important the harmonious balance of the two is—not just to me, but to the world in general. I’ve tried to express that in my music, so it’s very important to me that fans experience both Hikari and Yami, not just one or the other.
You experimented with some new stylistic elements in these newest albums. For instance, you’ve used more electric guitar in many of the tracks on Yami than you have on previous albums. Critics have complimented you on the new direction your music is taking, but could you take a moment to share your own thoughts and feelings on the way your style has changed in Hikari and Yami?
Of course! I’m a big fan of a lot of musical genres, and I’ve never been content to confine myself to a single style of music. As my music develops, I think it’s important to incorporate the kind of things that inspire me. I don’t think I’d be content to compose just industrial music or just trance music. I need to explore new ground. Like the work of most artists, my music is, among other things, a kind of self-expression, and I think as I grow and develop as a person, my music should reflect that. If my music didn’t change a little bit over time, it would mean that I’d grown stagnant, and that’s the last thing I want. The increased darkwave, futurepop, and metal influences in my music are just a natural expression of my personality and interests. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t influenced by other artists whose work I enjoy. (laughs)
Such as?
VNV Nation, The Birthday Massacre, In Strict Confidence, Razed in Black, Zeromancer, Matt Darey, Armin van Buuren, Juno Reactor—the list goes on and on. Can you tell I’m a total music junkie? (laughs)
The addition of new elements to your music has also led to the addition of new performers in your line-up, right?
Yes. In addition to Echo, who does the vocals for the trance tracks on Hikari, I have two guitarists, Sera and Kimiyo, who played for many of the tracks on Yami. They won’t always be performing when I play in clubs since a lot of what I do is mix samples of their studio work, but they will take the stage for more darkwave- and metal-inspired numbers at larger clubs and in concert venues. I wouldn’t really call them “new” additions to my entourage, though. They’ve been a part of my production crew since I really began recording, so I know them well and already rely on them a lot. Sera also assists Keiko, my agent, in her duties. And don’t worry, Brand, Dahlia and Quinn are still my choice vocalists for my goth-industrial projects, so their fans have nothing to fear.
You mentioned your new vocalist, Echo. Her vocals are one of the key features of Hikari, and many critics say that her voice is one of the biggest reasons the album has been so successful.
Oh, there’s no doubt about that. She has an incredible voice, doesn’t she? I’m fortunate that I discovered her. The fact is, many of the tracks on Hikari were written for her. After I met her, heard her voice, and knew what I had to work with, I had to make sure I made the most of it. I agree that her performance of the vocals really makes Hikari work. But Echo gave a lot more to this project than just her voice. Over the past several months, she’s been heavily involved in the creative process behind my music. In a very real sense, she was my muse. I don’t think I could have produced Hikari and Yami without her.
I don’t mean to get too personal, but it’s no secret that Out magazine recently published pictures of you and Echo kissing at Morbid Resonance, one of your favorite club haunts in Boston. Would you care to comment on that?
I was actually hoping to make a public statement about that since Out didn’t bother to consult me before printing those photos. To put it succinctly, both Echo and I are bisexual, and she’s my girlfriend. We fell in love shortly after we met, and that’s part of the reason she’s been such an influence on my music. I hope that’s enough of an answer for you, because you’re not getting anything else. (flashes a catty smile)
Fair enough. Then let’s talk about your upcoming tour. It’s your largest tour yet, so would you care to comment on how this one will be different from your previous tours?
Sure. As you said, this tour is larger than others I’ve done. Previously, I’ve mostly made stops in America, eastern Canada, Great Britain, and Germany. This tour will cover a lot more ground. I’ll be visiting cities all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe. As you know, goth, cyber, and trance clubs are really big in Israel, so I’ve become pretty popular there and have booked club dates in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. And even though my styles of music tend to go over better in North America and Europe, I also have a lot of fans in Japan, so I’ll be playing in Tokyo and Osaka too. The last leg of my tour will be in Australia.
You’ve also made in interesting choice in regards to the types of venues you’ll play. You’re certainly popular enough to play full-scale concert venues, but aside from concerts in a few key cities, you’ve chosen to perform mostly at clubs during your tour. Why is that?
Clubs are more intimate than concert halls. I enjoy playing concerts, but there’s a completely different vibe at clubs. Most people feel more comfortable at clubs than at concerts, and it’s easier to connect with the audience on a personal level. That’s important to me, so I wanted to emphasize that in this tour. The only downside is that clubs are more limited in terms of space than concert halls, but that’s why I’ve tried to book at least a two or three club dates in each major city I’ll be visiting. Most clubs will be selling admission passes well in advance of the dates. They’ve been really good about working with me on this, and I have my agent, Keiko, to thank for that.
Will your tour feature any particular highlights that you’d like to mention?
Well, I’ve never been to Australia before, so I’m looking forward to that. But I guess the biggest highlight of the tour will be the M’era Luna Festival in Germany. I was invited to perform there, so I made sure to build my tour around it. As you know, it’s one of the biggest darkwave/goth/alternative music festivals in the world, and a lot of other artists I love and respect will be there as well. It’ll be a good opportunity for me to spend some time with other musicians and play for a huge crowd of people who love the kind of music I make. I’m really looking forward to it.
Do you think you’ll ever go mainstream with your music?
No way. To me, going mainstream usually means selling out and compromising one’s music. That’s not always the case, but the fact is that music has to adopt certain qualities to appeal to the masses. I’m not writing and performing music to become fabulously rich and famous. I make music because it’s what I love doing, and I wouldn’t love it if I weren’t making the kind of music I want to make. I don’t feel the need to reach out to people who don’t like what I’m already producing. The popular demands of our society are always fooling us into thinking that we have to fit in with the majority, but I think I represent a subculture that long ago abandoned that sort of artificiality and decided to follow its own path. In other words, I think each person should be who she wants to be, embracing both the light and the
darkness in the world to discover the life she wants to live.