Rites of Sin ist das elektronische Musikprojekt von Iris Voss. Die in Leeds lebende Künstlerin verwebt in ihrer Musik unterschiedliche Stile, Stimmungen, düstere Harmonien und aufregende Elektronik zu eindringlichen Musikstücken, die berühren. Die im April erschienene Single „The vanishing“ war eine Überraschung und großartige Neuentdeckung.
Kürzlich hat Iris ihr Debüt-Album Rites of Sin veröffentlicht – 9 faszinierende Tracks, die von Dunkelheit und Drama umhüllt sind – und uns neugierig gemacht haben!
Who is behind Rites of Sin?
Rites of Sin is a one-woman project started to explore my interest in electronic music, audiovisual media, and nostalgia for the past.
If you had to describe your music in terms of not music … what would you say?
Hammering a nail into a mirror. Sounds dramatic enough.
Forget about genres for a second – Rites of Sin´s music sounds like …
Check out YouTube comments under my videos, everyone seems to have their own idea. Which for me is interesting to see.
What are your first musical memories? When did you first fall in love with sound?
I make electronic music and I’ve been publishing quite a few reels featuring Moog synthesizers so most people assume I’m some kind of female Giorgio Moroder. I’m not. My parents made me play violin from the age of 6. I can’t say I fell in love with it straight away. Some of my teachers were nasty, particularly one lady that used to beat students using a bow (for that reason I can’t bend my pinky finger properly). I’m not the best musician technically speaking. My brain is a combination of colour and noise rather than a square 4/4. But my best teachers were classical composers who made me fall in love with music. Classical music is something I go back to all the time.
What are you looking for in music?
I’m particularly interested in the audiovisual side of it. I like unusual sounds, weird visuals, odd words, and how they affect each other and the viewer/listener.
Which person, artist, or incident inspired you when you first started making music?
Looking back it would be The Human League’s album Dare.
What is the most surprising record on your CD-/Vinyl-shelf?
I don’t really own a lot of music. But when traveling abroad I always visit all 2nd hand record stores I can and try and find the most obscure albums I can. Sometimes I don’t buy music, I buy album artwork. I call this vinyl store blind dates. The fact that I have no exact idea what I’m buying is the most exciting feeling ever, it helps me forget about the internet for a while. The latest find would be a record called „Metamorphoses – Electronic Interpretations of Classic and Modern Musical Works“ released in the 1980s by a Soviet label Melodia. The classical compositions of Debussy, Monteverdi, etc. were recorded using a British-made synthesizer Synthi 100.
What impact do your surroundings have on your art? Which sort of mood produces the best song?
I’m rarely inspired by perfection. Visiting new places, talking to fellow artists, going to galleries, looking for the imperfect and for tension everywhere I go. I also keep a little sketchbook where I draw ideas daily. Each page is divided into ten squares and each square is the same idea but paired with something completely different or even clashing but they have to somehow work together. An example would be a cassette tape spinning a spaghetti covered in tomato sauce. This is my creative process and I use iterations a lot. It’s not always the mood producing the best song but a lot of background thinking. I also ask a lot of “why?” questions. It sometimes makes me come across as rude but we adults don’t ask “why?” often enough. Why do I want to create it this way? Why am I using this tool? Why not try something completely different?
You have just released your album Rites of Sin. How does the birth of a new composition happen for you?
Sure. This will be technical. I usually start by crafting a kick. For me having a good kick drum in place is the most important part of the composition. Along with the bass line, the entire rhythm section is the backbone of my songs. For drums I use a plugin KICK2 which offers better layering than what’s available in most DAWs. I also use Vermona DRM1 or lately Moog DFAM. The hardware bass lines are done on Moog Subsequent 37 and Analogue Solutions Leipzig V3. I don’t see hardware being superior to plugins and I use plugins a lot. It all depends on the song. But I like to be able to tweak multiple instruments at the same time without having to deal with tiny VST interfaces. Once I have the drums and the bass in place, I add a track of chords throughout the entire song using Roland’s strings. I may delete it (or parts of it) later but it kind of helps me keep the composition organised and speeds things up when adding arpeggios and leads. There are so many processes involved in producing a single track. There are things I find very easy and enjoyable and there’s stuff I absolutely dread or I’m not at all good at. Recording and mixing is absolutely my number one priority and my albums would sound crap without it done properly. I see so many musicians spending millions on gear yet neglecting the key element of mixing, mastering or just getting a second opinion. I guess the trick is to not try and do everything by yourself (even when you can) and always stay open to tweaking things … and keep asking my favourite question „why?“.
How does the visual aspect relate to and reflect your music?
Visuals are an equal part of my music. I love experimenting with audio-reactive software and I’m constantly trying out new things, mixing, and mashing up. Some of my videos and graphics were created by other artists and having these third-party interpretations of my music is very important and exciting to me.
Which instrument will surely NEVER be heard on a Rites of Sin track?
I’m always staying open-minded. Some of the samples I recorded are literally sounds of closing a dishwasher door or banging on a radiator with a pair of scissors.
What’s next for you? What are you most looking forward to?
I’m hoping to stay in Germany for a while this winter and write most of my second album there. In the meantime, I’m working on some loose tracks and doing various audiovisual shorts which you can find on my Instagram @ritesofsinmusic.
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