EXPLICIT PRESENTS: ELFÆTHER / EXPRESS FREEDOM THAT LEADS TO WONDERFUL THINGS

Elfæther clearly find peace of mind in such places, casually wandering around and exploring the unknown. Perhaps that is why travelling plays an enormous part in this Australian breakcore producer’s life. „When I was 18, it was the first time I ever travelled by myself, and I went to Seoul for language study.” Researching Korean Buddhism, they also spent half a year in Tokyo before applying for the master’s programme at the University of Oxford, ‘not thinking’ they would get in. I ask why they moved so far away, and immediately see Elfæther smile as if the distance did not make any difference to them. „Honestly, I don’t think that much about things that I do. If an opportunity arises and it sounds interesting or cool, I will take it. I have no broad plans for my life, I am fully flowing through existence.” This lifestyle, however, allows them to live an independent life and exist on their own very happily – which is exactly the sense of freedom they would not get otherwise.

Similarly, Elfæther’s music taste has evolved in a very casual, yet gradual manner. First exposed to some bits of rave culture at Neko Nation, an anime-and-gaming-inspired happy hardcore rave in Sydney, they as well got engaged in a relatively small-scale renegade rave, ‘dragging a generator through the bush’ to an abandoned military banker. Although the producer already (but rather frivolously) experimented with 3DS back then, Elfæther’s music world truly ‘exploded’ after moving to England in 2018, getting a real taste for English & Japanese breakcore there. Among their greatest musical influences had been Goreshit, a UK lolicore sound producer, with whom they attended Boomtown in 2019. The festival hosted a Japan Invasion takeover from artists such as Laxenanchaos, Biohannya and others, which Elfæther recall as ‘a really profound awakening’, realising their true passion for breakcore sound.

Nevertheless, a sense of attachment to their music roots is still notably present, influenced by happy hardcore, dubstep, IDM, hard techno, jungle… basically all that hard stuff they first began with. Elfæther’s spontaneous lifestyle highly reflects on the music they produce, letting boundaries slide without sticking to a specific genre – it does not matter if they spend three days or half a year working on a single track, as long as the end product comes out naturally. This unforced workflow results in high-end experiments - for instance, composing with string instruments such as electric violin which they have played since childhood.

Inspired by their personal experience of free parties and welcoming European vibe, we talk about Trigger Happy, their self-curated event in March 2022 which saw hundreds of ravers joining, partly due to free admission. By organising such events, they stress the importance of being authentic and original. Elfæther aim at creating spaces where everyone is equally involved and free to express themselves in various ways, artistically for instance. „Actively contributing to the space, creating it with other people as co-creators – that’s how I see it. Get your friends, get a generator, get some music that you love, don’t expect big crowds, just have fun with it and experiment, and do things differently. Express freedom that leads to wonderful things.” Not only do they examine feasible rave settings (while daydreaming about arranging their own festival one day), but Elfæther also encourage the performers to compose their music rather than playing someone else’s tracks. „I really want to keep the spirit of DIY music alive. Playing your music to a crowd is something empowering, it’s bearing your soul. Producing music is creating a story and it’s putting a statement out there into the world, it’s saying something about yourself and how you relate to the world. DJing does that to some extent.”

Besides music, Elfæther fancy learning languages, Sanskrit for instance (adding to at least other five they master so far), gaming and engaging with Buddhism philosophy. Related to their study field, the producer find a particular interest in chanting and the use of language in religious practices & rituals. Rhythmic acts of sound production, such as tribal or shamanic drumming, and modern-day raves are ‘all related in bringing higher transcendent experience in people’, as they believe. Looking back at the previous projects, Elfæther currently ought to dedicate more time to music production, describing their upcoming album as ‘a pretty intense expression of themselves and their life’. I thoughtlessly follow up on what comes next but regret doing so straight away - I have known the answer ever since this session began. „I’m open to whatever happens in life, I’m totally flowing.”