ESTÈRE: By Her Own Design
An interview by Bridget Herlihy.
It has been a busy few months for Estère Dalton as she has spread her musical magic far and wide, with a number of live dates and the release of her latest EP ‘My Design Part I’, the first part of a two part interconnected body of work.
Without a doubt one of New Zealand’s most exciting artists, having just returned from dates in Australia, this week the sublime and uber-talented Estère hits the road with her human and machine band with a series of what promises to be unmissable shows in support of her latest release.
I recently caught up with Estère to talk about My Design, the enigma of electric blue witch hop, and experiencing the world through the perspective of others…
Do you feel like you have birthed a kind of offspring with the release of My Design Part I?
Yeah! It’s kind of weird though because its only Part I, so it might be the head, so its going to be a long labour!
My Design Part Two is set for release in March 2018. Why did you decide to release it in two parts?
I kind of wanted it to be a chapter book, like a story and to be honest it was somewhat on a whim – I didn’t really think about it for a long period of time. But once I came up with the idea it just felt right because it gave each song space. Whereas I think it would be quite a lot of content to digest and for people to get through in terms of the songs topics, as they are all very different, about different themes. So I wanted to release two more consolidated bodies of work that then combine together.
Is there a particular theme that runs through My Design?
The theme of both of the parts is My Design on others lives. So the first part is alluding to how my perspective has observed certain stories or certain things about the world or about people. I think that is the overall theme is that the songs are stories that relate to other people but are narrated through my perspective and my imagination. So it is my design on others.
One track from the album, Grandmother, seems to be a very personal track.
The thing about my grandmother on my dad’s side is that everyone says that I am so like her. A lot of my family say when they see me say “you look exactly like your grandmother”. And also with my personality. It is interesting as I get that reaction from my family and I am also named after her. So I felt this kind of intense connection to her through that, as well as her being my grandmother. But I never got to meet her as she lived in Cameroon her whole life and I have never been to Cameroon. I wrote that song on the day I found out that she died. I went down into my bedroom and started writing that song. The song is just talking about my feelings around that.
Where did you come up with the term ‘electric blue witch hop’?
I came up with electric blue witch hop when I first started making music with Lola [her MPC], and I wanted something that didn’t force me into an already existing genre of music, because I feel like that happens externally so much anyway. I also think the type of music that I make has references to a lot of different styles and genres and I don’t really like being boxed in too much. So electric blue witch hop was my way of creating a space for my music to exist in and let it be on its own terms.
Do you have complete creative freedom with the music you release?
Yes, that its always something that I strived for. I didn’t do heaps of collaborating in terms of my own songs when I first started making music because I wanted space to have complete creative freedom. Now that I have found my voice in terms of production and I feel confident in that area more than I ever have, I feel like I am more open to potentially working with people who might have more suggestions along that line. When you are first starting out it is a lot of trial and error, and if you have got someone telling you that you cant do this and you can’t do that then you are not going to learn for yourself.
Pro-bone techno zone has been referred to as a dystopian track. Do you agree?
I call it a digital-doom track. Its one that you want to dance to because it’s a metaphor for everyone wanting to use technology but also it is almost a warning that we don’t know what the consequences are, so I suppose that is why it is dystopian because it is essentially saying that kids might be getting brainwashed with technology. It essentially becomes an addiction and you can understand why because if you are used to something like that then the world might seem a bit weird if you don’t have it with you.
You have chosen some interesting venues to perform in. Do you hand-pick the venues that you play in?
Yeah, if its for a tour I try and pick venues that I think are interesting or work with what I am trying to achieve in terms of the message I am trying to give to my audience. For example, I chose to go with Lot 23 [for her Pro-Bono Techno Zone Auckland show earlier this year] as it was interesting and intimate, and ‘it also allows for great live recordings, so we recorded live footage there that will be released in a little bit.
What do you want the audience to take away from your performance?
I would like them to take away with them a fresh perspective. An insight into how someone else might look at the world, because I think that’s what I am doing. I am just expressing my experience as an artist and as a person, and how I look at the world. And a little bit of joy and a little bit of curiosity as well.
Estère is hitting the road this week to celebrate the release of My Design Pt1 – you can view this post to find out all about it. Tickets to each show are still available but are in VERY limited numbers so will sell out soon – we recommend you get onto this sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment!
