This past year has felt like a huge moment of pause, and for techno artist Juliet Fox it has allowed her to dive deeper into her artistry. Trading her decks and USBs for canvases and paintbrushes, she’s channeling creativity through other mediums. The Berlin-based artist launched her own imprint (TREGAMBE) earlier this year and now welcomes her second EP And Find Myself. Juliet Fox made an exclusive playlist for 6AM capturing a different side of her musical tastes; however, these tracks are exactly what have been inspiring her in the studio.
With TREGAMBE, Juliet fulfilled an ambition she’d been working towards since running a couple of record labels earlier in her career. The label launched with an introspective EP titled Time Doesn’t Exist, and her latest release offers her impressions on digital connections and self-discovery. Her imprint has allowed her to create a broad range of artistic exploration that comes with nurturing her own label space and running with the sounds that excite her within the techno spectrum.
The EP kicks off with ‘Click The Button’, a searing track that sees Juliet’s distorted vocals cut through moments of pulsing intensity as she reflects on the way society navigates relationships online, and the apparent ease in which we quickly sever our connections. “Find Myself” is one that’s been pulled from a stash of unreleased tracks. Stripping it back, she weaves her vocals through a shimmering synth and moving melody to create a dream-like texture as she touches on themes of transitioning and self-exploration.
The artwork on her TREGAMBE releases so far have all been Juliet’s own painted creations using acrylic on canvas. However, don’t think this producer is raging hard when painting. Her artwork draws inspiration from more down-tempo sounds. You’ll see a softer, more mellow side of Juliet Fox in her exclusive 6AM playlist: Chill Out with Juliet Fox.
Fox shares a few thoughts about her sophomore EP And Find Myself via her own imprint TREGAMBE.
Fox in her creative den
Would you consider painting as a “Covid-19 hobby,? Has it been helpful for her to have another creative release given the year the music industry had? There is such thing as burning out from a thing (music) you love, so for you, have you been able to find comfort through this other medium?
I actually started to paint again over the last few years with a close friend in Berlin, so it wasn’t really a hobby to add in during these times. I did find I had a bit more time mid-last year to paint, and it was nice to just sit there for a few days at a time and do it without having to get to the airport and go somewhere.
For me, I definitely haven’t burnt out my love for music. Instead, this time has allowed me to explore more music, or listen to all types of genres without the pressure of collecting only club and dance floor tunes, as well as having more time to make music. I finally pulled my guitar out to learn that.. although I still have a long way to go haha.
What motivated your decision to use your own art as artwork, and is this what we can expect for your own releases under your label?
I wanted to make my artwork unique and something that had more of a meaning, then my boyfriend suggested that I use my paintings for this, and he helped me with the designs and created the covers you now see. With each release I will paint the cover for it, and perhaps later down the [road], I will ask for other artists to paint for me or in conjunction with their release on my label.
Is painting inspiring your music or are you using music to influence your visual art? or both?
It’s both for me, as it can work either way. After having the paintings up in my studio and looking at them each day, I was definitely inspired to write tracks from their visual aspect, and then equally I painted the pieces to music that moved and touched me which allowed me to create them.
“Find Myself,” the fact you made this track stitching together other projects, is that unusual for you?
I usually don’t strip a track down as much as I did with this one as I would finish a track and move on, but I had sat on this for a while and realized parts of it didn’t connect to me anymore. It needed a softer melody and to give a more hypnotic feel…as the words say to “Find Myself.” It’s made me think that after this maybe I should dive into some other tracks I have finished, and do the same. It’s also a good way to learn from this, as at times we do change and our personal taste in music can change as well as reflect the way we are feeling at the time.
