Who exactly is this Eva (Selections with Eva) we come across when we dig for real gold on YouTube? Our story and friendship starts just like this. About 6 or 7 years ago, Eva and I were already Facebook friends until we finally met. We exchanged a few messages, but never music. Still, I always thought to myself how cool this girl must be, judging „only“ by her taste in music. I certainly wasn’t wrong. A few years later, at CDV of course, our paths finally crossed when our friends Sedee from Mannheim were playing on a sunny summer afternoon. We went to the gas station, got some Berliner Luft, and exchanged our numbers. I remember feeling very comfortable around her, like I could trust her immediately, and it wasn’t long before we became friends, going to our first parties together and dancing our troubles away.
From what you can read, our friendship unfolded pretty naturally, but I couldn’t help but notice that her remarkable devotion to music was in need of a platform to bring her skills, knowledge, and mixing talents together. Eva’s latest project, in which she recognizes people, colors, objects and massive parallel patterns under a variety of conditions in real time, is called: visual.pathways. She has a penchant and infatuation for details, photography, art as well as the extraordinary. Exactly what you can expect in the mix – a wide selection of musical masterpieces. I am very happy to call her my friend.
You will find the mix at the bottom of the interview 🙂
Dear Eva, so tell us what did you have in mind for the mix? Is there a theme?
There is some sort of a theme, indeed. I will get to it at the end. But firstly, let me explain where the whole idea came from. I played a warm-up at the birthday party of a good friend a few months back. It’s the only time I played in front of a really small crowd, so the pressure was real. With the small record collection I own and fast tracks I normally love to play, it was pretty difficult to dig out slow and chill records to open the afternoon with. I was forced to wipe the dust off the pile of records I didn’t consider playing anymore, in fact, some of those I even wanted to sell. It turns out that although they weren’t particularly my style anymore, I enjoyed blending them together. There was a lot of minimal and tech housey stuff I was into years ago. So, when you asked me for a mix, I liked the idea of implementing a few of those tracks in it, as I saw the opportunity that the mix could very much resonate with allalonemagazine’s style. Especially the beginning.
Oh, and, the Lizz record in between, that one I dedicate to you, Jules 🙂 The first half of the mix was meant to be built a bit slower than the second part because I tried to connect the whole recording with how the year 2021 has developed for me. Comparing the bpm at the beginning and the end, it’s quite obvious my year went from chill to slightly chaotic towards the end. And I honestly just went with the flow in the second half. I personally love playing faster bpm and so I figured I could finish the mix off with who I really am.
Isn’t it funny that when I listened to the mix, the one track I mentioned to you first was that Lizz record? I simply love your mental-musical connections! Also, can you name some of the artists you were inspired by?
Sure, first and foremost Isao Tomita, world-renowned synthesizer artist and composer whose track I included as the intro to the mix. The sound of Tomita has been part of my musical journey for many years. I use his music in several different daily scenarios especially for sleeping, focus, and inspiration in general. These classical compositions are redefined and reimagined with such amazing sonics that, to me, they are some of the most interesting sounds I’ve ever heard. Moving forward to Rokko, a Slovenian artist whose Youniverse EP really matches with what I personally love to play, loads of breaky stuff, a great producer, and a DJ. Last but not least, Boss Moves EP by Luca Lozano – If I played professionally, I’d probably put this record in my bag for every gig.
Speaking of Slovenian artists. Could you name a few more that have been on your radar The country has so much to offer and a lot of musical potential.
Simm, Nikolaj, Marin, Evano, and Vid Vai! Some part of Phi, others part of JustUs collective. Genuine and humble artists who, I sincerely believe, deserve so much more exposure. The kind of artists that, at least when I still lived in Slovenia, often played after big headliners at the after-parties and blew everyone’s minds. I am positive that’s still the case now and I truly hope I get to hear them play soon.
Cool! Definitely check if you haven’t come across those names yet! And how long would you say you spend digging in general?
Definitely not enough at this very moment. Due to a full-time job and a really fast life pace, I gotta admit, I haven’t been digging in the last year as much as I’d love to. In fact, I haven’t bought a record in the last two months. It’s really important to me that when I search for music, I am mentally calm and present. I need peace of mind in order to find what I really love. But in an ideal world, If I go back to 2017, 2018, I could spend sleepless nights – just digging. Best after a good, inspiring night at Hoppetosse, CDV, or Ohm.
Could you tell us what your favorite record shop is in Berlin and why?
Definitely Audio In, for now. I love how compact it is and what great condition the records are in.
Always a pleasure digging there.
Name a record you are likely to play more often than another.
Luca Lozano – Boss Moves EP
Do you remember the first record you’ve bought?
Pink Floyd – Wish you were here (1975)
Awww I didn’t know that. I am such a huge Pink Floyd fan! And what is the name of the last record you’ve bought?
Why do you enjoy mixing?
I enjoy mixing because it allows me to blend music I have been collecting throughout the years, coming up with twisted combinations, sounds that make no sense, but yet they somehow do, it almost feels therapeutic to me. But I am super curious about what is yet to come. I’ve learned beat-matching a year ago only to realize that’s the easiest part of the whole thing. There is so much more to it than just combining two records together. I can say more about it when I have more experience 🙂
Thank you Eva, for this lovely exchange. So last but not least: What does music mean to you?
Music to me is an emotional state of mind, it’s a process of self-discovery and a soundtrack to my life. If I focus mainly on electronic music and if I was able to put all the genres I’ve discovered/focused on in the last decade one next to another as a chart – one could really see a healthy development in so many different directions. It’s so beautiful to see how the way we feel in life, in general, affects what music we connect to in that very particular moment. The physical, mental, and emotional reaction every person has to music is just innate. A truly incredible phenomenon.
And now, thank you for the music! Enjoy.
Selections with Eva:
Facebook: evaselections
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/
Instagram: junglist__massive
Eva’s newest project where she recognizes people, colors, objets and massive parallel patterns in different conditions in real time: visual.pathways
