Alice Ivy has shared the stage with some of today’s best soul and electronic artists; Remi, Urthboy and Banoffee just to name a few. After travelling the globe, hearing and being inspired by the worlds' sounds and learning a few tricks of the trade along the way, Alice is now debuting her exciting solo act for all of us to hear on an upcoming national tour we're presenting. We had a chat about all things music producing, globe-trotting and her fascination for matching art to her music. Take a read below once you've pressed play on her brand new single, Almost Here feat. RaRa.

Hey Alice, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions, for people who may not know you yet – can you tell us a bit about Alice Ivy?

Hey! Alice Ivy is the name of my solo project. I make electronic / soul music influenced by sample based artists such as The Avalanches, J Dilla and Onra.

 How long have you been creating music for and how did it all start for you?

I have been playing guitar for about 11 years now. I used to play in this all-girl soul band, it was pretty cool because we got to tour Europe a couple of times and just play all the old soul hits. I reckon this type of music influenced me to listen to alot of sample-based electronic music. A few years ago I was introduced to J Dilla and The Avalanches and I was absolutely fascinated by this type of music making.  Eventually I got into beat making through the music software Ableton live and got so obsessed, I realised this was how I wanted to create music now.

Your childhood featured plenty of travel, what kind of impact has that had on your music prior to Alice Ivy and now with your current project?

I am really lucky to have amazingly open-minded parents who took me travelling all around the world since I have been really young. I feel travelling and experiencing different cultures is something I absolutely love doing and I feel this is what motivates me to keep touring and playing shows overseas and here. I use a lot of recordings I have made whilst travelling in my music, particularly through Japan and Germany. I really love making music out of sampling this way. 

You were recently in New York performing, how was that?

New York is such an amazing place! The show went well, the room packed out and I felt like the audience there really engaged with my music. I can’t wait to do it again one day!

You've also been playing shows in the UK and Europe, how did all that come about? And how did it feel performing overseas away from home?

I was given the opportunity to play some shows over in Europe and I decided to just jump on it. My background is German so I feel I have a good base there. It was fascinating just getting a little taster of different music communities in Europe, especially because they are all so diverse. My favourite places to play by far were Brighton, Berlin and London, there were just amazing vibes in the rooms at the time and I met some pretty cool people!

You've supported the likes of Remi, Banoffee and Urthboy. How does it feel to being your own headline AUS tour and what have you learnt supporting those kind of acts?

I have really enjoyed playing with those artists because they are all so inspiring; you learn how hardworking they are. Being given the chance to share the stage with them is pretty cool.  In saying that, playing to a room full of people that are there to see you is special and a feeling that can’t be relived in any other way.

What are you trying to create artistically with the themes in your music and the artwork as well?

I use mid 20th century advertising material in collages as it represents the samples that I use to create my music. I really work hard on matching my artwork with my singles. I feel the way I write music matches the way collage art works, cutting and pasting things together to create a whole picture mixing the old with the new.

To anybody that has not seen one of shows before, what is the setup?

I use an Akai APC 40 to which I trigger samples off. I play live guitar, hit a drum pad and sing. I usually play with another guitarist.

You’re about to release/have just released your new single with RaRa, can you tell us a bit about it and how the collab came about?

Almost Here was written over about a year and a half ago. It features the vocals of Georgia Van Etten whose vocals I recorded in London and here in Melbourne. On my last tour I was lucky enough to get some recording time in Hobart, where I got Sam Dowson (Lazer Baby) to session some live drums, and Luy Amiel (The Hunted Crows) to record some guitar. Eventually I reached out to RaRa as I really thought they would fit the vibe of the song and we pieced it together.

Any particular individuals you'd like to potentially collaborate with in the future?

I would love to collaborate with Sampa The Great one day, I really love her vibes. Missy Elliot is the dream though.

Following the single release and tour, what’s coming up in the rest of the year – you’re working on an album right?

This year has shaped up to be a pretty busy one! But in between I am working towards an album release in the future.

TOUR DATES:

Fri 1 July - Brighton Up Bar​, Sydney w/ Froyo​ & Ross Henry (TICKETS)

Sat 9 July - The Workers Club​, Geelong w/ Canary ​& Andrew Kentish (TICKETS)

Fri 15 July - Cats @ Rocket Bar​, Adelaide

Sat 16 July - Brisbabes @ The Foundry​, Brisbane

Sat 30 July - The Toff​, Melbourne w/ RaRa​, Squidgenini ​& Paradise DJs (TICKETS)

Follow Alice Ivy: FACEBOOK / SOUNDCLOUD