ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: TROVARSI

We recently had the honor of having Trovarsi as our Featured Artist for the month of February. This LA based composer, producer and artist is also the co-founder of the Southern California Synth Society. We got the chance to talk to her about her background, influences, and hopes for the future in the music industry!

Can you share a little bit about your background and how you got into electronic music, modular synths, and production?

Music has always been a part of my story. We listened to music all the time in my house. Being raised in the 90’s and in the Midwest, I had access to some of the best House Music Chicago had to offer. I spent many hours listening to Felix da Housecat, Cajamere, and many other artists coming up during that time. While growing up, my musical education started with violin in my early years and then shifted to piano. I took that foundation with me when I learned about electronic music production. I spent several years working in Logic, but I knew I wanted to get back to performing live, however; this time the goal was to perform live electronic music. To do this, I felt I needed to get acquainted with Ableton Live. I started with some classes at the Beat Lab Academy. From there, I became even more interested in hardware and drum machines. I spent significant time honing my production skills in the studio and experimenting with different machines and techniques. Eventually, I started playing with some semi-modular instruments. Of course, that led to the world of Eurorack and the endless sonic possibilities therein.

Can you share a bit about SoCal Synth Society and how it came into being?

The Southern California Synth Society was founded in 2018 by myself, my wife SpaceRacer, and Abe Mora. We honestly started as a few friends who wanted to get together and solder DIY modular kits and jam/hang out. We would spend all day Saturday building Eurorack modules, and then play with them by that evening. We started inviting people and it quickly grew into a nice synth community. We befriended the music companies and stores in SoCal, and most of them were happy to help us host or donate toward community events. During the pandemic, we took everything online. Because of this, we were able to connect with other synth communities globally. We hosted the first online synth summit and created a series that highlights female and non-binary electronic artists, called Frequency Shift.

Why is representation for black women & gender-expansive people in techno music, and the music industry at large, important to you? What advice would you give to similar young/ emerging black artists in this field?

It sounds cliché but it’s true. You can’t be what you can’t see, and this holds for any music, science or STEAM career. We can represent these incredibly creative and rich pathways to young people. I guess the advice I would give to any young black artist is to not be afraid to experiment with sound. Don’t lock yourself into one way of creating music. Find your style, but don’t become incapable of doing things another way.

Your bio mentions that Afrofuturism is a texture and influence in your music. Can you speak a bit more about that?

Afrofuturism expresses ideas of Black identity, freedom, and agency through creative works and activism. I’m a techno producer, and techno is fundamentally an expression of underground black culture, originally from Detroit. I can relate to it on so many levels. The struggle, the freedom of creative expression while facing continued oppression. The liberation in creating my compositions, that moves people to dance with abandon.

What's something that gives you hope or something you're looking forward to in your music career?

I am always hopeful when I see my female/non-binary friends and artists achieve success. Men have long dominated the world of music, so to see more female/gender expansive DJ’s, producers, and live artists upcoming like we see now is inspiring. We need to own more record labels and clubs now though. We need more of us making decisions in the boardrooms and on the financial side of this industry.

How would you like to see the music industry change in the next 10 years?

I alluded to this in the above answer. Let’s see more of us, not just in the creative side of the industry, but sitting at the table writing the contracts, controlling the financial outcomes of their creative endeavors, and leading companies. I’ve heard about some terrible contracts that young women have been forced to sign just to “make it big”. I’d love to see a shift away from this exploitative corporate culture and more toward musical collectives and cooperatives.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

This is a tough question to answer because there are so many and it’s always evolving. Some are in jazz or other non-electronic genres. With fear of leaving out some key influences, I’ll name a few. Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, Prince, Madonna, Felix da Housecat, Cajamere, Lady Starlight, Lady Gaga, Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Ultra Nate, Octave One, Quincy Jones and the list could go on.