"Nothing Matters, Let's Party": Izzy Camina Is Soundtracking The End Times With Unstoppable Technopop
Which direction do you want to go now? Are there any styles of dance music that inspire you?
Yes, in any case. I'm obsessed with Kumo 99 and all dark electronic music. I love French techno, that's the main reason I started producing. it is so good. Especially when you're from New Jersey and dealing with artists like Skrillex, all the better. The bigger the car, the bigger the nails. When I was in college and listening to French techno, I was like “Damn! It's just what the doctor ordered.
Is that the direction you want to go? Harder, darker music?
of course! I think UP N DOWN is definitely a techno track, but I think the techno world can also be very overwhelming. Surprisingly, the best artists don't take it seriously. From what I understand, artists like Gesaffelstein are working with rap here in L.A. and making pop music and stuff, so you do whatever you want, no rules.
With 'Freak Baby' recently out, you've said that this track shows your 'destroyed genius'. Can you say more about that?
I moved into this temporary rental house in Bushwick last spring and sent some ideas to my friend Aaron, who I welcome into my world. My first EP was produced entirely by myself, with some writing by my friend Nick, who I studied at Ableton. But Aaron is hard at work on this new track. My philosophy is that most people in this industry and even the public don't assume I'm their producer, they still think I'm a singer or a vocalist, so there's no harm in inviting anything from other people. Advise. I don't have to be expensive. "Freak Baby" arrived quickly, almost a week after the show. It's not very lyrical, you know, it's very simple. Opening Chorus "We don't care how far we gotta go to get away from home." It's a reflection of youth, there's a lot of beauty and love in pain, but when you're an adult and the damage piles up and you've got rent and bills to pay, it's not good anymore. From that dreamy moment, I go to serious work, I get disappointed and I have to deal with it. There's this recognition, it's very clear, and I wanted to communicate between the two.
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Do you think people ignore you as a singer because you make music yourself?
Oh, 100% whatever I do, it will always be like this. Also last night I was talking to friends who had heard my music before meeting in person. We were just talking and getting to know each other, and everyone said: It's amazing. It is and always has been. It hurts.
What can we expect from 'ANG3L NUMB3RS'?
I listened to a lot of Machine Girl and non-hip-pop stuff. I know jimmy pee was canceled but I was listening to a lot of crazy shit because I was listening to it a lot when I was 12 and also Kumo 99 and that kind of intense electronic music. I think Atari Teenage Riot is a great inspiration for this project as this sketch tries to bridge the gap between cyberpunk stuff and dream pop. I think that dichotomy sums up what we're all going through right now, swinging between the extremes of everything. Or, for example, "Hope, Angel Numbers." It's just about finding the balance, but it's all crazy at the moment and I think everyone's scared. It's the end times, it's the fifth or sixth great extinction. "ANG3L NUMB3RS" confirms this.
Other than that, what's next?
I'm still putting together playlists and I'm still mixing in Ableton, so I want to be a solid live mixer and be a part of the meat scene. We've been online so long that I don't think we all have a strong sense of community, and that's probably because time has passed and community makes us feel safer. But yeah, just mix and match. With my independent personality, I can be very aggressive in what I do and I want to do it well. I don't want to be cheap with it. I want to know my way around and be good at what I do.
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Can you tell us something about your mix of influences?
Fueled by both a deep love and loathing of New York's post-pandemic scene, I believe there are still sonic and emotional voids in the city that need to be explored. I prefer the atmosphere of the golden age of 80's clubs in New York. You only have to look at the photos of people moving their bodies at these parties to understand. If I throw a house party, here's what you'll hear, from my personal tastes and biases. As another youngster grew up listening to the mix, this one has as much confusion and inconsistency as the track selection. I don't think it's a bad thing when we cut the special focuses together (I like to go into zombie mode and do the same beat for hours).
This mix is really... a mix. Performer Sextile delivered the remix and delivered two emotional and personal heavyweights, Kumo99's "Adjacent Casualty" and Louwiyah and Maelstrom's "I Am Not a Casualty." Key word: damage. I'm not afraid to add shock, sobriety, or poetry. Maybe a non-electronic song here and there. Dancing and dancing is a sacred catharsis for me. I want to make the atmosphere suitable for people who want to solve the same thing.
Izzy Kamina's latest track 'Celestial Sodom' drops today. Look here.
Gemma Ross is Assistant Editor at Mixmag, follow her on Twitter.
