Interview: S Y Z Y G Y X

—How did you get interested in synths? How was born your love for electronic music?

—My love for synthesizers has been lifelong. However, it truly began in college. I studied Film and Television Directing and Production in Bogotá, Colombia, and my love for film sparked a deep love for electronic music. Many movies use synthesizer sounds that add a lot of emotion to their scenes. That’s when I realized that music can tell its own stories and make you feel deeply..

—Of all those movies that you, is thre any soundtrack that has been especially important for you?

—There are countless movies and series with incredible soundtracks. The first that come to mind are Stranger Things, Drive, Interstellar and Blade Runner. My love for film/TV and my love for music are intertwined; however, in my opinion, film wouldn’t exist without music. Even in the silent film era, music was crucial for conveying emotions.

—Have you ever thought about doing a soundtrack yourself?

—It’s my dream to write a soundtrack. Filmmakers, if you’re reading this: I would love to work with you! In fact, it’s my goal, and it has always been my goal.

—What’s so inspiring in 80s music for you?

—I really can’t explain it. There’s something about 80s music that makes me dance, makes me feel, brings me so much joy. The interesting thing is that I started paying more attention to 80s music when I began making music. Before that, I listened to Punk, Metal, and a bit of EDM. The moment I put my finger on the keyboard for the first time, 80s-inspired music poured out of me naturally. I’m sure the music my mother listened to when I was little exists intensely in my subconscious.

—As you said before, you studied Film and Television Directing and Production. Do you think that your studies have influenced the music you make?

—Absolutely. In my experience, without film, I wouldn’t have music, and without music, I wouldn’t have had film. I have an incredibly active, almost delirious mind. For me, everything in life is a movie that comes with its own soundtrack. For example, the fan of a car dealership has a soundtrack, and a spectacular cinematic scene.

—When talking about the creation of the name of your project, you said you were  “inspired by sounds that would make me think of the Universe”. Do you also try to make think of the universe with S Y Z Y G Y X?

—My existentialism has calmed down a bit with age, which is somewhat ironic. Since I can remember, I have pondered the meaning of my human existence, and in the absence of a religious God (personally), I have always turned to the universe spiritually; to what I believe would be its sounds and how much greater they are than my insignificant human existence. And that’s how I see art. All kinds of art. It’s much bigger than I could be. It completely possesses me. And that’s how I find inspiration in my music.

—How do you see your EP Hex’n Equinox now?  I guess it’s quite different from the rest of your works, as that EP was mostly instrumental and more in a synth wave direction.

—Hex’n Equinox is, metaphorically, about a young mother with a newborn baby. S Y Z Y G Y X was founded by me and Josh, who used to make music with me in the project. Before S Y Z Y G Y X, Josh made electronic music in the Drum N’ Bass genre. Due to my interest in electronic music production, we bought a small synthesizer, and I embarked on the experiment under Josh’s mentorship. I never considered myself a singer, so singing didn’t cross my mind. In fact, I wanted to remain anonymous under the sound.

—A few months later, you released Broken Mirrors, that sounds more like the S Y Z Y G Y X that we all know. What happened in these months that changed the sound of the band? You also started to sing,

—The answer is quite simple. A bit funny. I lived in an apartment with Josh and two other friends. Our friends told us that the music would sound even better with a singer. I told Josh I refused to sing. We tried with him, but we ended up laughing at his singing until our stomachs hurt. Finally, I began to experiment with my voice; and quickly realized that my voice sounds better in lower notes, and the music formed around that, and that’s how S Y Z Y G Y X developed its style. Of course, later on, Josh also found his voice in the project, and there are a couple of songs with him singing.

—In your first album, Is that All there is, released in 2019, I think the songs are the best to date. Was there anything that helped you grow that much as a composer?

—Nothing exciting. Pure inspiration and dedication. The newborn baby kept growing, learning to walk. My instruments also grew. I got more powerful synthesizers.

—The lyrics of your songs are very deep. You say that you want to make people dance and feel. Also think?

—I always joke that I’m bad at everything except art. And for some reason, my mind distinguishes them as if they were distant from each other, even though they all come from me. I’m in the middle of writing a book, which has a lot of meaning for me, but with my song lyrics, I say what I feel in the moment, and once I record them, they lose their meaning. I like to think I left all their meaning in the song, and the song becomes everyone else’s. It served its purpose for me; now it’s for those who listen. And what others decide to do with the song is up to each person; but I always hope that the music makes everyone feel something and dance.

—Fading Bodies was released the same year. Were you living a very prolific time or just have to more to compose?

—It’s like discovering a talent for the first time. Before starting S Y Z Y G Y X, I had no idea I could make music. With this new discovery, all I wanted to do was music. It kept pouring out of me. It was all I thought about from the moment I woke up until bedtime.

—From Cold Touch you were on your own, Was it difficult to be in control of everything?

—No. It was a bit different, but Josh always let me “drive the car.” When I met Josh, he wasn’t very interested in making music anymore. But fortunately, he showed interest in mentoring me, and throughout the history of S Y Z Y G Y X, I have been at the helm. I don’t want to minimize Josh’s importance; he has always been very important, and I was lucky to learn a lot, and by the time Cold Touch came out, I knew exactly what I was doing.

—Josh passed a few years ago. According to you, he was a very important figure in your life. Any special memories you would like to share with us?

—I couldn’t point to a specific moment. Josh was a great friend from the beginning to the end. Imagine all the moments you’ve shared with your best friend. Could you think of just one moment? Josh was a big part of my journey.

—(Im)mortal was your third album, about the concept of mortality. I think that it’s difficult to accept that one day we won’t be here. How do you cope with that?

—I try to do things I love and spend time with those I love. There is no greater pleasure in life.

—How did you have the idea of doing a song in Spanish in (Im)mortal? Are you going to play it in your Spanish concert?

—My mother tongue is Spanish. Although most of my audience may speak English, I occasionally like to include a song in Spanish in my project.

—You said that (Im)mortal was about yourself. And some of the songs are very personal, like “Your Loss, Not Mine” written for your father. Is there anything you would not write about? Is your life your main inspiration for your lyrics?

—S Y Z Y G Y X is a project for dreamers. It doesn’t talk about politics, it speaks only of the human experience as emotional beings. There is space for everyone in art. This project is for the escapist.

—And about the music you have confessed that you love to experiment, not to reduce your music to a sole genre. Is there anything you would like to try in the future that hasn’t been tried yet?

—Personally, I would like to pursue my Punk project Bad Hombre. It’s nothing new in terms of musical genre, but it’s a project that is a bit more sociopolitical and aggressive than S Y Z Y G Y X. However, it’s also a project that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so I don’t know how long it will take to launch into the world.

—Lately, you have collaborated in a track with Spanish producer Nightcrawler, who also shares your same love for horror movie soundtracks. How did this collaboration was born?

—I like Synthwave music, and I found him on a station radio on Spotify. I liked hi music a lot, and I wrote him a message on Instagram to see if he would be interested in collaborating. And that’s how it all started!

—Let’s move to your new album. It has taken you four years to finish. What happened?

—Sometimes as an artist, it takes time to find inspiration. I wanted to ensure its quality, and I took my time.

—It’s quite a long album with 16 tracks. In fact, all of your albums are quite long. Do you think that nowadays it can be a bit more difficult to keep the interest of the public in a long album?

—When I’m making music, my albums are for myself. When I release them to the world, I don’t do it thinking about the norms of what others do because that would disrupt my artistic process. I don’t worry about that, and fortunately, I’ve never had any issues with their length.

—Why the concept of sinner for the new album?

—As human beings, we make many mistakes. Under the rules of perfection that society has imposed on itself, being a human who makes mistakes is also a sinner. And if that’s the case, we all are.

—With the album just released, how have been the reactions so far?

—Incredible. I’m very happy with how the album has been received by the audience.

—Corey has been playing with you for a long time, do you think that eventually he will start composing with you or you prefer to do it by yourself?

—No, nobody will make music with me under S Y Z Y G Y X in the future. But he will be part of Bad Hombre. Corey is my best friend, my husband, the most important person in my life. And I’m excited about the idea of starting the second project with him.

—We know Andreas and Suziyfrom Cold Transmission and know how close they are to the bands of the label. How do you feel being part of the CT family?

—Excellent! Andreas and Suzy are like family to me; we work very well together, and I’m proud to be part of the label.

—What can we expect of your concert in Madrid?

—New music, music that I hope will make everyone dance.