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Upfront: Aristophanes

Dismantling stereotypes and cracking the western world

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Aristophanes’ quiet demeanour came as a surprise. I went from feeling the visceral energy from her track with DJ Paypal (which, by the way,  literally transported me to another dimension) to leaning in closer, as she speaks softly and gently. Humans Become Machines is Aristophanes’ opportunity to ask her listeners questions. She is extraordinarily deep and explores themes of anti-establishment and feminism throughout her mixtape. Her intention is to encourage consciousness and she was clear about how important LGBT+ rights and gender equality was to her. An ideal world to Aristophanes looks like one where everyone feels safe and free to be exactly who they are.

I asked her if she felt proud of all she’s achieved – she’s touring the world, collaborating with Grimes, and she just dropped a mixtape. She was humble in her response, saying how she’s always wondering what a Taiwanese girl like herself can do to change the world. She admitted it’s a big challenge but she’s up for it and so far, “I’ve found it fun and interesting.”

Any online search of Aristophanes, will see a mention of Grimes is not far behind. One listen to the mixtape and it’s not hard to understand exactly why the self-professed odd ball and electro pop princess took a shine to her. How does it even feel to receive that kind of email? Aristophanes admits she’d never heard of Grimes, and at the time she had to google her before replying. The fact that she had no idea who she was and responded so casually, immediately gave her a badge of authenticity in my eyes. Not only is this girl talented and unique, but she’s also extremely genuine.

Humans Become Machines sounds like nothing I’d ever heard before. Firstly, it’s completely in Taiwanese but its magic is in the fact that you can’t understand it. Although I don’t know what she’s saying, I can still recognise the emotion and energy behind the tracks. She spoke of music being its own language, and that’s why she’s been able to transcend language barriers.

“Music talks for itself. And even though some people don’t really understand my language, they can just tell from my voice, my delivery, my emotion. They can hear a lot of my message from the beats. Music speaks for itself.” She doesn’t try and bend to the demands of the western world and this makes her more interesting. Listening to Aristophanes becomes a truly unique sonic experience.

Identity was an interesting point of conversation throughout our interview. She made it clear that, ‘Aristophanes’ is one facet of her identity and that she has many – they range from being a woman, to standing up for LGBT+ rights. And due to her recent success and increased international travel, the fact that she is Asian has also become an integral part of her identity as she navigates her way through the western world.

“I’m [going to] places where there aren’t so many Asians. I feel I’m more Asian than when I was in Taiwan.”

She went on to explain how much of an impact our immediate environment has on who we think we are – it was interesting to hear how something she is so often defined by, and described as, was a relatively new concept to her.

The mixtape has an outer space influence, she says this is inspired by the film, Space Odyssey.

“I want to make it a journey into outer space, but meanwhile into [the] deep space in our mind. To a new things but also to memories.”

Aristophanes, herself, felt in many ways like she operates in another dimension. One where she’s oblivious to the nuances of success, and where her supreme purpose is to do social good, and change the world. It makes sense that she call her mixtape Humans Become Machines, as it’s  a clear commentary on society. Her Taiwanese delivery bypasses lingual understanding to provide a truly sensory experience. It’s mood altering and packed with energy. Her intention is to push boundaries, and she does so on many levels.

 

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Yemisul is a contributor for Acclaim. She’s a Louis Theroux wannabe with an unquenchable thirst for reality TV – @yemisul

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