“The image is there, but the history of work is lurking under the surface,” says artist Alien D of his new release, Nature’s Pencil, on the acclaimed DC-based label, 1432 R. Like a lotus flower, which can take years to germinate in a pond’s soil, its deep-planted roots give birth to leaves that break the water’s surface, revealing a flower so astonishing it’s hard to imagine the six-foot stem that lies beneath. Intricate and vibrant, Nature’s Pencil glimmers with a pristine sheen and refinement that belies the intensive, years-long labor leading to the tracks’ final form. The record also acts as a reflection of the artist’s musical journey, which has been as serendipitous as it has been laborious, marked by numerous stylistic explorations and passionate collaborative projects.

Raised in upstate New York and based in NYC, Alien D draws inspiration from nature, his upbringing, club experiences, personal growth, and the music of his contemporaries, intent on never limiting his artistic expression. Over the last decade-plus, his commitment to experimentation has revealed the depth of his musical knowledge and the heights of his creativity, as he’s toyed with ambient influences, psychedelic textures, dancefloor grooves, blissed-out techno, live instrumentation, gritty samples, and spiritual synthwork, to produce an exceptionally unique and diverse discography. His DJ sets are similarly unexpected, varied, and connective, acting as a musical diary for his wide-ranging inspirations and threading them together to deliver highly personal and moving moments.

Touching on the vast number of works and styles that have shaped his singular musical identity, Alien D’s Truancy Volume mix is a profound and contemplative excursion through soulful house, evocative techno rhythms, tripped-out vocals, and late-night dancefloor bliss, shining a well-deserved light on the music of his peers. At a remarkable three hours in length, Alien D holds nothing back in this cathartic mix, showcasing his artistic passion, dedication, immaculate taste, and effortless mixing skills. In the accompanying interview, the artist discusses his recent musical endeavors and production methods, the concepts behind his new release, favorite records and current inspirations, personal stories, musical goals, and more.

Hi, Alien D! Thank you so much for taking the time and energy to create this incredible mix! How are you and how’s your summer been so far? “Wow thank you! It’s an honor to be included. My summer has been good! I had some touring earlier in the year for an album I did with my collaborative project Dekalb Works in Europe and now I’m just enjoying New York summer vibes. Seems like we’re having a real renaissance of portable sound systems so I’ve really been stoked on dancing outside.”

When did you first get into production? How would you compare the sound of your first tracks to your most recent EP? What are some of the greatest lessons you’ve learned through producing and what advice might you give to someone just starting out? “I started producing when I was in high school or early college maybe. I grew up playing guitar initially and would use Logic to arrange and track ideas. I wasn’t really fully confident in my work for another 8 years or so when I had already moved to New York and was playing in a hot mess of a noise project that used a lot of techno and dance tropes. My own work sort of grew out of that, editing and splicing productions together, improving arrangements, overdubbing, etc. The early stuff was very…raw. A lot of live jamming and editing, reworking, re-editing. Since then I’ve learned how to work with the computer to let it guide the idea a bit more; record something and see how you can embellish it in the box rather than just shrug and try another take with different ideas. But there’s no wrong way! If you’re starting out the most important thing is to get stuff down on paper, see what grabs you, try something else, try again, buy a synth, sell the synth…it’s a fluid process without an endpoint and expecting something to just immediately plop you down where you want to be is going to just lead to frustration. End of the day music production is as much arriving at a goal as it is the process of getting there, so you should always try and enjoy the ride :)”

What sorts of themes have you explored in your productions over the years? Do you prefer to hone in on a specific concept or direction for each project, or is that something that reveals itself through the process of creation? “I think concepts and themes sort of emerge as the ideas come; at least for me. I record a lot, let things sit for a long time, see how threads start connecting as I re-listen and revisit things. Maybe I’ll take a tune and completely rework it or splice it together with something else. To me, the ideas sort of emerge in tandem with the completed tracks. Maybe an idea or an emotion or a memory starts recurring, or a sample I used takes on some new significance. I tend to name tracks after evocative text I’ll read on street signs, business signs, or specific memories, something funny a friend said, etc. so that tends to shape it a bit too.”

What are some of your most fond early music memories? What sounds have stuck with you since childhood and how have your musical tastes changed over the years? “Early music memories…

Definitely a lot of shows I threw or went to in college…driving from Syracuse to Albany to see Lightning Bolt for the first time, seeing Suicide a few years before Alan Vega died, smoking weed in my friends apt and listening to Skream records, the list goes on. I used to throw these multi-floor house shows in Syracuse with like 10 bands spread across 4 rooms that would go all night and were super hectic; people pressing through hallways with a full drum kit, getting in arguments with local guys twice my age who didn’t want to pay at the door (some things never change). There’s a million wacky stories and silly moments that I could go on about for hours.

I think growing up in Buffalo and Syracuse did a lot for how I developed as a musician for sure. It was very much “make your own fun” there and it encouraged a lot of experimentation and mixing stuff up. I had friends who were super into dance music, punk, noise, jazz, but not a lot of attention or space so it definitely founded a lot of hanging out and listening to music and trying stuff out. That’s definitely carried through with me. I also have a super soft spot for all the chime-y, 90’s emo stuff I was into in college that sort of shaped how I think about arranging and interlocking sonics.”

How has the city of New York affected your musical journey? Do you think you would be making the same music if you were living elsewhere? What about the city inspires you most? “I honestly don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t moved here. In 2011, I graduated college and moved down here. Two nights later I helped a person I’d just met move into her new apartment and met my friend Brian, who immediately invited me to come play music. We ended up playing music together as Mind Dynamics for 6 years. It was through that project that I met so, so, SO many people who’ve shaped who I’ve become and what I’m doing now. This is what has always inspired me about the city. It’s a nexus of so many brilliant people, both living here and passing through, and the energy that it cultivates can give you some kind of creative nourishment you’d never expect or even know you needed. Yea I dunno…it’s my home and the place where so many friends and collaborators have become part of my family.”

Could you describe the process of creating your most recent record, Nature’s Pencil, on 1432 R? What were some of the inspirations and musical directions you explored? Can you discuss the influence of William Henry Fox Talbot’s published works? How do you interpret the record artwork illustrated by Joyce Lim? “The tracks on this record are actually a pretty diverse bunch I started over the course of the last 3–4 years. World Impact I think was something I wrote during the early days of the pandemic even, so they span a lot of territory in terms of different ideas and approaches I’ve been into, from very direct live recording with a bit of post-production to pieces I wrote fully in box. When I sent a big batch to Joyce these were the ones she picked, but we both agreed that we could revisit, re-work and expand a lot of the compositions to sort of get them centered around a more unified palette that speaks to where my head’s at now in terms of production.

The Pencil of Nature is a book of photography from 1844, the first commercially published book with photography illustration, the idea being that the sun works as nature’s pencil, tracing lines to create the image rather than the artist’s hand. But I took a lot more out of the idea of the nature traced than the sun itself, the constantly self-renewing, self-revising way that the world reveals itself to us. That’s ultimately what’s frozen in an image, much the same as these tracks went through years of changing and revision before they were captured in this form and put out into the world. It’s a pretty apt metaphor for art, this body of choices and changes that ultimately is frozen in time. The image is there but the history of work is lurking under the surface. A lot of what I sent Joyce as inspiration were drawn from this idea; sonic materiality, the DAW grid, and the slow snaking roots of the flower, all these little tweaks and snarling roots that give birth to the flower.”

How does Nature’s Pencil sit alongside your other releases? Do you see it as an evolution of your sound, another stylistic branch explored, or something else entirely? How do you compare and contrast your discography? “I’m not sure it’s an evolution beyond say… trying to push older material forward and mixing in new stuff I’ve learned about myself and making music. As above, I think it’s more like reflecting on a lot of past work I’ve done and trying to reckon with it again, bring something new to it, recontextualizing and rethinking it. I think this is part of my process generally. I try to avoid thinking about stuff linearly because so often you will finish something and put it into the world and it will sit for a long time before someone hears it and responds to it, or you have a record everyone seems to like and it’s something you just tried out on a lark. I’d rather each release feel like some other little world you can visit.”

Can you describe a recent club or party that was especially exciting and/or motivating? What qualities contribute to making a musical experience a standout? “Bob and Shirley this past month in Prospect Park. I dunno if I should blow up their spot too much but the party was outdoors in a little side path off the main drag in the park. It was pouring rain and everyone was dancing under a massive tarp, which made the dance floor even hotter by a few degrees. It was sweaty, damp, muddy and free. There’s a million things that make a party special but that moment where you’re looking around and everyone’s smiling for a moment is the high water mark for me, total joy and abandon. Plus it was Ash’s birthday so they were passing delicious little cakes around on the dance floor…can’t beat it!”

What informs your musical taste? What are your preferred methods for finding new music? What’s the last record you purchased and why? “I think my taste is more informed by being part of a broader network of incredibly talented people. Hearing what people are making, what people are working on, what people are discovering and DJing always pushes me to rethink what I’m doing and keeps the neural pathways tuned. I’ll mostly trawl Bandcamp or flip through the Wire for new stuff, but I also just like hanging out and checking things out or sharing with friends. I’m a habitual texter when I find something cool and will fire it off to a few groups of friends, and often it’ll spark a string of new tunes flying around the group chat. I’ve also slowly been getting into Telegram groups, which are wellsprings for sharing amazing music.

Last records I bought:
Last MP3 – Hilarious but it’s that Hudson Mohawke/Nikki Nair edit of Set the Roof with the AI Homer Simpson Vocal, I got it for a night DJing b2b2b with NigelThreeTimes and No Sir at Good Room and I was looking for completely over the top cuts. It absolutely crushed in the club.

Last LP – I bought this record of interviews with Henry Miller that I had meant to listen to and sample but I haven’t got around to it. It’s very cut and dry, no backing track, minimal speech, very good for sample material.”

In what ways does nature influence your works? How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with musical genres and affiliated styles? “Last year I moved apartments and can finally grow plants in my home because of ample light. So I’ve been thinking a lot about gardening and caring for plants this past year in relation to artistic process and growth. You don’t really ever see the plant growing, it just gets there slowly from nourishment and time. I’ve pulled on this a lot of late: just water the plant. The rest is just the process of caring and cultivating over time, with a little blind faith thrown in.

Similarly I think I’d say that I make very green music, lush and bubbly. I like tracks that evolve and grow and change, so maybe “plant music you can dance to” is not a bad call. Pray that this does not become a regrettable catch-phrase lol.”

Can you talk about your approach to DJing versus producing? Is there a purposeful divide between the more downtempo and often ambient influences explored in your productions compared to the more dancefloor-ready approach to your DJ sets? Or do you see them as more connected? “I do actually DJ quite a bit of more ambient-leaning stuff with Dekalb Works. We have a monthly show on Radio Alhara that very much draws from ambient, modern composition, sound art, etc., and I do love playing the chill out room when the promoter will have me. I think in general with production I’m looking for new things to contribute and add to the mix of music out there. Sometimes that takes the shape of slower, more meditative stuff, sometimes it’s a big dancefloor tune. But equally so, coming home from the club and putting on a record is still part of the night out, so why limit myself?”

How do you approach your Lot Radio sets versus a late-night Level Party set? How much preparation goes into track selection? “I don’t really give the Lot show as much thought as a club set. It’s way more setting up a feeling around a few new tracks I’m excited about and building some kind of flow around that, some kind of movement and groove. I also love experimenting there: cutting tempo, moving things around, being cheeky. With a club set I love that too but I think there’s a little more deliberateness you need to have about where you’re taking it. Playing fully open-format can work like a charm in the right context, but when it goes wrong in the club it goes…really wrong.”

What are some of your current favorite labels or parties? What artists or collectives from the past have influenced your style or taste? “Labels: Bliss Point, 1432 R, Oneiric, Future Times, Ears on Earth, Isla, Accidental Meetings, many more.

Parties: Honestly I’ve really been excited about outdoor parties this summer. Bob & Shirley, Solar System and Public Service in particular have all been really exciting and vital to me.

Artists: Andrew Weatherall, Holger Czukay, Neu!, Andrea Parker, Terekke, DJ Technics, Moody Boys, Hype Williams, Max D/Beautiful Swimmers, Happy Mondays.”

What are some of your fondest musical memories from recent years? Are there any particular festivals, parties, or experiences you would recommend to others? “All-timer has to be the year they were crowdsurfing a ripe pumpkin around the front of the Bossa stage at Sustain. Many other rich memories over the years from that festival…who can forget that Powder set? Other than that, getting the chance to finally do a proper short term of Europe was a dream come true for me this year, especially getting to see Spanners in London. Truly special spot run by a pair of absolute angels. If you’re in LDN and there’s something on, give it a go!”

If you had one day to take a fellow artist on an adventure around your city, where would you go and why? Are there any specific cities you’ve always admired or wanted to experience? “Go up to the Cloisters and then go get bagels at Barney Greengrass, swing through Central Park/The Met and then go catch a flick at Film Forum or maybe Cinema Village, and pop off at A1 for a dig. Literally just told a visiting DJ to do this two weeks ago. I feel like these places speak to a part of New York that feels very rich with its own little internal histories. Special places!”

What are some of your goals as an artist? What motivates you to keep creating? Why is it important for you to make music? “I think my main goal is to continue finding inspiration and joy in doing this work. I mentioned it above, but music has given me so much in terms of a place to feel welcome and home and loved, and I can only do what I can to give that feeling back.”

Outside of music, what are some of your other creative outlets or personal hobbies? How do you like to spend your free time? “I just started snowboarding again, and I love reading. I also really love bowling and do a league every Monday night down the block from The Lot. It’s a really nice and humbling experience to just decide you’re going to suck at some sport for a while and focus on improvement while just enjoying yourself.”

Can you talk about the process of creating your Truancy Volume mix? At an astounding 3 hours in length, what were some of the key concepts, styles, or sounds you wanted to express? Were there any specific tracks that served as the foundation? Is there any relationship between this mix and your new EP? “I really just wanted something that ran through everything that I love about DJing—deep, trippy, spaced out, and occasionally some straightforward groovers, with lots of interplay between each of these polarities. I also wanted to really emphasize getting tunes in from friends, so I sort of moved around a lot of zones trying to accommodate the cuts I got. I’ve been playing a lot more long-form sets of late and I wanted to sort of capture that energy, moving through a really broad series of zones, so I also pulled a lot from recent sets to really flesh it out. So yeah, you might say this mix mirrors a lot of the ideas of my record, some older, personal stuff, some newer stuff from friends, tied together by a bunch of disparate threads.”

What are some of your favorite tracks included in this mix and why was it important for them to be showcased? Any artists not included in this mix that have been especially influential lately? “That Cause remix of Bushby has been such a hit every time I’ve played it. So weird and freaky. Also just so nice to include cuts from friends like Blu:sh, SPF 50, Joey, Plebeian, all the amazing producers that I’ve had such pleasure knowing and partying with and making music with for years. I didn’t get a chance to include any of Downstairs J’s stuff but I’m also so consistently astounded by his work, same goes for my friend Eden Aurelius, whose record for co:clear is one of my faves of the year, not to mention the legend No Sir, whose tunes I’ve been listening to over and over of late.”

What’s next for you? Any upcoming gigs, releases, or collaborations we should know about? What are you most looking forward to this summer? “I’m playing a few things in the next few weeks in New York. I’m playing Mansions July 4th with my friend (and incredible DJ) Kaleb Marshall, and then have a show July 6th at Union Pool with my project Dekalb Works. Dekalb Works is also going to be doing The Level Party weekender at Glen Falls House in upstate NY at the end of July, and then I have one Alien D gig opening for Beige at Public Records 8/3 with Laurel Halo in the main room. So yeah a busy few weeks! Other than that I’m really looking forward to the hot weather, biking to work, smelling flowers, taking long walks, all the stuff that NYC summers are made of. So nice :)”

Alien D: Bandcamp, Instagram, Soundcloud

Nature’s Pencil is out now on 1432 R, available on Bandcamp.

Artwork photo by Charlie Rubin