The newest contribution in our mix series comes from the talented multi disciplinair artist Vica Pacheco (@lilvica), who created the beautiful art for the covers of both the Virtual Dreams and the MLO compilation. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hola Vica, bienvenidos to the series. Your from Belgium, via Mexico and France. Can you tell a bit about your journey?

VP: I moved to France in an exchange program as a young art student, curious to discover what was going on in the other site of the world, I followed my heart in a naive way to be sincere. Then I built a new French family in this school, they welcomed me so well and made me feel at home, which helped me to take the decision to finish my art studies there… Then, things just came naturally, I joined my partner and few friends in Brussels, they were all like  “Brussels is so nice, there are lots of concerts happening all time, people is warm and motivated, great places, great parks and great beer”  

MFM: What are some of the main differences you've experienced so far when comparing Brussels to Oaxaca? Are there similarities as well? 

VP: Life in Oaxaca is warm, your senses are distracted all the time by the environment, there are always haunting melodies in the ambience, something delicious to eat or drink in the street, is colorful and joyful. My people is really proud about our culture which manifests itself in infinite ways. But, there are many negative facts that makes a harder contrast with the European lifestyle, as social inequality, extreme poverty, machismo, different ways of negligences by government and post colonial social consequences. On the other hand, Brussels is grey, the rhythm of life and culture is just so different, things happens under different rules. People is super motivated, independent music scene is super present in the city, there are friendly institutions supporting art. Anyway, both places are a human size cities and are full of interesting things to discover.

MFM: Your visual art, as used in the Virtual Dreams series, appears as very liquid and organic yet synthetic and digital at the same time. Somewhat like a fine line between the past and future. A future relic if you will. How did you find this signature style? 

VP: I pass long time working with different programs and machines which have become an extension of my creative language, visual or sonic. This alliance between "organic" and "digital"  or "technologic" and "arcaic" is something that came naturally on my fabulating process, while getting interested on topics such as nature-culture, mythologie, anthropologie, scientific imagery and science fiction, I just let myself to do a synthesis of those interests while creating my art.

MFM: Same goes for your music, it's like you've scored your own film perfectly... 

VP: I grew up listening to Mexican popular music, playing it and singing it when younger, same as painting, drawing or ceramics, I never saw visual art and music as separate fields. But  I can say I started working  with sound when I was 18, living in Mexico City, then when I arrived to Villa arson, the sound studio was open to any kind of experimentation, the approach of this studio was wide open, no limits between plastic art and sound art, everything was possible, so I developed my own language mixing medias.

MFM: What's next, do you have any nearby goals that you're working on achieving? Are you an artist who works from one project to another? What are you currently working on?

VP: I’m involved in several projects all time, I’m a little bit hyperactive and I like to keep my creativity going on. I’m currently working making the music for a theater piece, which will take place next week in Geneva, im really excited about it, but in parallel I continue doing performances and few concerts and making some 3d artworks. Im coming back in July to Mexico for few months for other projects too so yeah, things are moving.

MFM Mix 038: Vica Pacheco

from the EP "Terrain Transparent"
K-Rut KR021, 2020
https://krutrecords.bandcamp.com/album/terrain-transparent

Terrain Transparent

Extract of performance performed at Quartair 07/10/23 with Zeynep Burça Oral.

ceciliefang.com/on-the-border-of-lines

on the border of lines - Quartair

Within a complex interplay between religion and queerness, akïi unveils "Non siamo angeli abbiamo un corpo," which translates from Italian to signify, "we are not angels, we have a body." This EP has drawn inspiration from the project "Santa Carne," curated by Teatro della Cenere in Sicily.
The sound is defined by piercing sounds and glitches, mirroring the poignant clash of contrasts, encapsulating a spectrum of human experience.
akïi' responses to the ever-evolving world, where opposing ideals within one's own identity often collide. In a world that evolves at different speeds within the same spaces, the emergence of multifaceted identities becomes an anticipated journey. "Non siamo angeli abbiamo un corpo" serves the soundtrack to that journey, encouraging listeners to explore their own complexities.

akïi @sofia-sanseverino

Playful yet introspective, akïi’s innovative sound seamlessly blends experimental, digital, bass, and hyperpop, inviting listeners on a genre-defying journey through the multicoloured landscapes of their imagination. As a DJ, akïi curates intimate, emotional atmospheres on the dance floor, transporting audiences to another dimension through their unique and dynamic sets.

on the border of lines - Quartair

Cecilie Fang

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