Get to know Aïsha Devi, purveyor of heady club experimentalism

The most meaningful dancefloor moments happen when you can completely detach yourself from the outside world. If the DJ, soundsystem and crowd come together at the right time, you can achieve a rare clarity and more intuitive way of inhabiting your body. No one knows this better than Aïsha Devi.

Raised in a Swiss village by her grandmother, she grew up listening to classical composers and realised she could sing while walking her dog as a 12-year-old. “First I was listening in a passive way,” she tells us. “And then I realised I could be active in music, and create an atmosphere with my voice.”

While at art school in Lausanne, a graphic designer friend introduced her to electronic experimentalists like Autechre and Pan Sonic. Though she cites the EBM group Front 242 as her inspiration to start making music, seeing Pan Sonic live was a real turning point: “I liked the power of it. Frequency has the ability to physically impact your body and change your mood.”

On her second LP for Houndstooth, ‘DNA Feelings’, Devi explores the transformative properties of sound, employing lots of binaural frequencies. Her goal is to clandestinely empower people by using her live show as a way to blast healing frequencies through powerful soundsystems.

Key components to her creative process include a data bank for film sound designers, lots of trance synths, and the Roland Jupiter 8080, which has a frequency called the ‘Supersaw’ that you can manipulate for a binaural effect. “The typology of the synthesizer is exactly the typology of the altered state of consciousness,” she explains, “something very connected with the mantra, the loop. We love techno because it’s reconnecting with the rituality of ourselves. The idea that the loop can go on forever… it’s connecting with eternity.”

The pacing and texture of the record is deliberate and measured, which Devi attributes to personal growth by way of her years-long meditation practice. “When I’m doing music, the silent space is like an ocean of energy. I allow the space to talk and take over the body.”

Danse Noire turns five this year, and has put out records by Vaghe Stelle, JG Biberkopf and Abyss X, among others. Though the independent record business isn’t exactly lucrative, community is what matters to the crew, who aim to transform the local Swiss scene. “Change isn’t taking place in the usual way, but with raves in the forest, semi-legal events… that’s where magic can happen,” Devi says.

There’s strength in working from the margins, using the system to your advantage while also seeking to change it. Devi moves between realms with confidence and style; if there’s a new order coming, we’ll gladly have her lead the way.

Nina Posner is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Mixmag, follow her on Twitter