Theory Therapy 86: Lucia Kagramanyan
Ambient storytelling from Armenian DJ and NTS resident Lucia Kagramanyan
Hey Lucia. How are you today?
Helloo! Chaotic and enjoying the soft and moist December air and watching Christmas decorations dissolve in the winter fog kind of mood.
What was the last song you listened to?
I’ve been on a mix of Armenian rap, screamo, noise and y2k pop recently that keeps me going.
Erevanski - Anitsvats Ser and Salvinorin- A – they crushed my rav4 on repeat.
Where do you most enjoy listening to music?
Either walking. In the street, in motion, with my headphones, or commuting, on the bus/train. There is some intimacy in the fusion of visual and sonic ambiences. Or lying down and doing absolutely nothing but listening. I enjoy having no company when listening to music, actually.
What’s the best music discovery you’ve made recently?
I have been blessed with discoveries recently. Among the most recent I think - I heard Brooklyn guitarist Chuck Roth live in Vienna and that really moved me. Also the recent album by Loris S Sarid -Ambient$ is just amazing, it is featured in my mix for Theory Therapy. Had Loris with an interview over on my alhara show as well!
Is there an artist or album you listen to often that people might not expect?
What was your highlight of 2025 – music or otherwise?
Been to Paris for the first time, and visited a lecture on Korean music, learnt about shamanic music practices there. Interesting that there had been exclusively only female shamans, and the practice transmission was hereditary, from mother to daughter. Also started researching Armenian bagpipe instrument parkapzuk - which is an almost extinct practice in Armenian music, so it is quite fascinating.
What's something you learnt?
I find 2025 was not extremely eventful for me but I had a bunch of discoveries.
I am not a professionally trained musician but took up a study in ethnomusicology now, so there was a lot to learn. Learnt the basics of microtonality and work with it. It was a real breakthrough musically for me. Also was taught some painting chemistry lifehacks, and hope to work with them in the next year.
Tell us a bit about your musical background – what was the first album that really stuck with you, and when did you start djing?
I have been digging music after school since I was 14. Randomly the first CD I owned was Las Ketchup -Aserejé ha heh ehe. It was chaotic but I think J dilla played a big part in my taste formation back then (a classic) and Slum Village - fantastic Vol.2. I think I was after every record that was sampled, and I did come across many in the end. I think it all started with a mixture of exploring cool jazz, math rock and underground hip hop and moving towards obscure finds.
And my DJing journey started by crashing a bar in Vienna with a friend randomly after a night early in the morning. I was asked to play some music on youtube as we were hanging out, and the promoter invited me to an open decks session and it took on from there. I even remember the first track I put - Velly Joonas - Stopp, Seisku Aeg!, which was Frida - I See Red Estonian version with an amazing arrangement. I am thankful to the promoter that appreciated my taste and believed in me back in the days.
Talk us through your Theory Therapy mix – where it came together and what kind of space you were in mentally or musically.
It sort of follows poetic staticism and chaos deviation with minimal larger shifts blending ambient, field recordings, drone and post rock, like a mental stutter through time and senses, reflecting on the way I've been feeling lately. It’s moody and very present, with some rough guitar fadeouts.
Where would you recommend listening to it?
Maybe lying down and introspecting. Yeah, or extrospecting! Or working hard on the email and contemplating.
Tell us something exciting that's coming up in your life, music or otherwise.
I am very excited for my existential Armenian-PanoramaYerevan-style mixtape coming out soon. Will keep it a secret for now, but it is defo exciting to have your mix on an actual tape. So stay tuned! Otherwise, I am finishing my studies actively at the moment and I have my music in the making finally. so will keep you posted! And I am playing at Sonic Arts Festival in February Amsterdam, so this is exciting!
Tracklist:
Loris S Sarid - Infinite Browsing
Tom Dicicco & Roger 23 - Guidance On
Tom Dicicco & Roger 23 - Salt Water
Alexander Tucker, Mark Wagner feat. Decomposed Orchestra
Yoshi Wada - Singing
VARIAT-For the heart of Kyiv
Coby Sey - Face
Special Guest DJ - Dream
ABADIR - 9.9.8
Loris S Sarid - A Centaur on the Balcony
Purelink - Slow & Steady Rush
Tom Dicicco & Roger 23- Guidance THree
Braindub - All in All
The Flying Luttenbachers - Eaten by Sharks
Trance to the Sun - A Sun Lingering Disease
pec 1000 gadiem pateiks u - встал во сне ( feat. kapseta)
Armenian Chant - Psalm of Lament
Isabel’s Dream - Trinity Square
Ludwig Wandinger - Xhausted Form
Dean Blunt - Three
Joanne Robertson - Band Sit Together