Theory Therapy 53: Opheliaxz
Shimmering dubby perfection from Philly.
Excited to welcome one of the best around to the series, Philadelphia-based DJ and producer Opheliaxz. As well as being one of the finest DJs around, Kelsey has been teasing tracks on soundcloud and various compilations for the past few years. In April, she released 11/11 on Bandcamp, a collection of incredible dubby ambient works spanning from 2020 to 2022. If you haven’t checked it out already, you absolutely need to.
Kelsey’s mix is a homage to her time in Berlin when she played at Kwia. “I thought it would be fun to rummage through my music folder I made to play live there a few months back at Kwia and squish in an additional bit of tracks I vibe with.” You all know this one is going to be good. Enjoy.
Hey Kelsey. Thanks so much for the mix. How are you today?
Hey thanks for having me and listening! I'm feeling good, but definitely sleepy today haha
What was the last song you listened to?
Gosh this is hard to narrow down,
The most recent (pray for em casok - xang)
Where’s your favourite place to listen to music?
While dissociating on public transit, specifically on the train.
What’s your favourite thing about living in Philly?
My favorite thing about Philly is how chill it is, there's not a lot of pressure to make something of yourself. Native Philly people have fun accents here, a sandwich is called a "hoagie" and the WaWa gas station is truly iconic.
What’s the best music discovery you’ve made recently?
I dunno if it's really my own discovery because I'm always stumbling into things via friends....but the ambi trap style has been really cool to dive into. it's a whole ecosystem of sound that's unique and bouncing off the wall and I hope it doesn't lose its steam quite yet!
What’s your most recent favourite DJ mix?
Gank live on the Lot Radio
Outside of music, what inspires you?
My friends! Also my mom and how resilient she is.
Can you tell us a little about the mix? What were you feeling when you made it?
The mix is a homage to my time in Berlin when I got to play at Kwia, that place is magic and so beautiful. Getting to know the whole crew felt a lot like an extended family to me. So I thought it would be fun to rummage through my music folder I made to play live there a few months back at Kwia and squish in an additional bit of tracks I vibe with.
Where did you record it?
Philadelphia USA, baby.
Where would you recommend listening to it?
whenever, wherever, however ( =
Are there any tracks you’ve used in the mix that are special or significant to you?
Theres a quiet a bit of special tracks layed out in here. I think the Dido track ”Here with me” at the end particularly because I was feeling really sad and upset when i started this mix. I was listening to the song nonstop, and then i was like you know what i have not heard her music og style in a ~ambient~ leaning mix before. So i got to thinking
“how can i craft something fun around this”.
Now i dont feel sad! Haha.
Other than that theres a lot of little easter eggs of dubient, slow simmer and shimmer vibes.
Theory Therapy mixes are often about sharing the music that you personally find therapeutic or cathartic in some way. What does that mean for you?
I think the cathartic-therapeutic process for me is re thinking what ambient music mixing is. There are so many cool styles out there and its important for me to play things unusual, offbeat, slow and fast to try and give a sound a new light. sometimes i trainwreck haha but thats important too! its fun and its all about the journey. Theres so much pressure to put things out perfectly sometimes you stumble upon happy accidents and theyre important to let play out within a mix.
Is there a particular album or piece of music that you find yourself returning to for similar reasons?
I return to all of my friends music a lot. They all inspire me so much to keep going with my own music and how to re shape and re think the world around me through sound.
Tell us something exciting that's coming up in your life, music or otherwise.
I’m excited for my own music to drop and seeing friends play live!
