Name: Lea Bertucci

Nationality: American
Occupation: Composer, sound artist, improviser
Current release: Lea Bertucci curated experimental voice compilation Xtended Vox is out via SA Recordings. It features Audrey Chen, Phil Minton, Cansu Tanrikulu and Ben Vida.

[Read our Ben Vida interview]

If you enjoyed this interview with Lea Bertucci and would like to find out more about her music, visit her official website. She is also on Instagram, and Soundcloud.  

For an interview with one of her recent collaborators, we recommend our Robbie Lee interview.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

It's all a cocktail of influences really. I often find inspiration from the natural world, by looking at natural phenomena and making connections to social, political, and psychological issues by extending those metaphors.

Sometimes I am influenced by the work of my peers, more often in terms of process or materials than ideas. There are so many wonderful artists who are pushing the boundaries. Luckily I get to collaborate with some of them.

It is always amazing to see what comes out of me in the context of different collaborators, of how my ideas and sounds morph because of who I am interacting with.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

Sometimes I begin with a fully formed idea of what I want something to be, but more often than not, as I work on the project, I find myself discarding my preconceived notions of what I thought it was. It’s through process that I usually figure out what a piece is really about.

I have found it useful to practice non-attachment when making art, so that ego death is possible, and what comes through is totally in service of the work itself.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

Improvisation is key to all the work I do. Experimenting with different instrumental techniques, electronics, timbres, forms etc. is usually part of the initial phase. I also do a lot of research, which usually involves listening to music that is both of direct and oblique influence. On the latter, of music that is not an obvious influence, I’m super interested in the way that certain music seeps into my sphere of influence.

For example, for the last year or so I’ve been listening to a lot of American trad music. I don’t think there is a direct aesthetic relationship to my work, but there is a sort of pathos that comes through, a sideways relationship that directs an underlying flavor of what I make.

I find this helpful for making something that is more original, and keeps me away from mimicking music that might be in a more direct lineage.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Meditation, coffee, weed and small doses of psilocybin.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

When I am at my best, I am able to forget who I am, where I am, what someone said to me 10 minutes beforehand. I become a vessel or conduit for something greater than myself. It’s a flow, a meditation, an ecstatic state.

I suppose it could be described as spiritual, but I just see it as a certain form of illuminated consciousness.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

I firmly believe in the process of fermentation. There is currently a lot of pressure for artists to be producing public facing work all the time, a sort of quest for ongoing relevance (which of course is a trap of capitalism). By working on a piece and letting it sit over time, it is possible to approach it again with new ears, to re-evaluate how things sit within the work.

Usually I will work on a piece with much intensity and focus until I feel that I’ve done all I can to it, then let it sit for a few days, or weeks or even months. If I come back to it and have no desire to make any changes, I know it is finished.

It is certainly easy to overbake, so I think the time of fermentation can temper that impulse.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

As a female-bodied person working in a historically male dominated discipline, I have found that it is essential for me to be technically competent in most aspects of my practice. This is both a practical thing (labels for experimental music don’t often give legit budgets for production).

Because I work with abstract sound, being able to mix and produce is a pivotal part of the process of composition. For mastering, I find it helpful to work with an outside engineer. I give the engineer extensive notes as to what I am going for in terms of dynamics, and it is often a collaborative process with them. It is also important to have (at least) a second set of ears on a piece before it goes to the general public.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

It’s usually more of a relief, to be honest. I cultivate gratitude for my ability to make things and have them reach many ears.

I’m always looking toward or already working on the next thing, so my heart remains full.