Gameboys and electronic lullabies

Could you introduce yourself and tell us how you got started creating music?

My name is Lucía, my project is Xalalxe. I’ve been making music for a while. I work as a producer using my Gameboys to make music and also to DJ. I have a spot on Lyl radio, Half Step Outside. Now I’m also getting into electronics –I want to incorporate more instruments that I built myself so I’m doing a bit of that.

I started by organising events. I was doing a bit of music on the side, but becoming a performer came about because I needed something for the opening slot where I know nobody’s coming [laughs], so I just started booking myself for that. Quickly we had a common radio platform, where once a week with friends, you played the songs you discovered that week and people could express themselves. 

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What then inspired you to start making your own sounds?

I've always loved music and I’ve never had a lot of access to music –I wasn’t in a very artsy household or anything. So I was curious to see what I could make with what I already had and that was the family computer and the Gameboy. So I learned how to use them. I’ve always had an interest in the technicalities of music and instruments and how they work. I also just want to make music that I enjoy, as a way to express myself, so I’m always aiming for those two things. 

I was always curious to see what I could make with what I already had and that was the family computer and the Gameboy

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Would you say there are specific influences that underpin your work and how does that fit into your process of creation? 

I'm very influenced by more ambient, slower-paced music, but also by more technical, melodic tracks –or emo music. I also get a lot of inspiration from lullabies. With my live setup, I don't use a computer, so I'm quite restricted in the number of things that I can do at once. So, with all of my inspiration, I try to find the simplest expression of them and then I use that in my music. When I find something that moves me, I think ‘Okay, what is the simplest version of it that I can make, so it fits with my setup?’ and that's the start of my process. 

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You use field recordings and elements of the natural world in your music, how does this inform your work as a musician?

With a field recording you can transmit a sense of place instantly; you can listen to five seconds of ambient sound from a place and receive a ton of associations: how that place feels, memories you may have of similar places and so on. So in my process of distilling things to very simple elements, just having a field recording of a place adds a lot of connections that I feel also instantly adds this new layer for the listener. 

In my process of distilling things to very simple elements, just having a field recording of a place adds a lot of connections 

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How do you go about creating this sense of ambience and atmosphere in your live performances?

I like to have concerts where I'm mostly sitting down performing. So, when I can, I like to be on the ground with everyone else and not on stage. It’s not always possible because of the sound systems and how it's laid out, but when I can do it, it's nice. It’s this break in the separation between you and me. Instead, it creates something new, something we are doing together. Since I’m more meditative with the space and music I’m performing, it’s nice to be more open in that way.

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Have you seen any evolution of the music you create since you first started? 

I had more preconceived notions, for example, that I needed more variety, otherwise, people would get bored. Or, if I didn't have faster tracks, something with a beat, people wouldn’t like it. Now I aim for interest over variation. I found that when I go to experimental concerts, I like it more when the artist does the things that they really want to do, completely. Even if it means that it's one person doing only two chord changes in just over 30 minutes, it's still beautiful. As I've evolved in my practice, I've allowed myself to go more fully into one idea.

I aim for interest over variation

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What can you tell us about the future of Xalalxe?

Since I really like to have more of a communal feeling of listening to music together, I would like to use these skills I have developed to have more interactive aspects of performances. Having interactive installations where people can come and play with me. It’s something I’m looking in the direction of.

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<div class="editorial-banner"> <div class=“editorial-credits”> @xaxalxe <br/> 31.01.2025 <br/> Sound Of the Belgian Underground 2025 <br/> Brussels, Botanique </div></div>