The Trippin Mixes, Vol. 30: Lila Tirando a Violeta & Sin Maldita

Following the release of their joint EP, Accela, on Hyperdub, the Uruguay-born, Ireland-based producer Lila Tirando a Violeta teams up once again with Berlin’s Sin Maldita for a special back-to-back mix.

Lila Tirando a Violeta and Sin Maldita first met online, after Sin (real name Tim Roth) messaged Lila about a collaboration. Their work appeared on TraTraTrax’s first compilation, no pare, sigue sigue, in 2022 and since, the pair have followed up with the abrasive EP Accela via Hyperdub that freewheels into a chaotic space where their two distinct styles intertwine and merge.

Born in Uruguay and now based in Ireland, collaboration is a key tenet within Lila’s work. Her 2020 LP, Limerencia, saw her explore the intersection of spatial sound design and club sonics, veering from ambient tracks embellished with hymnal chants and sounds of running water to hard drum and tribal textures. It’s a release where splintered electronics seemingly collide together amongst sounds of police sirens and scraping metallics. Her follow-up, 2022’s Desire Path released via N.A.A.F.I., saw her work with the likes of Nicola Cruz and Verraco. Like Limerencia, it follows her distinct style of creating a thrilling, unpredictable ride through various emotions and moods while retaining an introspective core.

Roth, similarly, operates across a realm where mottled and mechanical textures form the touchstones of his dystopian sound world. His hybridised club sound takes elements of trance, footwork, IDM and pop, warping them into jagged mutations.

Together, on this Trippin mix, they showcase their versatility as artists, diving into their SoundCloud likes for a joyride through different moods. The first half is built for the dancefloor; the beginning drenched in the drama and soft urgency of a dopamine-soaring trance cut. The second half features the sublime sonics of Lee Gamble and sparkling, romantic ambience layered with dialogue from James Mangold’s Walk the Line. A perfect, post-Valentine's mood.

Where are you and whatʼs around you?

Lila Tirando a Violeta: Iʼm currently in the oldest city on the greenest island (Waterford, Ireland). Around me, there are a lot of birds, my two cats, the sea and lots and lots of hills.

Tim Roth: I'm actually in my bedroom studio in Berlin, preparing some things for Friday, when I'll actually go see Lila in Ireland for rehearsals for our debut live show at Rewire together.

What was your thinking behind this mix?

L: We collected and played lots of friends' songs and underrated SoundCloud remix bangers for this mix.

T: For me, it was about combining club tracks that influenced us in the first half, and then transitioning to a softer, more varied, ambient but still sounds adjacent half.

Where was this mix recorded?

T & L: Since we couldn't be in a room together, we each recorded bits of it, discussed what we liked and then stitched things together.

If you had to pull out one particular reference, track or cue point that stands out to you in this mix, what would it be and why?

T: My favourite thing in this mix is the section where Loraine James' remix of Forever by Charli XCX goes over into Everything But the Girl – just feels harmonically so bittersweet and blissful.

Were you always surrounded by music? What were your formative influences?

L: Definitely. I started playing very early and hosting gigs in the DIY punk and noise scene in Uruguay. I was heavily influenced by experimental music. But mostly 70s post-punk, krautrock and drone music. My formative influences, as in musicians, were probably Brian Eno, Nina Hagen, Kraftwerk, Xiu Xiu, Fad Gadget, Charly Garcia, Arthur Russell and Cocteau Twins.

T: I was pretty much always surrounded by music, learned to play guitar myself early on and from then on developed an interest. Listened to a lot of different kinds of music and got really into digging for new stuff as a teenager. The artist that really made me feel like I wanted to make electronic music was Björk. I was super fascinated, it felt to me like it was stretching what I knew about pop music to a new limit. Through that, I found a lot of 90s IDM as well, which became a big obsession.

What led you to start working together?

T: We met online. I contacted Lila for a remix for my last solo album. We talked a lot and realised we had a lot of common ground musically and just got along really well, and after the TraTraTrax collaboration that we both felt good about, we were keen on making more music together.

How have you two approached your collaborations together? And how would you describe the collaborative energy between you two?

T & L: We've worked both remotely and in the studio together, and it feels for Accela – which is also a bit of the theme of the record – we developed a sonic and emotional language that shaped a lot of the production process. We have a similar energy, we are pretty meticulous and detail-oriented, and just super fascinated and excited by new sounds and sonic findings. The process felt pretty maximalist and energetic, and then we slowly chiseled away at it like a sculpture while trying to preserve the energy.

Lila, Iʼm aware you were born in Uruguay and youʼre now based in Ireland. Has changing locations shaped or influenced your work at all?

L: Iʼve lived in Uruguay all my life, and two years ago I decided to move to Europe to try my luck since things were quite rough for me back in South America. First, I attempted to live in Amsterdam but coming from a very small town myself it definitely was too busy for me. So I relocated to Ireland and I found so much inspiration here which has been great for me both creatively and personally. Itʼs definitely very different from Uruguay and I miss being back home, but Iʼm enjoying my time in Waterford a lot.

Tim, how has Berlinʼs scene shaped you as an artist?

T: The club scene has been informative for me, especially in the middle to latter half of the last decade – not so much techno but the more adventurous side of it, people freeing themselves from genre and purist ideas, people coming up with insane things. Most importantly though, meeting friends and like-minded artists from many backgrounds. Working and exchanging musically with them shaped me most artistically.

Accela explores digital realities and the language of dreams. Is a dive into virtual and metaphysical ideas linked to your physical environments at all?

L: A hundred percent. I was completely obsessed with the book Finnegans Wake and the realm of dreams while recording the album, so it was key for me to incorporate as many of these elements as possible in the album’s imagery.

T: I feel like it is definitely linked. For example, I am a very online person and I often escape into emotional, imagined, metaphysical realms like music, video games or books, and these things – especially music – are very linked to my physical and social environment.

When travelling, how do you both prefer to explore a new location?

L: Might sound a bit pretentious but I like to explore new locations by avoiding all sort of touristic recommendations, and trying to take a peek at the core of the places I go to and where itʼs less crowded and closer to daily reality. And cemeteries – as many as I can visit.

T: I love to be spontaneous and just go explore by foot with not much of a plan, and, if possible, a couple tips by my trusted friends.

Whatʼs your best travel story?

T: First thing that comes to mind is how I went to NYC with a bus from Montreal when I was 17, missed the bus for the six hour ride back on the next day, and then randomly met someone from my hometown.

L: My favourite travel story is from the time I went to Texas to play a gig, and since Iʼm a huge fan of the movie, decided to take a bus to Paris, Texas. Not much of an anecdote but had to check out that place for the sake of it.

Whatʼs next for you both?

L: Our Accela debut at Rewire. Looking forward to it a lot. Itʼll be the first time we play live together and also the visual set will be done by Fol and Felix Geen – two artists and friends we admire a lot.

Tracklist

UVCore – Tirrenia

PXXR GVNG – Cigala (4daRatxets Edit)

DADRAS – Nature Boy

Aggromance – Turra Violenta (SantaDJ x Seba TC)

Stgrimes – Lenta (Miss Jay Remix)

Henzo – A Healthy Fear of Snakes (Down the Sewer Mix)

A2A – Turf

Rasgar – Biométrica (Imaabs Remix)

M.E.S.H. – Follow & Mute

Imaabs – Sofoca Tool

Hyph11E – Knots

Charli XCX – Forever (Loraine James Remix)

Everything But the Girl – Before Today

Loris – Caravana

Foodman – Shikaku no Sekai

PRJCTN – Jewels

Lee Gamble – Xith C. Spray

Soria – Bliss Song

Theodore Cale Schafer – See You Soon