Ferrarilover is a dark ambient gothgaze guitarist, outward-looking dj, and darkwave producer / vocalist nico wyland aka the goth ladyboy, who represents non-binary / genderqueer art in the scene. he / she is known as the founder of Ace of Spades, aka L’Ace of Spades, aka Ace of Spades Recordings (aceofspadesrecordings.com), and for his lush, haunting sound and downtempo // progressive // darkwave dj mixtures.
We have had the pleasure of talking to him about his latest releases and this has been the result.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music? Was it all internet based?
For me it is about listening to music within the music. Myspace and youtube were very influential. I went to so many shows in the early 2000s that sometimes today I will suddenly remember a ‘random’ show that was actually major. The Echoplex comes to mind. I lived in NYC during the time of 9-11. I moved to Los Angeles circa 2003-4. My mom constantly infused me with different cultures from the time I was tiny. I’m especially influenced by Turkish music because of her. Visits to Paris, Biarritz, and Istanbul in my early life had a life altering impact on me musically. I’ve always been obsessed with music. I also went through a period in my teens when I listened to a lot of soul and disco / old school house sounds. I learned about the birth of goth music via the internet, but also in local record stores.
Who have been your main inspirations (both musical and in «life»)? And how have they affected your sound?
It started with early Depeche Mode, slightly later Siouxsie + the Banshees, Love & Rockets, Bowie in the 80s, and went from there. During college and after, I got super into early trad goth music, but many genres. Downtempo, house, ambient—- The London Suede are a major influence. The shoegaze /dreampop revival really hit me in the early 2000s. Too many bands to list. I have an almost crystal clear memory of Floodland playing at Sicilian family friend’s Halloween party. I had a dramatic kundalini awakening in 2009. That blew my mind.
How would you define your sound?
<<Ferrarigaze >>
…I don’t mean “Ferrari” in a materialistic way, but a conceptual art way. In my early 20s I saw a sculptural installation work that was a Ferrari convertible in a stripped gallery space, planted with an exotic mini-forest. A few years later I was deep in a dark time. It was also the time I started to spend constant hours with my guitar.
The song (as yet unreleased) and artist name “FerrariLover” is me re-appropriating what is typically viewed as a symbol of “haute brand” performance snobbery, into something more ethereal, a transcendent symbol of rare, almost ‘alien’ beauty. It is a metaphor for transcendent love, moving beyond personality, time & space, yet deep “in it—“ the at once airy and murky intangible-slash-tangibility of the divine—- everywhere. If you describe your lover with a car metaphor, you want a Ferrari. I admit there are also some sexual undertones to it. I like to mix the subversive and the spiritual.
How has your sound evolved so far?
I was just asked about this today. I’ve always intended to make vocal trax akin to this new EP; I’ve spent a lot of time studying music, effects, production, etc. My focus on vedanta meditation led me to make the dark ambient stuff first. These new tracks are not a departure, but an arrival.
What can you tell us about your last job? What inspired you? What do you want to convey?
My last non-music jobs were a while ago, at the Orange County Museum of Art and then at a dance vinyl / dj audio store that no longer exists. Before that I was also a projectionist at a theater, with 35mm film. All of those jobs I sought out because I needed to be near art; it was an education. I am addicted to beauty. Tracey Emin made a piece “I need art like I need god.” That sums it up.
In 2010, I had been in the ocean in San Diego, and walked into a guitar shop, still sandy. I had radar for that Ibanez Jem 505. The ultra light maple/ walunut neck is key. It was over. I found it perfect: to make dark and shoegaze sounds with a guitar that is traditionally considered a shredder. I was still very relaxed from the salt water, and it flowed. It was the right moment. The fact that so many gazers would judge it as ‘not shoegaze’ is part of what makes it perfect. I have a way I use the tremolo on it that really works for me. For me, tremolo is a job.
What can you tell us about each song that makes up your latest work? What is hidden behind?
There are 2 new songs, the first vocal trax I have released. These are songs about true love, heartbreak, yet open-ended. I’ve had a wild year and a half.
How are you living the current situation because of COVID? Has your work affected you a lot? Do you think there is hope? I feel like the underground scene will continue to persist.
The quarantine helped me slow down and focus more on listening to records. It has helped my creativity a lot. As tragic as it is for those who have been affected by covid, the time alone has been a blessing for me. I’ve also dealt with some super intense personal revelations and experiences. It has been a mix of ‘dark night of the soul’ and ‘creative flow.’ I believe that the underground scene will actually thrive. I feel we are culturally at a time when the underground arts are crucial to the furthering of society.
What projects are you working on right now?
At the moment i’m releasing the Barely Black EP and working on a new full length record. I’m currently researching sounds and doing some drum programming, as well as doing some fine tuning with my guitars and amps. I also need some relaxation. I love to ‘do nothing.’ Doing nothing is actually very important to the creative process. I’ve been buying new records and listening to a lot of new artists. Some days all I need is to have tv on in another language, some old black and white movie or guilty pleasure reality show—— and chill out or mindlessly play video games.
