Name: Clémence Quélennec aka Aja
Nationality: French
Occupation: Sound artist, producer, singer, songwriter
Recent Release: Aja's “Ondéambule,” the first single taken off her upcoming new EP Ajasphere II, slated for release in May 2024.
Recommendations on the topic of sound: I recommend the book: «Histoire naturelle du silence» by Jerome Sueur. He questions the nature of silence, and asks: is silence the absence of everything?
I also recommend this book: «How to listen» by Kaytlin Aurelia Smith that comes with a deck card. It’s my bedside book.

[Read our Kaytlin Aurelia Smith interview]

If you enjoyed this Aja interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her on Instagram, and Facebook.
                


When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?   
           
I close my eyes when I’m finishing my mixes. It helps me to be ultra focused on little details. Otherwise, I usually listen to music with my eyes open.

I imagine the song in front of my eyes, its shapes, its structure, the instruments playing. I see abstract landscapes. I also feel sensations in my body.

Some tracks (like "#3" by Aphex Twin) have energy, sounds and waves that release tension and make me feel safe.   
       


How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?
           
Headphones allow me to listen to music when I’m outside.

Currently, I love taking the metro in Paris listening to «Sun Tickles» by Salamanda, it puts a sunny and positive filter on everything I see.



Tell me about some of the albums or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please.

Recently I went to the live show of the band «Biodiverse» composed of Anee Molly - who is a fairy of modular synth, I love her pure sounds and magical sequences - and of Canblaster who is a master at modular synth, sampling, and epic harmonic sequences.

The reunion of both is the perfect match. I can’t wait for their album to be released.
                   
Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?       
               
The sounds of moss (amplified by a microphone ) makes me crazy. There is a whole unique world of smooth sound hidden in the moss.

The sounds of the noise of the rain calms me down in like 1 second. I think that every white noise has this effect on me. White noise is like an audio blanket, masking disruptive sounds in the environment, it helps the brain to relax by giving it a sound to focus on instead of the cacophony of stressful thoughts inside our heads.

Female voices can also make me feel reenergized, or they «cleanse» my energy, like Hildegarde music.

There can be sounds which feel highly irritating to us and then there are others we could gladly listen to for hours. Do you have examples for either one or both of these?

Are there everyday places, spaces, or devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?   
       
I like the sound of the water boiling process, from the little noise to the big bubbling sound. It is a wide range of sweet sound I like to listen when I wake up.

Have you ever been in spaces with extreme sonic characteristics, such as anechoic chambers or caves? What was the experience like?
                       
I’ve once been into the former cylindrical water tank of the island of Porquerolles in south of France. It is a huge cylindrical tank, 15 meters high, and maybe 30 meters wide, empty. Its shapes would amplify every sound so wildly, creating a maximum echo.

It was so huge and special that I felt dizzy after a while.

What are among your favourite spaces to record and play your music?

My former studio, which had a view of the sea, and an amazing sunset. It was very inspiring and soothing.

Also, I like to go to the Alps, in the chalet of my family, making music in the morning, and hiking the afternoon, that’s the perfect combo.   

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

We live in a world where almost every place is too noisy. Silence and natural soundscape are something rare. Our attention is caught by sounds all the time.

It is exhausting for the nervous system.                        

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

Almost all my family suffers from tinnitus and so do I. So I’ve been sensitized very young to take precautions.

I always have earplugs with me, and I limit my time with headphones. My father works in an awareness association against tinnitus.
                       
We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

I’m not sure there is a place with total silence except in an anechoic room.

But we can try to reach silence, and be silent, still. The silence allows me to make space in my head, and go deep down inside me. It allows me to listen to my inner self, and listen to the messages.

I love the immersive headphones that reduce the outside noise.
    
Seth S. Horowitz called hearing the “universal sense” and emphasised that it was more precise and faster than any of our other senses, including vision. How would our world be different if we paid less attention to looks and listened more instead?
    
Hearing is easy, but listening can be very difficult. I think If we would work on listening, we would be more attentive to ourselves, our emotions, our true path, desires, we would know ourselves better, and be more aligned and more attentive to others and the environment.

Maybe the world would be more peaceful?