cloud collecting #25: Sulci
on letting our creative side take the lead + not holding back
I’m happy to share my conversation with Glasgow-based artist Sulci (Emily Sullivan-Holm) today! Her sophomore release Four Chambers via Bricolage has been a welcomed tonic for me since its release and I hope this feature introduces new listeners to her unique blend of electronic music.
Emily Sullivan-Holm is an electronic producer based in Glasgow, Scotland. Releasing music under the name Sulci since 2023, with releases on the Bricolage and Light At The End labels.
1. How did your trip to Aalesund, Norway, provide the inspiration and energy needed to finish your sophomore album Four Chambers (via Bricolage)? What did you take away from that experience that found its way into the album?
The trip to Aalesund was inspirational in so many ways. The sporadic nature of it also kinda took me by surprise. I was asked to visit on the Monday and was on a plane by the Wednesday! I’m never usually too spontaneous and like to have things planned. So I kinda surprised myself by just going on a whim! It’s nice to know I have that side of me.
I had recently just went through a pretty turbulent period in my personal life at that point. I have family over in Norway and we spoke on the phone. They suggested a visit for a few weeks. It felt like a calling of sorts. Those few weeks turned into a few months.
Whilst there, I used the time away to reconnect with myself and nature. Glasgow is such a lovely city and is my home but it can feel overly metropolitan at times, especially for someone who loves the open land. So escaping to a quieter and less populous place for a period of time allowed me to find a new environment for working on music too. Part of the album was made here in Glasgow and the other half in Norway. I think it works and glues well together on the album.
Aalesund is such a beautiful place and I spent a lot of time there in my youth. I would admire the streets and houses as a child. This time, as an adult, I spent more time than anywhere else on a place called Aksla mountain. It has just the greatest views. It’s a super vantage point to see the whole of Aalesund. A new environment and headspace provided me with a fresh outlook and a more open and honest process musically. On my debut album, “Before The Echo”, I would sometimes tend to be quite rigid, restrained and “by the book” with structures. This time I let things flow more. It took me some time to get used to that side of things but I think I have finally learned to let the creative side of me take the lead.
2. Early on in your musical explorations you would record acapella takes of your own voice on your iPhone. Can you describe how this helped you discover and develop your unique soundscapes?
I still sometimes record acapella on my iPhone! I don’t think I’ll ever stop! The voice is such a powerful instrument.
Even though I was born with partial deafness and have suffered from various hearing issues ever since, I’ve always been very musically inclined. I think the hearing issues actually made me more determined to be musical and express through the medium of sound. I picked up various instruments in my youth. Piano, guitar, bass and a slightly regretful period of trying to learn the trumpet! But it was always my voice that intrigued me the most…
When I was younger I would record my own vocals in many different keys and then layer the recordings over each other just for fun. The results were varied today the least. It was actually my brother who suggested that I make “ambient drones” from the vocals by using a software that he had downloaded called “Paulstretch”. I had fun using that for a while but it was very limited and I wanted more. So I got myself a copy of Ableton and the rest is history. As much as I’m comfortable with my own voice I do like the options that a DAW provides me to chop and twist it in so many directions.
3. How do you cloud collect (connect to childlike wonder) in your creativity?
First, let me say that I just adore the term “cloud collect”! It resonates with me in a number of ways. I also love that childlike wonder stays with us through adulthood. Everybody still has that kid in them. Whether they’ll admit it or not is another matter.
When it comes to my creativity I still look to that childlike element of myself all the time. That little girl in her room singing into her iPhone continues to inspire and push me forward. She is the reason I am now on my second album on one of my favourite labels. Now, each time I start work on a new track, I’ll think back to being in my old room, iPhone in hand and just letting my voice go. No holding back.
It’s taken me a bit of time to reach that point of comfort and freedom with the production side of things but I’m now at the point where I’m ready to just let the music go. No holding back.
The best online places to find Emily are her Instagram, Soundcloud + Mixcloud.
Interesting read, thanks for introducing me to this artist!