Music producer VAMPA has gradually been rising in bass music. She recently released her newest EP “Dark Matter,” consisting of two brand new unique tracks that can be surely uplifting during this pandemic. The talented music maker is known to have gone on tour with other dance music artists such as Black Tiger Sex Machine and Boogie T. Before the pandemic took place, she was expected to perform at some popular festivals such as Dancefestopia (which is still planned to take place), Sunset Music Festival (rescheduled to December,) and Bass Canyon (still planned to take place in August). We recently had the opportunity to interview the music artist about her latest EP, new music, and her life in quarantine. We discuss how she's been able to stay motivated during this time and how she continues to interact with fans while taking social distancing measures.
Interview With Vampa
Thank you for doing this interview. How have you been during this lockdown?
Thank you for having me! Lockdown has been a very interesting time. I’m grateful to be able to live with my family during this time and be around people that encourage me every day to follow my dreams. I’ve found this time to be an amazing opportunity to hone in on my craft and produce all day, work on mixes, all that good stuff. Being cooped up and not playing shows has been a stark contrast to coming off a bus tour, however, this extra time in my day has really forced me to focus on my self-care and productivity. A blessing in disguise!
You recently released your Dark Matter EP which has two new tracks, “Dark Matter” and “Masquerade.” What inspired you to create it?
These tracks mean the world to me. They encompass feelings of spirituality and love that I’ve experienced throughout the years. In Dark Matter, I wanted to build off of the idea that uncertainty and darkness is a natural way of life. I researched a lot on dark matter’s presence and role in the universe through studies of cosmology. The entire theory of dark matter revolves around material that is unseen and undetectable, though it plays a significant role in influencing what we experience as light-matter (detectable material). Without this contrast, nothing would exist. I sort of applied this to what I was experiencing spirituality and realized that I cannot have lighter times without the darker times in life, and uncertainty, though scary, should be embraced as it is a vital aspect of this, allowing beautiful things to come into fruition in their own time. Masquerade, on the other hand, explores the idea of love and navigating one’s connection to others around them. I’ve been through times where it’s hard to tell if someone is who they say they are, similar to the idea of a masquerade. This track dives into that mysterious aspect of meeting people and letting them into your circle, largely inspired by my personal experience in friendships and relationships as I’ve grown up.
Although you just released your new EP, will you be releasing any more new music soon?
I’m working on new music and hope to release it in the next month or so! There’s no better feeling than creating something and putting it out there for the world to see, so I’m stoked to share with everyone 🙂
With everyone stuck in their homes, it can be very difficult to remain dedicated to your craft due to a lack of motivation. How have you been able to stay dedicated to creating music?
I can totally understand the feeling of being tired and just wanting to relax in this situation. I often want to kick back and give my mind a break. But honestly, what motivates me to stay productive is reminding myself that we don’t often get the chance to step back and spend our time on things we really want to. Life moves fast when we’re working and dealing with the regular stressors of everyday life. So if I have more time to experiment and create, I want to take full advantage of it. I’ve always been a big believer that time spent wisely now will result in success later. If you’re working every day on your craft, you’re doing a huge service to your future when things go back to normal, and you reap the benefits tenfold.
It is important now than ever to interact with your fans due to social distancing guidelines preventing anyone from being able to physically contact each other. How have you remained active with them during this time?
I love responding to comments as much as I can and stories people tag me in. Oftentimes I’ll get messages from fans talking to me about life and their goals and aspirations and I love discussing ideas with them, as these ways of thinking are on my mind all day long. It makes me happy to know that reaching out to them can have such a positive impact on their day, so I’m trying to do it more often now as I had gotten into the habit of just zoning in on music constantly. My presence on Twitter is increasing a bit as well, I went a while feeling like no one really cared to see my quirky personality, however, I’ve started to let go of that and let myself be weird and random online. Fans like to feel like they know you can relate to you, so being yourself is the most important thing!
When beginning your music journey, what compelled you to the world of Dance music?
Funny enough, in high school I couldn’t get into dubstep. All my friends were always going to shows but I didn’t quite see the appeal in dance music. However, they convinced me to go out to a Zeds Dead show one night at this crazy huge Chicago venue called Aragon Ballroom. Seeing the stage production and hearing that music live was the game changer for me. It was the ultimate sensory experience, and I immediately became obsessed. The live shows played a huge part in forming this bond for me that went beyond just listening through headphones in my bedroom. I could finally see that the entire experience, the mass gathering of people jamming out with each other, was something much bigger than my day-to-day life, and inspired me to make crazy things happen on my own.
Is there anything you would like to say to your fans before this interview comes to an end?
I’d like to encourage everyone to pursue their passions without fear of what’s going to come out of it. The biggest lesson I learned in creating is embracing the freedom to express yourself. Experiment with who you are and what you truly are passionate about in life, great things can come from that as long as you keep pushing on in that space of pure expression. When you are taking the time every day to put your energy towards things you love to do, you are opening up the opportunity in your life to pursue the most fulfilling path for yourself. Believe!
Check out the “Dark Matter” EP below.
