ElectroMagneticPulse is an electronic producer from Bondi, focused on those big existential questions we all have.
ElectroMagneticPulse is the moniker of Ali Nooriafshar, a Sydney-based producer with ambition and heart. His full length, titled I Am, was kaleidoscopic and introspective, pairing psych and electronica, totally immersing the listener in the soundscape.
Still, punchy rhythms and dreamy guitars can only tell you so much. Here are ElectroMagneticPulse’s own observations on the shimmering project.
HAPPY: Hey there Ali, whereabouts do you find yourself today?
EMP: Hey! I’m blessed to be on the eastern shores of beautiful Bondi at the present moment. Incredibly grateful to have the ocean at my doorstep…
HAPPY: Tell us a bit about this incredibly unique name, ElectroMagneticPulse!
EMP: It’s a name that came to me long before I tested the musical waters so to speak. I drew it up as a logo and thought ‘that would be a cool stage name if I ever made music…’
So naturally, when I started producing my own tunes, I gravitated straight to it and it stuck! I’ve always been in awe of electromagnetic energy and the way it permeates organically and artificially around us so I feel like the name EMP distils that fascination and captures my mystical psych-electronic sound rather aptly.
HAPPY: Congrats on your debut album, I Am, tell us a bit about the project
EMP: Thank you! I started making I Am in early 2019 as I was going through a profound shift in my world and finished it recently when I closed that cycle off. Each track is a reflection on a respective life lesson I was moving through at that time. The album charts my journey through love, self-discovery and the revelations that came therein.
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HAPPY: What does the phrase I Am mean?
EMP: I Am is the metaphysical identity that’s at the centre of all beings. The spiritual seat of conscious awareness that resides behind the ego and mind – the observer in meditation. Behind one’s thoughts and judgements are a stillness and being-ness that transcends reality and that is the I Am presence you are!
HAPPY: There is no doubt that this album is incredibly cathartic, what vein do you hope to press on for your listeners?
EMP: It’s my intention to point the mirror back to emphasise that the whole universe is within you if you care to take a look into the unknown and see for yourself. I’d hope that people listening would feel inspired to ‘know thyself’ better and to ponder who they are, the reality they exist in and what they wish to manifest in this life.
HAPPY: How did you translate this concept of self-healing into a sonic piece of work?
EMP: I didn’t consciously seek to focus it on self-healing but thematically the album became interwoven with that messaging intrinsically throughout my process. I was just channelling emotions into music that flowed out of internal pressures that needed release as I navigated through various catalysts in my life. I’ve come to find that healing wounds in this way allows me to let go of feelings with a greater awareness whilst also manifesting as creative works with immensely self-reflective qualities.
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HAPPY: How have you remained centred throughout lockdown? What advice would you have for creatives to keep level-headed in this time?
EMP: I’d say let go of fears and doubts and stay creative! I know there’s a palpable sense of melancholy and heaviness that has washed over many in this dark period but transmuting that energy into passionate creativity is nourishing and powerful. Whatever your highest excitement may be in the form of a project you feel drawn to, seize it and bring it to life in this now-moment because it’s a fertile time for creating coherence out of chaos!
HAPPY: What is the ideal environment/situation to listen to I Am?
EMP: Ideally, with headphones while out on a walk in nature. After meditation would also be highly recommended!
HAPPY: What can we expect in the future of ElectroMagneticPulse?
EMP: I’ve been working on new music recently that I’m hoping to put together into a follow-up concept album that explores the paths we face as a collective on the horizon and what kind of future we choose to co-create together – Utopia or Dystopia. Dropping some new content for it soon on my IG and YouTube channel so keep an eye out!
HAPPY: Thanks Ali!
EMP: Namaste!
