Inside Five: Chemtrailz (Terra Novae)

After an impressive start to 2023, including a spot-on Amelie Lens’ latest EXHALE VA, cult underground talent Chemtrailz based in Texas, returns with another offering from his Terra Novae label in the form of his ‘Eternally Yours, Truly’ EP – out now. You can buy/stream it here: https://fanlink.to/i8wV.

“This EP is dedicated to my mother, Rosemarie Thomas-Ellis, who passed from cancer on June 1st, 2022.” – Chemtrailz.

Chemtrailz has undoubtedly earned his spot as an underground sensation. With over 15 years of experience in horticulture and a rap music background, the American artist has crafted a deep, hard, and hypnotic sound that sets dance floors ablaze. 

His journey began in 2004-2008 when he raved in Austin, Texas, during trance’s “golden era”. In 2023, Chris released his single “The Future is Matriarchy” on Amelie Lens’s Exhale VA004. With plans to move to Europe, the success of the Chemtrailz project is unlimited. His rumbling basslines and ethereal melodies will no doubt be heard at a rave near you.

Can you tell us about your latest EP ‘Eternally Yours, Truly’ inspiration and how your mother influenced your music career?

I wrote the cover track during my Mom’s passing. During her last two weeks, we held hospice in my house in Texas. Since I was her caretaker for the previous four years, I acted as a head nurse with tons of help from my sister and aunt and check-ins from a hospice company. It was a very stressful and sad time, and I don’t sleep much under stress, so I was in my studio every moment I wasn’t occupied. When I’m stressed and going through hardship, I’ve found that I do best when I stay busy and channel my emotions into something that makes me proud. Eternally Yours Truly, in words, is a trance translation of my emotions during the last two weeks of my Mom’s life- driven by a fire to make her proud. The rest of the tracks were pieced together in the 6 month period following.

What can you tell us about your ‘Terra Novae’ label and the vision for its future?

​Latin for New Earth, Terra Novae is my artistic contribution to this new era of humanity. I began this project in 2020, with the first release in ’21. Currently, we are a self-releasing label for my Chemtrailz project, but I envision growth into a community and events label that will contribute to human evolution and push forward a future sound of electronic music.

You recently featured on Amelie Lens’ EXHALE imprint. How did that come about, and what is it like working with Amelie?

​In the autumn of last year, I made it out to my first ADE and was inspired immensely. By November, I had amassed quite a collection of unreleased tracks. My buddy Erizo shot me a link, and I was able to register for a demo submission to Exhale. A few weeks later, I sent them 6 tracks. Some time after that, Amelie downloaded 2 of them. After around 6 weeks after submitting, I received an email that Exhale wanted to release one on the next VA. 

It’s been quite a journey and a dream come true to join the Exhale team. I’ve never worked with a group so supportive and comprehensive in their release marketing. I’m truly thankful for this opportunity and can wait to see what the future of our relationship holds.

How has your music evolved since you started producing, and how do you stay innovative in the constantly changing techno scene? 

​My early stages of production were in rap music in the early 2000s. After discovering the rave in college, I enrolled in audio school and started experimenting with minimal techno and trance sounds. I spent quite a few years experimenting with different genres like psy and progressive under different aliases. It wasn’t until 2018 that I finally settled back on techno and began to develop my hybrid sound. Although sometimes I wish I hadn’t, I truly took the long scenic route to arrive where I’m at in my career. But, I feel like the insight I gained in this journey will definitely pay off, and it has given me a unique perspective.

​Staying innovative hasn’t been something I really ever focused on. I often come up with the most off-the-wall sounds out of nowhere because I’m influenced by so many genres. It’s been more of a challenge to fit my sound into the right groups and communities I need to help me support my career. I guess you can say I tend to work backwards; I take crazy ideas and try to carve them down into a marketable product that my techno community can appreciate.

What can fans expect from you over the rest of 2023?

​Currently, I am very busy in the studio working on a ton of new material and hope to be back on the road for some more gigs later this fall. I have a few projects in the works that I can’t wait to announce, but unfortunately, I can’t say much about them yet. Towards the end of this year, I plan to spend some more time in Europe and am working on a more permanent residence in Spain. I’m really looking forward to the near future and can’t wait to show you what’s in store.

Chemtrailz’s ‘Eternally Yours, Truly’ EP is out now on Terra Novae. You can buy/stream it here: https://fanlink.to/i8wV.

Chemtrailz
https://www.instagram.com/ochemtrailz
https://soundcloud.com/ochemtrailz