Olesia
DJ | Promoter | Graphic Designer
Olesia is a London-based DJ, graphic designer and founder of the Technomate collective. The collective consists of four women and together, they curate intimate parties around London that shine a light on female-identifying and non-binary artists from the locale. They also run the TM8 podcast series which features a plethora of upcoming names from around the world including Parisian producer u.r.trax, Montreal-based BitterCaress and plenty of names on the London scene like ØTTA, Melissa D’Lima, DJ Tess and many more.
Having moved to London from Russia in 2011, Olesia’s sound is influenced by her native home and current surroundings of East London. As a DJ, Olesia doesn’t hold back and can go from classic trance to UK techno to playful sounds from the back catalogue of трип Recordings in the space of a few minutes.
As well as DJing, Olesia channels her creativity through her job as a graphic designer, with a broad portfolio including everything from clean-cut, monochrome projects to colourful and glitchy artwork for clients in the industries of fashion, music and publishing.
With all music events on hold, Olesia’s line of work is in limbo for the foreseeable future. Along with her blurry memory of a festival in Olganitz, Germany, she also shares her view on ‘toxic positivity’ on social media which can lead to a pressure to be obsessively productive, something which has crept in online over the last few weeks…
Where was this photo taken and why did you choose it?
This is me on the first day of Nachtdigital last summer. It’s definitely up there with my best memories! 2019 was the last time the festival was running, so everything about it felt truly special. There was this wonderful family vibe throughout the whole weekend. We’d only just arrived at the campsite when this picture was taken, we were setting up the tents waiting for the music to start. I was blowing up an inflatable turtle my friend bought me for my birthday earlier that month (those who know me well, know I’m a little obsessed with turtles). The festival is a slightly blurred, but indeed happy memory. I felt so lucky to be surrounded by a big group of close friends and colleagues. Musically, all sorts of magical, groovy and funky things happened over the weekend - all at various levels of intensity and across a few different genres.
Paquita Gordon, Powder, Marie Davidson, Manamana and Deena Abdelwahed were some of my highlights.
What are you listening to at the moment if you’re working from home or if you’re still working out in the world, do you have a soundtrack to accompany your journey?
Sadly, my job has been affected by the pandemic and as of today, April 2nd, I am stepping into a new temporarily furloughed status. This means that I will not be able to continue working for at least 2 months. I will be taking this time to nurture my physical and mental well-being, as well as focusing on some of my side projects and finding alternative sources of income.
I usually kick off my mornings with The Do You! Breakfast show on NTS. I’ve recently been tuning in regularly to keep my spirits up. Charlie Bones is an absolute legend! Not only he’s a top selector, but his tongue-in-cheek joyous attitude helps distract from the negative info overload.
Fast and trippy techno from the motherland is my go to for non-yogic workouts. Literally any mix or album by Vladimir Dubyshkin would do. This one packed with his very own production gems is one of my current favourites.
At the moment I am going through Aphex Twin (and all of his other aliases) discography album by album. I’ve never had the time to fully immerse myself into his work with a greater attention to detail, and I am so glad to finally indulge in it.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, do you have a go-to track or style of music that significantly lifts your spirits?
Over the last few weeks I’ve been spending a lot of time digging for tunes I’d normally play out and expanding my collection. However, dance floor chuggers is no longer my music of choice for the day-to-day listening. I am noticing myself drifting away from the fast and furious stuff I am usually so drawn to. I am currently enjoying a lot of jazz, ambient, drone, field recordings and anything that puts my mind at ease during this strange times. Those sounds act as vessels to inner stillness and peace of mind.
It almost feels like, musically, I’ve hit pause. I think as a consequence of my surroundings, my relationship with sound has changed too. Dance music seems irrelevant at a time where we are unable to unite on the dance floor. There is a craving to find the time for stillness, and to deepen my connection with sound, rather than to constantly chase the “high”.
Deep Mind Music, Sanpo Disco, Unrush are fantastic mix series mix to decompress. Sounds of the Dawn is another great show on NTS, full of eclectic tunes to bring you closer to nature that seems so inaccessible right now. On the 5th Day crew recently launched new mix series called Sounds of Stillness - definitely one to keep your ears out for! It aims to combine music and mindfulness - two things that should go hand in hand together at this time!
How do you intend on celebrating once we’re out the other side?
On the front left, giving loads of squeezy hugs to my friends and colleagues who I dearly miss.
Any tips on how to look after your mind and body during this slightly stressful time?
Adapting to change can be very distressing, and it’s really important to recalibrate your mind and body accordingly. Meditation, yoga, reiki healing, EFT and gratitude practice are just some of the essential tools I’ve got in my pocket. I would struggle to cope without it. But it’s all trial and error when it comes to finding out what suits each person best.
It’s also important to remember that a global pandemic isn’t an opportunity to ‘get better’ by losing weight, increasing productivity or going on spiritual breaks. There is a lot of toxic positivity on social media. ‘To watch’, ‘to listen’ and ‘to read’ lists, as well as countless online courses and workouts. Capitalistic societies love to sell us ideas of performance, even during the global virus pandemic when all we need to do is to survive. Whilst it’s awesome to have so many useful sources at hand, it might also feel like a lot of pressure. Practicing self-care is a privilege many of us don’t have. Being kind to yourself and others, of service where possible, surviving and taking life day by day is all you really need to do.
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