Breaking/London: SISSY MISFIT

Turkish producer, performer, DJ and visual artist, SISSY MISFIT hails from Istanbul’s vibrant underground music scene. Though she originally crafted her sound there – a mashup of electronic, industrial, hardcore and pop – she now resides in London, where she’s been tapped for collaborations with Rick Owens, Dr. Martens and others in the scene.

Her new album, CRAWLSKIN, is a powerful offering of rolling basslines, pulsing synths, sonic fractures and industrial stabs – but there is a haunting serenity within it all, most notably in the moments of ambience. The vocals, ranging from whispers to screams, reveal her raw, transparent state, self-described as “vivid explosions of passion followed by lonely and silent moments of sorrow.”

“My music is mostly inspired by performance, video art, moments in life and movies. Shozin fukui, kubrick, lynch, billy wilder, jodorowsky inspire me alot. I’m also deeply moved by toshio matsumoto and hiroshi teshihahara’s work. To me, Japanese cinema is the most beautiful thing to ever happen to art.” – SISSY MISFIT

We connected with SISSY MISFIT to talk about the new album, where she thinks her music falls in the genre spectrum and what the future holds.

1. Tell us about this new record. Where did the inspiration come from?

Contextually, CRAWLSKIN is a moment of darker and deeper exploration of topics which were covered in my debut. It is a record I have been meaning to make for a while now. A lot of it is inspired by how my mind works on emotions. I have vivid explosions of passion followed by lonely and silent moments of sorrow. That’s why the album keeps jumping between hard dance and ambient textures. It’s architectural poetry. The garden of roses in the middle of skyscrapers.

2. What genre(s) or sub genre(s) do you think best represent your music?

I don’t completely understand genres so it has always been hard for me to define myself. I don’t think I will ever have a set genre. My albums will all sound in different soundscapes and emotions while sharing a creator which make them unison in themes and attitude. Maybe I would say it is Spiky Leather Strobe Pop.

3. Have you explored any new sounds/sonics on this record compared to your prior works? Tell us a bit about that process.

Yes, absolutely. I produce ambient music a lot. I have almost up to 4 unreleased ambient albums/EPs on my hard drive. I am not particularly producing to ever release them – they are for me at the moment.

But I integrated a lot of that in this new album. I also sing. I love singing. Even though over the years I’ve lost my voice a lot caused by stress, screaming, smoking and bad habits, I still try to sing. There are also a lot of new vocal techniques in this one, which I love.

4. Fill in the blanks. My music can best be described as:

The sound of flashing lights.

The mood of orgasm.

The color of metallic lavender.

5. What’s next for SISSY MISFIT?

She will keep producing and releasing a lot of new stuff. I have such exciting new projects lined up already and you best believe she will out-insane herself in each one.

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View the exclusive video premiere for her single MACHINE BEAT HEART below. And don’t sleep on her collab KISSSS with fellow Londoner, Salvia.

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