Crystal Dorval’s one-man project, White Poppy, from Vancouver represents the healing powers of music and art. She calls her music “experimental therapeutic pop” and even has a blog dedicated to solutions to mental illness.With roots in shoegaze, White Poppy makes experimental and dreamy pop-rock where gossamer vocals and beautiful melodies are broken against a massive soundstage consisting of distortion, loops, reverb and discords. Crystal Dorval plays with opposites and everything blends harmoniously together.
Facts
1: Cats can cross into other dimensions
2:Trolls are real, ghosts are not
3:If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, it does make a sound
Questions
1.What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Trying to make a purpose to my life and make something that helps me and hopefully others feel good.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
My Dad had a lot of guitars in the house so I just started to playing around with them when I was 15 . I have no formal training or anything like that, just have learned by my ears. For a while I wished I had been taught to play by the book but now I am grateful to have more of an abstract approach to music.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
I never know how to pick favourites but the factor I’ve defined it as good one is how long and how much I’ve listened to an album. I’ve listened to The Velvet Underground & Nico album for 15 years and I am still in love with it. “Sowiesoso” by Cluster and “The best of Astrud Gilberto” are also pretty long stand ing at this point. It’s not my favourite at the moment, but “Ambient 1: Music For Airports” by Braian Eno was the first ambient music I have heard and the one I have really loved.Currently my favourite is Discreet Music, and also “Wizards” by JD Emmanuel. It doesn’t have many years with me yet, but I listen to it regularly and predict it will remain with me for a long time.
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
A place I am planning to move to.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
There’s a couple gardens which I like going to, and also my family’s farm.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
I sort of believe it’s impossible for music to not exist, in some form at least, even just as rhythms in nature. Maybe that is a human centered view though. To me it’s like the sun, without it we would not survive.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
I think it was the collection of “Soothing Sounds For Baby” by Raymond Scott.
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I really like the music and production works of Kevin Parker.
9. How important is technology to your creative process?
I never really thought of myself as a gear person. Using electronics isn’t natural for me but slowly I started to have a experiment with things and accumulate for more gear. Now it’s hard for me to just play acoustic guitar, I would want to have it at least through one guitar pedal. I record a lot so I am always thinking about gear in those terms and demand ing new stuff. Perfecting my pedal board has become quite an obsession also.
She is going to play with Tooth Decay at Heimathafen on next Wednesday, 16th March.
Check out more details about the event here.
Link: Website | Soundcloud
