An Interview with AANI

R.A.G.
Sep 26
10 min read

A gorgeous new release from AANI manages to pull together some of the best elements of R&B, dream pop, elements of jazz in the undertones, cinematic vastness, and so much more, all rolled into this one immersive and slightly vulnerable feeling record that brings together such unique blends of instrumentation and textures that it's almost impossible to turn away from.

This album is called Fresh Air | Neshome, and it doesn't waste a lot of time getting you engulfed in this very spacious and beautiful atmosphere with its first track 'River", which features robust horns, spacious and expansive synth pad, and some progressions and changes that take the song through different moods.

Right off the bat, you can start hearing some of the honesty and persona that this album is going to deliver. Persona, character, and that raw honesty are some of the record's strongest staples, and you will hear plenty of that throughout the album's course.

Listening to this record all the way through from start to finish is an absolute must. Listening to one or two tracks may give you an idea of what the record may hold, but it will not give you anywhere near the full spectrum of what the release has to offer in full.

There are more than a few surprises, many different songwriting attempts, and the whole thing really takes you on these musical journeys that speak truths, but inner thoughts come spilling out for all just so again, and it is very easy to get swallowed up by the entire thing.

Tracks like "Love Again" bring hip hop and heavy R&B flows, beats, and tonalities, showcasing some incredible vocal work and range. While others like "Kindling" can feel almost operatic, heavy-handedly theatrical, and also feature some of this particular instrumentation that takes it out of your normal realm of pop.

For the most part, the horns sound like trumpet and trombone, and you hear these instruments scattered about throughout the record. They almost always seem to come in and out, bringing you back to this sort of natural wind instrument sound and feel. This is part of why the aesthetic of the record creates an atmosphere that can feel slightly outside the box, almost noir at times, and always cinematic.

I absolutely adore the approach to this entire release simply because it is built with fewer boundaries than what you might expect, and in doing so, you have something that comes through with an impact, heart, and again, a robust and intense sort of character at times that really pulls you into the record.

Listening to the record from start to finish is an experience. It pulls you away from wherever you are and whatever you're doing and puts you in the artist's world for a chunk of time, which, to me, is a complete gift.

They hold very little back in the way of lyrics, expressing so much unafraid emotion and also coming up with brilliant ways to phrase those lyrics so that they bounce in between beats.

One of the things I also felt was oppressive about this record was the sheer fact of how the vocals are performed. They perform vocals with a sort of raw energy at times. Sometimes it's calmer, and that calmness rises a little bit into something more intense or loud, but at others, the vocals are almost like instruments themselves.

This record created such a unique set of layers and textures for you to kind of swim through, and to experience the record is absolute fun because you have some outstanding pop undertones sitting between those lines of instrumental textures.

I can honestly tell you haven't heard something quite like this as of yet. Yes, part of that is because trumpet and trombone are a big part of the entire experience, but there's also such beautiful ambience that sort of wraps itself around you and keeps you right where it wants to.

The vocals are part of the full picture. They're not aimed to be the only focal point; instead, they are part of the full sound, and at times, they are instruments, expressing some of the emotional backbone along with this music that sets these moods.

After this album was over, I had to bring myself back to reality again. You sort of have to shake it off. But I like this because you don't always get that kind of experience. As a matter of fact, you rarely do so when it comes across it's quite refreshing.

This was an experimental, very well-written, and heartfelt release that came together like puzzle pieces somehow.

Among the best of the tracks is one called "Sun Moon Stars", which is a perfect example of the essence behind what the full album portrays and delivers.

There is a lot of almost elegant tonality and approach in this track, particularly, including vocals that are used in the background, adding texture, harmonizing, and creating these waves of watery and flowing soundscapes, inviting you to float alongside them.

This single hit me pretty hard and is absolutely one of the standout songs on the record.

It just so happens that the artist recently released a video for the track, showcasing some of their presence as an artist.

Upon listening to this release, I realized that I absolutely had to speak with AANI to find out where this record actually came from. To learn more about "Sun Moon Stars" and the full album, along with what might be coming up next for them.

So, while you listen to this gracefully approached and full-bodied, flowing, and personal record, make sure you read through the interview below.

This is not a record you want to miss.

RAG: Let's talk about "Sun Moon Stars!"! This song was vast in its undertone, brought together this dream-pop and ethereal feel, and was completely authentic! Where did this track come from?

“Sun Moon Stars” came from exploring connection and change amidst distance, heartbreak, and isolation.

I made the song early in the first months of the covid pandemic, navigating a budding relationship amidst the isolation of that moment. I found that while there’s doubt about the future, there’s ultimately a relief that comes from surrender to the fact that things are bound to change. In particular, I think there’s something really beautiful about Queer love, which provides the space for things to evolve in and out of friendship and romance as an organic and fluid embodiment of connection. I was looking to nature and the cosmos, grounded in the idea that change is the only constant.

I was also thinking a lot about death and mortality in that moment, and our interconnectedness to each other, both living and dead, as human beings and souls.

There’s also the reality of social media and the digital age, in which we often feel like “walking avatars” of ourselves, confined to a digital persona. The feeling of being alone right next to each other, living through our screens. And the way that algorithms are controlling our lives and relationships to ourselves and each other.

So I guess the song asks what it means to remain connected to one another when there’s so much driving us apart, whether physical distance, pandemic, fascism, the veil between life and death, and the digital age.

RAG: I'm hearing a few different approaches to this release! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Some of my biggest musical influences are Moses Sumney, Lido Pimienta, Rostam, Ravyn Lenae and Paul Simon.

I also draw a lot of influence from the sounds of the natural world, especially birds and their songs.

It doesn’t really show up overtly in this track, but I’m rooted deeply in Klezmer, Yiddish songs, cantorial music and other Jewish diasporic traditions. I love Moishe Oysher and The Barry Sisters. The aesthetics of this song aren’t super reflective of that, but the song definitely draws from kabbalistic mysticism thematically as it connects to the cosmos.

RAG: Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio?

I self-recorded and self-produced this song at a handful of home studios and a pro studio as I moved around through the past 5 years.

It started with me chopping up an old warped, dusty record that I found on the street in Brooklyn in February 2020. I was housesitting for a friend, and had turned their living room into a mini studio, working on this track somewhat obsessively. I had a piano player friend re-create the sample and I resampled the bejeezus out of it, using that sample as harmony, melody, and bassline and then adding the huge, resonant drums, synths and other textures you hear.

A few months later, I wrote and recorded all the lyrics in one night, staying up through the night and tracking the final vocals as the sun rose. This inspired the lyric “and when the dawn comes in, I don’t wanna run away again.” I was looking at the beautiful pink dawn through my window in the apartment in the northwest Bronx where I grew up, tracking quietly so I wouldn’t wake up my neighbors. I eventually went in and re-recorded some of the lead vocals at Dimension 70 in Chinatown, but tried to maintain the same intimacy of the originals.

Then, with my amazing mix engineer and dear friend Nicky Young, I co-mixed the track slowly over the past four years at both his home studio and at Dimension 70, and sent it to Don Godwin at Tonal Park for mastering. The whole process felt like chiseling away at statue, slowly clarifying and revealing the beauty inside of it.

RAG: How did this all start for you as an artist?

I’ve been an artist and musician since I was born. I was raised in a musical family, singing and playing percussion since I was an infant. My dad is a Klezmer musician and a founding member/drummer in Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band so I grew up in the heart of that scene, surrounded by all sorts of music. I remember writing songs as soon as I could write, mimicking what I heard on the radio growing up in NYC. I continued singing and doing community theater. Eventually I started playing trombone and different brass instruments, which opened up whole new musical worlds to me and is what’s enabled me to be a full-time musician. But throughout, I’ve been recording, producing and releasing my own music. While I play in a ton of different bands, right now, accompanying the release of my album “Fresh Air | Neshome” this past May, my main focus is continuing to create and perform as AANI.

RAG: The video was gorgeous! Did this come out how you expected? Did it take long to finish?

Thank you! Huge shout out to the brilliant and infinitely patient DP/editor/videographer Alexander Enock for helping actualize my vision. It was a truly collaborative process, from the brainstorm to the final editing session. We did it all just the two of us- no big budget, special fx or fancy team; just creativity, ingenuity and some serious magic.

It took the whole summer to finish- we filmed in May and slowly edited over the course of four months.

I’m really proud of how it came out! I couldn’t believe some of the shots when I saw them, particularly the moving train shots and the slow-mo galaxy bubble scene. The kaleidoscope lens added such a cool texture. And the shot of me on the rides at Coney Island always makes me giggle. I love the way we were able to weave between worlds- it feels like a journey between the literal world and my imagination.

I had to adjust my expectations a few times. Like the lyrics of the song say ("bloom and grow with the sun and the moon"), I had to learn how to let the process evolve and grow organically. My initial thought was to film in a planetarium, and then we realized we could make our own planetarium of sorts (I won't reveal too many of our tricks though ;) ). I had also wanted to film in an old school candy store, but we pivoted to Coney Island, which is kind of a visual candy store.

I think it’s really crucial to document these iconic NYC locations, since so many are getting destroyed as the city is changing so rapidly, replaced with generic, corporate, gentrified bullshit. There’s a proposition to build a massive casino on Coney Island, which the community is fighting tooth and nail, and which would destroy the neighborhood and old-school charm. I love Coney Island deeply- l grew up going there and have led the Coney Island mermaid parade with a brass band the past 4 years- so I’m super grateful we ended up filming there. And I encourage the reader to join the fight in opposition the casino.

In the end, while there's small things I might have done differently, the video came out better than I could have imagined. It feels like a celebration of imagination, NYC, Queerness, and authentic self-expression. In the end we gave the song what it deserves. So I'm happy and grateful.

RAG: Are you performing live right now?

Yes! I have 2 shows coming up:

- This Sunday, September 28th 2pm- Solo show at the Queens Botanical Garden, Queens, NY

- October 14th 7pm at 664 Bergen St Brooklyn, NY. This event is a collaboration with The Neighborhood BK, debuting new original works with a full band of all-star NYC Klezmer musicians.

RAG: Now that this is out, what's next for you?

Performing "Sun Moon Stars" and other songs from "Fresh Air | Neshome" more, and continuing to stretch as a performer. I have some shows brewing in other cities. I would love to do a joint tour with an artist I really admire.

And to keep creating! I welcome new embodiments of my creative powers and potentials to learn and grow. It feels like I needed to release this album in order to open the dam of my creative flow. I have another project that's been on the back burner for a while that I'm excited to reprioritize. But I also feel excited about exploring new creative possibilities, both solo and in collaboration with other artists who are aligned with my vision and values. And overall, for my music to continue to aid the fight for a liberated world.

RAG: Who's in your headphones right now?

Mereba- The Breeze Grew a Fire

Las Mariquitas- Como Me Quiero

EMEFE- FORWARD

Cleo Reed- Cuntry

Chuwi- Tierra

Falooshh- Hurt People Hurt People

Flora Purim- Open Your Eyes You Can Fly

RAG: What would you tell people they can expect on this release?

They can expect something that feels refreshing yet familiar, nostalgic but innovative. Hopefully something that calls them back to their truest self, and encourages them to dream.

RAG: Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?

I'd like to express deep gratitude for your support and for joining me on this journey. I’m so grateful that my art resonates from my heart to yours.

Please continue to support me in any way that you can- making it happen as an independent artist is no easy feat, and it certainly takes community. If you want to bring me to your town to perform, or connect me with other resources, please reach out. And get ready for more, even crazier art soon. Love you!