At the age of 22, and as one of the few female Aussies, deep, psy-prog producers, Illume brings a diverse, feminine sound. Emotive melodies and grooves are the basis of the Illume sound.
Who is Illume... Illume is the progressive-trance project of 22-year-old Lucy Janssen from Melbourne. I started writing music in 2008-2009. When I first started producing I had realised that I’d found a way to communicate with others in a language everyone would understand – music. Now I have found that my intention with Illume is to not only induce any feeling possible, but to also help break the male-orientated energy and bring about a bit of feminine energy into the scene. I would not be where I am today without the endless support from No Qualms Records.
I sound like... Well I’d like to think that Illume sounds like Illume. Over the years there have also been many artists who have played an important role of shaping the sound of Illume; to name a few: One Tastey Morsel, Jekyll, Sensient, Tetrameth, Endure, Legacy, Max Cooper, Deftones, Tool and many more.
My first gig was... My very first set was at a small, No Qualms Records party at a secluded location in far-north Queensland in 2010. I remember burning my CDs as I was playing. Luckily old habits eventually died… haha. My first, real dancefloor was at Bushweek Festival 2011 and that is when I felt true confidence for the first time.
When did you settle on your stage name... I think it was just after I played my first gig. I really loved the name ‘illume’ as it is short for illuminate, which means light up.
In the studio I usually... Write music on FL Studio… get lost in imagination…. turn into an alien.
If I could tour with anyone... It would be English comedian Bill Bailey (Manny from ‘Black Books’) a. because he makes me laugh so hard my head hurts and b. I think I could have an input to some backing music and he has the moves to go with it.
Social media is... Great for promoting. Great for keeping in touch with friends. Bad if you have social anxiety.
My favourite app at the moment is... Image Line and Fruity Loops.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time... When I was playing and a friend has come up on stage and spilt a glass of wine all over the CDJs… I had to stand there pressing stop and play on every track using one CDJ. I’m sure I’ll have some more embarrassing stories, just give me a few more years, haha ;)
Life on the road can be... Exciting, adventurous, sometimes exhausting when artist/ promoter agreements are not met. But all in all the experience means the world to me.
If you’ll have me on your bill, all I ask is that the rider contains... A place to sleep, food to eat, laughs, respect and agreed set fee.
The most scary scenario I’ve found myself in, was... I have been in a few but to name one, when I was at Rainbow Serpent in 2009; it was dark, I was confused, I could not talk to anyone and I had no idea where my camp was or where I was for that matter… I was walking around for hours just completely lost in the dark.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Jim Carrey because he is a living legend and he makes me happy and he has rubber face.
Three people you’d like to invite around for a dinner party... Albert Hoffman (we all know why), Jim Carrey, because he would send me into laughing fits and talk sense into me, and my boyfriend Jek because there is no way I’d experience Jim Carrey and Albert Hoffman together without being able to share the experience with Jek.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Slow-cooked chicken with white wine, garlic, lemon and herbs on a bed of steamed greens.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Every Camel Audio and Uhe plug-in made.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... Haha, cannot even remember. I’d rather be in the outdoors.
What’s the one chore you dislike the most? Cleaning my bathroom.
Do you have any phobias... Yes, zombies. Because dead people are supposed to be dead.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? probably not... I’m already living in a reality show – society.
If you could prank any of your friends, who’s your target, and how are you bringing them down? Will not name names, but two people who are unbelievably loud in the bedroom, who also like to do it with the door wide open; I go in there mid-session let off a huge fart bomb, alarm and smoke bomb and run out.
Illume plays Earth Frequency from 13-16 February.
