Euphoric Melodies - EP

On an EP released just as Britain began to emerge from the 2021 lockdown, Elkka is searching for euphoria in the everyday. “I wanted to explore the idea of what makes something feel good,” she tells Apple Music. “Finding those euphoric moments is something I’ve always been fascinated by. I can feel that buzz when I’m writing, or seeing loved ones and friends as well as the more obvious hedonistic moments like raving.” Originally a singer-songwriter, the Welsh-born, London-based artist came to prominence as a producer and DJ at the tail end of 2019 with the Every Body Is Welcome EP. Released on her own femme culture label, it gathered plaudits from DJs including HAAi and Caribou, and Elkka carried that momentum through 2020 with the uplifting, peak-time sound of “I. Miss. Raving.” and the emotive and inventive rave of “Bleep+”. Citing producers including Four Tet and Floating Points as key influences, Elkka has produced a warm and intricate EP of deeply melodic electronica, shaped by the events of 2020, that recalls the music of her heroes. “As the music I was making developed and the pandemic began, these euphoric moments became laced with nostalgia, as we weren’t having them anymore,” she says. “That started to filter into the music.” Here, she guides us through the EP, track by track.

“Burnt Orange”
“I named this after the curtains in my grandparents’ house. They both passed away, sadly, and when my mum was clearing their house, we all got to take certain things from there. Their living room was a real central point for a lot of my memories from growing up so I took their burnt orange curtains and now have them in my studio. Having warmth in my music is super important to me and it’s something that permeates everything I do.”

“Euphoric Melodies”
“This is probably my favourite track I’ve ever made. It feels like something I’ve been aspiring to make but didn’t know quite how to before. I ventured into using hardware for the first time on this EP and bought a KORG Minilogue which features throughout. It’s all over this track and the sound’s so earthy and warm. It would be a completely different EP without it. I’ve always been obsessed with Caribou, Four Tet and Floating Points and while I’m not necessarily saying this track sits alongside what they do, I think it’s definitely in that sphere.”

“Flowers”
“This was the first track I ever made with the KORG Minilogue and I made it all in one take, almost like a stream of consciousness. I wanted something with my vocals running through it and it feels like quite an emotive piece that’s laced with intent. It’s quite intense and I made it at a point in life where I was kind of struggling and looking for hope.”

“Alexandra”
“It’s definitely a dance-floor track and is constantly building and evolving. It’s named after my girlfriend as the EP’s all about finding those moments of euphoria both on the dance floor and in everyday life—and I’ve shared more moments of euphoria with her than anyone else. She’s really influenced my sound. She’s more of a music head than me and she’s really helped evolve my music knowledge since we’ve been together and I’m so grateful for that.”

“Morning Fuzz”
“When making this, I felt it had that real feeling of waking up from a haze to it, hence the title. I wrote it last year [in 2020] when the weather was really beautiful and I think it’s got really warm, orangey tones to it. I was imagining where I might be if I wasn’t stuck at home, thinking about sunrise and sunset moments in Ibiza.”