Australian producer, DJ, singer and all around artist, Alexandra Sholler has become known for her work under the stage name, Alison Wonderland. But recently Sholler has been putting her main focus into a new electronic project, Whyte Fang. Well, it’s more of a revitalized side project that has been given a second chance at life. With her Wonderland persona, Sholler was the face of the whole operation performing at festivals and huge crowds. While with Whyte Fang, the project has given Sholler the opportunity to perform behind a Wizard of Oz-like curtain of a light-up mask and mystifying visuals behind the booth.
In addition to Coachella being the festival debut for the Whyte Fang project, the full-length debut album GENESIS released April 14th, demonstrates her intricate sound design, eclectic musicality and intense world building through the production. With a very exciting start to the year, Sholler also has many other personal achievements to celebrate including her recent engagement and pregnancy with her first child.
Attempting to escape the desert heat, we sat down with Sholler (AKA Whyte Fang) in an air-conditioned artist trailer at Coachella to talk about performing at the festival, the creation of her new album, GENESIS and what music she plans to play for her child when they are born.
mxdwn: How has your Coachella experience been so far?
Alex: It’s been amazing! Honestly, to premiere this project, it took a lot of work. I think we started working last August on the visuals and all of that. The album came out last week, the same time as the show. I was saying to my friend the other day, seeing something that you have such a strong vision for in your head completely materialize in real life and have it look exactly like the vision in your head you had years ago, which is what I felt with this project, is a really weird feeling. And I couldn’t have asked for a better place to show that off at. I’m super grateful. Honestly, I think it translated the way I wanted it to. It was cool.
mxdwn: With the album, GENESIS, finally out, which is amazing by the way, is there more pressure to put on a better show this weekend since fans already know what to expect with the new music?
Alex: No. I know I put on the best show I can, and the pressure for me is with myself. Like, “Can I do better?” That’s how I feel every time I do a show even with my other projects. I’m always like, “How can I one-up myself?” I don’t know why I feel like that. But I actually feel better about this weekend knowing that people understood it when I put it out there last week. I was really nervous, no one really knew what it was.
mxdwn: Knowing that the festival spans two weekends, do you leave room to mix up things during your set?
Alex: Absolutely not! This set is very, very time-coded. If I’m DJing like an AW set where it’s more freeform, that’s a different thing. This is a show. I’m like inside a box, everything has been time-coded, the lighting, the visuals, it’s a journey, it’s an adventure that I’ve curated very carefully and taken a very long time to work on. And so what you’re coming for is the show. And it’s my album! Showcasing the album: it just came out! I don’t know what else to change up.
mxdwn: What’s the biggest difference performing as Whyte Fang compared to your other projects?
Alex: As Alison? I think the biggest difference is I’m not the front-woman for this show. The front-woman is Whyte Fang. It is the experience, it’s the energy. I’m literally behind the scenes for this. And when you do see me lit up, I’m actually lit up with black light. And the outfit that I wear is only to be seen in black light. And I’m behind a screen. I’m not even up front. I’m not talking. My vocals aren’t really on the tracks. And if they are, they’re very, I’ve really fucked with them so much that it’s not a very direct song. The music’s obviously more industrial, minimal. I make beats like that anyway and always have, but I feel like with my Alison project, the songs that I write and that I sing on are always the things that get pushed in front of people. Where I want a home for this type of energy, and this show is about the energy rather than the personal thing. And obviously it’s so personal because it came completely from my brain but it’s bigger than that. It’s bigger than a person. So I would say that’s a big difference. And the music I make with this, it’s not really featuring my vocals that much. I have Erick the Architect, Elohim is on something, so it’s different.
mxdwn: So essentially the music is speaking for itself?
Alex: I think it does with AW but it’s so personal. I’m writing my diary there. I’m letting it speak for itself with everything, that’s how I always feel. But it’s not about me, it’s beyond that.
mxdwn: Yeah, I love that.
Alex: It’s so fucking good.
mxdwn: Performing at Coachella is an amazing feat, but you also have a lot of other things to celebrate obviously your pregnancy, congratulations, and your engagement.
Alex: I’m huge now! (Laughs)
mxdwn: You look beautiful. And of course, the new album, GENESIS. And I feel like all these different things must scratch a different itch for you.
Alex: Yeah, definitely. I’ve always wanted to be a mother. But I actually got to a point where I was okay doing it myself and I was in a really good spot. I spoke about that when I was writing Loner actually. And then when you’re happy and not looking, things happen. And now, I’m knocked up. (Laughs)
mxdwn: Do you feel like your personal life influences your music creation?
Alex: 100%. I think, especially when I’m writing lyrics, I’m not doing that with this project, but yes. Every single album I’ve ever released where I’ve written lyrics is 100% way too personal. Like people hear the songs and they know it’s about them, and it’s very obvious. Yes, I would say that my art is very much, even with Whyte Fang, it’s inspired by how I’m feeling. And even if it’s not words, it’s still the music and I get into a flow state. When I’m making the tracks with Whyte Fang, the ones that make the album, apart from a couple, do take a while to make. “Genesis,” “Girl,” “Go,” “One Million,” there’s a bunch, “Transport God,” “333,” they all took me like a day to make these tracks and I was in this weird flow state. And then I’d go back for the rest of the week and fine-tune it, get it mixed and all that. But I really think that everything that I do is very much inspired internally and what’s going on in my life rather than surroundings or where I’m sitting or what country I’m in.
mxdwn: So just every stage of your life finds its way into the music?
Alex: Oh yeah! Everything’s a fucking time capsule. I think that Run, the Calm Down EP, Awake, Loner, GENESIS, I know exactly where I was, how I was feeling, who I was around, what was going on and it’s the weirdest time capsule for me. It’s crazy actually. I feel like I compiled my life into these little things. It’s cool.
mxdwn: There’s one thing I did want to ask about it. With electronic music, I feel like it is a male-dominated genre, what do you feel like your perspective brings to the genre and what do you hope to see in the future with women artists in electronic music?
Alex: Personally, I’ve never actually felt my gender… like I’m not on stage saying “I’m a female.” I feel like art has no gender and I do see there’s definitely a high percentage of men. Especially when I was starting out, there weren’t that many women at all. It felt like you had to really prove yourself. But it made me a better artist, honestly. I kinda took that and used it as ammo to work harder and do better at my craft, and push myself. And I think it still happens today with up and coming female artists. But I do think the spaces are getting a lot more positive and accepting of that. All I want is to be able to be someone that can show other women that you can do it. And I’m seeing that with other artists as well and it’s really good. It’s really positive. And in the past ten years of electronic music I’ve noticed a shift and a lot of women are coming into it and making incredible music.
mxdwn: Definitely representation in music matters.
Alex: It’s still obviously a thing, but it seems to be… I’m also seeing more women supporting each other which is really good.
mxdwn: We definitely need a lot more artists supporting artists.
Alex: 100%.
mxdwn: To wrap up, I have one more question. Growing up, I feel like the music we listen to impacts the kind of music we listen to when we’re older. So what I want to know is what would be the first album you play for your kid?
Alex: Beatles.
mxdwn: What album?
Alex: All I know is that when my mom was pregnant with me, when she found out, she’s sitting right here (points to her mom sitting across the trailer), she played The Beatles to her belly until I popped out. And they’re still one of my favorite bands. So I think I would do The Beatles. I’m not really sure, I have to see the vibe of my kid first. As a DJ, you always have to look at the vibe of the crowd and decide. But I will say that when I was making my album, for most of it, I was pregnant. And the baby would kick to certain songs. And I noticed that there were certain bpm’s that were getting the baby excited. So, 140-142 seemed to be the response, techno. (Laughs)
mxdwn: So the baby was in the studio just telling you what to do?
Alex: Yeah, I really think so. Especially with “Atlantis,” “Deep End” and “High Tonight,” were the three that the baby was going crazy to. Every time I played “Atlantis” it was the craziest kick. Techno baby!
To keep up with everything Whyte Fang, check out the website. And make sure to listen to the debut album, GENESIS, available on all streaming platforms now.
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