Interview #211 — Raquel Solier

by Angelita Biscotti

Raquel Solier (Various Asses) is a Naarm-based Filipino drummer, beat-maker, electronic producer, DJ, performer, martial artist, and mother.

They are currently represented by Nice Music Label. Their album La Adoracíon (2022) was a Music Victoria nominee for Best Electronic Work. Previous albums include Locíon (2017) and Posesíon (2019).

Raquel speaks to Angelita about making music with limited resources, finding fun through experimentation and the sacrifices-amid-joy that come with single/co-parenting and artmaking.

Can you tell me something about your parents, your childhood home, and how you grew up?

My father was Filo-Spanish born in Quezon City with family from Batangas. He migrated here when he was a boy, and my mum is white of Irish and British descent. They met at a ball (of course), quickly had me and we all lived together with my grandparents in West Brunswick. My dad suddenly passed away when I was a baby and my mum worked non-stop while my Filo grandparents and aunties looked after me.

I grew up amongst my Filo cousins who lived across the road in the flats and out in the north-west suburbs. I was pretty immersed in Filo culture when I was with my family, but outside of that it was a very white and Euro space. I think being able to live in different households that had different ratios of the Filo or Filo-and-Anglo mix allowed me to see how race and economic status directly impact the household, even if I didn't quite understand why.

When I think back on growing up I feel really privileged because I spent lots of time with my grandparents who are proud of who they are, so I was exposed to the really celebratory parts of being Filo.

My family spoke a mix of Tagalog, Spanish and English. I went to Filo parties, balls, fiestas. When not with my cousins I spent afternoons watching my Nanny/Lola pass time singing karaoke, or fighting her off from trying to teach me to dance. My Poppy/Lolo would get me to help him fix electronics and cars for fun, finding value in everything and never wanting to throw things away.

When I think about growing up Filo, I think of loud laughing, brutal jokes, delicious food and having fun despite difficulties in life. I didn't share much of my culture with anyone outside of family as a kid, but as an adult I’m really trying to cultivate more of those experiences and to connect to more Filos in the diaspora.

How did you come to see yourself as someone musical? When did the music come to you? When did you realise you could make this stuff, not just listen to it?

I didn’t have a clear pathway to music at all as none of my family members played music, but I recently found out my Ate (older sister/aunty) was heavily involved in the Filo music scene as a music promoter in the 50s. Turns out that whole side of the family are artists, creators, and painters. We were a household that loved music: we’d sing songs, blast ballads on long drives, sing karaoke. I learnt so much about who my dad was through his record collection.

I think connecting to music was necessary for me to find freedom and escape. My family thankfully supported this for me—or they realised I was stubborn and there was no point in arguing.

Once I started playing drums it was all I enjoyed doing for a really long time. I worked really hard and was lucky to find friends, start bands and go on tour. Eventually I discovered samplers and digital audio workstations (DAWs). This was the beginning of communicating who I am and not just finding myself slotting into white spaces when playing in bands.

Even now I have never formally learned an instrument. Rather, I’ve always experimented with things, taken time to sit down and try an idea. Of course, back then it was difficult creating in a world that was constantly telling you that you aren’t welcome due to your race, gender, identity, economic status, etc. But I think I just developed a really strong front, worked hard and stood my ground. There was never really a moment when I realised I ‘could’ do it; I just did the thing because it was survival and I didn't feel like I had much of a choice.

What was your first instrument? What instruments do you work with now?

I have been a drummer for over 20 years, and have made electronic music for around 10 years. It was only in the last couple of years that I've been producing music for others.

I’m not really a gear person—I still have the same crappy drum kit from my early 20s, and work on an old computer with limited software.

I think not having access to the fancy gear or studios has meant that I’ve had to rely on experimenting and using what is available to me, which has then forced me to make music in unique and interesting ways.

What do you think music and sound design can do that other art forms can’t?

When I think about sound in particular I often think on how your brain is wired to listen out for the human voice and how that affects the way you emotionally respond to music and sound. Your ear and brain also notice repetitions in frequencies. Think of a laugh sample in a cartoon. It's unnatural to hear the exact same frequencies repeated in the world like that. We connect to sound and music on a way deeper level than we realise, in ways we don't fully understand.

I’m not sure what music and sound design do that other forms can't. I like to think you can cultivate the same feeling or connection from various mediums even though the product itself is different.

How would you classify your sound? What genre/s do you create in? Do you think genre matters, or does it set artificial labels around how artists communicate their style and grow their careers?

I think genre really matters because for me, genre is almost like a musical language group, in a sense that it’s usually created by a particular (and usually marginalised) community before it’s then swallowed by mainstream culture. So to me it’s important to understand what music you are engaging in, who it belongs to, trying to understand your connection to it or why it speaks to you.

I've often referred to my music as ‘diasporan club music’. I think about the disconnect and the feeling of being an outsider, that way you are trying to understand something when it's not entirely within reach, as a person who is a part of the diaspora. It can feel like a version that is very different to the source material or inspiration.

I feel this about my music, too. It borrows from many things and hidden in the chaos is a familiar feeling. But it isn't the same experience as a straight-up club, electronic or experimental album.

The temptation with electronic music composition is to end up with a folder full of loops but never quite finishing a track. What’s your creative process like? How do you go from a little experiment to thinking ‘hmmm, there’s something real here, I’d like to see it through’? And how/when do you know you’re done?

I think it's normal to have a folder full of ideas or unfinished tracks.

For every track that works I probably have 10-15 attempts at something that has been left behind at various stages. That also leave a trail of horrible phone voice recordings and pages of lyrics.

When I do finish these tracks, maybe one out of three will actually make a public appearance—whether released, uploaded or performed.

I think listeners can mistakenly think that musicians get it perfect straightaway. The reality is we’re always still trying to work out even the most basic foundations of music while fighting off imposter syndrome. If anything, the longer we do it, the more we lose our naïvete, and then it becomes harder to make work that is risky, fun and satisfying on a personal level.

When it comes to figuring out what works, sometimes it's as simple as not trying too hard, or just being able to keep making decisions, or simply adding or subtracting creatively.

When it's time to decide if it's done is personal and I guess for me it's just intuitive.

What’s it like raising a kid while also being an artist? What does your kid think of your music?

It's definitely a challenge maintaining any arts practice when youre a parent, and especially as a single/co-parent too. I feel like I’m either on the clock as a parent, or trying to cram jobs to pay bills in a way that doesn't take away time with my kid.

Through parenting I have had to learn how to let go, to not be precious and just enjoy the process. Or else nothing would ever be finished.

My kid is pretty awesome. She weirdly loves my music and is always listening to some major artist and asking if it's me, which is so funny and cute.

Do you have any advice for an emerging electronic musician/composer?

Don’t be precious or too critical. Find your flow and trust your voice.

Who are you inspired by?

I find lots of inspiration in lots of different music, but I also find inspiration from things not connected to music at all. I find inspiration and motivation through martial arts, reading novels or cookbooks, talking to other creatives or small business owners.

I think I just get lots of energy from connecting with people and learning about them, especially if they're an artist and self-releasing or self-publishing work. I feel like when I see other people working hard, fighting expectations and sharing ideas it really motivates me to focus and maintain all the work I've done so far.

What are you listening to?

Currently enjoying Flohio, Asake, Ruby Ibarra, Vince Staples and Trap Kitty.

What are you reading?

I have several books on the go, and it takes me ages to read:

— Sanctuary Short Fiction of Queer Asia – Libary Linsangan and Ng Yi-Sheng
— The Tao of Wing Chun – Xuan Little
— How to Start a Side Hustle – Kaylene Langford
— Akira book 6 – Katsuhiro Otomo

How do you practice self-care?

I practice martial arts and sometimes spend 30 mins choosing a crap film only to fall asleep on the couch in the first ten minutes.

What does being Asian-Australian mean to you?

Being a settler on this continent and of mixed-race ancestry makes me reflect on how complex it is for me personally to call myself Asian-Australian.

As a mixed-race person you can shift between different cultures but not be fully accepted into either. It puts you in a position to witness a lot of shitty behaviours more than when they are enacted towards you at times.

Although I’m very connected to and proud of my culture, I can't help thinking about the hierarchies and racism that exists within Asian communities, as well as the racism and injustices toward Indigenous nations and especially on the lands where we live.

Sometimes I feel that as an artist it can be frustrating when people expect you to have solid conclusions about your views and experiences as this belief doesn’t allow for growth, further understanding or discussion. I think my understanding of who I am and how I fit here is always shifting. It is informed by ongoing discussions I have with my community, friends and family.