Like Peking Duk before her, Alice Ivy’s first Groovin The Moo appearance was so good she just had to come back for more…
Like many triple j Unearthed alumni, electronic musician Alice Ivy, known offstage as Annika Schmarsel, has found a prosperous career in the years since her debut in 2018’s I’m Dreaming. A year prior, the Melbourne producer made her first appearance at Groovin The Moo, usurping another cancelled artist to take up main stage residence in what she deems the biggest show she’d ever played.
Now, some five years later, Alice Ivy has made her return to the GTM stage, joining a stack of fellow heavy hitters in a lineup that reads like a who’s who of the Australian music scene. With two Groovin shows under her belt and the final Bendigo leg slated for this weekend, we sat down with the experimental musician for a chat about her favourite fellow lineup entrants, the importance of rural shows, and what’s to come for the rest of the year.
We’ll begin with Groovin The Moo. You’re slated alongside some of the biggest names in Australian music and beyond. Any artists on the lineup you’d love to work with?
Stoked to be on the Groovin line up this year! Tell you what I’d love to cook something up with Riton one day! He remixed my song “Close To You” a few years back, but I’d love to write something with him from scratch one day and be a fly on the wall in his studio!
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You’ve also already collaborated with fellow lineup entrant Sycco. Can you tell us a little bit about how that came about? Any chance of a live duet performance of ‘Weakness’ at Groovin The Moo?
I’ve always been a massive Sycco fan, there were many attempts to get into the studio together but due to the ongoing lockdowns we had to write over Zoom instead. I played her the instrumental to “Weakness” and she was into it and we wrote the bones to the song in a few hours. I reckon there is definitely a fair chance of a live duet performance of “Weakness” with Sycco at Groovin.
You performed at Groovin The Moo in 2017, and it seems like for most previous performers, GTM is a great launchpad for future big name acts. What’s something you remember from that debut set?
The first time I played Groovin back in 2017 is still one of my favourite festival sets to date. I was originally playing a side stage, but one of the acts on the main stage pulled out, so I got the call up to replace them! It was the biggest show I’d ever played at the time and the vibes were so high. I’ll never forget it!
What’s changed about your music since that debut set at Groovin The Moo?
Since that first Groovin back in 2017, these days I perform with a full live band, the set feels so much more fluid and bigger!
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You’ve been on the bill for both rural events like Groovin The Moo, and more city based festivals. Why is it that rural venues have such an appeal, for you as a musician and for your audiences?
To me rural shows are always the most interesting and fun! Those kinds of shows honestly make you feel super grateful to be doing what you’re doing and audiences are always really loving. I grew up in Geelong, so I’ve always got a soft-spot for rural Australia!
I’ve read that you worked with fellow Groovin The Moo lineup alumnus Mallrat on her upcoming debut album. Can you tell us a little bit about the collaboration process and how it came about?
Mallrat and I have been hanging out in the studio a fair bit over the past year in Melbourne. We’ve actually been close friends for ages but it took a hot minute to jump into the studio. Grace’s art is so pure and authentic, such an honour to be able to share a creative space with her.
In terms of your own music, you worked with the prolific Nick Movshon for ‘Weakness.’
Has he always been in your network? Who reached out to who? At the final stages of the demo to “Weakness” I was feeling my bass was just not hitting hard enough, so we reached out to Nick to see whether he’d be interested in jumping on the track. I’ve always been a fan of his playing, particularly his work on the Amy Winehouse records and in the Dap Kings. He absolutely crushed it and working with him is definitely a pinch me moment.
Technically speaking, what’s your favourite tool, sound or effect to use when producing a track?
At the moment I’m obsessed with getting a solid vocal chain locked before it hits my interface. So when I’m tracking, vocals already feel amazing. I recently bought an LA2A which has been a game changer.
Your work is known for its genre-hopping. Is there any particular sound that you lean more heavily into within your upcoming album? Or just as expansive as your previous releases?
I feel like I’m never really gonna truly lock to a specific genre, but I’ve been getting back into soul and disco which are the genres that got me wanting to make music in the first place.
