INTERVIEW: Lazy Eyes

In this transcribed interview for his Threads show (My Way With the Guey*CDMX), Isaac Jones speaks with Lazy Eyes a.k.a. Lucy Leyte, a multi-disciplinary artist and DJ hailing from Mexico City. She discusses her musical influences and inspirations that have shaped her as an artist, and opens up about upcoming collaborative projects with the electronic music duo Old Astronauts, of which she forms one half.

Isaac: Lazy Eyes (Lucy) is our guest today and a great artist who has many interdisciplinary outputs. For example, she considers herself as a plastic artist, visual artist, painter, DJ, producer and in fact is a very cool gyal, so without further ado… welcome.

Lucy: Hey, Isaac. Thank you for inviting me to your show. We are going to be listening to a little bit of what you just introduced. It’s a mix of what you could call a mix of being an artist—basically a lover of art in some way or another. 

Isaac: Yes, well of course! So you have appeared on radio stations like The Lot Radio in New York, Aire Libre and Threads—like a year ago, no?

Lucy: Yes, about a year ago, Sidney (Abers) invited me. I was fortunate to have shared the space which was cool and it was also near to these special dates, this time of the year.

Isaac: And like Sidney, who was last month’s guest (which was a great show too—you should check it out on Mixcloud), you’re also not just only a sound gyal, but a multi-disciplinary artist who already produces work through other mediums. You design flyers and curate spaces such as catwalks. If you don’t mind, could you tell us a little bit about these projects that also involve this show’s first guest Primordial Om and a bit about you as an artist in this sense. Am I saying this right—”plastic artist”?

Lucy: Yes, plastic artist, like within the analogue side of being an artist who uses plastic. Through mediums such as painting or sculpturing, I am able to express it. Also, like for the catwalk you mentioned, which happened last year, I made jewellery, which was really cool. I make flyers for Primordial Om and I have a (music) production project with Primordial Om which involves producing, DJ’ing and selecting together.

Isaac: There is now a project called Old Astronauts, which is a collaboration between Primordial Om and Lazy Eyes. Lucy (Lazy Eyes) and Lalo (Primordial Om, our first guest), together form ‘Old Astronauts’ who play tunes of all sizes and feelings. So, could you please tell us a bit about this project, its roots, and how it began and if you have any projects in the future coming up to let our listeners know what they can expect.

Lucy: Well, Old Astronauts began in 2013 at parties for a friend, Ekus, a big DJ in the City. We decided to inspire ourselves with the house scene, which was then the current music in Mexico, this electronic scene of Mexican artists making Mexican electronic music and we played tunes like this, like a bit housey. After that we started experimenting more with Jersey club, then a bit of ambient, then we started to find techno, and then arrived at jungle and a bit of drum ‘n’ bass. Also, we’ve played a bit of everything, in general we are music lovers. People have asked us to play vinyl sets of music selections of all types, which is more like being selectors rather than DJs like that. But we’ve done all of this because we really love music, it’s what moves us. In the future, in all of this and last year we’ve dedicated ourselves to an EP that is coming out soon. So it’s going to be a complete and more informed EP. However, we’re still not completely sure with which record label we’re going to release it with, but really soon we’ll have news on when and how we are going to release it.

Isaac: How cool, how sick! Also, what I’ve noticed as Old Astronauts and Lazy Eyes and Primordial Om but generally more from Lazy Eyes is that you’re really into music from my country such as Jungle and Drum n Bass and these types of tunes. However, of course you have a love for music in general, experimenting with loads of genres. Also, you’ve been involved in a community, I’d call it a supportive community. A community which has a DIY approach. You are part of this project called Animateria Sonora, right? Their styles of music are mainly ambient no? Could you tell us a bit more about this project and the musicians within it that share a love for music.

Lucy: Firstly, in terms of the label ‘Animateria Sonora,’ I am not a founding member of the label but they have welcomed me, they are like my musical family and with them we went and performed at Bahidora Festival and they’ve invited us (Old Astronauts) to various Ambient parties. The majority of us are present within the projects in some way. It’s an ambient music project but also mixed with Audio Visual practices. They made a short film recently that they showed in ‘Mutek.’ They are artists and visual musicians, obsessed with music and also put on events all around the city and record mixes. They are great and without doubt, a group you should look out for.

Isaac: Of course, great. Amongst our listeners, well the people who will be listening to these tracks, this track, well more like this show with many tunes. Details and links to do with the label Animateria Sonora I’ll leave on the Threads website so readers can access them. Now, we’re going to begin. For the next 50 minutes, we are both going to choose some tracks of all types. It’s going to be a show including lots of different types of flavours. We’re going to mix and select some tracks and chat some silliness about them. Lucy is kicking us off with the first tune. Why have you chosen this tune? 

Lucy: I have chosen this tune because I feel it really represents my childhood and a base of artists who represent a bit of my family’s musical taste. It’s a really funny tune because it speaks about the Chihuahuan desert. It’s about the town where my Grandmother’s from. It’s about a little lion, the story of Piporo, who’s an artist, who lives in Chihuahua, very regionally Mexican bloke, and he just narrates his experience in the desert and how he comes across a Lion who he leaves blind with an orange fruit peel, after pinging it in his eye with a slingshot. That’s what the tunes called, ‘El Cascarazo’ (a hard hit). Here it is…

Isaac: This tune is an original production by our guest, Lazy Eyes, but not just her but also, ‘Primordial Om, and the Old Astronauts produced this tune together. Can you tell us abit about this tune, it’s Natalia Lafourcade right? 

Lucy: Yes, it’s an iconic tune from the 2000’s that is from the soundtrack ‘Amarte duele,’ (It hurts to love you) which is very representative of us Old Astronauts.

Isaac: And for our listeners who don’t know, where is Natalia Lafourcade from? 

Lucy: She’s mexican. 

Isaac: In which state of Mexico?

Lucy: Veracruz!

Isaac: She’s Veracuzian then?

Lucy: Yes she’s from Veracruz I think. 

Isaac: Ok, right, Natalie, if you’re listening and you’re not from Veracruz, we hope you can forgive us, sorry. 

Lucy: Sorry!

Isaac: Thanks, it’s been a pleasure to have you on Lazy Eyes. Thanks for being My guey this month. Since it’s the last show of the year, Merry Christmas everyone and see you all next year. Stay safe. X

Lucy: Isaac, thanks for having me on, it’s been really fun to mix with you. Byeeee.

You can find Animateria Sonora, Lazy Eyes, and Old Astronauts on Bandcamp.

by Isaac Jones

Editor: Alex H Honey