From music to video game speedruns, Suzie.EXE is one creative bean! A geeky gamer, coder and composer at heart, we absolutely adore Suzie’s incredible creations! Let’s find out about the Suzie.EXE creative process in today’s interview!
1) Hey Suzie! Would you like to introduce yourself and the awesome projects you’re working on now in the world of music?
Hey there! I’m Suzie.EXE – I’m a producer, singer/songwriter and academic!
All my music has been inspired by my love of gaming and science fiction – I’m currently writing an EP that deals with our relationship with technology – some introspective, mostly uplifting!
2) Tell us about the name Suzie.EXE – love the throwback and tech slant to it!
Thank you! This was a name change that I wanted to do for a while now – a homage to my love of retro tech. I spent a lot of my childhood playing with programming manuals (BASIC, Visual Basic, C++) trying to make little games and applications.
I would get a rush making something into an exe, seeing the “final” project and saving them onto floppy disks!
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3) Love the spacey, synth and fresh sound to Suzie.exe! How do you normally come up with a new track?
It can be in a variety of ways – but it usually starts with a mood or idea! This can come in the sense of the words or music coming first.
When I started, it was words first, then music for the background but now it’s been reversed! I think as I’ve become more confident with music production, I’ve let it start the process a lot more!
Image credit: @drhemir
4) How would you describe your sound in a sentence?
Synth sound, ethereal soul!
5) You’ve had some incredible stage experiences performing as Suzie.exe (formerly Suzie Geeforce) – which have been your favourites so far?
My recent performances have been online (BonusStageVan) and in an amazing Brighton gaming cafe called 1up and they were such highlights to me!
I’m starting to feel more confident with singing and that means I can connect more to the audience! When people recognise my songs, it gives me the greatest feeling.
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6) How do you get into the zone for performing – any tips?
I’m a big fan of power posing and try to get at least one in before I go on stage! I raise my arms up in celebration and imagine things going well.
I’ll also do a last second go over lines in the bathroom beforehand too! Oh, and hydrating before the performance is a must.
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7) What artists/bands have inspired you for your current sound and compositions?
Artists like Grimes, Yeule, Poppy, FKA Twigs and Magdalena Bay have definitely been inspirations for my current sound!
Composers like Jun Senoue, Tomoya Ohtani, Tee Lopes and Garoad are also inspirations to me – video game music is so important to me!
8) Where can fans listen to your work?
You can find me on the Suzie.EXE Spotify, Instagram or TikTok!
9) In the world of gaming, you’re also a speed-runner, video game music remixer and streamer too! What have been your favourite games to run so far?
I’ve loved running childhood favourites like Mario Tennis on the N64 and Solitaire (on many platforms), as well as games that I’ve recently come across and blown me away on first play like Radiant Silvergun!
10) The gaming remixes have been a great part of your musical journey; how does the process differ from working on your original material?
I feel like I do a lot more research on remixing music.
Apart from learning the chords and melodies, it’s also understanding the mood of the tune and what it’s trying to portray in the game itself. I always try to add something a little different that showcases my style too!
11) How did you first get into the world of video games and what are your favourite franchises?
I grew up with the Sega Megadrive/Genesis thanks to my older brother – I remember playing titles like Streets of Rage 2, Sonic 2 and Street Fighter 2 (a pattern forming there).
I still love these franchises as well as Pokemon, Mario, Pac-Man, Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda!
12) If there was a genre or type of game you would love to compose a soundtrack for, what would it be?
I would love to compose music for a space shooter, a visual novel, or a puzzle game! Ideally, anything spacey or synthy would be right up my alley!
13) Speaking of composition, who would be your dream artist or band to collaborate with?
It would be my dream to collaborate with Crush 40 or any composer who’s worked on Sonic, as well as Poppy or Grimes!
14) Where can fans find your geeky/gaming content?
You can find me on Twitch, Instagram and a playlist of video game remixes as Sockitty over on Spotify!
Thank you Suzie!
