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galen tipton – Prolific and Playful
galen tipton is prolific. Unrestrained by genre, or style, the Ohio-born producer has released dozens of EPs, singles and LPs in the last decade under her given name, and monikers dj galen and recovery girl. Over that time, she’s built up quite a fanbase, with notable support from Anthony Fantano, Iggy Pop and David Byrne.
Even if you don’t know her name, you’ve probably heard her music. Her 2022 track snow elves went viral on TikTok and YouTube. It’s been used in 130,000 TikTok videos, and has amassed over 6.5 million streams.
Her work spans IDM, ambient, pop, dubstep, sound collage and more – no matter the genre, her songs always seek to find the connective tissue between the challenging and the accessible, with a strong sense of play.
We caught up with galen tipton to talk about her favourite hardware emulations, SOPHIE’s influence on her work, and the best way to honour the queer electronic pioneers of the past
What example of a queer artist using a piece of hardware has most influenced how you use it in your own music? In which tracks of yours can we hear this?
SOPHIE’s use of the Elektron Monomachine to make extremely tactile and hyperreal sounds has definitely had a big influence on my work. The use of synthesis to emulate the motion of physical objects shows up everywhere in my work, most recently in tracks like gems pop like berries in my mouth, brain bath, rubber starfish and crystal soup.
Can you recall a specific track or a night in a city where the sound of a classic piece of gear fundamentally changed your creative direction?
Hearing pure raw Roland TR-808 drums during a rare footwork club night in Columbus, Ohio was very inspirational to me. It really taught me that the pure, unadulterated sound of the 808 can carry a whole track and made me a lot more intentional and careful when selecting drums for club tracks.
When using classic instruments, do you prefer to closely emulate how it was used in classic tracks of the 80s and 90s, or use those tracks as inspiration, while pushing that instrument to someplace new?
I really love the Arturia Acid V Roland TB-303 emulation, and while I absolutely love that classic acid bass sound, one of my favourite things to do with this plugin is routing the midi to other synths or even drums.
The sequencer can create powerful and immediate syncopated rhythms quickly, and is an amazing idea generator and auditioner. While this isn't necessarily a new idea, its ease of use makes it a lot more fun for me than the original hardware, and much easier to use across a wide variety of production styles and genres I create in.
Which plugin version do you feel has done a great job of recreating the grit and soul of an OG hardware instrument?
While I love pushing the Arturia Acid V into non-acid directions, it's absolutely the best digital tool to make acid out there. Its ease of use in idea generation emulates the ethos of the original 303 perfectly, making it feel like anyone can pick it up and immediately start creating.
How are you pushing boundaries in your current tracks while still nodding to the queer electronic pioneers of the past?
I think the best way to honour the queer electronic pioneers of the past is to keep pushing forward and experimenting. Minimal Audio’s Current 2 is something I can get sounds out of that I've never heard before, and that feeling of exploring new sonic territories is one of the most exciting aspects of creation to me.
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