Celadon Haze: Interview with Electronic Music Artist Oracle666
Oracle666 is a celebrated Brooklyn-based visual artist and performer who will release her debut single, “Celadon Haze,” this Valentine’s weekend. Inspired by Bjork, the song is an ethereal trance/pop track about the feelings of love that linger long after a relationship ends. The video for the song premieres nationwide on Friday, February 12th.
ORACLE666 was born Julia Sinelnikova, in Jerusalem, Israel, and lived in St. Petersburg, Russia, until she was five-years-old when her family moved to Texas. In her twenties, she relocated to Brooklyn for college and stayed, eventually designing sets for underground rave parties. It began her exploration in trance music.
ORACLE666 recently discussed all of this and more via an exclusive interview.
Meagan Meehan (MM): When did you first realize that you wanted to be a music artist?
ORACLE666: Since I was very young, I found healing in music. From ages 10–14, I toured the south and the northeast of the U.S. with the Austin Girls’ Choir. Then, I started going to raves in warehouses in Houston and Austin, Texas, where I grew up, and gained an interest in DJing. I had my first set of turntables by 18, and enjoyed playing house parties and small clubs for a few years. Since living in Brooklyn as a touring visual artist and performer, I have been surrounded by musicians and other original creators.
MM: How would you describe your style and sound?
ORACLE666: I would say I was musically influenced by early nineties trance, and artists such as Ladytron and Gwen Stefani. I describe the ORACLE666 project as “ethereal trance pop.” Ethereal because of all the soaring melodies, vocals, and glistening crystalline sounds. Trance because it was the first genre that got me really hooked on music, electronic music to be precise, at age 12 or so, listening to the likes of Delerium, di.fm, and Oceanlab. Pop because despite the fact that the song lacks a traditional structure with a chorus, it retains a spritely femme energy and it’s danceable.
MM: Describe your experiences designing sets for raves. What themes were the most memorable?
ORACLE666: I would have to say some of my most memorable stage designs would be when I created 3D projection-mapped flame lips to hang above the stage at a Peaches concert in NYC. Another favorite was one of my largest-scale installations to date at the old Brooklyn Night Bazaar warehouse for a Machinedrum performance. And the projects I have done on tour have been amazing. I created a giant reflective immersive space for J.Phlip’s performance at Promise Toronto’s fifteen year anniversary, and a delicate intimate set design made of blue crystals for Mickey Madden’s band at the Elite nightclub Castel in Paris.
MM: What is your favorite lyric in Celadon Haze?
ORACLE666: When will we put these pieces back together? Follow me into the stratosphere… This part of the song is calling out to my dreamed-of lover to reconnect, and I just love the soaring vocal quality of this portion, like transcendent glitter.
MM: What inspired the music video? How long did it take to film?
ORACLE666: My longtime collaborator, Laura Kimmel aka METAGASM, and I were inspired to create the music video to embody a queer reminiscence of lost love and pandemic loneliness. I wanted to incorporate some of my hand cut “Fairy Organ” light sculptures, so we filmed with them in my studio using @FutureEyes glass crystal lenses to refract the image. Laura and I love exploring abandoned architectural sites so incorporating the abandoned castle footage felt right, like a fairy floating up from a magical wasteland.
MM: What is the meaning of the kiss?
ORACLE666: My lover in the video is something of a femmebot, a still idea stuck in time, staring straight ahead. When I place my kiss at the end, I’m sending a love whisper to a memory of a future that could have been. It’s almost like casting a stone into the sea while thinking of someone in particular.
MM: What has been the best thing about working in the music industry so far?
ORACLE666: It’s widely known that the music industry is not easy to navigate for independent artists. However, I have always worked in and around it with my art. I guess the best thing about working in music is that I can finally bring all of my multimedia endeavors together, from storyboarding to modeling to art directing. I miss performing and DJing, and I can’t wait for clubs to open again. My last DJ set before lockdown was at Elsewhere in NYC and so many of my friends were there. The best thing about music is how it brings people together, as cheesy as that might sound.
MM: Have you written any other songs?
ORACLE666: Oh yes! I have been working on my EP and other projects in NYC and LA for the past year, so my debut EP as ORACLE666 will be out sometime this year. I have been writing songs and composing music for a very long time, often scoring my video artworks and short films (vimeo.com/oracle666). However, it is only in the past couple of years that I have really zeroed in and begun recording professionally. Honestly, I have been shy about coming out as a music artist despite being out there as a visual artist. Music is so raw and personal; it shows your gut soul to the world.
MM: What projects are coming up for you soon?
ORACLE666: In addition to my music, I am presenting my first solo museum project “Crystal Veil” at the Contemporary Art Museum of Houston in June. I will also soon mount my latest freestanding public sculpture at Brooklyn’s Broadway Junction for the NYCDOT, entitled “Skywave.” Beyond all of this, I hope and pray that venues and travel re-opens so I can go back on tour with some of my visual art projects and performances!
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ORACLE666’s “Celadon Haze” is available on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms. Its video is available on iTunes, Vevo, and YouTube. Follow ORACLE666 on Instagram.com @ or_acle. Other links.