Ep. 42: A Conversation with VANCORVID (A Surreal Tonic of Experimental Electronic and Violin)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:21:29 — 186.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | RSS | The Full List of Platforms We Exist On

Sharon is a violinist based in Toronto operating under the moniker of VANCORVID. Originally from Dublin, she moved from her homeland to Toronto for a fresh start at a new career and to explore a myriad of artistic endeavors on this broadening horizon. After spending some time finding her footing on this new soil, she joined a couple of orchestras to maintain and sharpen her violin skills, whilst simultaneously garnering a deeper knowledge and understanding of orchestral arrangements. While this learning process will never reach a genuine conclusion for her, it’s one of her goals to flourish enough so that one day she can craft her own symphony.

Amidst her first couple of years of being in Toronto, VANCORVID sprouted up in an unplanned manner. The project is an ethereal tonic of experimental electronic and violin-based arrangements, enshrouded in chilling ambient auras, and interlaced with whispered, dreamlike vocals. What is of sincere intrigue is how this project sounds relative to her wealth of past collaborations and her orchestral work. She has dabbled in punk, indie, hip-hop, and classical music, among others, however, when she composes as VANCORVID, it is of electronic ilk despite her having few direct production experiences within that genre.

Her debut track, “Breathe”, which released in the summer of 2017, is one of oceanic ambient swells frothing with evocative violin undulations. “Summon”, her newest composition, harbors an airy spoken word introduction caressed by an ethereal violin melody. The track soon gives way to a mountainous expanse of electronic beats asynchronously gliding alongside a sundry of majestic strings. It articulates a dimension of VANCORVID’s process of healing by summoning a power beyond the corporeal realm—the Irish goddess, Morrigan—for guidance and strength. “Breathe” too encapsulates another dimension of VANCORVID’s healing and together with “Summon”, these two tracks comprise what will eventually culminate into an EP titled Hatch. Though its release is not yet determined, this EP will crystallize VANCORVID’s non-linear journey of tumult and subsequent growth.

In this conversation, Sharon delves into VANCORVID’s unique, evocative blend of tones and timbres. She discusses the writing process of “Summon”, her love of crows—or corvids—, paying respects to Morrigan, and the process of healing. Thank you so much for listening.