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"What Would Tricky Do?": An Interview with Tricky FM

Updated: 8 minutes ago

Tricky FM is a DIY electronica artist quickly gaining attention in the Bay Area underground scene. I first saw her perform at 924 Gilman with Joey Cash and most recently at Rickshaw Stop with Norwegian pop star Otha. I was immediately drawn to her mix of computer-based sampling, live vocal modulations, and crowd-captivating candor, all backed by a punchy drum kit. Her new self-produced album, Twin Star Fantasy, will be dropping soon with Oakland-based label Cherub Dream Records, but you can listen to the first three dreamy singles, "Sugar in my Drink," "Gridlock," and "Apartment" right now. I was stoked that I got the chance to sit down with Hana Freed, AKA Tricky FM, to talk "computer core," being perceived onstage, and the perks of having an alter ego.




Were there any artists, musical or otherwise, that you took inspiration from for the upcoming album?


Yeah, I really was kind of reaching back to stuff that I liked when I was in high school or my early 20s. I really liked a lot of "Myspace Music" as I call it, this artist called Gregory and the Hawk and there's another project called CocoRosie that I liked. Of course, Postal Service. I'm from the Pacific Northwest, so Death Cab and Postal Service. But I also like a lot of the new electronica stuff happening or people that are kind of recreating EDM music now. I really like Frost Children. Jane Remover is really fun. But yeah, a mix of stuff that I really liked when I was younger, stuff that really formed me and new electronic.


I feel like genre is such a debated topic right now. Do you feel like Tricky FM fits in any particular genre or microgenre?


When I have to give an answer for that, I'll usually always say things like experimental pop, electronica. I made up the term "computer core" as a way to own the fact that I use my computer in a predominately rock and guitar-music city and area.



I did notice that your Instagram bio was "sf computer core." What in your opinion is unique or particular about the Bay Area underground electronic scene?


You know, I feel like there's still a lot for me to explore. To be honest, my first entry into the underground scene here was through a lot of the rock scene, a lot of my friends are in rock bands. As far as the electronic scene (as I understand), there are some electronic projects here that I really like; I really like Tugboyz and Cel Genesis. I know there's a really big DJ community here too, which I'm not super privy to, but I really appreciate what they've been organizing. I guess that's a long-winded way to say that what I think is unique is that I feel like there's not enough electronica artists for my liking. I would like to see more, is what I'm saying. I would like to see more people doing electronic music, producing their own songs, and doing things that are more experimental. I definitely want to see more of that.


Awesome, do you have any advice for people who were looking to start making their own electronic music or using a software like Ableton?


If you have a MacBook, I think GarageBand is a really good place to start. It really is super powerful for what it is and it's pretty intuitive and fun. The times that I've had the most fun and felt the most creative is when I was still learning how to do something and it was still pretty new to me, so you can approach it intuitively from the way you want to. Watch like five Youtube videos on whatever DAW and make something from that. Because things are really fun when you're just learning, and I feel like that helps you be really creative. So I would say don't think about it too much and have fun!


"The times that I've had the most fun and felt the most creative is when I was still learning how to do something and it was still pretty new to me, so you can approach it intuitively from the way you want to."


I thought it was really amazing during the last show how you were using live vocals and drums alongside a lot of the electronic sampling and modulations. What feels important to you about recording, looping, and layering the vocals live as a DIY artist?


In terms of adding effects to my vocals like that live, I really like live versions of stuff. It's fun when you see someone live and there's a live version and a recorded version of tracks. And of course it's really cool when you see artists live and it's like "oh my god, this sounds just like the album," but for me personally I always love seeing live versions of tracks that I like when the vocals sound cool or more raw or more aggressive. When you produce things, maybe the way they sound on the album is more polished and clean, but I really like the roughness and aggressiveness of a live version that makes things feel more visceral.



So I saw your shows with Joey Cash and with Otha, but you've shared bills with Mechatok, Alice Glass, and French 79. Is there any particular night that stands out in your mind as the ideal Tricky FM performance, venue, or collaboration?


I like them all for all their unique reasons. I will say though that playing with Alice Glass at Rickshaw Stop, I think that was like 2023, was so full circle for me. That was pretty early on when I started playing in the Bay. I was very new and still learning to play shows and feel more comfortable, and I felt so grateful that a booker trusted me and put me on and I got to play with her. I mean, Alice Glass is the reason for me. It was a really affirming experience that some things aren't really that far away. They just feel far away, but they're actually closer than you think. I've loved her and continue to love her since I was fifteen. I feel like having affirming experiences like that can kind of change your brain chemistry in terms of thinking of what you're capable of doing and how close things actually are. Playing with her that night was super informative and important to me.


"I mean, Alice Glass is the reason for me. It was a really affirming experience that some things aren't really that far away. They just feel far away, but they're actually closer than you think."

I love how lush and ethereal the most recent singles, "Sugar in My Drink, "Gridlock," and "Apartment" sound. Do you feel your new album is a sonic departure from your previous work or a continuation of similar aesthetics?


I think that it is sort of a next chapter. When I was first making it, I was kind of concerned that the production would sound too different because I definitely want there to be a Tricky FM throughline from my previous album and current one and beyond, something that is uniquely me. But there are definitely new sonic elements, more lushness and playful samples. I feel I'm definitely more earnest with lyrics in this one, so I definitely feel like it's still Tricky FM. I still use a lot of the same production techniques, but just more. I would say it's Tricky FM 2.0.




At the last concert, you brought up the idea of toxicity and mentioned a friendship breakup. You also start "Gridlock" by saying "I know / you're not / the biggest fan of me." Do you feel like some of your work is a response to the current culture of kind of policing others or cutting people off if they seem "toxic" or "too much"?


That's a really good question. You know, maybe I've been influenced by that culture. I think bringing up toxicity and cutting people off and friendship breakups was something that was a really pivotal moment for me when I realized that instead of calling people toxic, you kind of turn the mirror back on yourself and you question what sort of toxic tendencies you have. I feel like it's easy to call people toxic and cut them off and say that they were the problem, and it's a lot more difficult to look at yourself and say "how did I contribute to this?" Having moments like that when it's hard to do that and you don't want to think those things about yourself and there's a lot of shame around it, but going into that process of realizing how did I contribute to toxicity or that toxic dynamic or situation. Metabolizing it, taking accountability in your own way, and ultimately transmuting it into your art form and getting to a point where you can shamelessly, not joke about it, but own it in front of people can be massively healing. I hope in a way getting to openly talk about it and getting people to admit their toxic tendencies in a public place—it sounds funny and really cheeky—but maybe it plants a seed to help people reflect on how they might have contributed to something toxic.



As a follow-up, do you feel like making music and performing live as you mentioned has helped you sort of combat or release a feeling of social judgement? Or is being perceived something you cope with onstage as well?


You know, I was actually just thinking about this literally before we got on the phone. I was thinking of my week ahead, and I was thinking "I really don't feel like being perceived this week." It definitely goes on and off. I do feel feelings of wanting to hide or wanting to keep things close to my chest, but I feel like having opportunities to perform like that and to expose myself in this determined amount of time kind of gives me a type of bravery antibodies, where I'm like okay, I was the most vulnerable I can be. And I feel like that helps metabolize something inside of me that I can carry into other parts of my life. I don't know if that answers the question?


No, it definitely does! That was an awesome answer.


Yeah, I don't know who likes to be perceived all the time! Having those experiences where you do show yourself and go 100% in terms of vulnerability, you let yourself be seen 100%, no one can take that away from me. I can be like I did that, I have that, and maybe I can access that in other areas of my life, too.


Do you feel like it's helpful to have Tricky FM be, in a way, a separate thing or persona, even though it is mostly just you?


I know, I feel like more people have been asking me that. And initially I never thought of her like that, but sometimes it is interesting. Sometimes I'm surprised the things that she'll do or say like onstage or in the moment. Because it feels unplanned, but when you feel like your that person or you embody that, all of a sudden I feel like another part of me has been accessed. In my daily life, sometimes it's difficult to access but it's been getting somewhat easier. Someone made a joke like "maybe you can ask yourself sometimes, what would Tricky do?" And I don't know if she should be unleashed all the time, but she's definitely got my back more lately.


"Someone made a joke like 'maybe you can ask yourself sometimes, what would Tricky do?' And I don't know if she should be unleashed all the time, but she's definitely got my back more lately."


Thank you so much to Tricky FM for the awesome conversation, and make sure to check out more of her music below!


What do you want to read about next on Enharmonic Magazine? Let us know in the comments.





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