Alchemical Records Magazine Issue #1 features musician Elijah Cruise, dancer Ronya-Lee Anderson, and photographer Farrah Skeiky.
Cover artist and musician Elijah Cruise takes us on a journey of self-discovery and collaboration. Move to the resonating pulse and choreographed threads of multidisciplinary artist Ronya-Lee Anderson. Photographer Farah Skeiky reveals that “who is holding the camera has a lot to do with the story that is told.” The Alchemist mini-comic makes its mysterious debut.
Ultimately, when it comes to Ronya-Lee Anderson, the concepts of genre and categorization melt away as she finds new ways to creatively explore the intersection of performance and the sociopolitical aspects of everyday life. She notes that one of her latest projects, the soul-pop music videos of Ronya-Lee and the Light Factory, is a step towards bringing everything together. – Charlie Maybee
With two singles already released in the past year (“Light” and “More” are both available on major streaming platforms), both of which were accompanied by music videos that feature stunning and elaborate use of dance and set design, Ronya-Lee and the Light Factory poses itself as a pop music experiment that rearranges her various artistic elements into something altogether new. Something that demonstrates total control over so many vibrating threads that harmonize with each other in profound ways. – Charlie Maybee
While she gravitates toward newer artists, Skeiky also values seasoned talents such as D.C.-based photojournalist Jim Saah, a fellow Arab American who has been an iconic part of the scene since the 80’s, as well as Philadelphia-based photographer Phobymo, who specializes in portraiture that celebrates diverse bodies.
There is a distinct element to Farrah Skeiky’s work – something untethered, unfiltered, unbothered, and captivating. Skeiky notes that paying attention to photographers whose work has “everything or nothing to do with music” adds depth to her creative lens. “If you’re looking at the same thing, how much inspiration are you going to bring?” she challenged emerging photographers. “Look somewhere else.”
Published in 2020, Present Tense: DC Punk and DIY, Right Now, Skeiky’s latest body of work, is a photo book of images from D.C. punk, hardcore, and DIY bands captured in traditional venues, dive bars, basements, warehouses, churches, restaurants, living rooms, and more. The impressive collection, which celebrates “bands who define the present,” stands proudly in defiance, countering any claims that D.C. punk died in the 90’s.
In the coming months, Farrah Skeiky has several projects on the horizon. She was tapped as the photographer for an Iranian American cookbook by a mother-daughter duo who became Tik Tok famous during the pandemic. The book is slated to publish in fall 2023. Skeiky will also try her hand at travel photography, as well as woodworking classes.
Aesthetically, Cruise’s latest EP, Sufføcating/The Eulogy, takes cues from gothic themes and early 2000s punk and grunge, as well as inspiration from colorful, eclectic artists like David Bowie, Twenty One Pilots, Coldplay, and his lovely wife, Olivia Perdomo. And if that’s not enough to draw you in, the captivating, contemplative nature of the rising star’s songwriting certainly will. – Cynthia Gross
In addition to his promising solo career, Elijah Cruise is a rising star in the production scene, where he has collaborated with a growing number of artists, including DMV favorites like BRASSIE. Earlier this year, Cruise partnered with Canadian electronic duo, WE ARE FURY, on the breathtaking single, “Poem of a Killer,” which reached an impressive 72,000 streams in less than two weeks, landing features on BBC Radio 1 with Annie Nightingale and more. – Cynthia Gross
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