Bad Snacks is a producer and multi-instrumentalist known for creating violin-infused genre-bending electronic music. Rich with lofi and dance influences, her catalog boasts an expansive landscape featuring lush strings, driving basslines, and hard-hitting grooves. From the studio to the stage, Bad Snacks’s music continues to resonate with audiences and move dancefloors around the world.

Can you tell us about your background and how you got into production?

Sure! I’m originally from the Great Boston area and grew up as a classically trained violinist. It wasn’t until I moved to LA as an adult that I really started to get into production, which I think was mostly because I was tired of not being able to make the kind of music I actually listened to. Being in the same spaces as my heroes (primarily at events like Low End Theory) really kicked me into gear.

As you know, Beats by Girlz is a non-profit organization whose focus is empowering women and gender-expansive people in the realm of music production. What women and gender-expansive songwriters and producers are your biggest influences?

Too many to count! Kimbra is definitely a big one, I’ve always admired how adventurous and experimental she is. Salami Rose Joe Louis is also a brilliant musician who I adore. These days I also really admire sound design legends like Kilamanzego and Moore Kismet, and love how they’re bringing such strong sonic identities to the game.

***Your sound is so unique and fresh. How did you develop your own voice?***

I think it’s still developing! I’m just really big on experimentation and trying new things all the time. I consume a lot of music from a ton of genres, and tend to pick things up along the way without completely realizing it all the time.

How do you collaborate with other artists during the production process? How do you balance your creative vision with the input and ideas of others?

To be honest, I rarely collaborate these days - not because I don’t love it, but because I so rarely have the time. But to answer the question, I think it really depends on context - who’s project is it, who gets to give the final stamp, etc. - I say this because I can definitely take on a very proactive role, but if it’s for someone else’s project, I try to give them as much space and ownership as possible and just try to aid that process.

***What tools do you use during your writing and production process? Any new plug-ins or software that have facilitated that process for you?***

Ableton is life, Ableton is love. Truly that’s kind of all I need. I do use Omnisphere’s Sonic Extensions quite a bit though, there are some patches in there that are straight up magic.

Can you walk us through your typical workflow when starting a new project?

It changes all the time depending on what I’m inspired by. At the very least, if I’m not actively inspired by something, I always try to practice drum programming first and then I add from there.

From your own experience, what initiatives do you believe are effective in creating a more inclusive and equitable environment for women and gender minorities in music production? Have you had to advocate for yourself, and if so how?

This is a great question - I think the inclusivity rider might be amongst one of the more effective initiatives that many individual artists can uphold.

Representation matters so much, so making sure there’s always a space on stage or in a featured video for a minority in the music industry is huge - and in my opinion, easy to do especially once you get pretty far in your career and branch out your networks.

In terms of having to advocate for myself, I do that on what feels like a daily basis. Every day there are plenty of people who see what I’m doing and question the validity of it because I am who I am. I don’t look like a stereotypical music producer, or music technology enthusiast. I also have not been taken seriously at many shows I’ve billed in, or worse yet, have gotten the wrong kind of attention when all I did was show up to do my job. We keep it moving, though!

***What excites you the most about playing BBG Fest?***
I’m super excited to celebrate what BBG is; showing our community who we are and what we do, and creating the space for gender expansive folks to feel safe in pursuing their passions with music and music technology. I wish I had access to BBG when I was just starting off as a producer - I would’ve felt so much more empowered in so many ways. Plus it doesn’t hurt that I’m excited to play a bunch of unreleased material at this show!!

Do you have any upcoming project or recent release that you’d like to share with us?

Yep! I recently just released a double single through Spotify Singles - one is an instrumental track called “Technicolor” and the other is a cover of The New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give”. I had so much fun making them and we have a whole video documenting what the process looked like!