Sound Advice: Alison Wonderland

Join Alison Wonderland on Sound Advice, the weekly interview series covering artists’ journeys and their creative process. In this episode, we discuss the DJ/producer’s latest album ‘GHOST WORLD’ and the life stories that inspired it.

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Welcome to Sound Advice, the series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers and creatives are leaning into everything SoundCloud offers to elevate their sound, get heard and catapult their careers. Sound Advice is now available in audio format on the SoundCloud Stories profile.

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This week on Sound Advice, we speak to Alison Wonderland: an electronic music producer, DJ, singer-songwriter, and one of the biggest names in EDM. After becoming a headline act in her home country of Australia, she took the US by storm: headlining Coachella, EDC and Red Rocks and releasing chart-topping albums like 2015’s ‘Run’ and 2018’s ‘Awake.’ Throughout her career, she’s gone on to collaborate with artists as diverse as Trippie Redd, Ninajirachi, Valentino Khan, Kaskade and even Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. 

Right before the release of ‘GHOST WORLD,’ her new full-length album, and the birth of her second child, we sat down to talk to Alison Wonderland about falling down the rabbit hole of dance music and the sounds, life events, and emotional highs and lows that have inspired all of her releases. We dive into the making of ‘GHOST WORLD,’ a rallying cry for anyone who feels lost, with the project displaying huge melodies, heartfelt lyrics, big breakbeats and the nasty, trap-driven drums and bass that Alison Wonderland is known for. 

During our conversation, Alison Wonderland talks about her mental health and her motherhood journey as a touring musician, offering advice to up-and-coming DJs and producers. We also talk about how she’s built a community on SoundCloud, then and now, and find out more about how she uses the platform to find new music for DJ sets and her label, FMU Records. 

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LISTEN TO THE AUDIO EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE FEATURING ALISON WONDERLAND

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LISTEN TO ‘GHOST WORLD’ BY ALISON WONDERLAND HERE

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Things We Talked About In This Episode of Sound Advice

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Finding Freedom In Alison Wonderland’s Collaborative New Album ‘GHOST WORLD’

• We begin the conversation by talking about the inspirations for ‘GHOST WORLD,’ Alison Wonderland’s fourth and latest studio album. When she locks in to make an album, Alison doesn’t like to listen to other people’s music, she says, because she needs to “shut everything out to focus.” But critically, the final product is packed with original collaborations, featuring artists that she loves and personally reached out to work with. 
• On ‘GHOST WORLD,’ she features Erick The Architect (of rap group Flatbush Zombies), QUIX, MEMBA and Ninajirachi, among others. Here, Alison talks about her collaborators, how she likes to get in the flow of writing a track with others, and what sounds she was exploring during the songwriting process. She explains how the freedom that she felt in her other solo project, Whyte Fang, came full circle during this time.
• Across Alison’s catalog of albums, she taps into personal themes and emotions — and it’s a process that’s made her music more connective with her fanbase, creating a close bond between her and the massive crowds that she performs to. On ‘GHOST WORLD,’ Alison goes deeper into this territory. “I want to make an album for people who feel like they don’t fit in,” she says. Here, she talks about where that sentiment comes from and how it plays out in the music. 
• On album tracks “PSYCHO,” “Call Me (r u alone?)” and “Heaven,” Alison blends melancholy, beautiful and visceral human emotions. Here, she talks about the making of these tracks, how she was inspired by a series of seemingly unconnected and unlikely sources, from Alfred Hitchcock’s films and to Clams Casino’s beats for A$AP Rocky. 

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How Alison Wonderland’s Journey Through The Music Industry Inspired Her Album

• One of the key themes on ‘GHOST WORLD,’ sonically and lyrically, is freedom. Since stepping into the spotlight a decade ago, and moving from her native Australia to Los Angeles, where she currently is based, Alison has gone through a series of revelations in her life and career. All of these experiences are folded into ‘GHOST WORLD.’ 
• Here, she gets into detail about the styles of electronic music that she feels more empowered than ever to explore — from punk and breaks to hyperpop and Southern rap — and how acts like The Prodigy, The Knife, The Chemical Brothers, Hudson Mohawke and Rustie all inspire her artistry.
• Running with this theme, Alison also speaks openly about her experiences in the dance music industry, and how she’s been on a long journey to have her ideas and wants match up to the final records put out under her name. It’s a frank admission that shows Alison’s growth as an artist, her openness about her journey and how she maneuvered through that time while keeping her artistic integrity intact. 
• Giving advice to fellow artists who may be going through similar experiences, she insists on trusting your gut instincts about the music that really speaks to you, and on finding people to work who also trust in your instincts. 

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Using SoundCloud and Her Label, FMU Records, to Champion Bold Artists

• One of the ways that Alison Wonderland has presented her vision for music more authentically is through her record label, FMU Records. Here, she talks about the ethos of the label, her passion for platforming independent artists who want to put out their radical, best work, and how her experiences with the wider dance music industry have informed how she runs her own label.
• As part of running FMU Records, Alison often gives advice to artists about how to navigate the current music industry landscape, including sharing insights on how to shut out outside voices and focus on your own sound. She also expands on the topic of how to present your music in an ever-shifting scene, where social media has become a key component to self promotion. 
• Here, she passes on some words of wisdom on how to balance it all in ways that don’t take away from your time to be creative – including using SoundCloud, the platform that helped launch her international career and allowed her to connect with her now-devoted audience.
• Alison Wonderland is a long-time user of SoundCloud, and experienced breakout success on the platform with her 2015 collaborative track with emo rapper Trippie Redd, “High.” Here, she talks about how she likes to use SoundCloud to find new music for her DJ sets and discover new artists for her label. 

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Alison Wonderland’s Advice on Hard Practice, Breaking Through and Handling Opportunities 

• Before settling in Los Angeles and having massive success in the US, playing major EDM festivals and releasing charting albums, Alison Wonderland came up in the dance music scene in her native Australia. 
• Here, she talks about some of the challenges she faced during that come up, from playing her now-trademark multi-genre DJ sets “before future bass popped off” to throwing warehouse parties in Sydney. Looking back, she says, there wasn’t so much a strategy to break America as a passion for music that prepared her for a breakthrough moment. 
• She goes into more detail on how her constant practice — for DJing, music production, honing her sound, aesthetic and audience, even in its early stages — created a work ethic and rigor that meant that, when Diplo came calling and helped kickstart her career journey, she was ready to grab a rapid succession of opportunities without hesitating. 
• The biggest lesson for Alison, which she shares as advice to other artists looking for their breakthrough chance, is to not be shy when, after years of being told no, you’re told yes — and to really run with it. 

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Alison Wonderland on Balancing Motherhood, Creativity and Touring Life 

• Another key theme of ‘GHOST WORLD,’ says Alison, comes up on the track “Is This The End?”; the final track of the record, it dives into the feeling of being replaceable as an artist, operating without industry support. It’s a topic that’s personal to Alison, as she’s carved out a career in which she can DJ, write, sing and produce on her own terms — but which can leave her feeling without close connections to other artists. 
• Here, Alison shares some of the feelings and realities that come with this dynamic, and how her recent music has been a wonderful outlet for self-expression. By leaning into the “micro communities” she’s found through SoundCloud, Alison Wonderland has come to know and appreciate artists such as Ninajirachi, ISOxo and Knock2. 
• It’s a feeling that extends to her experience of being a mother in the music industry, and how she maintains an active tour and creative life while also caring for her children. In 2024, Alison performed a headline set at EDC when she was 9 months pregnant. The performance went viral, with the dance music community praising her for commitment to her fans while also being proudly front-and-center during her pregnancy. 
• For Alison, it was as much a necessity of her life as an artist as a statement of intent. From fellow dance artists Anna Lunoe and Amelie Lens, to experimental electronic performers like Eartheater, oklou and Grimes and pop acts like Rihanna and MIA, Alison has been inspired by how these artists have not shied away from their creative work while pregnant and raising children. “Your career isn't over because of pregnancy,” she says, “and being a mother has made me more creative — once you have a kid, you can never be wack!”
• Here, Alison goes into more detail about how her life has changed since becoming a mother, how she strikes a balance between studio, tour and home life, and how some difficult experiences in the lead up to having both of her children affected how she viewed her career. 
• Over the period of making ‘GHOST WORLD,’ Alison Wonderland feels that she’s blossomed into a new stage of her career: more free, authentic and musically innovative. Looking back on the ups and downs along her journey, what advice would she give her younger self? “Do you girl, and let the art speak for you,” she says wisely.

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Links and Extras

Follow Alison Wonderland’s journey on SoundCloud.
Press play on Alison Wonderland’s 2025 album, ‘GHOST WORLD.’
Follow Ninajirachi, who features on Alison Wonderland’s track “Heaven.”
Hit play on Alison Wonderland’s collaboration with Erick The Architect, QUIX and MEMBA, titled “PSYCHO.”
Go back to where it all began with one of Alison Wonderland’s early tracks, “High” feat. Trippie Redd.
Listen to ‘GENESIS,’ Alison’s 2023 album under her Whyte Fang moniker. 
Explore Alison Wonderland’s other albums, 2015’s ‘Run,’ 2018’s ‘Awake’ and 2022’s ‘Loner.’
Hit play on Alison Wonderland’s breakthrough 2015 track, “I Want U”.
Listen to the Festival House Bangers playlist on SoundCloud.
Never miss an episode and follow the official Sound Advice playlist on SoundCloud.

Getting The Most Out of SoundCloud

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_{CREDITS Host: Vivian Host, Executive Producer: Mike Spinella, Producer: KC Orcutt, Audio Engineer: David “DibS” Shackney, Coordinator: Trevor McGee, Editorial Associate: Lauren Martin}