Four Takeaways from ‘A Conversation With Anyma’: Future Collabs, ÆDEN’s Concept, and More

Across 12 dates at Sphere Las Vegas, 200,000 attendees descended on Sin City to see an audiovisual spectacle that subverted dance/electronic’s conventions of live performance: Afterlife Presents Anyma “The End of Genesys.” The crowd gathered in the GRAMMY Museum’s 200-person Clive Davis Theater on September 16 for “A Conversation With Anyma” was far more intimate – likely his smallest in many years.

It’s not every day that fans get a front-row seat to an artist’s creative process, especially one as itinerant as the Genesys producer. Yet in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, a rarity became an evening plan.

Moderated by Variety Senior Music Writer Steven J. Horowitz, the event offered new insight into the origins of the Genesys concept, the making of The End Of Genesys, and the evolution of not only his humanoid Eva, but of Anyma himself. Altogether, it affirmed what Quantum Echoes Pt. I reinforces: Anyma’s next era starts now.

The compilation album, complete with new music from the producer, Chris Avantgarde, Adriatique, Cassian, Massano, and more, adds definition to the “Quantum” concept Anyma has teased since he drew the Genesys series to a close. According to the LP’s press release, “Quantum delves into the unseen fabric of reality, drawing inspiration from quantum computing, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, and technology’s impact on humanity.”

Quantum Echoes Pt. I is out now via Afterlife Records. Buy it on Beatport, and read on for four key takeaways from A Conversation With Anyma.

Quantum Genesys at the Great Pyramids of Giza Will “Probably” Be Anyma’s Last Genesys Show

Anyma’s two-stage, dual-part Quantum Genesys show at the Great Pyramids of Giza on October 10 will likely be the last time he performs the Genesys show, at least for the foreseeable future. 

At the Great Pyramids of Giza on October 10, Anyma will deliver his first-ever two-part performance across two stages: the Quantum Stage, which will feature no visuals but will have an installation built around the "quantum" concept of cables and circuitry, and, on the other side, the Genesys Stage, with quintessential Anyma tech (aka a "big ass screen").

“I really wanted to have the experience both ways [screen and no screen] and go back kind of in a journey, maybe for the last time of Genesys – actually, probably [the last time]," he said.

He’d Next Like to Visually Creative Direct for Travis Scott

When asked who else, beyond The Weeknd, he'd like to work with as Visual Creative Director, Anyma shared that he’d “love to work with Travis Scott.” 

“He was recently with me in Ibiza, we had a good chat,” he said, though "nothing is completely confirmed.”

Last September, Anyma served as the Visual Creative Director of The Weeknd’s “One Night Only” concert in São Paulo. The event was broadcast globally on YouTube, exposing a different side of his visual artistry to audiences around the world.

While he's interested in collaborating with the ASTROWORLD rapper, the choice to act as Visual Creative Director for another artist won't be a habit.

“If I want to do it more or not, I’m still thinking about it because it takes away a lot of time and resources from my team," he says. My whole team worked on ["One Night Only"] for like three months while we were supposed to be working on the Sphere stuff, so it’s challenging. If it happens, it will be once every year or two. It’s not going to be an ongoing thing for me.”

His Collaboration with RÜFÜS DU SOL, "You Make Me," Is Not Coming Out Yet

Three years after he and the Aussie electronic outfit teased their debut collaboration, Anyma admits that he doesn't quite know why they haven't released "You Make Me," but still thinks their plans will "intersect at one point where this record feels right and sits right."

"The good thing about the record is that it's now been three years, and it still feels very exciting and fresh. It's not becoming old because this would mean maybe it doesn't come out if it feels that way, but I spoke to the guys and they also don't feel that way at all," he clarified.

"I'm hopeful that one day, it's going to come out and we're going to figure this out, but it's not on the deluxe album, sorry."

Thematically, ÆDEN Is Born from the History of Art

Coachella's lineup dropped early this year – and just in time for A Conversation With Anyma. The audiovisual vanguard spoke briefly (and abstractly) about the concept for the new live show he'll premiere in Indio Valley next April: ÆDEN.

Its poster depicts Anyma striding towards a temple, trailing cables. The scene, he says, is inspired by his "journey through the history of art," including "neoclassical inspiration."

"I've been focusing a lot on characters and figurative stuff, and I now want to take a broader view on everything and upload the history of art to the cloud. [ÆDEN] is going to be the universe where this takes place."