T*mes Square has a half-century secret.
Or at least, you know, a bit more than Elmo costumes and an M&M Factory.
Tucked beneath a grated street vent, between the subway’s iron thunder and the soles of foot traffic, rests a nest of oscillators, amplifiers, and power rigs. Their combined offspring — a gentle hum — rises then evaporates with the train steam.
The artist behind this tonal fixture, Max Neuhaus, passed away, but his legacy drones on, 24/7/365. An ambient dream everlasting; a true underground radio. Except for today.
Today is New Year’s Eve. This spells trouble for (j)ula, aka Soundwavesoffwax, who looks for sound art installations like pyramids look to the moon. She arrives at Times Square to find an obstacle course of prep work for the 2025 ball drop; roadblocks, temp fencing, and metallic trusses crowd the grounds between 45th & 46th Street. One public display usurps another. Like city gov sediment, or an online timeline. The Hum is unhearable.
Despite her empty-handed pilgrimage, (j)ula pulls up to our interview with wraparound shades, an Eye of Horus pendant, and the wide grin of someone who knows they’ve got backup. There’s the kind witch on the Italian coast (long story). There’s her ability to conjure fire (longer story). There’s also the many (many) considerate (mostly) legions of supporters who have gotten to know (j)ula over the last six months through her Soundwavesoffwax project: a communal grieving experiment turned daily vinyl listening party. Each video features her sharing her late father’s records with the world. Her comment section has become a gathering ground and group hug for both music heads and those in mourning. The internet is the internet, but it’s been 95% kosher.
(j)ula and I spent much of our brief time together rambling unseriously about her own collagist field recordings and artist aspirations, a years-long passion for electronic music, never buying new clothes, and what it means to be a Responsible Listener in 2025 and beyond. Thank you for reading and stay safe out there <3
Siber: Interview commencing in 3… 2…
Ula: My studio lights are dialed in. Let me look at my notes and make sure I stay on script. Don’t want to upset corporate. The board must approve.
Siber: Trapped within your own influence.
Ula: It’s a tough life. I try my best.
Siber: Soldier!
Ula: Thank you. I’ve received lots of emails with lots of paragraphs asking to be penpals! It’s sweet. Strangers genuinely care about my wellbeing in a mostly not-creepy way. I’ll find a way forward.
Siber: Looking backwards for a second, you have a half-decade of SoundCloud history.
Ula: I was really nerdy about sound design for a while but that era’s passed. [Laughs] There’s one experiment that’s me trying to create the sound of a skate park without going to the skatepark or using samples. A fake field recording. But the music I’m working on now is more focused on singing. I’ve been taking lessons. I should make a little soundscape for the vinyl reveal in the Soundwaves videos though…
Siber: Gotta start building that adlib soundboard early.
Ula: I’ll put an omnidirectional mic in my room and render it with a 3D scan so people can explore the collection.
Siber: Honestly… good idea.
Ula: Anthony Fantano has nothing on me. That’s a joke.
Siber: He hasn’t been to the club in Poland, probably. What music have you used to fend off seasonal depression living up in [redacted]?
Ula: Industrial techno. First thing in the morning. Waking up sad? Nope. Turn that on. Give it five minutes. Don’t indulge in sad moments if you’re sad — club music only. Maybe reggae if you’re sensitive. [Laughs] I’ve been a big electronic music listener for a long time. The second I was old enough, I was in the club. Before that, my friends and I would play it in cars or in little abandoned warehouses around our area. It’s always been about the dancing for me.
Siber: Do you remember what kicked that off?
Ula: When I was in high school, I was friends with this guy who really liked techno, and I was like, “Techno’s so lame and you’re so lame.” He told me to grow up. [Laughs] So that night, I was like, “Today I’m maturing.” And the music was amazing. I said, “Thank you sir.” After that my friends and I would get together — someone would have a speaker or we’d buy one and return it the next day — and dance. In buildings, parks, parking lots, wherever. There’d be noise complaints and we’d have to run from the police sometimes. Do you like techno?
Siber: I love it very much, but it took me awhile. I was introduced to electronic through pop EDM in the late 2000s and it wasn’t for me. In high school I started learning how ignorant I was, how infinite electronic music was beyond that.
Ula: Did you get into any trouble back then?
Siber: Not really. Ding-dong-ditching neighbors.
Ula: That’s punk.
Siber: Do you have a personal pantheon for electronic music?
Ula: I really liked Tzusing. I always play that for people who are new to techno. They have a steady kick on a lot of their songs. “4 Floors of Whores” almost falls into the mainstream, but then other tracks get more fun and experimental. I love Patricia, Julek Ploski, Sd Laika, Felicia Atkinson, ZULI. It’s honestly so hard to pick. What about you?
Siber: It’s always changing... Julmud, Tanvi Everywhere, Xenia Reaper, 96 Back… Do the characters on your record player have origin stories?
Ula: You’re really lucky to be asking me this today. I get a lot of comments asking for this. Count your blessings! [Laughs] I saw other vinyl people on YouTube had these fancy vinyl weights, and I had none, so I just looked around and found cute things I had lying around. I just wanted to fit in. But I like to think my pieces are pretty, I don’t know, legendary. I suggest more people to put a record on, and then ask themselves: “What should I put on top?” It starts off with a horse miniature. Then all of a sudden that piggy eraser looks the right size.
Siber: It creates a family environment...
Ula: Thickens the plot! They’re looking around, spinning… There’s a whole relationship there. Feuds, even, between the characters, bickering over who gets to go on the vinyl. I’ll keep some of them in the background because of this behavior.
Siber: And the nesting doll?
Ula: That was my mom’s. I took it from her. She’s in her teen years, just happy to have the spotlight. She’s a star.
Siber: Your videos feel right on the line of sincerity and tongue-in-cheek comedy to me. There’s one video, one of your first, that’s a little more absurd [Laughs]
Ula: I found a little app that lets you scan yourself to generate a 3D dancing figure, which I then filmed myself copying. It wasn’t copying my dance — I was copying it. I was bored. [Laughs] Visually, I love fashion. That’s my only true love, outside of dance, and music. And my cat. Going into making these videos, you hear about short attention spans and having lots of cuts. I’ve made little music videos before, but I never thought about doing short-form stuff. I edit everything in TikTok, not even CapCut. I care more about the music at the end of the day.
Siber: Are you a fan of anyone else?
Ula: Honestly, not really. Maybe I’m a fan of someone with great dance moves, for a moment. Or someone walks down the street with a really distinct outfit. People who allow themselves to be so perceived. If I buy merch, it’s usually based on the look, rather than an attachment to the music. But there are some artists I know, or friends of me here, who work with designers and screen-printers on their merch and they treat it as a real piece of work. It’s not album art copy-pasted. The tote bag will be handmade, stuff like that. That’s sick. I’ll buy that, because of the idea behind it and because it’s supporting them. I’m drawn to anything I’ve never really seen before. Like when JPEF Magia came out with a USB stick that’s shaped like a cross that you can wear as a rosary beads necklace. I think Lana Del Rey put out a coke spoon. [Laughs] I might have hallucinated that.
Siber: You’ve gone from grieving to having an outright fandom yourself. Have you had to adjust to that?
Ula: I’m grateful because it’s been overwhelmingly positive. I have a little vinyl-listening community that’s all in honor of my dad at the end of the day. It’s pretty incredible. Like, if someone says something negative to me, six people will respond. They have my back. Once a month, someone will really cross a line, like, “Damn. You said that to me?” [Laughs] Like, “So… you’re looking for a daddy?” [Laughs] Like, what the fuck. [Laughs]
Siber: I —
Ula: Listen, there’s a logic to it, in a way… But…
Siber: But! Pretty grim. Very 21st century blues.
Ula: Some people comment, like, “You sound like ChatGPT! Just saying!” Apparently I use too many verbs, they tell me.
Siber: What’s your favorite thing to see in the comments?
Ula: I love it when there’s a fact-checking debate about an album or an artist. People will have these thoughtful discussions. Or they’ll fight about who’s a bigger fan of whatever music I’m talking about. The Talking Heads video stirred up some unrest. The B.J. Thomas one, too. I did a video awhile ago about a Ivan Rebroff album. He’s not Russian, but he pretended to be. [Laughs] He was really German. So a ton of people commented, “Russian legend!” and a ton of people responded, “Not Russian!” [Laughs]
Siber: Light squabbles and asinine comments aside, it really feels like a new kind of internet music forum.
Ula: I think it’s partially because I’m focused on feeling, which invites others to share theirs, and fill in the blanks — little tidbits about the music’s history. That was my hope. To have a conversation about music, rather than just talking at someone. It’s also so easy to google the easy stuff about these legacy albums that were made years and years ago. It’d feel redundant, I think. But people sharing their stories and experiences with these albums like I am feels special.
Siber: You have an MPC in one of the videos, at least — were you using that to make the music on your SoundCloud?
Ula: [Laughs] My I’m-gonna-play-the-drum-machine era. Now I'm just focusing on singing. I’ll probably help with sound effects after the songs are a little more structured.
Siber: Do you like horror movies?
Ula: [Laughs] Yes, yes.
Siber: In your song “In My Mouth,” it’s like a giant centipede breathing as it’s eating its pray, mics attached to its fangs.
Ula: I was so stoned when I made that. I literally took my mic and put it in my mouth and making chewing noises. You know back in the day, when the headphones had those little ones attached? That mic. That’s the idea. [Laughs] A lot of other songs started as field recordings. I’m always listening. I recently encouraged other people in my life to share theirs with me. My sister’s a mountaineer, so I’ll ask her to record the sounds of ice-climbing. My other friend works in construction.
Siber: ASMR terror. Do you want to amass an archive? Do you see these becoming a part of your upcoming music?
Ula: Yes, definitely. My process is kind of silly. I’ll start by making a folder of all of my new recordings, then I’ll put them into my DAW, and I’ll slowly build a song out of them. I have a lot of faith that something unique will always come out of it.
Siber: Collaging. Is that how you view fashion as well?
Ula: I’ve curated quite the closet for myself, so I can kind of grab anything and it’ll look nice. If I spend more than two minutes on it, just a little more thought, I know it’s going to be a fit. More than five minutes and I’ve added a belt or cinched something or added a little scarf — you know, elevation. I don’t buy any clothes. Like, it’s been seven years. Anytime I see one of my mom’s friends, or my neighbors, or random old people, or my own friends, I’ll just ask them for clothes they don’t want.
Siber: You’re out-thrifting the thrift stores.
Ula: I’m telling you! A lot of elder people will happily just hand over an entire box of stuff they don’t want. You say thank you and take that box home. You open the box. You ask yourself: can I make something with this? If not, you give it to someone else. We have too many clothes in this world. A lot of people DM me or comment asking where I got certain pieces and I’m like… in an attic! In an abandoned house. [Laughs] Some of them I make myself. Then there are people who say I’m bad for the earth because I wear a different outfit in each video. I’m glad I can clarify my sustainable practices here.
Siber: The paper of record, Liner Notes.
Ula: I do like our planet. I do!
Siber: Are there any hills you’d die on as a listener?
Ula: Listen to full albums. Stop pressing shuffle. If you’re making a playlist, make it sound good, from start to end! But seriously let’s end the shuffle button. No more. Done.
