Victoria Shen—aka Evicshen—made a stunning debut at Big Ears 2025 as part of the Pioneers of New Turntablism set, a visceral exploration of sound sculpture, noise, and invention. Shen is a San Francisco–based sound artist, experimental music performer, and instrument-maker whose performances blur the lines between chaos and control, body and machine. Using self-built electronics, modular synths, and even stylus-tipped acrylic nails (“Needle Nails”), she reimagines what it means to play and to listen.
The latest episode of the Essential Tremors podcast, recorded live at Big Ears, offers a glimpse into Shen’s artistic mind and the formative tracks that shaped her: from the dream pop of Faye Wong to the raw energy of Jimi Hendrix and Lightning Bolt. It’s a wild and thoughtful conversation that mirrors Shen’s boundary-pushing practice.
Essential Tremors returns to Big Ears each year to host intimate talks with festival artists about the music that made them—revealing unexpected threads between sound, memory, and creativity.
The episode dropped Friday—listen now!
