Alina Valentina has never been interested in musical boundaries. Based in The Hague, the producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist has built a sound that draws from acid, electro, synth wave, EBM, and industrial influences while remaining distinctly her own.
Photo credit: Alina Valentina – Official
Across a growing catalogue of solo releases, collaborations, and production work, she has developed a reputation for crafting music that is both fiercely individual and built for the dancefloor.
Her latest project, ‘NPC Dream’, arrives via Schrödinger’s Box as an eight-track exploration of shifting tempos, dystopian atmospheres, vocoder-laden narratives, and relentless machine funk. Built from sketches developed over several years, the album reflects both her fascination with video game culture and deeper existential questions inspired by Albert Camus’ ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’.
In this conversation, Alina discusses her musical upbringing, the road from synthwave to electro, the making of ‘NPC Dream’, collaborating with Filmmaker, and why live performance continues to matter in an increasingly digital world.
EG: Hi Alina, welcome to EG. Great to have you here. How have you been, and where are you speaking to us from today?
Alina Valentina: Hi, thank you! I am doing great, currently speaking from my home in The Hague, The Netherlands. I have recently been traveling and playing live a lot with Invunche (a black metal band I play keys in). We are on a well-deserved summer break now, so I’m excited to focus on my own work during this period.
EG: Congratulations on ‘NPC Dream’. The record feels raw, confrontational,
and completely uninterested in fitting neatly into one genre. What was the
mindset behind this project?
Alina Valentina: Thank you! A few years ago, I couldn’t find the time or energy to make music anymore. As an exercise, I forced myself to work in the studio at least 30 minutes a day. This could be just creating a sound on a synthesizer, figuring out a new plugin, or programming a beat. What started as just 30 minutes a day soon turned into full days in the studio, eventually resulting in a few demos.
In 2024, I got in touch with Ian Hall from Schrödingers Box, who really liked the demos. When we decided to release a full album, I started working around those demos. Although you can probably hear the retro video game influence in my previous works, for ‘NPC Dream,’ I decided to fully embrace the theme.
After releasing 2 synthwave albums, I started DJ-ing a bit here and there, and I was sad my own work didn’t really fit in my DJ sets. This inspired me to produce more tracks for the dancefloor.
EG: Your music tends to move through acid, electro, EBM, synth wave, and techno almost without warning, yet it still feels coherent and personal. Have genre boundaries ever made sense to you creatively? How do you feel about them?
Alina Valentina: I’m not able to make music that fits in one box. It would make it easier to ‘sell,’ of course, but I wasn’t really made for easy. Most of the bands and artists I like to listen to don’t stick to one thing, and that’s usually what I appreciate about them.
EG: There’s a strong sense of tension and instability running through the EP, almost like the tracks are constantly mutating in real time. Were you
intentionally trying to create that feeling of unpredictability?
Alina Valentina: I get bored easily and want to move on to new sounds or elements; otherwise, I lose focus. When I’m dancing in a club, I like to hear surprises in the music and to be thrown off. It excites me to not understand anything.
EG: Tracks like ‘Mine Cart Madness’ and ‘Come Get Some’ feel physically
aggressive, but there’s also something playful and surreal underneath the
chaos. How do you balance intensity with that more “nuanced” side of your
work?
Alina Valentina: I have always been drawn to the balance of the dark and mysterious with quirkiness and clichés. In movies, art, and music. So I guess this comes naturally.
“When I’m working in my studio, I feel completely isolated from the outside world, and that’s what makes it so pleasant”
EG: Vocoders, distorted textures, acid lines, chiptune fragments…your sound palette feels deeply connected to machines, gaming aesthetics, and futuristic imagery. What originally pulled you toward that sonic space?
Alina Valentina: Post-apocalyptic worlds have always been my favorite genre in books, games, and films. Combine this interest with a sweet collection of analogue synths, and you’re there!
EG: Growing up and working out of The Hague, did the city’s electronic music legacy influence your approach at all, or have you always felt more like an outsider to existing scenes?
Alina Valentina: Approach maybe not, but Bunker, Crème Organization, or Unit Moebius have always been inspirational to me. I always felt like an outsider, but that doesn’t necessarily have to do with scenes. I don’t feel part of any scene, but I don’t feel left out of any of them either.
EG: The record has this restless energy, like it refuses to stay comfortable for too long. Does discomfort play an important role in your creative process?
Alina Valentina: Who is ever really comfortable? I’m a pretty restless and energetic person myself, always uncomfortable and ready for the next chaos. In my creative process, it’s not that different. When I’m working in my studio and many things don’t belong on my desk and are in my way, I will keep them there until I cannot take them anymore. I will not eat until I really, really need to, or I might not pee until I’m exploding. My cat loves to walk over my synths during recordings. So yeah, discomfort has quite literally a role in the process for sure.
EG: A lot of dance music today feels optimized and polished for algorithms or trends. Your work feels almost defiantly personal by comparison. Is resisting that pressure something you consciously think about?
Alina Valentina: I’m not intentionally trying to defy anything. When I’m working in my studio, I feel completely isolated from the outside world, and that’s what makes it so pleasant.
“I don’t feel part of any scene, but I don’t feel left out of any of them either”
EG: In your eyes, what would be the perfect setting to experience ‘NPC
Dream’ for the first time?
Alina Valentina: Listening experiences are very personal. I would like people to choose their own favorite listening setting to listen to ‘NPC Dream.’ Whether this is in the car, the gym, on a 20K hi-fi set, or on a mediocre Bluetooth speaker in the park, do whatever you prefer. I would be happy if people listen to the album from beginning to end. My own perfect setting would be on my headphones in the hammock on my balcony
with a beer and a ciggie.
EG: Looking ahead, where do you see this sonic world evolving next? Are
there territories you still feel compelled to explore?
Alina Valentina: I don’t really stick with one genre, so who knows what’s next. Yesterday I reinstalled my computer and decided to start again from zero. There are quite a few demos on my backup that could fit into an NPC Dream 2.0, but I don’t think I will touch my backup projects for a while, and maybe never will. Lately, I’ve been exploring dungeonsynth, practicing more guitar, and doing sound design for a fun DIY gameshow.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Alina. We wish you all the best with
‘NPC Dream’ and everything ahead. Take care!
Alina Valentina: So long, and thanks for all the fish!
Alina Valentina’s ‘NPC Dream’ is set for release on June 19th, 2026, via Schrödinger’s Box. Pre-save your copy here.
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