Phantom’s Elsie Martins is back with the new solo project Atom Eye. Drawing influences from drone and sound art, she has taken the cinematic undertones of Phantom and honed them into something dark and rich. The result is Atom Eye’s Trilogy 120 EP, released in three instalments.

We caught up with Elsie to find out more.

Stop or confirm (or start) a rumour about yourself...
Phantom is not on hiatus, the queen is dead, long live the queen.

So, when did you first realise you had musical talent?
I started playing music late in my life - it took me by surprise when I decided to learn the guitar and realised I had a real drive and passion for music.

Who were your musical influences as a kid?
My dad used to buy a 45 every couple of weeks when I was a child - if I had a star stamp in my school book - so I made long lists of artists that I liked for him to surprise me with. I'm a child of the 80s, so my first introduction to music was New Wave groups. On my list was everything from Toni Basil's 'Mickey' to Cyndi Lauper - I loved her, I dressed up as her for Halloween and I wanted to spray paint my hair orange! This was followed in my early teens by Japan, Flock of Seagulls, Visage, Soft Cell, Frankie Goes to Hollywood - I was obviously a fag hag in the making.

"Japan, Flock of Seagulls, Visage, Soft Cell, Frankie Goes to Hollywood - I was obviously a fag hag in the making."

Your Trilogy 120 EP is being released in three individual parts with their own artwork and sound - what is it that ties the parts together as a whole?
All three parts explore a similar theme. As a starting point, I wanted to carry on working with field recordings - I could never get bored of capturing sounds around me and giving them a new lease of life.

I really enjoy playing with raw recordings and giving them new textures. With that in mind, I became fascinated with the process and ended up wanting to experience a more "manual" approach -  hence the use of reel to reel to manipulate the recordings. This new method of working ties the three parts together. It's a new creative process and one that has heavily influenced the sound of the three parts.

The first instalment is out now - what can listeners expect?
Luscious dark drones, synths, layers and layers of guitars, and a lot of feedback!

Can you tell us a bit about the other two?
Part II will have some field recordings of the noises that live outside my flat. I got fed up of trying to mute them out, so I embraced the constant London static, recorded it and made it sound like it should be in a film. Part III focuses more on guitars, layers of them, played with every object I could get my hands on, including make up brushes.

You were previously part of Phantom - was going solo something you had always wanted to do?
Yes, absolutely. It took me some time to realise it but now that I'm finally doing it I wonder why it took me so long. My experience writing in Phantom was a solitary one, but not one without compromise, so I created Atom Eye because I wanted  the opportunity to completely indulge.

This is ultimately the biggest difference, and with that Atom Eye offers a lot more possibilities for me to develop and feel fulfilled creatively.

"The biggest difference between people who achieve success and those who don't is not necessarily that one had more opportunities than the other, but it lies in how we handle disappointments and failures."

So, do you ever hit the gay clubs on a night out?
Of course! I used the frequent gay clubs a lot in my home town of Montreal, DJing in several different ones. I had a radio show called Jet Girl and my sets extended to gay clubs -  those are great memories.

I don't go out much these days, as I spend most of my time writing. I love to record random sounds from the city and beyond, tweak them, re-texturise them and finally compose a piece of music around them. I spend far too much time playing my guitar and exploring new ways of creating ambient sounds from just about anything I can find!

Finish the sentence: A good night out starts with...  
A gin and tonic.

It ends with... 
A feline cuddle.

What makes you happy?
Writing and recording music.

What makes you angry?
When I find out that people I trust have betrayed me.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Someone once said to me that the biggest difference between people who achieve success and those who don't is not necessarily that one had more opportunities than the other, but it lies in how we handle disappointments and failures. Don't focus on what you didn't get but focus on what is next.

When the phone rings, who do you hope is calling?
David Lynch - to ask me to score his next film.

Anything to add? 
Atom Eye's first offering, Part I of the Trilogy 120 EP, features a guest appearance from percussionist Pete Lockett (Björk, David Holmes, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Lee Scratch Perry, Primal Scream) and is available as a free download on my website - www.atomeyemusic.com.

I'm currently talking to film makers and visual artists to set up collaborations so keep your ears and eyes peeled for Atom Eye sounds creeping up on  the big screen in the not too distant future.

Part I of the Trilogy 120 EP is out now on La Nausee Records. Part II and III will be released on 12 March and 30 April respectively. They will be available as free download sngles from www.atomeyemusic.com.