What happens when you stop working behind a project name, a pedal chain, or a layer of reverb, and let the music speak more directly? That question runs through my conversation with Alejandra Cárdenas aka Ale Hop. On her latest album, A Body Like A Home, she releases music under her own name for the first time, marking a shift not just in authorship, but in how the work is written, recorded, and left open for interpretation.

Alejandra talks through her path from Lima’s punk and experimental underground to Berlin’s music landscape. We dig into how her guitar language has changed over time — moving away from volume and posture toward texture, vulnerability, and even a return to acoustic sound as a way of colouring electronics. She also reflects on production work and imitation briefs as quiet training grounds, and the difference between craft and intention.

Alejandra discusses her research and editorial work, including writing and publishing on Latin American women in electronic music, and how archives, data, and community can slowly reshape visibility and access. 

We also talk about Berlin itself: rising costs, disappearing small venues, and what that means for artists who need space to experiment, fail, and find a voice.

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Alejandra Cárdenas / Ale Hop on Bandcamp:

https://alehop.bandcamp.com/album/a-body-like-a-home

Alejandra Cárdenas / Ale Hop on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ale_hophop/?hl=en

Huge thanks to Audio-Technica – makers of beautifully engineered audio gear and sponsors of Lost and Sound. Check them out here: Audio-Technica

My book Coming To Berlin is a journey through the city’s creative underground, and is available via Velocity Press.

You can also follow me on Instagram at @paulhanford for behind-the-scenes bits, guest updates, and whatever else is bubbling up.