Following up her mesmerizing LP Fake Synthetic Music, that was released via PAN in October 2018, Norwegian artist Stine Janvin delivers a brand-new EP named ME/WE under her ST/NE moniker on British label Laura Lies In. It presents quite a different angle of Janvin’s œuvre as she leaves behind the approaches that were inherent in Fake Synthetic Music and her output as part of Native Instrument (released via Shelter Press in 2017), as well as the ones from her older projects that hinted at the artist’s education in jazz and improvised music more explicitly. Surprisingly, ME/WE features four experimental tracks that sit somewhere between off-kilter grime and as-weird-as-it-gets-trap.
At the occasion of the release of ME/WE, zweikommasieben’s Remo Bitzi has talked to Janvin about Muhammad Ali, coping with different projects simultaneously, and involving political ideas into a piece of work. Alongside the interview we are premiering “ME/WE,” the EP’s brilliant title track, and raffle tickets for Janvin’s Easterndaze-curated show at Arkaoda Berlin in December 2018.
Remo Bitzi The mix you made for Secret Thirteen some two years ago, is picking up Glenn Ligon’s piece Give us a Poem, which consists of the words “Me” and “We” written in neon. Those two words make up the title of your new EP—ME/WE. Was the mix some sort of preparatory work for the EP? What’s the relationship between the mix and the EP?
Stine Janvin I went to see The Freedom Principle at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and was immediately fascinated with Glenn Ligeon’s piece. This also triggered my interest in Muhammad Ali, so I started researching about him and collecting sound samples of his voice. Shortly after I made a track with that material (which now ended up being the title track of this EP), I was asked to make the mix—so, I guess I was just really into the thematic and legend of Ali and this great poem. He passed away just before I finished the song.
RB Those two words (“Me” and “We”) raise questions regarding the individual and the collective. Why do you keep coming back to those questions in your work?
SJ I think it’s an interesting contrast and relationship, you can’t have one without the other. Furthermore, I think it’s what we are all constantly working on in our lives—finding the balance between being ourselves and being with others.
RB You’ve been referring to Muhammad Ali at multiple occasions. A vocal sample saying his name is a prominent motif in the title track of this EP. What makes him so interesting to you?
SJ I admire the way he used his position to raise consciousness about racism, being very outspoken and articulate in situations where he was often the only person of color in the room. At the same time he had a very big ego, showing no shame referring to himself as “the greatest of all times.” I often find myself agreeing and disagreeing with him at the same time—and I think that’s fascinating. I like the confusion.
RB Are you into boxing?
SJ No, not at all.
RB The mix for Secret Thirteen is, as you put it, “considering issues of race, violence and double-standards.” Thus, it’s a political piece of work, I reckon. I would say the same thing about ME/WE. Fake Synthetic Music, however, seems to me like the opposite—it deals with very technical or mechanical questions and seems even scientific to a certain point. How do the two projects come together?
SJ Yeah, I do keep them separate, which is why I release ME/WE under the alias ST/NE. But even though Fake Synthetic Music isn’t so much about politics, there is a bit of attitude in there, too. The “Fake Synthetic” concept is about making something sound like something it isn’t, by using very simple tools. In combination with smoke and mirrors, it can—during a performance—sound like a multichannel, electronic production, although it’s really just a mono signal through a vocal mic.
RB You’re working on various projects with quite different results. How strict are you separating your time (and headspace) when being in the studio / working on material?
SJ I try to work on one project at a time—though not always successfully—, and it can be quite confusing and stressful at times. I need to work on that.
RB Your recent output is quite diverse, but shares, in my eyes, a notion of liquidity. Fake Synthetic Music makes my ears (and/or brain) melt, Native Instrument’s overall aesthetic seems somehow moist, and ME/WE bears this idea of having various sounds and ideas flowing in and out of the picture. Would you agree?
SJ Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Maybe it’s got to do with improvisation? I don’t know, but there is an element of performative freedom in most things I do: the structures and concepts are there, but the delivery may vary on each performance (and also while recording).
ST/NE’s ME/WE is out on November 23rd, 2018 via Laura Lies In. Get the 12″ here.
If you want to see Stine perform live you can catch her at London’s Cafe Oto on November 30, 2018, where she will play next to Rkss and Joe Beedles, or the day after (December 1st, 2018) at the occasion of an Easterndaze-curated evening at Arkaoda Berlin. For the latter you can win 2×2 tickets—just fill in the form below.
