With the EP Only Stars Come Out At Night, Danish producer and Posh-Isolation co-founder Christian Stadsgaard presents further insights into his melancholic solo-project Vanity Productions.
While Stadsgaard’s other projects Damien Dubrovnik and The Empire Line are more noise-y respectively rave-y, Vanity Productions reserves space for his personal aspirations. Only Stars Come Out At Night is presented as a reflection on life in the city. There are three videos that encompass the release as its soundtrack. We’re happy to premier the video for the EP’s third track, “Only Stars Come Out At Night,” directed by Anastasia Sif Karkazis. Furthermore, Judith Blum asked Stadsgaard some questions about his most recent release.
Enjoy the video and don’t forget to scroll down for the Q&A:
Judith Blum Your mixes on NTS contain orchestra music such as Samuel Barbers “Adagio For Strings.” It seems to me that your EP Only The Stars Come Out At Night has an orchestral feel too, so to speak. What influence does classical music has on Vanity Productions?
Christian Stadsgaard I have always listened to a lot of orchestra music, but I did not indent to have this kind of music representing in my own music, nor did I intend to make an “orchestral piece.” It just came out that way. To be honest, since I started using the computer more active as a compositional tool it is very late in the making of a track that I actually know what form the track will have in the end. So now, more than ever, I sit down and start to record sounds without having a plan, and the sounds more or less determine the result. But to answer your question; surely classical orchestra has had an influence on me, both in klang and structure, but I did not realize this till the EP was finished.
JB What does having a solo project mean to you compared to be involved in collaborative projects? Are there certain aspects you can not explore outside of your solo work?
CS My other projects—Damien Dubrovnik and The Empire Line—are surely more expressive in character. When you work with other people you have a dynamic together that is being represented in the music. Working alone is a totally different thing. It is often lonely and frustrating, but also something I feel like I need to do in order to function in my everyday life. It is a good way to deal with emotions. In general, I have a very minimalistic approach to life, and that approach is being represented in the music. In that sense, I think Vanity Productions is more introvert and minimalistic than my other projects.
JB The video material for your songs doesn’t come as a surprise to me—it contains exactly the kind of imagery I would imagine when listening to your music. How did the videos come about? Did you have a say in the content or is it the sole interpretation of director Anastasia Sif Karkazis?
CS I wanted to explore the format of music with this release. To put it on vinyl or tape or some other audio format seemed not enough. I felt like presenting the material in an A/V context was much more interesting, and much more suitable for the music. I have worked with Anastasia before on other projects and knew we shared an aesthetic interest in locations. So we talked about some overall guidelines and then I let her do her thing. Then we did a little editing together in the end. But I think you are right, she did capture the vibe very well in the videos. Essentially the videos look a lot like my Instagram feed, which obviously captures my aesthetics.
Vanity Productions‘s EP Only The Stars Come Out At Night is out on Posh Isolation. An interview with Staadsgaard’s label partner Loke Rahbek aka Croatian Amor will be published in the upcoming print issue of zweikommasieben.
Vanity Productions will play Port Out, Starboard Home—the 10 year anniversary festivities of Posh Isolation. From May 23 till May 25, 2019, Port Out, Starboard Home will take place in Copenhagen. During its three days live shows, performances, and parties take place in multiple locations around the city. Vanity Productions will play along Kamil Dossar as part of a daytime event featuring yoga and live music within the centerpiece at Overgarden – Institute of Contemporary Art on Saturday May 25.
Check Port Out, Starboard Home for details!
