www.artnois.com
No.12 OCT / NOV 2014
Joshua miels nefew Gregory Pelirazzi q Violin Anders Daniel Venekurt Marian Hill Yulia Altas Typohole
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Artnois welcomes submissions from visual and musical artists from anywhere in the world. For more detailed information on submissions and guidelines please visit artnois.com/submission.
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A note from the Team
2015 is near! It is safe to say that between the hustle and bustle of holiday events, travel opportunities and random busy-work, most of us forget to take time to sit back, take a deep breath and enjoy our surroundings! For this reason we share artists whom reorient us to reality, they help us focus on what life is all about with their one of a kind art, meaningful lyrics/line/bars, goosebump-inducing beats, or thought provoking images. We try our best to bring you artists and musicians who advocate for their communities and strive to create meaningful projects. So go on, explore! All you’ve got to do is click, hover, and zoom; it doesn’t get any easier than that. And while you’re taking some time to enjoy your read and explore some new artists, take time to meditate this day and every other day because time is all we have. As always, thank you for supporting us and feel free to share this and past issues with your friends an family.
Artnois Team Magda Becerra Artnois Co-Founder, loves anything creative, manages art and graphic design. magda@artnois.com Jesenia Meraz Artnois Co-Founder, brings music to your ears. Always looking for new music and artists to share with the world. jessy@artnois.com Elizabeth Benitez Journalist/Assistant Editor Enthusiasm exists! Carlos Rubio Journalist/ Photographer Tells it like it is. carlos@artnois.com
-Artnois Team
Visit us at Artnois.com Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us! If you have any ideas on how we can improve Artnois please contact us, we’d love to hear your feedback. Also, feel free to send us samples of your work (or if you want to send us token of appreciation we don’t mind that either.) magazine@artnois.com
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contents
Issue 13 december / january 2014
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12
18
An artist from South Australia. Check out those colors though!
American-Swiss rap duo Padouble & Polemikk.
His paintings & drawings are representations of emotions.
Joshua Miels
NEFEW
Grogory Pelirazzi
18
22
26
Brings you a merge of Brazillian, Mexican & American tunes.
Writer and singer currently residing in London.
Meet his illustrated character, Friendly Fish.
Q-Violin
ﾃ］ders
Daniel Venekurt
30
34
36
An electronic/R&B group from Brooklyn, NY.
She paints nature with her own philosophy.
Illustrator & designer from Poland.
Marian Hill
Yulia Altas
Typohole
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Miels
Joshua
Drowned in our individual worries, one never knows what an individual is undergoing in life. Positive or negative all emotions are held behind a shell which we may never truthfully come to recognize. That’s what is so neat about Joshua’s oils. With just enough detail, not only do these paintings make for a great portrait, but the colors and stroke directions guide you on a wild trip within the characters emotional roller coaster.
Dark Days Oil on linen
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Fletch Lives Oil on linen
Deprivation Oil on linen
Fractured Oil on linen
Selfie Oil on linen
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Brothers in Arms Oil on linen
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Silenced Oil on linen
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joshuamiels.com Silent Anger Oil on linen
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The Butcher Oil on linen
The Perfectionist Oil on linen
Done Dirth Cheap Oil on linen
Power and Greed Oil on linen
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Interview with
NEFEW by Jesenia Meraz
American-swiss Rap-Duo NEFEW consists of pa-double and polemikk. they just recently released their sophomore album entitled “RISE OF THE ANTIHERO” (Rotah) in november. the album is much like listening to a story with simple dialogues on tough but common day-to-day struggles. dedicated to “People who go through life, knowing that something just isn’t right but they don’t have the courage to change it”; it’s raw, clean and real! It seems amazing to think that you two have remained connected as friends since Kindergarten. What is your secret? PA-Double: Well, we had similar interests ever since we were little and a passion for 12 ARTNOIS No 12, OCT 2014
skateboarding, basketball and break dancing. Then we discovered music and it kind of held us together to this day. I remember performing for the first time at a graduation party. We couldn’t have been older than 15, after that show we just knew that music was always going to
be a huge part of both of our lives. I guess we just shared the same passion and goals, which was ultimately the glue in our friendship. By now you know one another fairly well; do you feel that it gives you a form of advantage?
PA-Double: Absolutely. Knowing each other so well just makes it a lot easier to work together, especially when you know how the other person thinks. Also, we both have a clear vision of our products and how they’re supposed to sound, this helps a lot when working on music. It’s a
mutual understanding that doesn’t always need to be expressed. How early on did you two jump onto skateboarding, break-dancing and graffiti? PA-Double: We started break-dancing and graffiti writing in middle school with a bunch of older friends who were heavy into hip-hop. Around the time we started making music we were also into other elements of hiphop. I’m guessing around 13 or 14. Polemikk: You have to understand that competition was huge back then. If you said you were into hip-hop, and people could tell you were into hip-hop because of the way you dressed you had to prove it. Older cats wouldn’t allow you to walk around with a hiphop attire without actively representing hip-hop. So we had no other choice. We got beaten up countless times in the beginning, people would take our shoes and jackets; man, it was rough around that time (laughs). But at the same time it made us appreciate the values of hip-hop even more and I’m glad that we got to know all elements of the culture. Do you still remember your first piece of graffiti art? PA-Double: Our first paid job was at a trade fair. I think it also must have been our first official graffiti. An IT company was looking for artists to paint their booth. My uncle got us the job because he knew the head of the company. After that job our egos were at an all-time high which lead to a couple of illegal writings but it all came to an end when we had the police standing at our doorsteps one Saturday morning. It was a mess man, we spent
a whole day in custody and they would ask us a bunch a questions. Turns out one of our close friends back then told the police about us and so our parents had to pay to get some of our writings removed, and that was the end of our graffiti-career (laughs). I mean, we’re still heavy into graphic design, to this day we handle a great deal of our artwork, we just stopped writing pieces on trains (laughs). In your opinion, how does skateboarding, breakdancing and graffiti interrelate with hip-hop music? Polemikk: I mean, we both loved listening to rap music while skateboarding, and most of our peers listened to rap music too. Plus, they used rap music for a great deal of the skateboard videos that came out in the 90s, even to this day hip-hop and skateboarding seem to be inseparable. Just look at Odd Future, or Pharrell for that matter, isn’t his nickname Skateboard P (laughs)? Skateboarding, as well as break-dancing and graffiti offer ways to gain freedom, it’s like riding a motorbike. That’s why I feel these forms of expression are very close to each other. How would you describe the hip-hop scene in Switzerland? PA-Double: As most of Europe’s Hip-Hop culture we still celebrate all elements of Hip-Hop, from break dancing to writing, it’s a very active and versatile scene. There are still many b-boys and old school fans. But new modern hip-hop also has its crowd. This is part of the reason why most of these American hip-hop legends come out here to perform. They still have fans here. But it can
also be a curse sometimes, especially when it comes to discovering new artists, the Swiss often get stuck in the past, which is not really pushing the culture forward. Your music portrays a very down-to-earth and growthdriven way of thinking. Was this way of thinking always so? Polemikk: Yeah, I think it has a lot to do with how we’ve been brought up as kids. Our parents have always encouraged us to be the best version of ourselves and to always stay humble.
huge impact on my writing. I was super young back then and I couldn’t quite get the whole black panther theme but I knew that he had messages in his songs. Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions were other artists that inspired me. I think this is why today I’m very appreciative of subject matter when I writet. I mean, you have a chance to speak to the masses so why not say something useful, you know? PA-Double: Yeah, from a production standpoint we both get inspired (by) all
we’re addicted to comforts and we’re all scared of doing what we really want to do because society expects you to ‘live a normal life.’ They always pushed us to try different things, to be creative and to excel at whatever we do. It might sound very corny but we do believe that one can achieve whatever he or she sets out to do. It’s merely a decision that one must take and a willingness to live with the consequences. This attitude will always be audible in our music. We want to inspire people and make them understand that it’s ok to be yourself, it’s ok to do what you feel is right whatever your surroundings might say. What drove you to write and create the style of music we hear from you today? Polemikk: I used to listen to a lot of conscious rap music growing up. The first artist I’ve grown to love was Paris, his album “The Devil Made Me Do It” had a
kinds of music, not only hip-hop. This is why I think our productions vary a lot in regards to sonic landscapes. We always try to merge a variety of style(s) when we make music, of course it’s always going to be hip-hop, I don’t see us tapping into an other genre one day but that doesn’t mean that we won’t take little parts here and there and merge it with our style. We also try to make sure that the music itself is telling a story or evoking some kind of emotion when you listen to it. We’re both huge fans of movie themes and soundtracks and that’s exactly how we approach production. The music needs to tell a story even without the lyrics on top. What is one misconception of hip-hop that you wish was eliminated?
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Polemikk: Oh man there are so many (laughs). Ok I’d have to go with this one: I mean don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a little ass in a video, or a little drug reference, but this has all gotten a little bit out of control. I have people coming up to us, especially older folks who think hiphop is about naked women and jewelry when it’s clearly not. But I guess this is the industry’s desperate attempt to gain attention, instead of trying to be more creative and innovative…just feel hiphop is being limited to butts and violence man, and it’s sad. I feel hip-hop has a very bad rep right now. But I’m glad that this is the case for mainstream music only, the underground is booming man, so much great music! I think it’s a very exciting time we’re living in, especially from an artist’s perspective. According to multiple sites “The album’s main theme is conquering fear, doubt and the limitations put on us by others, a musical crusade against society’s affection with normality and obedience...” how did you decide on this theme for the album? Polemikk: The theme has been around for a couple of years now. The structures that we grew up in want us to get an education, get a job and raise a family. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I feel we’re addicted to comforts and we’re all scared of doing what we really want to do because society expects you to “live a normal life”. You hear all theses stories about people not being happy with their jobs but they put up with it because they have to. So why wake up in the morning and do something that you hate? I don’t understand that. There are so many super talented individuals out there who are trapped in these comfort zones. People who have dreams but won’t go 14 ARTNOIS No 12, OCT 2014
through with it because their environment tells them it’s wrong to pursue them. This album is dedicated to them: People who go through life knowing that something just isn’t right but they don’t have the courage to change it. And as far as I know, we all go through that and we were both the same way until we decided to go the opposite direction. Rise of the Antihero is definitely a breath of fresh air! The conversations between tracks convey emotions, perceptions, and insecure thoughts of everyday life. How long did it take you to develop these transitional dialogues between tracks? Polemikk: Actually our manager Sara came up with the idea. It was very important to us that listeners were able to make out the golden thread of the album and get the underlying theme. I’m not sure if you had a chance to listen to the prequel
N
“Antihero Begins”, but we used that same technique back in 2011. We had the dialogue written pretty fast, a lot of it is inspired by the movie “Fight Club”, which I think carries a very similar message. It probably took us 3 weeks to write the dialogue and approximately 2 hours to record the whole thing. You have quite a few collaborations, BJ the Chicago Kid, Jared Evans, STS Gold, Jason Caeser, and John Turrell just to name a few. Was there anyone on the album you were looking forward to working with? PA-Double: To be honest with you, I think we managed to pick the right features for this album, we’re very careful when it comes to selecting features as every guest has to make sense and fit the song. But, I know that Polemikk would’ve loved to get Pusha-T on a song because he’s such a huge fan of his. But we need to be realistic, we financed the whole project ourselves, including the release, we just couldn’t afford additional expenses. There’s tons of artists we’d like to work with because we deeply admire them but at the same time I feel we’re not there yet, but we will, one day I’m sure (laughs). NEFEW is an acronym for New Education From Every Word; tell us a bit on how you came up with this name and what it represents to you as devoted MCs? Polemikk: As I mentioned earlier, it was always very important to as to have a message in our songs, and we have this incredible old school appreciation for acronyms. One day I was just writing down sentences and I came up with a couple of lines: New Enlightenment
From Every Word, New Energy From Every Word etc…It was mere chance really, I liked the sound of Nefew, it’s simple and catchy. Plus Snoop uses it all the time, I wonder if we could get some sort of payment from him (laughs). Ha! That’s funny. In 2008 you released a debut studio album called Antihero Begins, did it get the kind of reviews you expected? PA-Double: Correct…And yes, we received very much praise and great reviews especially from some of the biggest blogs in the US. We knew that we had a good product, but didn’t quite expect such a huge impact. This album really put us on the map as an uprising hiphop artist and it got us the collaboration with DJ Green Lantern. It was divided into 5 chapters and is a story of your personal journey as a hip-hop duo; how does this album differ to Rise of the Antihero? In essence, Antihero Begins was a story about a guy quitting his job to pursue a career in music. Rise Of The Antihero describes a psychological change that we both went through in the past two years. In order to take actions you need to have the appropriate mindset and achieving that mindset is the hardest part. You really have to know that this is what you want and that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to obtain happiness in life. In a nutshell, the album is about taking a decision and running with it no matter what the outcome may be. It took you a while to release ROTAH, how did you finally decide to release the album?
In the past few years, all our albums, EPs and mix tapes were only release in the digital domain, either for free or via iTunes. We always wanted “Rise Of The Antihero” to be a physical release because we just felt that it deserved to be available as a CD. We paid a lot of attention to details, not just the music but also the artwork and I’m sure fans will appreciate it when they hold it in their hands. Once we got European distribution covered it was no brainer really. So what’s it like living in Gotham City (haha)? Polemikk: Well, crime is at an all time high so I guess we’ll stay busy for a little while (laughs). On your Facebook it was quoted that you “hope people get inspiration from (your) music and maybe take new ideas on every day life and how they can improve it.” What is something you struggle with on a day to day basis? Polemikk: Comforts man, comforts are the one true killers of dreams. You can’t imagine how hard it is to escape these comfort zones (laughs). We have to constantly remind ourselves why we’re doing this whole thing. What inspires you to continue making the thought-evoking music you create? Polemikk: Life man, all the people that we meet sharing their stories with us. It just shows that we all have the same dreams, same hopes and aspirations, one common denominator that connects us all, I think that’s a beautiful thought. And of course, love, we love what we do so why stop doing it (laughs).
If you could go on tour with any musician/ producer, living or dead, who would it be? PA-Double: Jay-Z. I followed his career from day one and admire what he has achieved, plus I’m a huge Jay-Z fan. I think he has a great team behind him. I would love to see how they operate from a behind the scenes perspective. Polemikk: Kanye. I just admire this guy’s passion for art and music plus I’m pretty sure he’s a super cool cat to be hanging out with and very inspiring. He might come across a little crazy sometimes but I’m sure he means well you know? And, I’d love to use his stage designer (laughs). Any Messages for our readers? Polemikk: We just wanted to thank everybody for rocking with us and welcome all the new fans that you (Artnois) have helped us gain with this interview. I hope you all get inspired by the music. You can find out more about us here www.nefewmusic. com and on facebook of course: www.facebook.com/ nefewofficial.
Listen Here
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Oils by
Gregory
Pelirazzi
If only the lonesome feeling we occasionally have was as captivating as Gregorys’ oils. Expressing the hectic lifestyles of todays world, his unique style brings an overwhelming sense of emotions while keeping the eyes engaged with curiosity.
Meteor
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G The Great Escape
Norwegian Wood
Cluster
gregorypelizzari.com
Seed Planet
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My goals in music are to motivate, elevate and inspire!
Interview with
Q-Violin by Jesenia Meraz
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Photo taken from qviolin.com by Anthony ‘Thosh’ Collins
Guetzal Guerrero, also known as Q-Violin is a multi-talented musician from Meza, AZ now residing in Los Angeles, CA. What dream or wish from your childhood do you still attain? I am always striving to maintain the innocence, curiosity and creativity of my childhood. I don’t necessarily have a specific dream orwish or vision that I attain these days. Just a constant reminder that life is sacred and must always be treated as such. Where are you from originally? I grew up in a town called Mesa just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. But aside from there my family and I traveled and lived in many different places like Japan, Indonesia and Brazil just to name a few. What did you enjoy most about growing up in Mesa, AZ? I was lucky enough to be raised in a middle class neighborhood without the threat of being robbed, beaten or discriminated against. What I love the most about Mesa, AZ is connecting with the spirit of the desert and learning about its people’s and civilizations of its past. Arizona is a beautiful place! How did knowing your great-greatgrandfather was one of the founders of Mesa impact your life? It gave me a sense of purpose and responsibility to achieve great things and not let anything get in the way of my wants and desires. I found that your mother was a trained pianist from Northeastern Brazil and your father a chicano artist/muralist from Arizona. How did your parents meet? My parents met in a little village in central Mexico called Tepoztlan. My father was studying art in Cuernavaca and my mother worked at an orphanage of a mutual friend where my father
What was their impact on your career as a musician?
Suzuki Method, in Matsumoto, Japan, and the Conservatori and at Pernambucano de Musica in Recife, Brazil.
Both of my parents are artists and musicians so they’re really the main reason why I am who I am. They made it a point to start me off as soon as I could speak and really nurtured and surrounded with as much art and music as possible.
Studying in Japan at the very early age of 5 left an indelible impression on me. I got a head start compared to many other kids my age. Studying in Brazil was also an amazing experience because it really helped me grasp the concept of becoming a global citizen.
What was the most important lesson you learned by your parents?
Your blue violin definitely seems like an awesome trademark. What does it mean to you?
frequented.
Work ethic. Hard work, dedication, determination and discipline all fall into the formula of my upbringing and it has been essential in my ability to succeed and thrive as an artist here in Los Angeles. Share with us the earliest memory you have with your violin. Why do you think this memory is so special? I don’t really have a specific memory that I can recall. I do remember going to a lot of group classes with other kids my age. It really helped to give me a sense of not being alone and pushing me to excel. When did you first learn to play violin and tell us about the style which you leaned it, the Suzuki method. The Suzuki method teaches you to learn to play by ear just like when you learn to speak as a baby. This allows children to start at a much earlier age rather than teaching them to read music at the same time as learning the instrument which is how they teach in school. It gave me a lot more adaptability when learning new and different styles of music and really helped to strengthen my instincts and confidence when performing. Tell us of your experience at the International Academy of the
Blue has always been a favorite color of mine. To me it represents the vastness of the ocean and all the life is carries. It also just looks way cooler than your typical wood/brown violin. Through your Facebook I learned that you have some quite impressive collaborations; is there one or a few that stand out to you? Having the opportunity to perform with the great Tito Puente more than once has really been a hallmark for me in my career. There are a lot of things I admire about Tito Puente. He paved the way for Latin music in The United States, he wrote and recorded over 200 albums, and his stage presence was stellar! He has directly influenced and inspired countless performers over several decades and generations, myself included! It seems your father was active with communities, considering he was a muralist and Chicano, do consider yourself an activist? My parents are definitely socio-political activist even to this day! They’ve made it a point to help organize and expand the consciousness of their communities
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I don’t think I will ever be abl a style that fully represents in a positive and constructive way ever since I can remember. I only hope to follow in their foot steps and be able to continue their legacy of supporting, inspiring and pushing forth positive change for the future! What are your ultimate goals with music? My goals in music are to motivate, elevate and inspire! To continue in my journey of growth on all levels spiritual, mental and artistic. I only hope to have that same effect on my listeners.
that fully represents who I am as an artist. Only when I am no longer alive and when I’ve had the chance to record and perform as many of my songs as possible will people be able to get a sense of my art in its entirety. It is evident that learning music at such a young age and being surrounded by such creative individuals, must have helped you develop a strong foundation of musical talent. Did you ever feel pressure to have particular successes in this area?
Are you working on collaborating with anyone at the moment? I am currently collaborating with several different artists and producers. In fact, my goal for 2015 is to really focus my efforts in collaborating with other artists and expanding my musical palet! Dope! Good luck! If you could chat with anyone (living or dead) for 5 minutes, who would it be with? The Aztec Emperor Moctezuma
Q
You incorporate many styles in your music, obviously influenced by your cultural backgrounds (Native American, Mexican, Brazilian, American); did you ever find yourself struggling to develop a style which fully represented you and your style?
Yes but I have the type of personality that thrives under pressure! I love what I do and I want to be able to give my best at all times!
Who are your major influences?
How have your views about music and culture grown through your experiences?
Any messages for the public?
Yes, that has always been a challenge for me but in a motivating way. I don’t think I will ever be able to really capture or create a style
It’s ever changing, ever expanding and always humbling. I still have a long way to go!
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Tito Puente, Carlinhos Brown, Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix.
Be aware of what you feed your ears!
le to really capture or create s who I am as an artist.
Listen Here 21 ARTNOIS No 12, OCT 2014
It all starts with a guitar in hand. To me the heart of the song is what’s most important.
Interview with
Ánders by Elizabeth Benitez
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Ánders is an undoubtedly great writer and singer from london. He recently took a 7 month trip to the island of safinos where he dedicated time to focus on his writing and developing his sound. now he is currently working on his ep and excited about speaking of his experience in its’ production.
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Perth, Australia. Bizarrely. My Mum is Swiss, and my Dad is from Victoria (Australian state), but for some reason they chose Perth to raise a family. My childhood was pretty ideal - I was homeschooled initially on our 3 acre ‘farm’ in the bush, free to explore the hills and more importantly, make as much musical noise as we wanted. My parents allowed us to wholeheartedly explore whatever got us interested, and that for me, was music. Where do you reside now? Kind of a bit all over. Just spent 7 months in Sifnos, in London at the moment, and just about to head to Dubai for a month or so. I’m a nomad. My old man is a pilot so I developed a love of travel from a pretty young age. What is the reason to your 7 month trip to the Greek island of Sifnos?
Who came up with the idea of filming you on the rooftops of one of the highest churches in Sifnos, performing ‘I Wish (You Were Mine)’ ? I love heights, they bring perspective and remind you how small and insignificant you are. So yeah, that was my idea. I spent a lot of time at churches like that in Sifnos. I’m not religious, but there’s a beauty and a peace to them. What was that experience like? How were you able to get bird-eye views of the building? It was cool. I heard about a guy who owned a drone on the island so got in touch. We rode our motorbikes up the mountain at sunset and did it all in one take. On your blog you posted you went motorbike riding with your brother while at Sifnos. Are you two close?
I was living in London and feeling pretty tired and uninspired. Just wanted to get away to somewhere I didn’t have to stress about cash and could just focus on writing and developing my sound. By far the best experience of my life thus far. Lots of great memories and new friends made, and more importantly, some important realisations about myself and music.
My brother is a drummer, and we’ve played music together since we were probably... 10? I’ve got that younger brother vibe going on, but yeah, we’re close.
What was your experience like?
Your “You Didn’t Need My Love” got its first US radio spin recently, congrats! What was your first reaction? Have you taken it all in?
It was challenging. People think I’m confident, and it’s a convincing facade. I’m pretty insecure when it comes to my music, and growing the confidence to write and release art that is personal to you takes guts. I actually went there with a goal of writing a very different bunch of music, and I did, but nothing was connecting. So I had to get to a point where it was like, “Fuck it”. Regardless of what I do, there will be people who like it, people who hate it, and an even larger group of people who never hear it at all, so why not just do what I love? I kept reminding myself of that and began writing music that meant something to me. Anyone with a laptop can make music, but great art comes from representing your soul in it’s purest. People hear authenticity. It’s not just sound.
He’s a pretty talented guy. We both studied audio engineering at SAE but he’s miles better than I, so he actually mixed ‘You Didn’t Need My Love’.
Yeah that was a surprise really. We haven’t sent it to any radio stations so somehow Jason at KCRW in LA got a hold of it and has been giving it a spin. But yeah, appreciative for sure. There’s so much emotion behind that single, your vocals, the guitar solo, and the overall feel, how did you channel it? I’ve been in a few pretty shit situations (as both instigator and recipient) over the last year involving long distance relationships. So really wasn’t too hard. How does it feel to use your music to express your inner thoughts and feelings? Have you ever felt like
holding back, or are you open to letting it all out through your songs? It sounds cliche, but I don’t write or make music because I think it’s a good career, or I like the idea, I write because I have to. Everyone has the need to express themselves, it’s what makes us human, and being a pretty introverted guy, I guess music just hit me when I was real young, and I haven’t really considered anything else since. Some people don’t like to overromanticize creativity - the dark-side of artists or the demons in the corner, if you will - and even if there’s merit to that grounded ‘this is real life son’ mentality, I still choose the romance. I’m a messy and idealist individual, not a normal ‘got my day job, wife, car, kids and that’s how it is’ kind of man. I’ll keep writing and making music everyday until my body says ‘fuck you’ and dies. Jeff Buckley is my hero in that regard, the embodiment of pained and tortured expression. You live once, and I choose to be here solely to create music. I make no apologies for it. A friend calls me the ‘Fridge Magnet Guy’ ‘cause most of my adopted philosophies could easily be fridge magnets. Now the remixes to “You Didn’t Need My Love,” how did those formulate? Were you in the know firsthand? I’m on SoundCloud a lot so I listen to a lot of different producers. Everything from hip-hop to house, but I didn’t think anyone would want to remix my stuff until Kun approached me about doing something for ‘I Wish (You Were Mine)’ and I love his stuff, so I jumped in. Next up was Kuma (seem to like producers with names beginning with ‘K’?) who did an amazing job on YDNML. Because of the immense support for “I Wish (You Were Mine)” you blessed fans with “You Didn’t Need My Love.” That single has hit the ground running, will we be hearing some new sounds soon? Video maybe? Or are you still going to give us time to soak in the song? I’m working hard on an EP at
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the moment. I want that to be a purposefully crafted body of work, so it’s taking some time. But I’d say early 2015 is a good bet. Some videos coming too, yeah. You’ve been a musical individual since you were very young, do you remember when you decided to go full force with your talent and continue to pursue a career with it? I’ve never had a ‘real job’ doing anything else, at least not for long. It’s always been music. I started and ran a music school, which is the closest to a real job that I’ve had, but since my folks sat me down for my first piano lesson at 3 years old, I haven’t really known much else. As a solo artist under the name Ánders though? About a year and a half now. I’ve been involved in quite a few projects and bands prior Ánders, including a 9-piece hiphop group. You write, produce, sing, play guitar, and piano, which is your favorite? Vocals definitely. But I write everything on guitar, so the two are pretty closely linked. I’m working primarily on my production skills at the moment.
creating, the processes I have in place after that are definitely a little more organized. How important is it for you to take a break from your craft and “live life?” Hugely. Although I don’t think it’s a case of taking a break. You need to be continually honing your skills of expression, so that when the time comes and you have this overwhelming emotional energy, you don’t get in your own way, so to speak. But life is unpredictable, you can’t say, ‘Now I will have a break and go into the world and find someone to cause me emotional discomfort so that I can have some material’. You can’t mass-produce or force honest music, and I think that frustrates industry executives, who want nothing more. They seem to think that writing good music is like building a house - just put this brick in here, and some windows in over there. But it’s far from being that simple. And any music that is made in that manner ends up being boring, predictable and has no soul. So yeah, I choose to live pretty erratically but I’m always doing something musical regardless.
Music is a spiritual force; have you ever doubted the power of your music?
A lot of people say that “living life” inspires your craft, would you agree?
There’s no musician alive who doesn’t doubt themselves in some respect. I’m no exception, and I doubt myself more often than not. But at the end of the day that’s neither a good or bad thing. In the same way confidence can be used in a good or bad manner, so can doubt. I’m all for gut instinct though, so I try to roll with that as often as possible.
Yes, and the reason is friction. If you sit in your studio all day everyday there’s no friction to ruffle you up, so your emotions and ideas tend to be pretty middle of the road. Get something running through your veins and suddenly you’ve got something to say.
As a multi-talented artist, what’s your creative process like? Is it chaotic, or organized? How do your songs start to bloom?
Rock climbing, traveling, coffee. Have to find more time for those things though.
It all starts with a guitar in hand. To me the heart of the song is what’s most important. I want to write with meaning and honesty, so the production rarely comes first. I pretty much write the whole song on guitar and vocals, and then figure out how the production will best support the intent of the song. But yes, I’m generally pretty OCD, so whilst I try to remain without judgement or boundaries when I’m 24 ARTNOIS No 12, OCT 2014
Outside of your craft, what else do you enjoy doing?
You are ridiculously talented and so committed to your work, what has it been like balancing your craft and your social life, along with family? Well, I don’t have any family in the UK, which has it’s negatives and positives (mainly negatives). I’m naturally introverted, which I think you have to be as a musician, it’s not as if you have an office to go to. So yeah, I enjoy working on my own, but I do
have to force myself to stop working sometimes and get out. Hailing from the UK, what has been your experience like with your growing fan base? Funnily enough, I don’t know if I have many fans in the UK. Most are dotted around the world; Brazil, Turkey, France, and most of my SoundCloud love comes from the US. But overall, I think the concept of a fan has mellowed out in the last 10 years. I don’t really consider people who have liked my Facebook page as fans, because a Facebook ‘like’ means so little, and you can pay for ‘likes’, so there’s literally no correlation. You develop fans over time, by being consistent. I don’t want to be caught in a hype - the kind where everyone jumps on the bandwagon of one particular song, but can’t remember the artist name in 4 months time. I think hype of any kind can ruin a career. In that respect, whilst social media is great, there’s almost a lack of connection because of an overabundance of availability. I want a genuine connection with fans. That’s why I’m doing these Lounge Room shows, no stages or fancy lighting and nothing to get between me, the music, and the audience. When did you start making music? What, or whom sparked the interest? My folks started me on piano lessons when I was 3, then I think John Mayer’s first acoustic EP got me into playing guitar when I was 11 or so. I wanted nothing more than to be Mayer’s replica growing up. He was also the first to inspire the idea that you can do everything yourself - play, sing, write, produce. It’s becoming rarer these days, which is sad, but artists like Ed Sheeran are keeping me hopeful. What do you wish to accomplish with your music? I’ve put a lot of thought into this, but I can’t come up with an answer. That’s like asking, “What do you wish to accomplish with this relationship?” it’s not about accomplishing anything, just experiencing it. My music is an expression, it’s not intended to put a point across. It’s very Western thinking to assume that everything we do has to have some sort of meaning or purpose
Success is a stupid concept anyway, and can’t be measured yet we assume there’s an end somewhere, and that’s why we chase it like mad men.
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other than just experiencing it, or enjoying it. It’s like we’ve been made to feel guilty for our existence, and have to justify it by consistently performing some sort of ‘useful’ action. I just do what I do, and that way any ‘success’ it has is just a nice surprise, not something immensely important to me. Success is a stupid concept anyway, and can’t be measured yet we assume there’s an end somewhere, and that’s why we chase it like mad men.
Any particular reason as to why you chose to cover Frank Ocean’s “Crack Rock”?
What does your second single, “You Didn’t Need My Love”, represent to you?
It’s amazing how the universe works, your recently shared with your fans that you once applied to Universal for an internship, didn’t get it, and now you’re back using one of their studios in London; are you a firm believer in “everything happens for a reason?” When you really take it in, how many moments have you had where you knew the universe intended for it to be so?
I had to let go of someone in Sifnos. It was painful for both of us, but it was a matter of trying to get back to the point where we both did just fine lived our lives without each other. “You didn’t need my love, so don’t start now.” I’m singing it to her, but to myself as well, because I needed that message just as much as she did. What can we expect next? When will you release a full album? I’m not in a rush. I’m writing everyday, will release the upcoming EP, and when I have a body of work I’m proud of, I’ll put it on an album.
I love Frank. He’s one of my favourite artists right now. I went through a period of 5-6 months where I listened to his album from start to finish constantly. You don’t get many artists like that these days - where people will listen to every second of every song. It’s a masterpiece.”
Absolutely. The concept of the ‘universe’ having a function in life is strange for some people, but only because the idea is foreign - just like if I hear a conversation in Mandarin, I won’t understand it, but that doesn’t mean what they’re saying isn’t true. For me it comes down to the concept of control, we’re all trying to control
things but the harder we squeeze the more we lose our grip. Just let it be, and the ‘universe’ (or whatever you want to call it) will sort itself out. Do you plan to collaborate with anyone in the future?
Definitely, there are a few colabs in the pipeline. I can’t say too much at the moment though. If you could create music with any artist, living or dead, who would it be? There’s a long list, but if I had to chose two, it would D’Angelo and Prince. Hands down. LA loves you as well, when will you be flying out here for some shows? I’d love to be in LA, so hopefully very soon!
Listen Here 25 ARTNOIS No 12, OCT 2014
D Daniel Venekurt The Comfort
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Intellectual Superiority
It’s Time to Kick The Bucket
My Friend The Spider
Night Watch
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Paranoia
Owl Seller
The Beetle Opposite
Winner
Friendlyfish.deviantart.com/gallery
One Legged Wolfy
Russian digital artist Daniel Venekurt’s work was introduced to us by his friend Sofia. Thank you Sofia and thank you Daniel for your wonderful creations. As art curators, we come across a lot of dark and eerie work but usually its a type of art that we can only look at once or twice without feeling negative pulls. Daniel’s work however, is eerie but the lighting in each piece gives us a sense of hope and makes us think about what the characters brighter times might look like. Looking at these digital paintings gives us the feeling of being in a story or of accounts that take place in the average persons life. They appear to be of characters in times we can all relate to. Thankfully, as in reality, the lighting reminds us that there is much learning in our hardships and that in our lonely human condition, there always exists a sense of hope.
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Interview with
Marian hill by Elizabeth benitez An electronic/R&B musical talent from Brooklyn, NY. you deffinitely want to have these guys on your radar!
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You guys just had a show out here in LA at Bootleg HiFi, tell us a little about your experience. How did it go? J+S: We loooved it. Our trip to LA and this show came together so last minute and we weren’t sure what to expect, so it was the best feeling to play for a full house of rowdy fans (and at such a dope venue - we loved the sound there). Hailing from Philadelphia, how was the whole “LA experience?” Anything exciting you guys did? Have you guys been out here? J: My best friend lives in LA so I’ve been a few times over the years, and we actually made a trip out to LA as a band to play some shows back in June. It certainly is a different world from Philly - we always land and need to head DIRECTLY to the beach. And on one of our last nights in town we drove up to the top of Mulholland at like 4am and had quite an excellent night-hike. Beautiful. S: Other than the traffic I love LA- I’ve been there quite a few times- and the view from Mulholland at night never ceases to amaze me. The music scene out here in LA is such a beautiful thing to witness and follow, there’s an enormous amount of support in upcoming and local talent; when you guys first started making music, did you guys have LA as your #1 target city/market? J: To be honest I’m not sure we ever really thought of it that way - being from the east coast, NYC definitely seems like the biggest target market. If you’d asked us back when we started if we wanted to be big in LA though, I’m sure our answer would be “of COURSE!” - it would probably just have seemed like more of a pipe dream back then whereas NYC was a lot closer. There’s always going to be categories, it’s easier for people to just put certain music into a labeled box, how do you both feel about being put in a box in terms of the sound of your music?
don’t get bogged down in the minutiae, and enjoy the ride!
J+S: It’s always a funny thing, especially at the beginning. Early on when people would ask “what kind of music is it?” We’d always just want to be like, here, just LISTEN. But with so much music out there it’s important to categorize yourself so people can find you, and we’ve settled pretty comfortably on the phrase “Electronic/ R&B”. One of your songs, “One Time” actually got remixed by Imaons, and it is featured in a choreography dance by Kevin Maher of the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio! That’s really awesome. Your music seems
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universal in a sense, anybody who takes a listen just grooves to it. Is that your intention when you put out music? To make it universal? J+S: We want to make music that moves people - both literally and figuratively. J: I always joke that if I’m not jamming out when I’m making a beat, then it’s not good enough to be a Marian Hill track (I can groove pretty hard in my studio chair). And the hope is that if I’m bouncing to it, so will you, your little sister, and your grandpa! Question for both: Both of you are writers, as far as your writing process, what is it like? Take us on a trip inside your mind for a few moments. J+S: It’s been important to us from the beginning to write in the same room together. Jeremy will often come in with the earliest beginnings of a beat or loop, and then the two of us will sit together and vibe with it, singing melodies back and forth, and finding something that we love. We also slaaave over our lyrics, which is always funny to us in hindsight because they often receive the least attention once the track is out and people are talking and writing about it. We have a rule where we’ll only move forward with an idea if 32 ARTNOIS No 12, OCT 2014
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both of us love it, and if one of us doesn’t, then that’s it, we move on. For us that’s the key to a great Marian Hill song, finding the ideas where both of our tastes overlap and we’re both head over heels for the song. Do you guys have a favorite of all the songs you’ve put out? If so, which one and why? J: Oh man. I tend to say that my favorite song is always the one we’ve just finished. When you’re working on a song it has to be your favorite song or else how could you put in the endless work it takes to perfect it? So in terms of the songs we’ve put out, that would probably be Got It right now. Mmmm yeah I love got it right now. But there will also always be a special place in my heart for “Breathe Into Me”... that song is my baby. I tried really hard to craft that song into a warm cocoon for the listener. S: I think my favorite thus far is “One Time”- I love the song, and it’s done great things for us. But my favorite song to sing is “Whisky.” “Whisky” was the first song that we wrotethere was no pressure, it was easy, it’s got soul and I love the lyrics. When we hit “Whisky” in the live show, I let go of everything and just sing- it’s like cozying up with an old love. I know your fans are loving the new music you guys
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drop here and there. Are you guys working on a debut EP or LP right now? If yes, what has it been like putting together a solid project? J+S: We released our debut EP last March (Play) and we’ve been writing pretty constantly since then, trying to amass as much material as possible to cull from for our album. The writing process has been exciting and challenging - we’re discovering our sound as we go and we have to remind ourselves to keep pushing forward and trusting our instincts, not being afraid to take risks and try something that might seem a bit crazy. There was a period where we’d written like 4 songs over a few months and ended up trashing them all and then writing some of our best songs in the span of the following month - it can get a bit hectic, but it’s all love and we couldn’t be more excited about the album. As a duo, what is your relationship like? I’m pretty sure sometimes you might butt heads, what have you learned about being a two-man band so far? J: Thankfully we went into this both really trusting each other’s opinions, and I think that’s vital. We’re human so of course we disagree about minutiae from time to time, but at the end of the day both of us love the music we’re making together and know that is what it’s all about. Remembering to have that perspective is key. S: Like any good relationship compromise is key! hahaJeremy and I have been friends since middle school- We respect each other’s opinions and trust each other’s strengths. What is something you admire about each other? J: Sam is just the BEST studio vocalist. The control she has over her instrument is incredible and her pitch is just so damn precise - people are always stunned when I tell them that as a rule I refuse to tune her vocals. I do so little processing on her vocals because she doesn’t need it - and live it’s the same, crystal clear and full of so much character and specificity. S: What you may not know about Jeremy, is that he’s an incredibly talented composer. It’s true he took the computer and turned it into his instrument entirely on his own. Yet he’s also a great pianist, and he’s created some incredible songs that are SO different from Marian Hill. He’s currently working on an electronic music theater piece- He’s versatile, has an extensive knowledge of music, and he’s incredibly smart and well read. He has great instincts, and as a producer is dedicated to crafting not only the best track, but the best song- no matter the genre. When will we see you again in LA? J+S: We don’t have anything booked at the moment but hope to be back very soon! As a duo, what is one of the biggest lesson you have learned this year (2014)?
I always joke that if I'm not jamming out when I'm making a beat, then it's not good enough to be a Marian Hill track J+S: Forward motion: don’t get bogged down in the minutiae, and enjoy the ride! What are your goals for the end of 2014 and your plans for your future success? J+S: The biggest thing on our minds right now is just writing more music and playing more shows and continuing to build Marian Hill! 2015 is going to be a big year. Who are your major influences? J: 40 (Drake’s producer), Drake (we love Drake, we just do), Kanye, James Blake, Cashmere Cat, and also some of the classic songwriters - George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin. S: I’m throwin in my vocalists for this one: Whitney Houston, Nina Simone, Xtina, AlunaGeorge, Mariah, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Adele, Amy Winehouse, - SO many. Any messages for the public? J+S: Thank you so much to everyone who has supported Marian Hill thus far: everyone from the blogs and publications who write about us, to the radio stations, to the fans who crowd the rooms at our shows and tweet lyrics and dance to our music. You have been amazing, and it’s only going to get better!! Watch out 2015- we’re comin for you ;) xx
Listen Here 33 ARTNOIS No 12, OCT 2014
Illustrations by
YuliaAltas
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By paying attention to such delicate creatures, Russian artist Yulia Altas’ paintings make her spirituality, appreciation and connection to nature very apparent. Here in Los Angeles, or perhaps just where we’ve been hanging out most of our years, seeing a butterfly has become a magical event. A butterfly encounter is a gentle reminder that life is more than hustle and bustle. They are a reflection of just a small portion of the beauty in the world but also a reflection mankind. We see Altas’ paintings as representations of their chaotic environment and of mankinds lack of responsibility for ensuring their survival. It’s no wonder why the Louvre and New York City have featured her conscious work. Visit her site for more on her and her work.
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Typohole
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On the cover this issue we have Typohole from Poland, othwerise known as Basia Lukasik. Illustrator and designer, Typoholes work is bright, eclectic and energetic which serve us well around these gloomy winter days. Lukasiks illustrations are very detailed and made of possibly hundreds of different shapes and colors. These digital paintings are fun and do a great job of combining abstract expressionism with detailed illustrations. For more please visit Typohole.com.
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artnois.com
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