Th e Vi s i o n I s s u e
Pol Kurucz Nychos / Laura berger / parker day / Sandra Chevrier Mimi choi /jillian evelyn / Chris wood light Liz Bretz / my brightest diamond / shiro schwarz
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THE VISION ISSUE
From the editor
Dear Readers,
Thank you for joining us on another journey through some of our favorite artists, exploring their works,
backstories, processes and viewpoints. For the Vision Issue, we focused on creatives who challenge our perceptions and present complex and powerful art, whether it be photography, painting, writing, or in the case of Mimi Choi, using makeup to create stunning illusions using her body as the canvas. We are honored to feature the photography of Pol Kurucz on our cover, whose work has been highlighted in some of the top publications in the world.
This issue’s interviewees also include Los Angeles-based painter Kevin Lowry, New Mexico-based musician
duo Shiro Schwarz, internationally-acclaimed vocalist My Brightest Diamond, Brooklyn-based musician Rare DM, Yugen Blakrok of the Black Panther soundtrack, San Francisco-based creative hub Building 180, evocative photographer Parker Day, emerging painter Laura Berger, street legend Nychos, representational painter Jillian Evelyn, light artist Chris Wood, dream-meets-realism painter Sandra Chevrier, poet Rachel Leigh, and writer Jason Myers. We thank all of our featured artists and contributors for their participation in making this magazine a reality.
Many of our artist interviews include questions on timely topics such as the future of brick-and-mortar
galleries, direct sales from artists, and self-management. The digital era, particularly in the context of social media, is impacting the art industry in a multitude of ways, and we purposefully include an ongoing dialog with artists on these subjects.
This year has seen highlights such as the unveiling of Snøhetta’s installation of The Greatest Weapon, honoring
Nelson Mandela, at the UN in New York; Apple’s partnership with artists such as Nick Cave for an augmented reality project; Alicja Biala and architect Iwo Borkowicz’s installation in Poznan, Poland that serves as a protest to climate change; and Kehinde Wiley’s monumental sculpture, Rumors of War, revealed in Times Square. We have also mourned the loss of such icons as Huguette Caland, Robert Frank, Peter Lindberg, David Koloane, Mavis Pusey, and Toni Morrison, and look to their work as inspiration for a new generation of creators.
We dedicate this issue to the artists worldwide who present their work in defiance of adversity, discouragement
and doubt. As we look to the dawn of a new year, we appreciate the importance of their work now more than ever as both a respite from and a reflection of the often chaotic and divisive current times. This cultural moment will define a generation, and artists will serve as the keepers of its voice. Let us support, empower, and acknowledge them whenever possible.
With Gratitude,
Kate Zaliznock
www.weareopencolor.com | www.instagram.com/open.color
Features Opening Sequence
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Pol Kurucz
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Parker Day
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Nychos 168
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Sandra Chevrier
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Laura Berger
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Jillian Evelyn
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Chris Wood Light
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Liz Bretz
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Kevin Lowery Mimi Choi Shiro Schwarz My Brightest Diamond Rare DM YUGEN BLAKROK BUILDING 180 Jason Myers Rachel Leigh
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Contributors Kate Zaliznok FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF
Kate has explored numerous creative communities from a multitude of angles. As a writer, editor, publicist, event director, and art consultant, her uniquely diverse abilities have all been grounded in a central focus on supporting the arts. Kate currently works as an art consultant at Gallery 444 in San Francisco, representing over 25 worldwide artists both emerging and established at one of the city’s longest-running galleries. In 2016, Kate started Open Color with immeasurable support from her fellow creatives. The collective’s events, exhibitions, and magazine serve to connect arts communities around the world by fostering organic connection and highlighting artists who excel in their fields and inspire their peers.
www.weareopencolor.com | www.instagram.com/kate.zaliznock
Gabby Lovazzano FASHION EDITOR
Gabby is a vibrant and colorful creative force. The Bay Area native’s experiences as an art director, stylist, designer and cosmetologist all work in tandem as she builds a rainbow universe that’s warm and welcome to all. She sees the world for its possibilities more than its limitations. Her dopeness runs deep, having cut her teeth in grade school modifying clothes. As co-owner of Ejects Collection, she continues to create her own cool as she repurposes outdated mediums into retro-future accessories. An avid fan of the electronic scene, she surrounds herself with DJs, producers and other musical minds, drawing inspiration from the neon hum of urban nightlife scenes. Anything can spark an idea, be it a plush toy, technicolor candy, off-the-path junk shops, or the unbridled beauty nature. Lovazzano now splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles in a state of constant creation and discovery. Always cooler than cool, her style and approach can only be described as ice cold. www.gabriellalovazzano.com | www.instagram.com/gabriellajlovazzano
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ADAM MEOW ART DIRECTOR & GR APHIC DESIGNER
Adam is a renaissance man through to his core. An artist whose prowess for all things creative is rivaled only by his imagination. He is not only a designer, art director, and digital artist, but also a highly skilled photographer, accomplished painter, and DJ/music producer. You can try to catch him as he slides between the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. He is always working to expand his talents to new frontiers while consistently pushing the boundaries of conceptual aesthetics. Adam’s artistic wizardry and indepth knowledge have made him an invaluable asset to countless projects and an endless source of inspiration. A spellcaster with his impeccable style, he is a proven tastemaker. In his lifelong pursuit of the arts, Adam has always believed in the shared community that is inherent in the arts and music. He fully invests himself in any project he undertakes and the amount of love and energy that is mixed in is palpable. All-around good human being to know, Meow is the one all the cats are talking about. www.adammeow.com | www.instagram.com/adam._.meow
Lindsey Fay GR APHIC DESIGNER
Lindsey Fay is a designer with a keen sense for cultural phenomenon. Originally from Massachusetts and currently based in Northern California, she blends her east coast attitude with her west coast mindset. An interdisciplinary professional with over 15 years in the design industry. She began her career as an interior designer in firms at age 20, working on large scale retail projects, nightclubs, and corporate offices in Boston, San Diego, and San Francisco. She has continued to grow and branch out into other areas of the design, and her artistry has evolved way beyond the 9-5. She currently works as a freelance graphic and web designer. Lindsey’s aesthetic has an inviting, feminine, futuristic, and geometry-forward style. A world traveler at heart, she draws much of her inspiration from the patterns and colors of cultures she sees in her extensive explorations all across the globe. She brings an exceptional level of skill to the table and her thirst for knowledge is as big as her sneaker collection. www.lindseyfaydesign.studio | www.instagram.com/lindzefay
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O P E N V I S I O N
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kevin lowry
W O R D S
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LAYER, LAYER, LAYERS. THAT IS WHAT ARTIST KEVIN LOWRY IS ALL ABOUT. WE ARE FEATURING HIM IN THIS SPREAD TO HIGHLIGHT HIS PAINTING SKILLS, ALTHOUGH, TO NO SURPRISE HE ALSO HAS A TALENT FOR EYEING, SOURCING AND WEARING VINTAGE FASHION AND HAS A KNACK FOR CREATING ABSTRACT SPACES THAT YOU WOULD FIND AT THE COOLEST WAREHOUSE PARTIES AND FESTIVALS. KEVIN IS ORIGINALLY FROM THE BAY AREA, NOW RESIDING IN LOS ANGELES. HE FIRST STARTED PAINTING IN ACRYLIC AROUND 2010. PAINTING ABSTRACT PSYCHEDELIC GEOMETRIC SHAPES, PATTERNS, FIGURES, LANDSCAPES...THE WORKS...JUST PRACTICING, WORKING TOWARDS SOMETHING UNKNOWN. HIS STYLE HAS CHANGED MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS, IT SEEMS THAT HIS STYLE OF ART IS A REPRESENTATION OF WHERE HE IS AT AND WHAT HE IS ABOUT AT THAT TIME IN HIS LIFE. LIKE MOST ARTIST AND PEOPLE, I FEEL WE ALL ABSORB PIECES AND DETAILS FROM OUR SURROUNDINGS AND THOSE DETAILS END UP MOLDING AND SHAPING WHO WE ARE AS INDIVIDUALS. YOU CAN SEE THIS CLEARLY IN KEVINS WORK.
Check out more from Kevin Lowry and his work with Chewing Foil www.linktr.ee | www.instagram.com/lowrydointhangs
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When Kevin moved to Oakland, California, he had entered into a part of his life that felt more “raw” to him than his past experiences. He was surrounded by Graffiti that covered freeway overpasses and livied in a place that felt like a post apocalyptic multiverse. Around 2012 Kevin started to explore a different aesthetic and new concepts that were inspiring him. He moved out of old paradigms and started to get really into vintage from the late 80s to the early 2000’s. This led to working with a new medium. After exploring different techniques with acrylics for years, he decided to move to oil painting. Realizing he really enjoyed the process even when difficult. He was now able to achieve smoother transitions, better color, softer blends, and finer detail. Figuring out how much detail he can achieve with oil, he moved into a more photo realistic approach literally and figuratively blending and layering his styles together. It wasn’t until 2017 when Kevin moved to Los Angeles, that he began to really push his style into a whole new direction. Mixing photo realism with specific aesthetics from his childhood producing work that re-represented himself and his background. By mixing his love for vintage aesthetics and new current flavors with surrealist ideals, he works to represent dreamscapes of nostalgia. This oil painting titled “////cd BETA.Rose&Chrome1.0\\\\” was originally modeled from a drawing he did in a CGI 3D rendering program to create a complex image reference, then painted in oil over the coarse of 6 months. Mixing computer software with 90s aesthetics he then strives to create photo realistic oil painted renders. Kevins work will trick your mind. You know you’re staring at a work of art and at the same time you’re not sure if it was painted or printed. Thats the kind of skill we’re talking about. Layer after layer, ever evolving. 10
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Mimi CHOI
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EMPLOYING THE BODY AS A CANVAS CAN BE BOTH RISKY AND REWARDING, AND THE MORE SURREAL THE IMAGERY, THE MORE DIFFICULT THE EXECUTION. VANCOUVER-BASED MAKEUP ARTIST MIMI CHOI HAS EXPANDED HER WORK FAR BEYOND CONTOURING AND BEAUTY BAKES; CHOI RATHER CREATES COMPLETELY ASTOUNDING OPTICAL ILLUSIONS ON HER MODELS, TURNING THEIR FACES INTO SCENES SUCH AS CRASHING WAVES ON A SANDY BEACH, BIRDS IN A CAGE, A SWIRL OF CLASSIC BOOKS, AND MANY MORE. OPEN COLOR’S GABBY LOVAZZANO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH CHOI ABOUT HER ARTISTIC BACKGROUND AND EDUCATION, ADVICE FOR EMERGING ARTISTS, THE POWER OF A SOCIAL MEDIA POST, AND MORE.
Check out more of Mimi Choi’s work on her socials www.linktr.ee | www.instagram.com/mimles
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I love your story of migrating from the south coast of China in Macau to Vancouver, Canada. You received a great education. After landing a pretty secure job as a preschool teacher, you then decided to resign and go to beauty school at age 28. No offense to any beauty school graduates, as I am one myself, but we tend to skip the college education and go straight to get our Cosmetology Certificate. Your mother was supportive, but how about the rest of your friends and family? MC: My entire family was very encouraging. I was fortunate that my parents and boyfriend at the time (now my husband) could support me while I wasn’t earning much as a student at makeup school. My close friends knew that I’ve always been a creative person so they were excited for me to pursue my passion. There were definitely those who thought I was taking a big risk and questioned my career switch at a relatively late stage in my life, but I know that their intentions were good. My first day of class was a real eye-opener for me and I was a bit intimidated by the fact that I was the oldest student by quite a large margin. As you noted, most students were fresh out of high-school but I feel that having those extra years of experience made me take beauty school seriously. I really worked hard right away as I was certain that this was what I wanted to do with my life and that I wouldn’t have many more (if any) opportunities to change my direction again.
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O P E N V I S I O N
You have a pretty killer success story. Your leap of faith totally landed you on a cushy cloud, traveling around the world and doing what you love. It appears you had just over 30 features in 2017! And some major features last year, for example PAPER magazine. How does it feel to have accomplished so much in the last three years? Honestly, I feel so blessed to be doing what I do with my husband who is also my business partner. The past few years have been an adventure for us and I am so grateful that my illusions have taken us to some really cool places and have given us the opportunity to meet so many amazing artists and people in general. I don’t take anything for granted and I certainly feel that I have a ton more to offer and accomplish.
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especially when our creativity is constrained by a client. Creating looks for fun can be therapeutic and remind us why we chose what we do in the first place! Let’s talk more about education. Your “cracked-face” look you made went viral when you were still in your first year at Blanche Macdonald. Do you think your presence around a strong makeup community (some of the best in the world) helped catapult that post? We have a great makeup and arts community here in Vancouver. People are very progressive and accepting of differences. When I did that cracked-face look, I wasn’t sure how it would be received but the reaction was very positive in person and on social media. This encouraged me to explore the genre further.
No doubt your workload is intense. Explain how you have harnessed the everyday stress, pressure and anxiety that most people suffer from on a day to day basis. Can you give our readers and myself some advice on how you have learned to redirect that energy?
When you enrolled in beauty school were you looking for the best school or did you happen to live close enough to the one you chose? How much of your career do you owe to the Blanche Macdonald Center?
My workload can be heavy at times but with the help of my husband, we make sure that I don’t take on more than I can handle. I’m often eager to accept every opportunity that is presented to me but I have come to realize that it’s just as important to have days off to recover and recharge. Because of this, work rarely feels like a chore and I’m always excited to begin a new look.
I knew a little bit about Blanche Macdonald before I enrolled, but it wasn’t until I met with an advisor and took a tour of the school that I was sold. Looking back now, I am so fortunate to live 15 minutes away from the best makeup school in the world. Many talented artists have graduated from Blanche Macdonald and students fly to Vancouver from all corners of the globe to enroll in classes here. The instructors, mentors, classmates and colleagues that I’ve met have been such positive influences in my career and life and I definitely owe a lot my success to these people and the school.
I also think it’s important to create looks for ourselves when possible. We makeup artists are fortunate to be able to do what we love for a living but sometimes it can feel like a job
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I ask so much about the school you went to and your education because I want readers to know how possible it is to achieve your goals with the right tools, education and most importantly, the right attitude. Can you explain in more depth on how your persistence and everyday commitment has gotten you where you are today? My main focus when I do a look is that I create from within. First and foremost, it is important that I enjoy the process. While it’s nice to receive recognition, I would still be doing what I do even if I didn’t have the same following. This makes being persistent and committed to my craft easier. I avoid comparing myself to other artists as everyone is unique. Instead, I compete with myself and consider it a success each time I learn something new. After several years of trying to improve each day, my art has evolved into what it is today and I am grateful that others enjoy work. I also really want to know more about your lifestyle. When you’re not traveling the world teaching classes, what do you do for fun? Besides makeup, what excites you and keeps you motivated and inspired? I try to see my family and friends as much as I can. It usually happens over a meal because I love to eat! Besides that, I am a bit of a homebody so I like to watch shows on Netflix with my husband.I gain inspiration from just about everything and anything. I love viewing surreal and digital art because it can be a challenge to recreate these looks on my own face using only makeup. I also suffer from sleep paralysis which is a condition in which my mind is awake but my body is asleep. During these bouts, I experience vivid and often frightening hallucinations which I have used as inspiration for some of my more morbid looks like the sliced-faced and
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blurry-faced looks. What motivates me is trying to improve on my looks each and every day. I am my own biggest critic and competition and this drives me to keep creating. I am also motivated by my audience because it’s an amazing feeling to know that my work can bring them joy and can elicit emotions within them. What is next for you Mimi Choi? What does 2019 have in store? More importantly, what would you like to happen this year? I love teaching and meeting people, so I will continue to lead masterclasses and workshops. I’ll be teaching for the first time in Italy, Argentina, Germany, Mexico, and Russia in 2019 so I’m extremely excited for that. I also have some other projects in the works that I can’t talk about yet so you’ll have to keep following me on social media to find out! What I hope most to happen is that I continue to improve and evolve as an artist. As long as this happens, everything else is just a bonus! To end this interview, I would like to address the magazine and our focus. Open Color magazine is all about highlighting the emerging artist alongside the established—what is one piece of advice you can give the emerging artist while they climb their way to the top? I would encourage all emerging artists to discover their own style and to avoid comparing themselves to others. While it can be good technical practice to recreate someone else’s look, it is so much more rewarding to create your own trend! If you work hard and have a positive attitude, I believe that the universe will provide a path that is unique and good for you!
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Shiro Schwarz S T Y L I N G
P H O T O S B Y M A U R I C I O C A S T I L L O B Y M O N S E C A S T E R A A N D M A R I A N A W O R D S B Y G A B B Y L O V A Z Z A N O
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“JUST LET THE MUSIC TAKE THE WHEEL” SHIRO SCHWARZ IS DOING EXACTLY THAT. THE INTERGALACTIC DUO, PAMMELA ROJAS AND RAFAEL MARFIL, HAVE BROUGHT THEIR OWN BRAND OF UNIQUELY FUNKY MUSIC TO OUR PLANET. THE STYLE AND ARTISTRY THEY BRING TO THE STAGE LEND TO AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE. SHIRO SCHWARZ HAVE MANAGED TO MERGE A RETRO 80’S NEW WAVE SYNTH SOUND WITH THEIR OWN BRAND OF MOODY GROOVY VIBRATIONS THAT CREATES SOMETHING COMPLETELY MODERN AND SINGULAR. GUARANTEED TO GET YOUR WHOLE BODY MOVING, THEY ENCAPSULATE THE VERY CONCEPT OF FUN. THEY HAVE A SOLID CATALOGUE OF SONGS AND VIDEOS THAT RANGE FROM ALL OUT DANCE FLOOR WEAPONS TO THE SMOOTHEST OF HEART FELT BALLADS. CURRENTLY RESIDING IN MEXICO, OPEN COLOR HAD THE PLEASURE OF SITTING DOWN WITH THEM IN-BETWEEN STUDIO SESSIONS FOR AN INTERVIEW.
Hear their new single “Take the Wheel” and listen to more music by visiting www.shiroschwarz.com | www.instagram.com/shiroschwarz
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Where are you two from? I have a feeling it’s not earth. P: My home is in Planet Lop, it´s inhabited mostly by super-intelligent telepathic rabbits, everyone does graffiti, even my grandma. R: I come from another dimension, it´s cybernetic and not too different from yours. Animals and inanimate objects talk where I come from. As you say, “Welcome to the space yacht!” Some may not totally get that, but I so do. Can you enlighten our readers and describe what the Space Yacht is to you both? a giant cruise ship city that travels through space and there´s always fun stuff going on. The party never stops, there are galleries and art things going on all the time, super
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good food and games. It even has its own districts, it´s VERY big, but can shrink to subatomic dimensions if required. Every bedroom has it´s own jacuzzi. It´s all for free and anyone can join. Nothing but positive vives. Where did the name Shiro Schwarz originate and what does it mean? Might it have anything to do with how you dress? R: Haha yeah, it has a lot to do with how we dress. P: Rafael wears only black and I wear only white, I love Japan and Germany´s been very influential for Rafa. R: Shiro means white in Japanese. P: Schwarz means black in German, so it´s like our version of “black and white.”
Who is responsible for your album art and aesthetic? Was it thought out way back in 2011 when you released your first EP “Eye of the Storm”? P: It´s been more organic and always based on what our influences are at the moment and an answer to the music that we make. It has evolved with time and I´m responsible for it. “Eye of the Storm,” “Exoplanet Love,” “Jupiter Dreams,” “Toxic Waste.” Where do you come up with these names? Does the title come before track? We always come up with those names after writing the lyrics to the instrumentals.
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Ok so back to the black and white. For two people living in such a psychedelic world is it some what grounding to dress in these noncolors? Do you ever feel like switching?
“We feel very comfortable with black and white”
Where do you create your music? In a studio, your home, on the road? Explain your creative process.
In your own experience what’s different about buying music on vinyl or tape ? What is the reasoning behind releasing your music on physical media?
R: We usually create everything in our home studio. The only exception was for our EP titled “Separation Anxiety” which was mostly created in a room in Berlin with only software and on some multimedia speakers we got from our friend Hans. The process usually starts with the creation of an instrumental piece with some synths and other gear, I usually mix everything and design the sounds as an integral part of the music making process. Then we sit down and come up with a theme for the song, write our own lyrics and record. The final process before mastering is editing and mixing the vocals together to get feedback from each other.
R: For us the main difference with physical media is that you get a cool object with its own quirks that add to its charm. There´s also much more room to play with design elements, as opposed to an exclusively digital release. At first we wanted to make a tape because we were very much into the whole 80s retro thing, we saw a project called Chrome Brulée released a tape and we decided to make our own. We were particularly excited about hearing our music with the warmth and lo-fi charm of cassettes. Vinyl was always something we desired way before our tape, but we couldn’t afford producing it on our own. So big thanks to Star Creature and MoFunk for making it a reality!
P&R: We feel very confortable with black and white, we´re also super committed to it. P: For me it´s challenging to find cool white clothes, but it has the advantage that it limits how much I spend on fashion. R: There´s plenty of cool black clothes, but not so many for “men,” so I have to look in the “girls” section. That´s my main challenge, at the beginning I was very strict about wearing clothes that were completely black. Now I spice it up with black clothes that have some color elements, but not all the time. Where did you get your taste for funk and boogie? Was the music around you growing up, were your friends or family of any influence to your music style? How about your surroundings? P: When I was a kid I listened to a lot of Michael Jackson and my parents listened to disco and pop music from that era. I remember enjoying riding in the car with them and listening to that kind of music, I love it ever since. When I was a teenager, also thanks to my parents, I became a Sade fan, who is one of my greatest influences. R: Growing up I don´t remember being exposed to funk or boogie, I was born in 1985 so the 80s/90s aesthetics were around me pretty much at all times, so I guess I unconsciously absorbed some of that. My real first direct contact with funkyness was through Jamiroquai, which really impressed me. I found out about boogie/80s funk way later in my mid 20s and instantly feel in love with it.
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Your music tells many stories. One that repeats a lot is the relationship between two party animals. Could you say this is a depiction of the moments you have shared together and the love you both have for each other and your personal relationship? We think it is partially influenced by our own relationship, but it is mostly fiction based on our fantasies, especially the party animal part, cause we don´t go out very much, haha! Listening to your music I feel as if I am traveling through time, not necessarily back or forward. If you had a time machine what year would you visit and why? P: I would travel to a time before humans existed, to enjoy earth before cities existed to see all the nature and creatures that lived back then. R: I would really like to travel way into the future to check out all the cool new things (robots!), especially music and daily mundane human life. I also sometimes fantasize about meeting Bach and showing him contemporary music like Autechre, jazz, dance and synth music in general to see his reaction. What is next for you both? Where can you see yourselves in 2020? We´re working on new music and trying to evolve our style in every aspect. By 2020 we should have released a new album and toured the globe as much as possible! Also enjoy the hoover boards, hollograms and all that stuff. Please share with our readers where we can get your music and stay up to date with you guys. Thanks so much for making such rad tunes. You can check out or new records on Star Creature´s BandCamp and listen to the rest on Spotify. Thanks to you for the raddest interview!
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