All posts filed under: ART / DESIGN

FILE 85 // PIECES OF JUNO

Published by 5elect5

Oslo-based artist Juno Jensen aka Pieces of Juno just released the second part of her album series “Tacenda” on KOSO records. Meeting Juno with her bright blue hair had quite a big impact on us. Later on during the photoshoot, she admitted that it was a wig and told us how wearing it makes her transform to the “performing artist Juno”. The blue hair is part of the “Tacenda” project and if you have noticed the debut album“Kalopsia” is all about the artist with red hair (also part of her essentials). Juno is not only a very talented singer, producer and musician but also a music activist. As the founder of KOSO, she has a very strong opinion on the Norwegian music scene as well as a clear vision for all female creatives, producers and musicians in Norway. KOSO started off as a creative collective with a digital magazine, and quickly turned into a party series, a label and a platform to share music knowledge and production techniques. Juno’s performances are more than just a live show; they are experiences with elements of theater and film. Her essentials seem …

FILE 82 // BARBARA KLEIN

Published by 5elect5

Barbara Klein is a Berlin-based Polish musician, videographer and photographer. She established her career and reputation working with Techno legend Richie Hawtin and captured his his global tours in the form of tour diaries, event recaps and conceptual films. Other work includes collaboration with Soundwalk Collective (who we also covered on 5elect5), Yamaha , Spotify and now Native Instruments, one of the industry leading companies in music technology. For the early morning photoshoot, we met Barbara at her cozy apartment in the heart of Kreuzberg. Unlike her body of work that tends to speak a dark and mysterious language, she was warm and kind, offering us a cup of coffee and slices of fresh watermelon. Her essentials are a selection of items that give insight into her background, family as well as herself – revealing a strong connection to her passion turned into a profession . When she asked whether cigarettes or colourful cute socks with animals were better for the shoot, we obviously went for the socks. She then pulled out her large collection of socks for us to choose …

FILE 80 // ALI DEMIREL

Published by 5elect5

If you know Richie Hawtin, you are most likely familiar with Ali Demirel’s work. As the creative director, visual architect and engineer, Ali is the man behind all the visual aspects on and around the stage for Plastikman, M-nus, Enter and other collaborations with Richie Hawtin. Together they have created identities and experiences that are not only entertaining for the audience but also applies innovative and cutting-edge technology. Ali’s stage designs and live visuals have true revolutionized the music industry. It was no surprise to us that he had a degree in nuclear engineering and architecture as his work seems to always incorporate scientific imagery and structural compositions with a clever twist that makes his work speak more “art” than simply “background visuals”. His selection of essentials might be proof that it does not need much to come up with creative concepts: ideas, positive energy and comfort. The only wall between the ideas and the breakthrough is the artist him/ herself and only patience, persistence and curiosity allows for the idea to grow. 1. PENCIL (NO …

FILE 76 // MR.STATIK

Published by 5elect5

Mr. Statik, aka Stathis Kalatzis, is a tall man of many faces: an international DJ with a popular monthly residency at Athen’s “Six D.O.G.S“, a producer, an illustrator and a full-time program manager at Red Bull Music Academy. As one of the pioneers of the Greek electronic music scene, he stays true to his roots and seems to always support and push the local scene even though he is now based in Berlin for the past 4 years. The fact that he was one of the first Red Bull Music Academy graduates from the 2003 edition in Cape Town proves his talent as well as his wide international network of artists and friends. When we visited his studio / apartment in Berlin, we were impressed by Stathis’ studio set up as well as his book and art collection. He seems to particularly enjoy graphic novels focusing on beautiful but dark subject matters. This became very visible when he started successfully merging his passion for music and art by drawing his own cover art such as the “A …

FILE 75 // SOUNDWALK COLLECTIVE

Published by 5elect5

Soundwalk Collective is an award-winning international art and music trio based between New York and Berlin. The members consisting of Stephan Crasneanscki, Simone Merli and Kamran Sadeghi produce concept albums, sound installations and live performances with collaborators such as Patti Smith, Berghain and Nan Goldin. For their latest album “Before Music There Is Blood” on Apollo Records, the ambient division of R&S Records, Soundwalk Collective worked with the world’s most prestigious music conservatories such as the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (China) and the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (Russia). They recorded and collected sounds from courtyards, corridors and classrooms of these academies as well as hundreds of hours of students practicing and rehearsing. Re-interpreting these notes “out of their context” into four productions, they question the definition of music, composition, and harmony. When we walked into their studio / living room in Berlin during rehearsals, we were greeted by a concert piece that had the sound and the spacial depth of a symphony orchestra. Their live set up was as complex as their …

FILE 68 // DOT

Published by 5elect5

Los Angeles-based producer, label owner and Team Supreme member: DOT. She has been actively shaping the West Coast music scene by giving workshops and supporting forward-thinking female producers and artists on her Unspeakable Records imprint. Her new creative entrepreneurs project THE SOURCE just launched in December. 1. BOOK (HARUKI MURAKAMI, CHECK HERE): I am a HUGE literary nerd, and can’t go anywhere without a good book (or 5). Reading is my favorite way to kill time during inevitable travel delays, and a book will never run out of battery power. 2. PUSH (ABLETON, BUY HERE): The Push is one of the most powerful and versatile controllers I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying hands on, and so easy to take with me anywhere I go. Push + MacBook + headphones = the ultimate portable studio. 3. BACKPACK (HERSCHEL, CHECK HERE): Having a solid backpack is so essential on the road, and this Herschel pack is my absolute favorite. It’s like one of those magic bags that can hold way more than you’d expect without looking or feeling cumbersome. Plus, this one is water-resistant and has a handy …

FILE 67 // SUKI QUASIMODO

Published by 5elect5

1. iPAD TO VGA ADAPTOR (APPLE, BUY HERE): My best friend for spontaneous screen sharing or exhibiting simple projection mapped installations (really useful with Prspctv app By Minoru Aikawa). Lovingly MT-Taped ofcourse ^. ^ 2. WATERMELON SUGAR POSTCARD (CHECK HERE): A project I’m currently developing about personal data visualisation and analytics in the form of a Tamagotchi. Front-end developers and computer scientists, please hit me up! 3. MR DOUGH PIN (STUDIO GHIBLI, CHECK HERE): ‘Pandane to Tamago Hime’ or ‘Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess’ is an unreleased short film which premiered at the museum in 2010 and I fell in love with the story. It depicts a running away to see the world story, kind of what my life is like. 4. iPOD NANO (APPLE, CHECK HERE): Something I’ve had since 2007, it’s only got 5Gb of space so I constantly have to put in new playlists to keep it fresh. ‘:frompamm]’ is inscribed behind it just in case I lose it, then it becomes like a gift from me. Facebook Soundcloud Instagram Twitter Website