INSIDES: KUTIN

DUE TO COVID-19 WE ARE IN LOCKDOWN WITH CLUBS BEING CLOSED. AS WE STILL WANT TO KEEP UP WITH MUSICIANS AND DJS AROUND, AND FEEL THAT DIGITAL STREAMS ARE IRRETRIEVABLY LACKING THE SOCIAL ENERGY OF LIVE MUSIC EVENTS AND ARE NOT ABLE TO COMPENSATE FOR IT, WE ARE LOOKING FOR CONSOLATION IN WORDS. IN THE END MUSIC IS A SOCIAL PRACTICE. INSIDES FEATURES VOICES FROM VIENNA’S ELECTRONIC MUSIC SCENE, LOOKING TO EXCHANGE IDEAS, FIND MUTUAL INSPIRATION AND EXIT STRATEGIES, ENTERING PERSONAL REALMS.
13.05.2020
SHILLA STRELKA

“I miss a certain calmness between everything …”

Hello, how are you?

I feel quite ok. Thx for asking !

Where are you right now?

In my studio room in Vienna.

Which sounds surround you?

I hear a recording of a bunch of different wild birds – David S. and me did that recording a few days ago in a park – it’s currently playing at 25% (slowed down) in the background. It’s quite relaxing ….

Have you been productive so far? What are you working on?

It’s def. harder to focus. But I had some moments…

Here is a rough sketch from an improv. session with a new AV sculpture I am currently working on with Patrik Lechner and Mathias Lenz:
https://vimeo.com/385872295/bb010cf93b

What inspires you right now?

Well….
Besides that, I got into doing field-recordings again, without purpose, just for being out there and keeping my mouth shut. And since there are only a few planes, it’s a nice way to spend time with friends outdoors and in mutual understanding.

Reading material you can recommend?

Here are some books that I found worth reading during the last months (randomly thought of) :
Paul B. Preciado  “Testo Junky”
Didier Eribon “Rückkehr nach Reims”
Ocean Vuong “On earth we are briefly gorgeous”
Christa Wolf  “Medea. Stimmen”

To listen?

The international nothing : In doubt we trust
Sonoscopia : Disposofonicós (free DL on bandcamp)

Alemu Aga 
Nice loop for a lonely corona-after-hour:

To watch?

Nope, it was and is simply too much !

What’s your opinion on live-streams? You see any alternative ways to support the music community?

I personally didn’t use streams, so I can not say much about it.

I know that some bigger streams are generating quite good cash and are able to pay really good fees to artists … but mostly these are venues, houses or communities that had a pretty serious cashflow going on before anyway … so nothing that applies to sub- or counterculture where it’s more the social aspect that is/was for sure very important for many people during these times. I find it worth pointing out that almost nothing changed within the basic infrastructure of music-culture while going into the exile of the digital realm somehow – even-though this is not surprising at all, it still tells you quite a lot.

To support small artists and labels one can use Bandcamp and listen or purchase music that was created for the purpose of simply being heard …

What are you missing most? What are you afraid of?

I miss a certain calmness between everything …

What will change you think? 

What is the gig or occasion you were most looking for, that was cancelled in this period?

I should have developed music for a new piece of Philipp Gehmacher at this years Wiener Festwochen.…. after the premier, Patrik Lechner and me would have done a residency and a presentation of a new kinetic-AV-work at SAT Montreal in June.

Both got postponed to 2021 and not entirely cancelled (fingers crossed) – so this answer was sort of a lie…
but these were my two main-things, also income-wise in 2020 …

Are you till able to pay your rent ?

Yes.
But due to the content of my last answer it’s a bit unclear right now, how things will develop over the next months – same as for most freelance artists in a wealthy 1st world country … all due to ‘force-majeur’ …

Kutin