PRES Sampling #8 – Jlin, Matmos & Mouse on Mars
What does experimentation sound like in 21st century electronic music? Jlin, Matmos and Mouse on Mars create tracks from the Polish Radio Experimental Studio's sample library.
In 2018, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Ableton created a library of samples based on the archive of recordings made in the Polish Radio Experimental Studio (PRES). So far, sounds created by Elżbieta Sikora, Krzysztof Knittel and Ryszard Szeremeta have been used by more than 20,000 music producers from around the globe. In May 2019, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, together with the British music magazine The Quietus, even announced a competition for compositions using the PRES samples. The contest also commissioned Polish and foreign producers to create works from the Studio’s sample library. Producers including Jacek Sienkiewicz, Mouse on Mars, We Will Fail, Skalpel and Jlin have created their own interpretations.
Jlin debuted on the compilation Bangs & Works (released by Planet Mu), which introduced the wider public to ‘footwork’ – a Chicago genre of club music, characterised by its impressively quick tempos, excessive syncopation and repetitive nature. The producer hails from Gary, Indiana – the same hometown as Michael Jackson and his siblings – but she quickly moved past footwork aesthetics to create her own innovative and radical music that transcends genres. Since that time she’s released three albums, collaborating with choreographers and visual artists. AutoBIOgraphy, created for Wayne McGregor’s choreography, was presented at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.
Filip Lech: Is the ethos of experiment dear to you? How is electronic music experimental in 2019?
Jlin: Yes, the spirit of experimental culture is dear to me. This year’s electronic music has been ever evolving in my opinion, which is a good thing. I can really hear the growth in a lot of artists and the continuation of boundary breaking.
FL: What meaning does the history and tradition of electronic music have for you? Do you refer to the past in your music? Do you refer to the past in your music?
J: The meaning of the history and tradition of electronic music for me is a constant push and pull to be as innovative as possible. To me that’s what any form of art is all about. Innovation. I definitely refer to the past in my music. There truly is nothing new under the sun.
FL: What interests you the most in early electronics? Do you have your favourite pioneers of electronic music?
J: I didn’t listen to early electronic music that often, I always listened to the music my parents were playing, but in doing that I developed my own taste as to what I like.
FL: What was the idea behind 'Lotus'?
J: The idea behind Lotus is that it’s clean, precise, and unpredictable.
FL: How do you like the PRES sample library? Which sound from the library was the most to your taste?
J: The library was ok, but I can make anything out of anything.
Matmos is a duo comprising of M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel, two American producers and sound artists. They record conceptual albums, often using concrete sounds – samples of recognisable sounds created by everyday objects. On their debut album Quasi-Objects, they used samples of recordings created in their own neighbourhoods. One of their lauded albums, The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast, is a tribute to members of the LGBT community whose works influenced Matmos (including Ludwig Wittgenstein, William S. Burroughs and Valerie Solanas). They also recorded the sounds of the nervous system of a crustacean and the sounds made during a medical procedure. Their track titled PRESto is a play on words of the English-language name of PRES (Polish Radio Experimental Studio).
The duo formed in 1993 consists of Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner. In the late 20th century, the duo found themselves – among artists such as Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Amon Tobin – one of the pioneers of IDM, Intelligent Dance Music. Their music is a combination of elements from popular music, club rhythms as well as experimental sounds. The musicians are known for their collaborations with Stereolab, Junior Boys and Mark E. Smith from The Fall. In their track Playtime, they follow the aesthetics of bygone years of electronic music, tracing the journey with archival samples. If not for the excellent digital master, we could well have assumed this track is from a different decade.
Originally written in Polish Nov 2019, translated by AZ Nov 2019
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