poemproducer / interview trax mag /spain

From: agf <agf@poemproducer.com>
Date: Sa Nov 8, 2003 16:35:11 Europe/Berlin
To: perkele@ilimit.es
Subject: Fwd: Interview

hey hey

>>>Thanks so much for everything and congratulations for your new album

thanks ;)

>>>>What does Westernization Completed reffers to? The integration of eastern germany to the west politics, the fact that you are mainly using english as a language, or maybe it is something more personal?

it s all that what you suggesting
its one hint or explanation for the choice of english language
sofar i worked mainly in german
or bilingual

but because of my travels and my closest friends beeing
finnish. ukrain. english. american. canadian

i talk . think and work in english so naturally i also write in english
so .. it was one one site a natural move but also
i wanted that an international audience understands me with this record

thats why i added the track contemporary westernized
to explain where i come from and what my roots are
maybe like people in hiphop do. to fix the point
where they view the world from

personal for me its also somehow a chapter which ends
i used to be and think and grow up very political
and with communist background ...

after the wall came down i kind of had to stop that
rethink. edit my brain and my education
be open for the world to be able to survive and also
understand the system which was a so announced enemy
during the first 15 years of my life

after now 13 years beeing kind of unpolitical and opinionless
which i found also very heallthy
i feel i could come back and do political or at least
critical art....

also i feel its a very global topic : to be or not westernized
and refers to 80 % of this world.

i hope that explains

>>>Theres a certain nostalgia in some of the people that lived in eastern germany and now are part of the western culture. Youve experienced both worlds, do you think things are better now? What do you miss least, what do you miss most from that system.

i dont know really if i miss it. but at least its missing: homeland
compared to other people.

i actually dont mind to feel just human and not german necessarily

.. .. its difficult. when your whole country kind of disappears
so fast and all the related things. landscapes. people. attitude. feelings
its somehow sad. but its also an update. which can be definitly inspiring.

well i am personal very happy. that i could witness 2 different societies
the real socialism/ wanne be communism and the real capitalism

of course i am an optimist and learning from both societies
or principles there are in both good things and bad things

but i am not very nostalgic. with this

i am sad that so many people are kind of still in shock or
distortion and helplessness ... much depression in east germany
and also i think unability of dealing with the system
no eductaion and lots of really annoying frustration

otherwise east germany is totally redesigned
everything is new/ streets/ renovation
so it kind of pays back to the people in a different
way.. the have to fill it with ideas now

>>>After that experience, do you think thats necessary to be an artist with a political agenda or touching political issues or maybe you just need to do the contrary, forget politics and concern only for music/art. Where do you stand and why? What do you think of the people that do the contrary?

i havent been political for many years. neither in my work nor private engagment
i think its ok. i think this world is really full of things . everybody has to decide himself
what he cares about. and what he fights for or not
and it least its ones own life... to decide where to put energy on

this is something i learned in this new global set up and i am ok with that

i dont like people hurting other people for egoistic or commercial interest.
thats the thing i despise. even i think its a complicated aspect of life in general.
but i believe in alternatives...

i just started... doing political work again... that was my first track:
http://www.antiopic.com/allegorical/july2003.html

i again try to find a field where i feel responsible. beside my ego

i wanne do political german hiphop. i do a female laptop group http://www.lappetites.poemproducer.com/
which is by nature very political. 4 woman from different background and different generations.

>>>I was in eastern germany a year ago just for a short vacation and ocasionally talked with some artists from east berlin. They told me that eastern germany is dealing with a really high unemployment rate and lots of infraestructural problems. After more than ten years from the unification media and politicians pretend that the westernisation process is already completed, but when you talk to some people it looks like there are still lots of problems to solve. We recently saw this german movie which treated in a funny way the changes from the eastern system to the capitalist system.

i love this movie

good bye lenin

very cool !

>>>The Westernization process is about to reach absolutely broken systems such as the eastern countries which are about to enter the European Community. How far do you think the Westernization process can go?

full on global. most probably even outer space

!mac donalds and H&M all over the planet

but also art and internet. communictaion and understanding all over i hope
wireless internet for free for everybody. would be a good step.

>>>It is also quite ironic the fact that while western system is showing its weakness more and more (i think that in germany they want to cut most of the social wellfare you have while in sweden they are having some problems maintaining their system also) theres still lots of people and countries which really want to be a part of it. We ourselves are in a scary process of americanisation, with the whole idea of the euro and the european community.

>>>The US is an issue by itself. I guess youve been there and met lots of people from there (Sue and Josh, ie). What do you think about what you saw?

complex. i have some really amazing friends there. and also there are many things i really disrespect.
i like NY san fransisco and detroit... also chicago all this places i vistited.. but always surrounded by nice people
i never took a car through the countryside

i guess i would quite freak out :)

i feel the same like you. i am more or less bored or offended and i think even some americans are also
of the american culture or politics... trying to dominate the planet

just lately i got really shocked reading in financial times that america is NOT allowing (???hallo???)
europe to make an independent satelite system around the world. while they have there own one since ages
and control the world and markets with it

its quite.... dictatorship and reminds me of my compared to that harmless home country

>>>What do you mean by Language is the most. The most what?

exciting form.... learning how to mean

i am a communiction freak
deeply believe in the healing of communictaion

>>>>Through your previous works as laub the importance of the voice as another instrument kept growing, while in both of your musork releases it is one of the main elements. How do you explain that evolution? Is there any event or personal experience that made you realise that was the path you wanted to follow?

well its my strongest instrument. i can play most... and as i am a sound artist working with samples
i came across to create sounds with that voice. more and more. its just like a piano...

>>>Can you explain whats your definition of Poet producer? Does the producer part reffers to music or maybe to the process?

it refers to music. but also to the technic i started to use. to write lyrics or poems or songs even.
i collect and sample nice words and expressions from all over the internet. email. books.
and when i design a topic or song content .... i arbitrary use this collection to make an audio music
base... and then i compose

that includes a high possibilty of assoziation, and intuition which is not controlled by brain
i like it !

>>>Whats the role of the music in your poems? Is it as important as the voice treatment or just complementary. Why?

music is same important. samme narritive element. and i hope my voice is music also

>>>Somehow the mixture of abstract electronics or sounds with poetry makes absolute sense, given the fact that nowadays art scene are in constant collition (audio+visual, net artÃ‰). However the bedroom producers generation doesnt look like its been really interested in poetry. Where does your interest come from?

early east german days. poetry. literature. strong connection to reading... escaping reality
and learning how to mean

>>>Do you feel a part of that bedroom producer generation?

dont care
i have a studio

How old are you, btw?

34

>>>At least, some of your closest friends are, arent they?

i dont have many friends which are musicians.

You took benefit as most of nowadays musicians of the so-called democratisation of the electronic media, didnt you?

i like the independance as an artist. to find the most original way to work
as soon there where computer like commodore 64 and atarie and samplers avaiolable
i wanted to have them

didnt want to spent my time with boys in stinky rehearsing rooms

>>>When did you first got interested in producing your music?

always actually.
i was more or less always annouyed by people interfere in my sonic ideas

>>>Was it as a new via to explore your voice and your writings or were you focused in music first?

sorry dont understand

>>>Do you make an issue of the fact that you are woman producer, also? The lack of woman in the scene is still too obvious. How do you explain that?

it will change.

>>>How do you fit in the poetry scene and the musical scene? I guess its hard to fit in both? Which is harder?

>>>I dont have your record yet physically talking, so i havent seen the book. What was the idea behind it? What can i find in it?

>>>Can you comment your collaborations with Delay and Craig Armstrong?

>>>Are you still in touch with your partner in Laub?

yes we gonna do a new record 2005

>>>How did you meet Vladislav, btw.

at popkomm in cologne 2000.

>>>I dont want to get too personal, but how is it working with your couple?

hell and the heaven

>>>Fav food

sushi

>>>Fav drink

water and grapefruitsaft schorle

>>>Fav book

wuwei from theo fisher

>>>Fav writer

hip hop artists all over the world

>>>Fav movie

ghostdog.
the pillowbook.
undo

>>>Fav actor
>>>Fav actress
>>>Fav hobbie outside music and poetry

. humans. cooking. movies. clothes. art art art. nature
philosphy

>>>future plans

so many
music. music. music. hong kong. seoul. lappetites. cyber lady macbeth
love. producer work. art. travelling. find a home.

need to run now

agf