ebook feeder insider #04

FEEDER INSIDER#04© Miss Kittin / Subb-an / Saint Machine / Aeul / Alexandra / Denis Kaznacheev / Mona Nicoară Butch / Erwin Olaf / Hedof / Simina Grigoriu / Livio & Roby / Francesca Lombardo / Livia & Reg

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FEEDER.RO INSIDER feeder insider is a series of interviews published on feeder.ro. The interviews explore the universe surrounding music and visual arts while connecting the local to the international crmmeative scene. In order to expand the dialogue between the Romanian public and the artists we love, we’re sparking off inspiring conversations around today’s artistic landscape with newcomers and veterans alike. BEEN THERE, LIKED THAT Been there liked that is the column for the perpetually in-the-know… and the FOMO-afflicted. Follow the feeder crew on weekends, week nights & the odd lunchtime escape to sample local hotspots and review occasions for good old merriment. SOUND Feeder Sound is a showcase of local and international talent alike comprised of DJ sets and fresh tunes meticulously curated in a sound collection which promotes mutual recognition and cultural exchange between musicians worldwide. E.P. REVIEWS E.P. is the vinyl lover’s heaven: exclusive previews, new releases, videos and track reviews are regularly lined up on feeder’s racks. UBIC Ubic is one of feeder’s veteran visitors and constant supporters. This fan-turned-contributor & our very own resident DJ gladly shares his latest mixes, charts, upcoming events and thought-provoking articles on electronic music, architecture and design. ANUK Anuk is feeder’s graphic designer with a special love for neon-lights, beaming colours and gifs that keep on giving. Add some funky illustrations and a fine drawing technique and you will find a very creatively crafted universe. NEWSLETTER If you haven’t joined our bubbly newsletter yet, you can still check out who made the headlines in this regular update section. RANDOM The fittingly irregular series which takes the pulse of the science world. No lab coats, just curiosity and a knack for breaking it down into layman’s terms with an enticing twist. Experiments included. GOLDEN TICKET Concerts, parties, festivals, movie screenings, art performances – our weekly Golden Ticket contest is a fun way to win a free pass to your next unforgettable weekend. May luck and random.org be with you!

Aboutasynchronous / dialogue platformmulticultural / interview / hotspotfeeder insider, a series of interviews published weekly on feeder.ro starting in 2014, has reachedits 126th conversation.The interviews explore the universe surrounding music and visual arts while connecting the localto the international creative scene. In order to expand the dialogue between the Romanian publicand the artists we love, we’re sparking off inspiring conversations around today’s artisticlandscape with newcomers and veterans alike.13 years online, feeder.ro acts as Romania’s alternative media agency. We’re celebrating with aselection of 14 interviews that shed light on motivation, process and perception in the arts.Because we really want you to know. FEEDER.RO/INSIDERProducer: Save or CancelEditors: Cristina Popa (random), Andrei Racovițan (ubic), Vixi PixiConcept & layout: Cristina Popa, Andrei RacovițanIllustations: TokyotoysGraphic design & DTP: Ana DămocPhotography: Alexandru Iacob (Reptilianul) - pages 10-11, 22-23; Jenya Sobol - page 15; SaintMachine - pages 8-9.© 2017 - 2018 feeder.ro & the authorsBucharest, RomaniaThe editorial project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural FundAdministration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project resultscan be used. These are entirely the funding beneficiary’s responsibility.

Content 4 Miss Kittin – FR 6 Subb-an – UK 8 Saint Machine – RO 10 Aeul – RO 12 Alexandra – RO 14 Denis Kaznacheev – RU 16 Mona Nicoară – RO 18 Butch – DE 20 Erwin Olaf – NL 22 Hedof – NL 24 Simina Grigoriu – RO 26 Livio & Roby – RO 28 Francesca Lombardo – IT 30 Livia & Reg – RO

MISS KITTIN dj and producerfree / beat / feel / love A place I always come back to… the woods around my house I would like to learn… patience A bad habit… smoking The last book I read… Estelle Surbranche: Emmène moi au Paradis (Take me to heaven by Estelle Surbranche, a thriller written by one of my best friends) I always forget to… write down appointments in my calendar and miss up the date At home… I cook jam and watch old Columbo episodes My favourite clothing item… a black legging because of so many travels… A good joke I heard recently… French one, I can’t be translated Never again will I… say never Three songs I know by heart… La Marseillaise (the French national anthem) Dream a little dream of me by Ella Fitzgerald Enjoy the silence by Depeche Mode Miss Kittin is Caroline Hervé, originally from Grenoble, France, one of the most appreciated electronic music DJs. Her powerful selections and recognizable voice create exceptional dance-floor moments. Multi-talented Caroline is expressing herself through her selections and productions, singing, painting and writing. She is now working on her 4th album, to be released on Nobody’s Bizzniss, the label she runs since 2004. We are delighted to introduce this conversation with graceful Miss Kittin, ahead of her Mysteryland Festival performance. 4

I don’t like to plan in advance, it’s our job to feel the vibe in themoment, every scenery is different.feeder.ro: Hello, Miss Kittin, we are very happy to talk to you. Recently, you played at Milkshake festival, anopen-minded event praising diversity and equal rights. As music and art have always been masts of socialchange, how did you connect with the audience and what are some exciting ideas you exchanged duringyour two performances at this edition of the festival?Miss Kittin: Well, I can only feel humble at such a festival, as I am only a white heterosexual person. Butas a woman and artist, we definitely had a few fights in common or pré-judgements. My role is tocelebrate the freedom to be who you want to be, for people who for many of them, didn’t have the samelucky path. So it is for sure, what I have in mind when I perform there, which is more powerful than aregular club gig. You feel useful, you go home proud of yourself and proud of them.feeder.ro: What are some deciding factors when searching for new music? How have they changed, sinceyour early days of travelling to Mental Groove, Geneva, to buy records?Miss Kittin: I barely go to record stores anymore. I know it’s a shame but I still buy vinyl, mostlycollectable items, or jazz etc…I mostly buy music that I need, when I need it. DJing became a serious work, where I am having fun ofcourse, but I really can’t listen to electronic music 24/7. Once a month, I plan one afternoon to searchfor music. I also change my selection before every single gig, working in my hotel room or on the plane.But that’s it. Music is not at the center of my life since a long time, and my life is much richer of otherthings.Any art form requires discipline, otherwise, you only createchaos. 5

SUBB-ANdj and producerorganic / free / energy Most of my photos… are gig or music related My favourite relaxation technique… the sauna I read… music magazines An app I open daily… Pinterest Kids nowadays… are smarter than ever Usually, for breakfast… chai pudding with fruit A secret spot in Berlin… Treptower park When I travel… I make lists and plansThree essential tunes…(non-electronic)Rolling Stones – Gimme ShelterChilly Gonzales – White KeysDavid Bowie – BlackstarBorn and bred in Birmingham, Subb-an is a refreshing sound in today’s dance music scene. With an atypicalbackground of sound design, Subb-an impressed promoters when he was first booked as a live performanceat Rainbow Courtyard. His live set impressed and he became a resident DJ at the time. Subsequently, hejoined Rainbow founder and launched the long-running One Records focusing on house/techno. We had achance to chat with Subb-an, after Sunwaves, and pick his brain regarding today’s dance music culture, OneRecords, playfulness in the music industry and the power and influence Fabric has had on the generalpublic.6

A regular night in any city is paramount to educating people inmusic and offering a place for people to release themselvesfrom whatever it is they need to have a release from.Vlad Hatze: Your first booking for Below, in Birmingham, where you became a resident and a part of thefamily, was also your initial live performance. What insights do you have for young DJs extending theirabilities to perform live?Subb-an: My show was very basic back then, I had a laptop, controller and a table synth but was mainlyusing audio loops and stems I had created. It worked at the time, but for sure if I was ever to create anew live show it would be mainly hardware based. I had been collecting records for years, and after awhile I wanted to be playing records and having more options and freedom, not to say you can’t with alive show but it was way more time-consuming. A time that I can spend in the studio making moremusic to put out.Advice wise, I would say it’s about finding a simple workflow, nothing overcomplicated. If you’rethinking of playing live then you must already be a fairly adequate producer, so think about the toolsyou enjoy using and tools you know well. [...]VH: One Records’ releases range from unknown to well-established artists. How thin is the line of puttingeverything in the right balance when planning a release schedule?Subb-an: We like that balance of unknown and established artists. We want things to be organic and towork with people we know and like. It’s funny as it’s kind of hard planning release schedules these daysdue to pressing plants being so overwhelmed with orders. I’m happy that more people are pressingrecords, however, it can be frustrating when releases are delayed, and we all know that happens a lot!However we’re a small label and we don’t tend to release a lot a year, so this makes planning easier.Generally, it’s pretty straight forward and helps that there is two of us.[...] my role is to stay true to what inspires me and what I enjoyplaying and then putting that together in a way for people tohave a wicked time! 7

SAINTMACHINEmultimedia artistsense / cavity / dream Public space could… be greener. In the morning… I close my eyes and breathe deeply. Last time I was at the cinema… I saw a movie with a smurfette. The light… comes from us. Recently, I’ve read something interesting,… Postcapitalism, Paul Mason. I dance… tribal dances at home with my daughter. On Mars, I sure would like to have with me… my garden trees! An application I use daily… many, the last addiction is Waze. I am excited when… hard to say, I am excited all the time. 3 artists who inspire me… Bosch, Kahlo, Sonia (my seven-year-old daughter) Marilena Oprescu Singer, known as The Reverend Mother or SAINT MACHINE, is a multimedia artist and author of immersive and participatory installations that investigate biological processes, our relationships with technology or public space. We are pleased to talk to Mari about FEED ME, ACUM [NOW], and the latest installation Hybrid Sensorium, on display at Ars Electronica 2017. 8

[...] My projects are a combination of exorcising the dreams thatwon’t let me sleep and translating everyday reality in a form thatI understand, , otherwise, I am not able to digest what happens tome.Cristina Popa: Who is SAINT MACHINE and how did you discover this character in yourself?SAINT MACHINE: I’ve gone through a few, MAA, MA, I am fascinated by the idea of negative space,cavity, syncope, or content generating void. For me, SAINT MACHINE is a defiance of religiousfanaticism and an irony addressed to the projection of an ultra-technologized future. I wanted it tocontain this interruption of meaning and the question: Who is man in this hiatus?C.P.: Hybrid Sensorium, produced for Ars Electronica 2017, explores how we feel the body in the physicalspace and the sensory distortions caused by both technology mediation and direct contact. What personalgoals do you have for this installation?SAINT MACHINE: Hybrid Sensorium at Ars Electronica was a pilot project. I continue to work on theprocess part of the installation, developing a software that monitors and archives the user’s behavior.Hybrid Sensorium tests the visitors’ willingness to abandon their biological needs in exchange fordigital content. At Ars Electronica I played with the interruption of the breathing pace. The idea is verysimple, to interact with the installation, you must first put your head completely into the capsule.Inside, a membrane is breathing with you in real time. The intimate sound of your breathing is amplifiedoutside the installation, on public display.When you decide to hold your breath, the membrane opens and reveals a hermetically sealed head thatactivates a unique cavity in which the senses are mixed. Just as long as you do not breathe at all, yourfirst exhale makes the membrane close and return to the rhythm of your breath. For the animation filminside the capsule I worked with the artists Sergiu Negulici, who animated my drawings rendering eachbrush, and with Mitoş Micleuşanu, who made the sound design. Razvan Vasilache has programmedeverything in Unity so that all content is interactive in real time. On the electronics side, Radu Mititeluhas gotten us out of the mess with the simple but ingenious solutions, and for this, I have to thankClaudiu Marin. I also thank Irina Cornisteanu, director of RKI Wien for believing in the project, withouther support, participation in Ars Electronica would not have been possible.[...] We treated the city as a living organism, and culture as a virus,imagining ACUM, a time-space capsule that carriesself-generating content, infecting the city and thus activating itsimmune system. [...] 9

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ALEXANDRAdj and producerinnovative / record selector / groovesA good morning starts with... love, sun rays warming the windows, my catscuddling and “Guerrilla de dimineață” show at Radio Guerrilla.Summer days make me... alive and happy sometimes or exhausted if it’s too hot.I feel happy every time I watch… fluffy clouds travelling a broad blue sky,Family Guy, sunsets, Grey’s Anatomy, thunderstorms and Game of Thrones.If I could, I would colour the sky in...nothing else but his own intense deep blueFirst thing I always pack when touring… is my passport.My guilty pleasure when it comes to food… oh no, I don’t wanna go there :) toomany guilty pleasures...Sunday afternoons are for… the long flight home.Last track I played on youtube... “tiny desk concerts with Maggie Rogers”. Oneday my best friend played Maggie’s song “Alaska” and it was love at firsthearing. I love this girl’s genuine, beautiful, unique, intense voice and energy.Favourite sunset watching spot... the kitchen window of my apartment inBucharest.3 artists close to my heart... Michael Jackson, Ricardo Villalobos, Maggie RogersThe first thing you can say when listening to Alexandra's DJ sets, regardless of the location, crowd or soundsystem, is that you cannot place her style under some specific electronic genre. She's part of that rare breedof DJs who are first and foremost record selectors. With a presence in the house & techno underground forquite a few years now, you definitely crossed paths with her on some well-known dance floor, as she traveledto Berlin, Tokyo, New York, London, Moscow, Paris, Lima, Miami. From 2016, she teamed with her good friendVera to start her own imprint: Melliflow Records, the label that breathes Alexandra's warm & joyfulpersonality through its releases, signed by the likes of Spacetravel, AK41 or VRAC.12

I travel through the music together with crowd. I fuel them,they fuel me (or not). Sometimes I do the journey alone, othertime I feel the whole party exploring with me. For every gig, adifferent scenario.Victor: Your sets cannot be tagged under some particular genre and we know you don’t like to be labeled,music wise. Yet, do you have a comfort zone where you feel you can truly unleash your full creativity inmelting tracks into each other and make the dance floor vibrate exactly the way you intended?Alexandra: I would not call it my comfort zone, but rather my “sweet tooth” in music: everything withbroken rhythms: breaks, electro, breakbeat, IDM, dubstep, UK garage, broken-beat, jungle.Victor: You’re quite fond of Berlin and its cultural diversity. What did you find in Berlin, from the musicalinspiration perspective, which you couldn’t find in Bucharest until now?Alexandra: Exactly the tolerance and acceptance for the diversity of humans, art, music andexpression, in general, was my main magnet and inspiration to move to Berlin. Something you don’tmeet much in Romania, we’re still uptight and narrow around here (especially when it comes todiversity of humans). painful truth.Victor: You run the Melliflow label with your good friend, Vera. Is this strong connection based on the sharedlove for sound or on the simple life things?Alexandra: It’s a great combination of both. We know each other for a very long time and we built astrong connection, even if we are two very different individuals. We have both work meetings and longwalks with Vera’s dogs in the park.[...] At the club it’s all in a blink of an eye, no time to think, onlytime to react and to spontaneously choose the next track, I neverknow which direction. [...] 13

DENISKAZNACHEEV dj and producerexperiment / improvisation / prolific In the summer, I always… trying to go out from the house and the studio. Rainy days… is the best for the studio time for me and I’m mostly there on a rainy day. My favourite Russian food… Okroshka. I take photos of… classic cars from 60’s, 70’s and some of the 80’s. A habit I recently acquired… to look for a brutalist architecture, in the new cities which I’m visiting during my gigs. I collect… records. When travelling, I love to… try a local food and beer. A home away from home… Berlin. The wallpaper on my computer… a drawing of the Little Prince, book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. 3 artists that inspire me… Sean Booth, Rob Brown, Ricardo Villalobos. Russian producer Denis Kaznacheev has succeeded in keeping us engaged with his imprint Nervmusic since 2009, through a steady catalogue that shares a refined and minimalistic approach to dance music, releasing remarkable sounds like Visual Triangulation EP on abartik, Humelene EP on GROW, soon a remix for Bauch, Sobriquet Recordings, a remix for David Delgado coming out on Curtea Veche, Sintesi EP on Only300Family, with remixes form Giammarco Orsini and Melchior Productions, EPs on Meraki records, on Volks and on La Clap Records, while not forgetting your work with Alka Rex, as SED Trax, out soon on What.If. Recently, Rotate devised an interesting experiment, inviting Denis Kaznacheev and Anestie Gomez to collaborate on The Wieferich Pair in a novel way, using each other’s sounds to create new compositions. Denis has received a healthy level of acclaim and attention as one-half of Easy Changes, joining forces with Kilrill Silantyev. Besides releasing music, Denis Kaznacheev is playing vinyl records at Club Der Visionaere, Hoppetosse, Chalet (Berlin), Fuse (Brussels), Sunwaves Festival (Mamaia), BLCK Market (New York), Outline Festival (Moscow), Opium Party (Italy) and Mioritmic Festival (Cluj). 14

That was the craziest night in 2017, missed the flight, missedbrains and so on. But the strongest memoriei come from thecraziest moments and this is one of them. Recorded at Motiv forthe Insolitus 1 year anniversary party.Cristina Popa: Hello, Denis! It’s very nice to have you as our guest on the feeder insider series. You alreadyvisited Romania a few times, playing at Villa Takeovers, Sunwaves, Waha and soon, at Mioritmic. What wouldyou like to find at Mioritmic?Denis Kaznacheev: Mioritmic festival, super excited about that, gonna play in a very nice companythere, old friends, new friends, label fellas and family guys, lovely people and music lovers all in oneplace. That’s gonna be a special one!C.P.: Together with Kilrill Silantyev, you founded the well-known Easy Changes duo in 2003 and theoutstanding Nervmusic label in 2009. Why has your friendship and collaboration thriven so nicely in allthese years?Denis Kaznacheev: Our friendship with Kirill is almost on the same level like it was back in the days, westill perform as a DJ project but don’t produce that much because we live in different cities. Probablythis or the next year we will make an EP.Various – Quattroporte (4×12 ), the latest compilation on Nervmusic, features contributions from Rhadoo,G76, Cesare vs. Disorder, Fumiya Tanaka, Cabanne, Melchior Productions, Martinez and yourself, among otherincredibly talented artists. What is the concept of this solid release?Denis Kaznacheev: Its a first Various Artist on Nervmusic and we wanted to bring most of the artistswho were already working for the label as remixers or been just spinning records at some of our partywith the artists who have been just recently connected to the label.Also since I’m a big fan of the cars from 70’s and 80’s, I wanted to have some connection with this aswell.So we have asked Igor Skaletsky to try to do something with Maserati Quattroporte because of itsa 4 records, 4 wheels, quattro![...] My favourite modules are DPO from making noise cause its onethe most powerful analogue oscillator in eurorack [...] 15

MONA NICOARĂ documentary filmmakerreality / cinema / celebrity I’m nervous when… I watch the news. The last book that’s over my head… is the catalogue of the ProletKultur art exhibition at the National Art Museum. It’s revealing and alarming, compelling and irritating. The movies could be… longer. I do not know why everyone edits in such a hurry. The dusk… was ruined for me since I read that brilliant, multicoloured sunsets, with lots of orange and purple, are the result of global warming. I’m annoyed by… lying, distances, the passage of time, Trump, corruption, the Coalition for the Family, heat waves. I have more if you want, the list is long. I dance… no. I often wonder… yes. A secret place in Arad… Calin Man’s office in the museum building, which is also the kinema ikon headquarters. He has all sorts of things there: the history of film in recording devices, and a small and very lonely shark. Music is for me… something that must be turned up. I always forget to… give thanks as much as I should. Mona Nicoara is the artistic director of fARAD, a documentary film festival that electrified Arad in recent years. Having made multiple award-winning documentary films, including “Our School” (selected at over 60 festivals around the world and screened in the USA, Switzerland, and Romania), Mona Nicoara has been working and living in New York since 1995, from where she has also responded to this interview. 16

[...] So I’m going to reduce my recommendation to one: start in thecinema. Not in front of the computer or in front of the TV, nomatter how ridiculously big the device is – but in the theatre, infront of a large screen, in the dark, next to strangers who gothrough the same emotions as you for an hour and a half or two.It’s something totally different. [...]feeder: Why documentary film and why all the way in Arad?Mona Nicoară: In 2014, the proposal to organize a documentary film festival in Arad came to Film ETC./ Romanian Film Initiative (Corina Şuteu, Oana Radu, and Mihai Chirilov) from the Municipal CulturalCenter and the Arad City Hall. When we explored the idea, we took into account the fact that in Arad,more than anywhere in the country, there is a tradition of the experimental documentary. It began in thelate 1960s with the kinema ikon group, which used half of the film stock received forofficially-sanctioned ethnographic films to make short films that simultaneously underminecinematographic conventions and provide an opportunity to meditate on the nature of the film. Newergenerations of young filmmakers were born around kinema ikon – our colleagues at the CitiZenit groupare among them – so we found in Arad a strong base layer, a tough nucleus of filmmakers who areactually the heart of the festival.f: If you were to choose 3 movies that we should not miss fARAD 4, which would those be?Mona Nicoară: The national premiere of I Am Not Your Negro, nominated for an Oscar this year, playsmore forcefully in the Trump era, and is a meditation on the relationship between the American,Hollywood-dominated and therefore eminently white culture – and the construction of the blackidentity during the civil rights era and at present. Another national premiere is the thriller The Loversand the Despot, about a couple of South Korean filmmakers kidnapped by North Korean cinephile inchief Kim Jong-Il. And finally, for nostalgics, Lasse Hallström’s semi-documentary ABBA, which formany of us before the Revolution was the first and only documentary seen in the cinema – on a bigscreen, in the dark, next to other strangers, as movies are made to be seen.[...] In fact, what matters for each of us is to make the bestpossible film, and for this, we need first of all creative support,technical skills, confidence in our instincts, clear artisticintentions, and time. [...] 17

BUTCHdj and producerdetails / microgrooves / mysterious As a child, I watched a lot... Dr Snuggles. When I need to unwind I.... go to the studio. My favourite sport is... running. A place where I like to eat out.... Kristen Stewart's pussy. If I hadn’t become a DJ, I’d... be a Physicist. Before every party... I rest. I wish I knew how to... beat up people. My spirit animal is.... Koala. The perfect holiday is.... what's that? Never heard of it. 3 of my favourite 2017 releases... no idea. We have the big pleasure to welcome the mysterious Bülent Gürler aka Butch. He lives and works in Mainz, Germany, but his music is travel all around the world and has been released by a lot of well-known labels including Moon Harbour, Visionquest, Hot Creations, Desolat, Watergate and Rekids. Last year, Butch has added to that list a release on Seth Troxler’s Tuskegee imprint titled Jack Your Body. His own label, Otherside, launches next year an EP featuring himself and Ricardo Villalobos, which we've already reviewed. Despite the extensive discography, however, he regards himself outwardly at least as more of a DJ than a producer. In tandem, Butch is running a residency series titled Down The Rabbit Hole at Watergate Berlin. “In Pulp Fiction, the taxi driver asks Bruce Willis why he’s called Butch. He says ‘I'm American, honey. Our names don't mean shit.’ That’s why I chose it.” 18

[...] The most important thing is to actually try out the stuff youread about, that's how you learn and that's what I'm doing at themoment a lot. [...]feeder: You’re hailed as one of the most innovative and unpredictable musicians of today, pushing soundsfrom groovy deep house to uplifting techno and consistently producing roof raisers. Tell us a bit about yourmusical background and the factors that shaped your sound.BUTCH: I had troubles falling asleep as a child, so I'd sing myself to sleep, inventing songs like that. Ilearned some guitar, but basically, I started Djing at the age of 12 and producing shortly after.feeder: After your smash 2013 release with Ricardo Villalobos, ”Up”, 2018 brings out two exquisite gemsfrom your co-composed vault, as ButRic, on Otherside. What is the story of this thrilling release?BUTCH: Whenever I'm in Berlin and Ricardo happens to be there, we hook up and get into his amazingstudio together. We've already made tons of tunes, we don't really talk in there, all we do is make a beat,record, play stuff, record and start the next beat. Both Ricardo and I have been playing “Fünfviertel” and“Down” a lot and people kept asking us about them, so now we decided to release them.feeder: You were in charge of the 18th edition in the Watergate mix series, the world-famous club where youcurrently hold a residency, and recently your track Shahrzad was remixed by Matthias Meyer on WatergateRemixes 01. How did your story with Watergate unfold?BUTCH: I played there once at a friend's birthday party and the guys from the club really enjoyed my seta lot. We talked after my set and thought it'd be cool to have a regular event. For me, it was awesomebecause I love Watergate and for them, it was awesome cos they love what I do. The idea for Down TheRabbit Hole, my night there, is to go deep into the music and explore where the night might take us.That's why I only ever have one guest per night and we don't have fixed set times. We need the time andspace to see where the night leads us.[...] Music always talks about stuff that we don't know because ifwe knew it, we could put it into words. [...] 19

ERWIN OLAF photographerimmersive / experimental / nostalgia / unusual I could do with a bit more… holiday. I like the smell of… flowers. Eastern civilizations… tend to be more zen than ours. Lately, I find myself more and more… thinking about silence. I get my vegetables from… the supermarket. Sometimes I write… thank you notes. A drink I never decline… well not never, but if you insist. When travelling… I try to enjoy space as much as I can Three movies that inspire me… are movies by Visconti (Death in Venice, Ludwig), Piere Paolo Pasolini and Blow Up (Michelangelo Antonioni) Multidisciplinary Dutch artist Erwin Olaf works in the field of art photography, video installation, and sculpture. He addresses social issues, societal taboos and gender politics through highly stylised, polished depictions, with a meaningful subtext. Olaf has exhibited his works in scores of group shows and has had solo exhibitions at many major museums including the Bilbao Art Centre in Spain, the Modern Art Gallery of Bologna in Italy, the Museum of Modern Art in Moscow, The Hague Museum of Photography and the Rijksmuseum. He also designed the Dutch euro coins that have been in circulation since 2014, both featuring a portrait of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. His recent exhibition, Erwin Olaf et Indochine, at Galerie Rabouan Moussion in Paris, celebrates the 13th album of the band, whose cover he designed, inspired by the work of American artist Henry Darger, featuring thirteen outlandish characters. 20

[...] What I faced sometimes is that people want to put you in acorner/box even though you yourself have long moved on fromthat. So being labelled.Cristina Popa: Hello, Erwin, it’s wonderful to have you as a guest on feeder insider series. For the 4thconsecutive year, you ran one of the stages at Milkshake Festival Amsterdam. What are the nicest memoriesyou have from Milkshake?Erwin Olaf: First of all it was great to be part of this Festival that celebrates diversity. One of myfavourite moments is when the parade started and all the people that helped me do this event went outall over the festival to ‘demonstrate and celebrate’.CP: How are human interactions evolving in a media-driven society? Are you still staying away from socialmedia?Erwin Olaf: I am not very interested in social media. Some of my work has been inspired by the humaninteractions evolving from social media. I only use facebook professional and I don’t have an Instagramor twitter account. Its sometimes akin to verbal and visual diarrhea.CP: Did you go back to the darkroom to make your own prints, as you wanted a few years ago?Erwin Olaf: Yes. Right now we are still in the early stages of that process, but I have refurbished mydarkroom, and have started to handprint silver gelatine prints.I am very much looking forward to beingable timewise to do more printing. Also, I have been producing Carbon prints. For this old technique I goto Zeeland to print with one of the last people in the Netherlands who understands this process.CP: You cite David Bowie as one of your earliest influences. If you were growing up now, which musicianwould you relate to?Erwin Olaf: I am not overly into music right now, I don’t have so many idols. I feel like the music industryis so constructed and commercialized that it is very hard to find original people. Also, everythingvisually seems to have been done already.[...] The combination of different mediums makes it possible tocreate a complete Erwin Olaf experience, you can get across theidea of an artist by making use of all the senses. 21

HEDOF illustrator and printmakerplayful / clever / positive In nature, I feel… humble My son laughs when… I try to catch him but fail on purpose I sometimes forget… that time is short One of my favourite snacks… kroket, a dutch bread crumbed fried roll that contains a ragout ground beef What inspires me about Breda…The endless energy and spirit of Bonk Skatestore My toy collection… I getting to big for my shelves hahaha I like the sound of… a heavy storm while I am lying in my bed When I was 6, I enjoyed playing…with my toiletroll collection, true story I make my own… Balkenbrij, a family recipe of traditional meat Three artists who inspire me… Wes Anderson, Studio Ghibli, Charlie Harper Multidisciplinary Dutch designer Hedof, based in Breda, works in the field of illustration and printmaking. Through a vibrant mix of strong shapes, weird characters and bold colours, Rick undertakes commercial and personal projects, creating artworks which are striking, yet casual and clever. Among his most recent endeavours is the Hedof x LCX installation and 15th-anniversary campaign for LCX mall, Hong Kong, for which he produced a universe of fascinating characters. Hedof creates amazing murals which enhance the qualities of public space or workplaces in cities like Copenhagen, Bucharest, Lisbon, and his home city, Breda. His clients include successful brands like The New York Times, Anorak magazine, Computer Arts Magazine, Nickelodeon, Kangaroos, Sony PlayStation, Lipton Tea, The Hoxton Hotel, KLM Airlines, Native Shoes, Appelsap Festival, Google, Red Bull, Red Cross, Zwijsen, Green Man Festival, Arte, Booking.com, LCX, S7 Airlines and Facebook. While working on new projects, Hedof was kind to talk to us about his work process, his Bucharest experience, analogue printmaking and what inspires him. 22

Overal, I just LOVE sketching, I draw every day and I collect allthese drawings in a big folder. [...]Cristina Popa: You visited Romania at Visual Playground Festival as a guest speaker and you also painted anawesome mural at the University of Architecture. How did you connect with the festival audience? What didyou find distinct about Bucharest?Hedof: When I was approached by the Visual Playgrounds Organisation, I didn’t know too much aboutBucharest and Romania, in general, to begin with.But once I got there I was so amazed by how beautiful and cool everything was, and how ridiculouslykind and smart all the local people are. It was by far the best experience with a festival I ever had.Everybody was just super excited, so amazingly talented themselves and everybody wanted to help mepaint the mural, this resulted in finishing the piece twice as fast! Also, the festival was amazing andthe food everywhere was super nice!CP: Moreover, at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, we can find one of your most immersive interventions, 4large 100 square meter murals along two sets of staircases, inspired by the Danish good life. Did you bringback some hygge in your home and studio?Hedof: Yes, that mural was insane. Since I have my family back home to consider, I always try to keepthe length of my working trips to a minimum, Which resulted in the fact that I had to paint 400m2 injust one week, which was crazy! Luckily I had the opportunity to bring my 2 close friends Joren and Ilsewith me to help me out. But still, it was a lot of hard work, painting, climbing so many stairs for 12 hoursin a row every day. So since I was so busy, I didn’t have the chance to do any tourist stuff haha, maybenext time.CP: Most of your self-initiated projects involve printmaking. What are, for you, the main distinctionsbetween screen-printing and digital?Hedof: I always compared screen printing with barbecuing. The technique just always adds soooo muchflavour to the final result. If digital is like microwave, printed stuff is like regular cooking, which alreadytastes way better. Screen printing and other traditional analogue printmaking techniques are supertasty barbecue dishes that are amazing. A bit burned and some errors, yes, but these charming errorsall add up to the final result.[...] I just like to approach every item that I draw, character or not,with a certain personality or feeling. It has to be recognisable, abit weird and surprising and I want the overall look to be positive. 23

SIMINAGRIGORIUdj and producerstudio / Kuukou / melodic / inspiration I never forget to…Skype with my Bunica and Bunicu at least once a week. The perfect breakfast… Green smoothie on a weekday. Anything McDonald’s after a long night in the club. A guilty pleasure…Bravo TV and all the shitty/superficial reality shows they showcase. I will only watch this stuff on tour. Never at home. It’s like mindless poison, but really entertaining! I recently discovered that…our little daughter actually understands Romanian! We live in Germany. We speak Dinglish (Deutsch-English) at home. I sprinkle in Romanian where I can and we listen to a lot of Romanian kids music. And now she gets it. I am very proud of this. Our little trilingual ninja princess! The most used app on my phone… Honestly and unfortunately, Instagram. Home is…Bucuresti, Toronto and now Berlin. An awkward moment…can be counterattacked with comedy. When in Berlin, you have to…Try Currywurst. Go go Berghain. Take a picture it a Photoautomat. Eat pastry at Sieberts. Ride the U-Bahn. Drink a Berliner Kindl. Do some touristic cultural stuff. 3 tracks that moved me this year… Simina Grigoriu – Techno Monkey (Original Mix) Kuukou Records – this is like my second baby (first track off my label) Philip Bader – Reaction (Original Mix) FORM Music – Just amazing on the dancefloor! Alfred Heinrichs – Raveheart !! (Original Mix) Supdub – I loved the original so much I decided to remix it! Simina Grigoriu was born in Romania, grew up in Canada and moved to Germany to follow her passion – music. After moving to Berlin in 2008, electronic music really began to be an important part in her life and in 2012 she released her first album – Exit City. From here, everything went on naturally and her release with the Berlin label Sonat Records was followed by releases with Phase Insane Records in Spain, Intelectro Vibe in Italy, Urban Sound and Frequenza. We talked with Simina about her studio, her changing of style the Bucharest and Toronto underground scenes and other interesting stuff. Enjoy. 24

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LIVIO & ROBY dj and producerDJ sets / portabil /duo / minimal / innovative A secret place in Bucharest… is the one with a view. On long flights… we have a special attraction for red wine. If we wrote a book… it would be a Cormac McCarthy adaptation. Habits we would like to drop… now would be cigarettes. Applications that make our lives easier… are the flight tracker ones. Pictures can… always recall memories. A random thought… of a Buchla can be a precise sequence on a track. Internet… can give you sometimes the wrong answers. Thinking of the future… makes us buy old machines. 3 artists that inspire us… Miyazaki, Francis Bacon, Villalobos. Livio and Roby live and work in Bucharest, but their sounds are portable, and are travelling around the world. Being at the forefront of Romania’s underground scene for many years, you can easily say that they are one of the pioneers. Let’s find out more about them, SW, their music production and live performances. 26

The aspect of having more room to dream sometimes can get youahead of time. But this is risky and assuming that, you candefinitely create more stir. [...]ubic: Your next EP, Portabil, will be released on Mulen Records, and has your signature sound all over it, withsome rolling grooves, underneath a very smooth tech-house vibe. How do you transfer ideas and emotions,such as the concept of the travelling sound, into a final arrangement?Livio & Roby: Sound comes and goes all the time, the idea is to catch it and record it.This basicallydefines a certain state in time, a moment caught on a special occasion. The arrangement should be adefinition of what you feel in that particular moment and defines the final product and for this reasonwe usually do that right away because we feel that we need to retain the magic. Of course sometimesyou can do it later but many times you loose the magic and it’s difficult to recall, so u need to startsomething else or just get on a different course.ubic: You are an important presence in the Romanian underground scene for over 10 years now and you werethere for all the major changes and events. After the Colectiv tragedy, the regulations have tightened andmany venues have closed their doors, and there is still a question mark about public safety at parties. Whatis your view on this? How did the changes impact you and your performance?Livio & Roby: This was so wrong, such an unfortunate event and immeasurable loss, sadly it’sirreversible and again a tragedy needs to happen in order to get things right. You cannot think about itin a way of affecting dj performances because this aspect is secondary. First the venues needs to belegit and build up properly in order to protect people’s lives in case of abnormal events, quality overquantity. This has to be changed even though there will be less space for performers.The aspect of having more room to dream sometimes can get youahead of time. But this is risky and assuming that, you candefinitely create more stir. 27

FRANCESCALOMBARDO dj and producertouring / Sofiel / style / goals My favourite street in London… Darnley Road, where my studio is. A funny childhood memory… when I nearly threw myself out the window because my Mum tried to make me eat cheese… If I could travel into the past… I’d be the first cosmonaut! The last film I saw… Supersonic Nature… Happy A good day starts with… A strong coffee and smiles. My laptop wallpaper is… Minibar, my cat. The perfect dinner… Echo Tacos, my label’s signature dish. 3 artists that inspired me… Yann Tiersen, Mathew Johnson and Max Richter. Francesca Lombardo was born in Italy and has a multi-disciplinary background with classical music playing an important role for her as a child. Now a DJ and a live performer, she has released music on labels such as Crosstown Rebels, Rebellion or Echoe and her live set which incorporates a group of instrumentalists to compose and conduct intricate productions, sheds a light on a very complex artist as she uses her DJ skills but also her voice to craft a perfect vibe. 28

I love touring, any chance to travel and see different parts of theworld, experiencing new food and people is fine by me! [...]Vlad Dumitrescu: Hello, Francesca! It’s nice to have you as a guest on the feeder insider series. You visitedRomania several times now, most recently earlier this year at Kristal Club and at UR.BASM. How were thevisits in our country so far?Francesca Lombardo: I have always loved to play in Bucharest, there is a such strong scene for my kindof electronic music, which gives me lots of freedom when I play.VD: Your debut EP, Changes, released on Crosstown Rebels in the summer of 2012 contains a track veryclose to your soul, Sofiel. Those were the early days of your career, how has your style changed over theyears? What do you think made Sofiel such a special track?Francesca Lombardo: I find it hard to trace these kind of changes, they feel like a natural evolution, sotend to go unnoticed if I’m honest. I still love “Sofiel” for what it is, it still sounds very me and I like toplay it out to this day.[...] For 2017 I will keep on doing what I am doing and hopefullyget more the chances to explore the globe. 29

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Thank you,this moment’s reader, the wonderful artists who took their time to talk about their endeavours andthe pleasures of life, and friends without whom it wouldn’t have been as nice: Aeul, Alexandra [Melliflow], Butch [People & Machines], Cristian Neagoe, Cristian Vasile (Igu), Denis Kaznacheev [Rotate], Denise Rotate, Emily Barker (Neucommunications), Erwin Olaf, Feriet Tunc (Studio Erwin Olaf), Francesca Lombardo [Echolette], Gabriel Aldea (Midi), Hedof, Henrik Mainzer (People & Machines), Matt Unicomb (Resident Advisor), Jammy Jay (Wearejammy), Livia & Reg, Livio & Roby, Miss Kittin [NobodysBizzness], Mona Nicoară [fARAD], Saint Machine, Sarah (GRADE Management), Shirley den Hartog (Studio Erwin Olaf), Simina Grigoriu [Kuukou Records], Subb-an [One Records], Tom Hewitt-Jones (Neighbourhood). feeder.ro



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