Georgia – “The deepest politics possible happen within one person’s body” (interview)
Af Simon Christensen
At følge Georgia er et følge en kontinuerlig strøm af seismisk aktivitet: Musik og animationer bobler ud igennem et studie i det store æbles Chinatown i et spekter af platforme bestående af film, soundcloud-tracks, radioprogrammer, designvirksomhed og de indtil videre 3 fuldlængde LP’er, som er udkommet med hjælp fra bl.a. Afrikan Sciences, Rashad Becker, Matt Werth fra RVNG Intl. og Caroline Polachek fra Chairlift. Alle ‘produkter’ har det tilfælles, at det er sirligt sammenvævet på tværs af mediematrixen, og musikalsk tager afsæt i en spirituel uendelighedstanke hentet fra den frie jazz og minimalistiske komponister – som derfor helt naturligt tager afstand til normale sangstrukturer.
Måske af samme grund er det en lige så god måde at introducere duoen Georgia, Justin Tripp og Brian Close, igennem deres månedlige radioshow ‘All Kind Music’ på NTS Radio, der består af timelange mixtapes med en tilsyneladende nonstop lydpølse af optagelser fra hele verden igennem en lagkage af analoge og digitale filtre, eller igennem diverse tumblr-sites og soundcloud-profiler, der dels er en portfolio for deres grafiske virksomhed og dels fyrer god musik ud på nonprofit basis. Deres nye album på Palto Flats (Midori Takada, Woo, Mariah etc.) har desuden fået samme navn.
Den tilgang er lige så selvopløsende og tilsyneladende kontraproduktiv som resten af universet. Et ‘universelt’ bandnavn, der er nærmest umuligt at google, fordi det både kan henvise til en stat/by/nation, de ikke kommer fra, og et navn på en kvinde (som optræder på deres seneste LP-cover). Det afspejles også musikalsk, hvor inspirationerne potentielt udspringer af helt simple stammerytmer og melodier, men som bliver manipuleret til ukendelighed og væver sig ind i en strøm af numre, temperamenter, og til sidst nærmest opløser sig ind i baggrundslydene fra mekaniske processer og realoptagelser fra bylivet.
På samme selvmodsigende måde følges der op med udgivelsespraksis, der radierer kerneeksemplet på postmodernitet og et ideologisk opgør med den medievirkelighed, som Justin Tripp og Brian Close omgiver med. For hvorfor overhovedet lytte til en LP med en begrænset spillelængde, når de producerer utallige timer af ‘fri musik’, og hvorfor bruge så mange kræfter på et iscenesætte en virksomhed inden for fænoment Georgia, når man samtidig giver sin musik væk gratis på flest mulige formater? Jeg tror, at én forklaringsmodel kan være en vision om urmennesket, og deraf af basale musikalske udtryksformer (rytme, sang) som frie og så simple, at de er allemandseje. En anden forklaringsmodel kunne bygge på en decideret afstandstagen fra den copyright-bevægelse i vores nuværende musiksystem. En tredje, pragmatik. Vi spurgte dem.
P/A: How do you relate your own records compared to the mixes and radio programs you do? What’s more interesting about the one and other?
Georgia: “They’re the same. They’re both interesting. Mixes are great because they’re fast to make and fast to release. Records are great because they have a physical counterpart. When making a record, we sequence notes. When making a mix, we sequence tracks. The important thing is the enjoyable trance during creating these things, rather than the thing we are left with.”
In your complete musical output of records, mixes, radioprograms there seems to be a sense of continuance. Can you tell us your thoughts on structure and continuous music?
“Structure isn’t a concern of ours, but we are sometimes bound by the medium that delivers our music/visuals. The best we can achieve with our finite selves is infinite.”
Congratulations on the release of All Kind Music on LP. What are your thoughts in terms of the sounds you use on the album. What is your sonic source, and is it made on synthesizers, with field recordings, analogue percussion etc.?
Our sonic source is whatever is at hand. We don’t really have any hierarchy in terms of tools or instruments. AKM in particular was made with hand drumming, computer drumming, mouth drumming, trumpet drumming, hand trumpeting, mouth computer drumming , computer mouth drumming, and analogue foot stomping. The source is ideally more an internal sense than a material object.
What does ‘All Kind Music’ refer to as a term, and what is the mission statement for Georgia?
“All Kind means all encompassing and all benevolent. We believe that mission statements are for corporations / governments / religions / troopers / commanders.”
Can you give us your thoughts on your use of many platforms for your musical output, also compared the continous stream of music from your hand via Soundcloud and NTS shows on Mixcloud?
“We’re mainly concerned with the convenience of any platform. We like to create and release music and visuals without being bogged down by process. So, the platforms where you find us are those that we find most convenient. The idea is to create feverishly without stopping.”
The diversity of musical inspiration in your music, talking in both geographical and spiritual ‘planes’, is, at least to me, an idealogical statement in itself. So my question here is: In a world of political unrest, do you think, music should be political by example?
“We feel the need to live a life and put forth a spirit that we would like to inhabit and be surrounded by. The deepest politics possible happen within one persons body. There is an atomic war in all of our digestive tracts. Music is the most political, by being meaningful, as well as meaning less, in oscillating degrees, which are too fast to follow, too peaceful to leave suffering behind etc.”
In a number of reviews Georgia is connected to spiritual jazz (of Alice Coltrane), minimalist music (of the japanese scene and Terry Riley), and weird electronic music, but could you maybe put a scope on this for our readers: What are the weirdest and most radical sources of inspiration for your work?
“Each other. Each person has a mind, body, and spirit. These dance together, and independently at times. Imagine what that says of a room full of people?! Terry and Alice knew it too, maybe you should ask them…”
Info: Georgias tredje album “All Kind Music” er ude nu på Palto Flats. Hold øje med Justin Tripps og Brian Close’s øvrige platforme for mere film, grafik, og musik. Det er isært anbefalelsesværdigt at tjekke deres 2 timer lange NTS Radio-indslag og bl.a. William Onyeabor-filmen, som de har leveret den grafiske side til.
