Happy to meet & introduce you Demian Licht, hailing from Mexico City’s and now based in Berlin. Since 2015 the artist has been defining her unique way in electronic music with elegance & flair of freshness on the world wide techno scene approaching most recognised venues & events. Her excellent creation skills you can discover trough her mixes, productions and live acts – on her self-released EP Trilogy Female Criminals on her own label Motus Records and following with her first full album, Die Kraft, which is also presented as live show project combining sound, light and architecture in collaboration with Mexico City studio Fragments & Forms. After her collaboration with Eomac with her previous vinyl on Eotrax happy to announce about her new vinyl release.
很高兴认识并介绍Demian Licht，她来自墨西哥城，现在常驻柏林。自2015年以来，这位艺术家一直在世界范围内的电子音乐舞台上以优雅和新鲜的方式定义她独特的方式，接近最知名的场所和活动。她出色的创作技巧你可以通过她的混音、制作和现场表演发现–在她自己的厂牌Motus Records上发布的EP《Trilogy Female Criminals》中，她的第一张完整专辑《Die Kraft》也是与墨西哥城工作室Fragments & Forms合作的现场表演项目，结合了声音、光线和建筑。在与Eomac合作后，她很高兴地宣布她的新黑胶唱片。
Everything that we listened to from your creations was like classic music translated into electronic sound landscapes, which would be a perfect soundtrack for a movie, theater or dedicated for the huge stage rather than for the small sweaty dance floor. How did you define your style and what background brought you to the point how you define your very sophisticated & elegant sound, which is matching that high level of musical perception? Do you have any musicians in your family? Do you go often to events like theater, concerts, opera or musicals? What was the biggest impact that defined your path?
Sinestesia has been a key element in my creation process. Images detonating sound as a script. Pieces in film from David Lynch to Kubrick, literature from Carl’s Jung and philosophical trends as shamanism and Japanese Wabi- sabi 侘寂, has been sources to develop concepts through sound. I can not and I don’t want to define my music in a particular style but definitely I am always looking for a cinematic aesthetic that I can script visually in my live shows.
There are no musicians in my family and also I don’t consider myself as a musician, since I know just the basics regarding Harmony. I consider myself more as a sound artist. But I appreciate this fact since for instance my sister is a photographer and my father a businessman, not related at all in my field but at the same time I have learned a lot from them that I applied into my own projects.
The biggest impact that defined my path definitely has been the chaotic and transmutational 2020 year. I mean for the world itself of course, but personally within a worldwide pandemia I gave birth to my debut Album DIE KRAFT (the force in German), I started to produce my new live show and I moved and established my new company MOTUSOUNDGRID in Berlin. Whereby, It has been the most challenging proof of my life so far.
我们从你的创作中听来的一切，都像是将经典音乐转化为电子声音的风景，这将是电影、剧院或专门为巨大的舞台而不是为小汗淋漓的舞池而准备的完美背景音乐。你是如何定义你的风格的，是什么背景把你带到了这样一个地步，你是如何定义你的非常复杂和优雅的声音，这与高层次的音乐感知相匹配？你家里有音乐家吗？你是否经常去剧院、音乐会、歌剧或音乐剧等活动？什么是定义你的道路的最大影响？
Sinestesia是我创作过程中的一个关键元素。以图像引爆声音为脚本。从大卫-林奇到库布里克的电影作品，从卡尔-荣格的文学作品，以及萨满教和日本侘寂的哲学趋势，都是通过声音来发展概念的来源。我不能也不想把我的音乐定义为一种特定的风格，但我一直在寻找一种电影美学，我可以在我的现场表演中以视觉脚本的方式来表达。
我的家族中没有音乐家，我也不认为自己是音乐家，因为我只知道关于Harmony的基本知识。我认为自己更像是一个声音艺术家。但我很欣赏这个事实，因为我的姐姐是一个摄影师，我的父亲是一个商人，与我的领域完全没有关系，但同时我从他们那里学到了很多东西，并应用到我自己的项目中。
定义我的道路的最大影响肯定是混乱和转变的2020年。 我的意思是对世界本身，当然，但个人在一个世界性的大瘟疫，我生了我的首张专辑DIE KRAFT（在德国的力量），我开始制作我的新的现场表演，我移动和建立我的新公司MOTUSOUNDGRID在柏林。 在此，这是我一生中最具挑战性的证明。
Which musicians/artists inspire you the most? When you would pick some names which are most important if it comes to the impact on your career?
There are a lot of artists I could name but in particular I would like to mention the British – Iraqui Architect Zaha Hadid, Stanley Kubrick and Nicola Tesla, since I consider they were masters in their fields.
哪些音乐人/艺术家最能激发你的灵感？如果说到对你事业的影响，你会选择一些最重要的名字吗？
我可以说出很多艺术家的名字，但我想特别提到英国人–Iraqui建筑师Zaha Hadid、Stanley Kubrick和Nicola Tesla，因为我认为他们是各自领域的大师。
You are the Ableton Certified Trainer, making you the first woman in Latin America to hold such a certification, like Resident Advisor mentioned. What inspired you to choose Ableton among all the softwares ? How long have you been defining your style ? What is your suitcase while touring to present your live performance?
What is your favourite gear?
I produce with Ableton since I find the work flow is very intuitive. It allows me to organically develop a concept. I have been developing my style in particular from my first release Female Criminals Vol. 1 (2016) but I feel I finally reached my own sound aesthetic in my debut album DIE KRAFT.
The gear I was using for touring was Ableton PUSH, a Livid midi controller and a semi modular synthesiser from Döeppfer called DARK Energy. I don’t have a favourite gear but I am about to design a customised midi controller with analog spirit with a company based in Argentina for my upcoming new live show.
你是Ableton认证培训师，使你成为拉丁美洲第一个拥有这样的认证的女性，就像前面提到的Resident Advisor。是什么启发你在所有的软件中选择了Ableton？你确定自己的风格有多久了？你在巡回演出时的手提箱是什么？你最喜欢的装备是什么？
我使用Ableton制作，因为我发现工作流程非常直观。它让我可以有机地发展一个概念。 我一直在发展我的风格，特别是从我的第一张专辑《 Female Criminals Vol. 1》（2016）开始，但我觉得我终于在我的首张专辑《DIE KRAFT》中达到了自己的声音美学。
我在巡演中使用的设备是Ableton PUSH，Livid midi控制器和Döeppfer的半模块化合成器DARK Energy。我没有最喜欢的装备，但我正准备和一家阿根廷公司合作，为我即将到来的新现场演出设计一个带有模拟精神的定制midi控制器。
Your first project was Trilogy EP Female Criminals exploring womanhood and feminist side. Tell us more about it, process & why did you split it into 3 parts. How do they interact with each other?
On Female Criminals Trilogy Ep’s I wanted to sonically explore the hidden side (the dark side) of the female mind which has not often been exposed in society as an statement in contraposition of the situation in Mexico regarding femicides. Then, in the later volumes (Vol. 2 in 2017 and Vol. 3 in 2018) the project evolved through psychoanalysis concepts from Carl Jung about Animus – Anima as an integration of masculinity and femininity as a unity.
你的第一个项目是三部曲EP《女性罪犯》，探索女性和女权主义的一面。告诉我们更多关于它的信息，过程以及为什么你把它分成三个部分。它们之间是如何互动的？
在《女性罪犯三部曲》中，我想用声音来探索女性心灵中隐藏的一面（黑暗的一面），这在社会上并不经常被暴露出来，作为与墨西哥有关杀戮女性的情况相反的声明。然后，在后来的几卷中（2017年的第2卷和2018年的第3卷），该项目通过卡尔-荣格关于Animus的精神分析概念进行了发展–Anima作为男性气质和女性气质的整合，是一个统一体。
We really admire your vinyl release on Eomac’s Eotrax records. How did you get connected and what is the story behind this beautiful creation? Do you think of some new collaborations?
Ian (Eomac) is a dear friend that I got the pleasure to encounter in 2015.. We respect each other in a brother – sisterhood and we share philosophies about the universe and spirituality. I feel we organically explore these theories through sound unintentionally in our collaboration. We haven’t spoken about a new collaboration together since he is currently working in something very special .. and I am very focused in the new fields I want to go into depth such as multimedia and contemporary dance.
我们非常欣赏你在Eomac的Eotrax唱片上发行的黑胶唱片。你们是如何结缘的，这个美丽的创作背后有什么故事？你想到了一些新的合作吗？
伊恩（Eomac）是我在2015年有幸遇到的一位挚友。 我们以兄弟-姐妹的关系互相尊重，我们有着共同的关于宇宙和灵性的哲学。 我觉得我们在合作中通过声音无意中有机地探索这些理论。我们还没有谈过新的合作，因为他目前正在做一些很特别的工作.而我非常专注于我想深入的新领域，如多媒体和当代舞蹈。
Happy to hear about your recent vinyl release, which was about to be crowdfunded. How you defined the idea and the sound on it’s newest piece of your soul?
DIE KRAFT has been the most challenging project of my career so far. Since it took me about two years to produce it and release it between Mexico and Germany meanwhile I was doing anthropological research with women shamans in Mexico and at the same time I was in the process of obtaining my visa to move to Germany. I think it reflects my deep connection among both cultures, which has been very richfull for me. Now, I feel my heart is split between these two countries.
In spring I will relaunch the crowdfunding campaign for DIE KRAFT vinyl release through a Parisian company with limited edition.
很高兴听到你最近发行的黑胶唱片，即将众筹。你是如何定义它的想法和声音上的最新作品你的灵魂？
DIE KRAFT》是我职业生涯中迄今为止最具挑战性的项目。 我花了大约两年的时间在墨西哥和德国之间制作和发行，同时我在墨西哥和女巫师一起做人类学研究，同时我也在申请移居德国的签证。我想这反映了我在两种文化之间的深刻联系，这对我来说是非常丰富的。现在，我觉得我的心已经在这两个国家之间分裂了。
春天，我将通过一家巴黎公司重新发起DIE KRAFT黑胶唱片发行的众筹活动，并限量发行。
You define yourself as feminist. How do you defend your statement you previously said that in Europe people talk about feminism and in Latin America they live it. How your activity on the music scene supports this subject? How do you see the scene there compared to all the other places you played “abroad”?
I am on board regarding gender equality but i don’t want the label of a feminist since i am totally in inclusion with men. I personally think we both are male and female. And by unifying these both conceptions I think we integrate better as human beings. And regarding my position about feminism in Europe and in Latin America by living between both continents over the last years I realise that in Europe there is a lot of research and discussion in the field but in Latin America women need to fight much more to survive and to protect themselves. And talking about my personal path, from the very first beginning of my career in Mexico, I have been developing all my projects and releases totally independently until now. Without any big label, music producer or long term management behind me. With only the unconditional support and love of my dear father and family in Mexico (mi clan corazon) who believed and trusted in me. My country still doesn’t have the music industry infrastructure as Europe, which is the reason why I moved to Berlin. But definitely, I feel in the upcoming future it will be very similar.. As I see a lot of talent emerging from Latin America, there is a lot of fertility there.
你把自己定义为女权主义者。你如何为你的声明辩护，你以前说过，在欧洲人们谈论女权主义，而在拉丁美洲他们生活在其中。你在音乐现场的活动如何支持这个主题？你如何看待那里的场景与所有其他地方相比，你打 “国外”？
关于男女平等，我是赞同的，但我不希望被贴上女权主义者的标签，因为我是完全包容男人的。我个人认为我们都是男性和女性。而通过统一这两种观念，我认为我们作为人类更好的融合。关于我对欧洲和拉丁美洲女权主义的立场，通过过去几年在这两个大陆之间的生活，我意识到，在欧洲有很多研究和讨论的领域，但在拉丁美洲，妇女需要更多的斗争来生存和保护自己。 说到我的个人发展道路，从我在墨西哥开始职业生涯的最初阶段开始，我就完全独立地发展我所有的项目和发行，直到现在。没有任何大的唱片公司、音乐制作人或长期管理人在我背后支持我。 只有我亲爱的父亲和墨西哥的家人（mi clan corazon）对我的无条件支持和爱，他们相信我。我的国家仍然没有欧洲那样的音乐产业基础设施，这也是我搬到柏林的原因。 但肯定的是，我觉得在即将到来的未来，这将是非常相似的。因为我看到很多人才从拉丁美洲涌现出来，那里有很多的肥力。
One of the places you performed the most is one of the best techno clubs in the world – Berghain/Panorama Bar in Berlin, Germany. How was your first experience there back in 2016? What tipp could you give to the artist who desires to perform there one day? How was your story that you were booked?
I heard a lot of myths about this place whereby, later I released Female Criminals Vol. 1 I just reached them and the booker replied to me a couple of days later by saying they will really like to host my live act. It was very special since the space is great for a proper live performance. I spoke with the light technician to create a theatrical atmosphere, just red and white lights.. something intimate.. and during the show i felt it was a quite unique moment within the entire night, the fire was very present. I love the fact of the performance itself, I think it is very important to potentialize a music concept.
My advice to the artists that would like to play in Berghain is to don’t try to fit in the current techno scene, just find an own style. It takes a lot of time and effort , but it’s worth it. Out of the box thinking always.
你演出最多的一个地方是世界上最好的techno俱乐部之一–德国柏林的Berghain/Panorama酒吧。2016年你在那里的第一次体验如何？你能给那些渴望有一天在那里演出的艺术家什么提示？你被预定的故事是怎样的？
我听到了很多关于这个地方的传说，因此，后来我发行了《女罪犯》第一卷，我就联系了他们，几天后，订票人回复我说，他们很愿意举办我的现场表演。这是很特别的，因为这个空间很适合做现场表演。我和灯光师说要营造一种戏剧性的气氛，只有红白灯光……一些亲密的东西……在表演过程中，我觉得这是一个相当独特的时刻，在整个晚上，火是非常存在的。我喜欢表演本身的事实，我认为将音乐概念潜在化是非常重要的。
我对那些想在Berghain演出的艺术家的建议是，不要试图适应当前的技术场景，只要找到自己的风格。这需要很多时间和努力，但这是值得的。跳出框框的思维总是。
Have you ever been in Asia privately or would you like to tour there? Which cities would be your desired destinations ? If you could tour with any of your favourite musicians, who it would be and why?
Yes, I went to Asia in 2018. I was invited to play in Shanghai and Beijing for the first time in DADA club and it came very aligned to celebrate my birthday on the day of my first show in Asia. I felt it was the perfect opportunity to jump to Japan after the shows in China since I was studying Japanese culture for years through their language and philosophical concepts like Wabi – sabi.( world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.) and which I try to apply in my creation process. It was very dramatical the differences between Chinese and Japanese cultures but by being there I discovered their intersections. It was one of the most special travels I have made so far.
The artist I would like to tour with is Nine Inch Nails. I remembered their show in Montreal (TENSION tour) as one of the most memorable shows I have experienced because of all the passion they give on the stage. It is the most important factor in a live performance for me.
你是否曾私下到过亚洲，或者你想去那里旅游？哪些城市会是你的理想目的地？如果你可以和你最喜欢的音乐人一起巡演，你会选择谁，为什么？
是的，2018年我去了亚洲。我第一次被邀请到上海和北京的DADA俱乐部演出，而且在我在亚洲的第一场演出的那天，非常吻合地庆祝了我的生日。在中国的演出结束后，我觉得这是一个完美的机会跳到日本，因为我通过他们的语言和哲学概念，如Wabi – sabi.（以接受短暂和不完美为中心的世界观）学习了多年的日本文化，我试图将其应用到我的创作过程中。中日文化的差异是非常戏剧化的，但通过在那里我发现了它们的交集。这是我迄今为止最特别的旅行之一。
我想和他们一起巡演的艺术家是九寸钉。我记得他们在蒙特利尔的演出（TENSION巡演）是我经历过的最难忘的演出之一，因为他们在舞台上的激情。对我来说，这是现场表演中最重要的因素。
What are your further plans? New year’s goals planned already? Where do you see yourself in 2021 and later on?
My main focus for 2021 and the upcoming future .. is to premiere DIE KRAFT Live Show and tour with it. This project I am currently producing through my company will integrate the new fields I am getting into like multimedia and contemporary dance. I visualize DIE KRAFT light installation designed in collaboration with Fragments and Forms as a matrix to host artists out of my field (my comfort zone) to enrich and have fun together in the show.. I am planning to invite dancers, and live musicians to create a full concert rather than just an electronic set. Which is exactly the statement of my company MOTUSOUNDGRID a matrix intersecting fields from film, multimedia, contemporary dance & fashion through sound.
你有什么进一步的计划？ 新的一年目标已经规划好了？ 你对2021年及以后的自己有什么看法？
在2021年和即将到来的未来……我的主要重点是首演DIE KRAFT现场秀，并与它一起巡演。 这个项目我目前正在通过我的公司制作，将整合我正在进入的新领域，如多媒体和当代舞蹈。 我把与Fragments and Forms合作设计的DIE KRAFT灯光装置想象成一个矩阵，让我的领域（我的舒适区）之外的艺术家们在表演中一起丰富和享受乐趣。 我计划邀请舞者和现场音乐家来创造一个完整的音乐会，而不仅仅是一个电子装置。这正是我的公司MOTUSOUNDGRID的声明，一个通过声音，从电影，多媒
体，当代舞蹈和时尚领域交叉的矩阵。
If you would have a magic gin from a lamp ready to fulfill 3 wishes… what would it be?
My main focus for 2021 and the upcoming future .. is to premiere DIE KRAFT Live Show and tour with it. This project I am currently producing through my company will integrate the new fields I am getting into like multimedia and contemporary dance. I visualize DIE KRAFT light installation designed in collaboration with Fragments and Forms as a matrix to host artists out of my field (my comfort zone) to enrich and have fun together in the show.. I am planning to invite dancers, and live musicians to create a full concert rather than just an electronic set. Which is exactly the statement of my company MOTUSOUNDGRID a matrix intersecting fields from film, multimedia, contemporary dance & fashion through sound.
如果你能从灯中得到一个魔法，准备实现3个愿望……会是什么？
我想我会根据目前我们人类共同经历的时刻，将这三个愿望整合成一个愿望。今年，所有的事情都有了眉目，现在我想每个人都看到了所有的问题，这些问题必须以一种新的方式重新开始在这个世界上得到解决。面纱已经落下。 我希望我们能从这个世界性的事件中走出来，在性别、种族和宗教方面有一个更包容的世界，与地球和宇宙更紧密地联系在一起，就像世界上所有的祖先文化一样，最重要的是，”个人主义 “的概念引领着所谓的 “第一世界 “将变成以一种更集体的方式，在团结中一起工作。没有办法回去了。我觉得有这个力量，DIE KRAFT。
Photos : www.keyi.eu @keyistudio
Interview Izabella Chrobok
