For this month’s EAST PALACE WEST PALACE podcast edition on BAIHUI we are delighted to introduce /jo:ná/.
Who is /jo:ná/?
I am an artist and researcher who navigates between different media and subjects. I love coincidences! I love being pulled into unexpected situations and seeing how they challenge and affect me.
Please, tell us a bit about how things fell into place for you to start djing.
I've always been surrounded by people who mix music. I've been searching and collecting a lot of music since long ago but never believed I could mix myself. A good friend of mine encouraged and supported me to try djing, and I quickly realized how much I enjoyed it. In the beginning I recorded a lot of sets at home, often just for myself to listen to, and only recently have I started djing for others. It's a great experience to get immediate feedback and share a certain mood with a crowd.
What kind of music are you excited about in general, and how does it translate into your sets?
I like music that challenges me. There are songs that I keep listening to over and over until I develop a feel for them, and songs where I might discover new sounds after years. I like songs with broken beats. I'm working on moving away from beat-matching and conventional transitions when I mix as well... it's an ongoing process.
There are many genre-bending sounds from the LGBTQIA+ community that I like to explore and experience and share with others through my sets.
How does djing and music connect to other disciplines you are actively exploring as an artist?
I work mainly with materials like plaster, timber or fabrics. I create sculptures and spatial installations. While the process of fabrication is fluid, the final experience of the objects is a much more static one. Immaterial phenomena such as movement, sound, and light have the potential to evoke a temporary but emotionally intense experience. Through collaboration and a playful exploration of how I approach sound, I seek to interweave different forms of media.
Also, as part of this set there's a poem written by Daisy Steele, could you tell us a bit more about how this collaboration came about?
Daisy's poems are soft and blunt at the same time. I usually express myself visually, but I continue to explore the power of voice and [spoken] word[s]. I incorporate them not only into my sets, but also into my recent art installations.
Daisy wrote “Why does this always happen”, a poem about queerness and aging. We broke up the poem, stretching and compressing it in places to connect with the sound.
Also, Daisy's voice gives me goosebumps.
What should we expect from the selection you've prepared for this edition of EAST PALACE WEST PALACE on BAIHUI?
A playful mix of different genres. A lot of drums and a beautiful poem.
Picture by Andreas Ludsteck, shot at Velt Studio