[Interview] Women Rule The Music – CMD & Jeanna
* Pour lire la version française de cette entrevue cliquez ICI!
After according a playlist to Chez Kito Kat to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary, let’s continue the festivity with our first (of two) interview as part of the Women Rule The Music series organized by Salima Bouaraour, president of the label. To do so, we asked CMD and Jeanna, who both contributed to this wonderful projet, a few questions. CMD, who you probably know for her involvement in the Montreal electronic music scene, presents a fantastic mix of introspective and exhilarating techno. On her side, Jeanna, a musician based in Belgium, unveils a magnificent and hazy electropop composition. Have fun listening to their music and reading their answers!
To follow Chez Kito Kat : Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram – SoundCloud – Twitter – YouTube
To follow CMD : Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram – MixCloud – SoundCloud – Twitter
To follow Jeanna : Facebook – Instagram – SoundCloud
First, I was wondering what motivated you to answer positively to Salima’s call to participate in Chez Kito Kat fifteen years anniversary and more precisely to the Women Rule The Music podcast series?
CMD: I have to acknowledge the passion, commitment, and labour it takes to run an independent label, and so reaching 15 years is definitely something to celebrate! As a label founder and manager, Salima is very thoughtful, open-minded, and engaged in endeavours to promote social justice in night life and the music scene. Chez Kito Kat is working to develop, sustain, and network artistic communities in meaningful ways, and I wanted to contribute to their efforts.
Jeanna: To answer your first question I guess it was a kind of “no brainer” as my motto is simply «share and exchange makes the world a better place”. Add the theme of women musicians on top and you got a winner!
The issue of women/non-binary/trans person underrepresentation in the music world has taken more place in the public space in the last few years with numerous initiatives aimed at diversifying the scene and the festivals line-ups. How do you feel about the orchestration of this change and do you see a real sincerity behind the different actions that are taken? In your opinion, is there an approach that could be more organic and truly felt?
CMD: There has been a greater interest in diversifying lineups, although as you point out, the motivation for these changes varies. Whatever the reasons, I think having more diverse lineups is an important step that adds momentum to wider conversations about structural inequalities in the music industry. But we need a more intersectional approach to addressing these problems, and to remember that representation alone is not going to solve them. We will need greater diversity across the industry in positions of power to make more organic change.
Aside from questions of representation, I feel like the present moment has foregrounded a lot of issues in the industry related to economic precarity, safety and consent, racism and classism, and the impacts of this scene in particular on communities and on the environment. I suspect there will be a pushback against a return to the status quo post-covid. As artists and fans we can rethink how we support our music scenes going forward, and imagine something different.
Jeanna: Any initiative in this area is always a good place to start. Whether it is sincere or just fashionable shouldn’t be a deterrent. Let’s just get it going and hope that it provokes good will and that everyone is onboard with opening up by using the common language which is music. I can’t think of a better tool to unlock preconceived notions, start a conversation and bring people together.
Corina, your mix shows your unique soundscape with some pulsating and sparkling techno. Is there something that influenced your selection, what are your main inspirations and what emotions did you want to communicate to the listeners?
I recorded this mix in January, a difficult time of year. It was dark and cold and the curfew had just been imposed. Given the circumstances, I wanted to create a soundtrack for inner journeys, a mix that would live «inside your mind», to quote the title of Shinedoe’s track in this mix! 😉
Your show on CKUT, Modular Systems Radio, continues despite the pandemic and introduces us to a lot of fantastic artists every time. Have you had any difficulty staying motivated during the past year and has music been an outlet for you?
I’ve certainly had low points, and music is definitely a lifeline. The regularity of the show helps me stay motivated. It’s been strange not having access to the CKUT studio for over a year now, I’m really looking forward to being back at the board! I’ve also been helping to organize the female:pressure room for COMMON over the past six months which has kept me busy and introduced me to a lot of great artists from the female:pressure network worldwide.
Last year has been rather quiet on your side in terms of release, do you have some music in the works that will be shared soon? What does the end of 2021 hold for CMD?
True, it’s been quiet although I’ve had a chance to do a couple of remixes which is always an interesting challenge. I have also been working on new music though so I plan to release something later this year!
Jeanna, despite the pandemic, you’ve performed several times in the last few months, including one at the Kanal Pompidou. I was wondering how you lived through this period with all the constraints related to the concerts organization? And what was the feeling of offering a performance in such a mythic place in the current situation?
Yes, surprisingly/strangely enough I was able to perform more during the pandemic than before. I had already started working on this piece and was pretty far along in my process so I was ready to make the most of a residence that was offered to me during the pandemic. There is a hotel here in Brussels called The Jam Hotel that wanted to support local recording artists while at the same time generating content for the hotel during this challenging time. It was a real savior for me as I got to interact with other artists….share and exchange… I decided to invite people in groups of two to come see my performance. It was really intense performing for just two people in a tiny room. There was an amazing connection to “the audience” that is unique to this formula.
I really loved doing it and got so much energy from their reactions. It was very inspiring and it kept me from feeling a loss of perspective as so many of my musician friends felt while their tours were being cancelled, record releases delayed etc. I happened upon a formula that worked for me and I felt very fortunate. It was because of these mini-performances that I met the curator for Kanal Pompidou, Anna Lopocaro. She loved it and invited me to perform for their live radio show, After Hours, and accessible on their SoundCloud at this link.
I am a huge fan of live radio to begin with and the way they setup the radio station inside this beautiful building was awesome. I think every institution should have a radio station. It’s such an interesting third dimension to discovering artists’ work. And even better, the small radio team was made up of two very cool women who really liked what I was doing. I felt right at home and very honored at the same time to have been given this opportunity.
While all the other artists offer mixes as part of the Women Rule The Music series, you rather offer us a personal composition with an electro-pop feel, a splendid ballad. What prompted you to present this track and where does your main inspiration come from when it comes to music production?
The song that was chosen for the Women Rule series was actually chosen by Salima Bouaraour. I sent her all the songs and she chose this one from the series. It makes a lot of sense conceptually as it is written from the perspective of Penelope the wife of Ulysseus from Homer’s Odyssey. And indeed, she ruled Ithaca while Oddysseus was off fighting in the Trojan War. This of course was unheard of in Antiquity and so she was maybe the first role model for feminism. Throughout the story she is praised for her “fidelity” to her husband but in fact she represented supreme intelligence and cunning, a fair and just ruler, a woman alone amongst ambitious men, a master weaver, a devoted and single mother and a caring daughter. I figure she’s pretty much the first female «badass» ever and she made me think about the Sri Lanken artist M.I.A.. I loved a series of photos she did for a magazine, which of course I can’t remember which one it was anymore but it was taken in a castle and she is dressed like an Indian Princes. I love her audacity and beauty. This was my inspiration for the song and it does fit pretty well with the theme.
After a very active year and numerous performances, what does the upcoming months hold for Jeanna? Do you have any releases, collaborations or concerts coming up?
Yes, lots of coals on the fire as they say. I’m now in the process of making a record but am still considering how I want to release it. There are hopefully some upcoming performances internationally but lets hope that we continue getting this virus under control so that festivals and culture in general can come back. It’s looking promising so that’s good. But, one thing is for sure… I don’t think we should hope that things go back to the way they were pre-pandemic because after all this craziness we should have learned something! I’m interested in continuing to find solutions and thinking more creatively about how to enjoy my process more and more so that an outcome, that I don’t have any control over is less and less an obstacle. I make music and that’s good enough for me.
Thanks for your time!