NOTES:

Jessica is a Berlin based electronic musician and sound artist. Through her live performances and installations she creates a transformative element for the space and audience. Achieving this with Quadraphonic performances that surround the listener and immerse them in her world.

Notes from listening;

• Her work has a very emotive, layered sound that creates the sensation of moving forward or travelling.
• Very dubby and atmospheric, however listening on a stereo system does not do her work justice as the whole scope of her sound is meant for 8 channels. Upon listening in the Performance Lab, her work becomes a completely different entity.
• Influences from her environment Berlin are very clear. The sonic landscapes she conjures are otherworldly, abrasive and beautiful. These words are often linked with Techno, more specifically Berlin Techno, her sound likened to clubs such as Berghain and Tresor. Ekomane performs in nightclubs, theatres, sound spaces etc preferring a more ‘social’ setting over a gallery.

COMEDOWN (2020)

While the nightlife scene is put on hold, spaces such as Berghain are offering alternative escapes for art lovers. Ekomanes ‘Comedown’ instillation held in the Panorama Bar (Berghain) explores the positive/negative effects of clubbing and reflects on the current Covid-19 shituation and modern life; capitalism, 9-5 work, segregation etc.

Although the ideas Ekomane talked about in her lecture interested me, I struggled to find meaning in this actual piece, the message didn’t really come across to me. Most likely because I was listening to this in my bedroom rather than the cavernous, brutal space that is Berghain, I felt the array of sounds were corny and almost too typical from a ‘dance music’ perspective. These sounds included horns, sirens, 808 beats, drum fills, rewinds etc. I feel like such an interesting topic at a crucial time in the entertainment industry could have been expanded more.

CITIZEN BAND (2019)

For Citizen Band Ekomane explored the hazy and quite funny realm of audio radio communication between truck drivers in the US. This commissioned piece is comprised of anonymous radio conversations between workers and radio hobbyists in Indiana and Nebraska. Between AM and FM lies the ‘Citizen Band’, a range for short distance communication.

This communication became an underground public forum for the working class. I find this particularly interesting because the idea of strangers chatting via radio is something lost to my generation. Being so connected through social media and other digital outlets, any other form of communication is dying out.

If the internet had never been created would radio bands such as the one Ekomane presents be harnessed in a completely different way?

MY QUESTION TO JESSICA :

Being based in Berlin do you feel that your environment and experiences with Berlin specifically influence your work? Is there something about its Techno and Industrial roots that made you gravitate there?

A: In Berlin people are generally a lot more open and willing to give things ago than in France. More women in the field of sound, Ekomane loves the sense of community and sisterhood within the city. Toggle panel: Portfolio Slideshow