presents a live ‘vinyl only’ DJ set in kimono; Sexual Joy Through Self-Hypnosis. Espen is an artist and DJ from Bergen that loves to connect people through music and getting them to relate to each other by dancing; a tremendous way to feel unity and art in action. Clubbing is an old art too, even an ancient practice. Inspired by 1970s Loft parties, eclectic mixing, Espen plays music with roots in Detroit, Chicago, New York, and beyond. Drum machines, synths, stabs, and hard bass, vocals about love and/or heartbreak; danceable instrumentals and hypnotic melodies; funk, Proto-House, House, and Techno from all over the world. The last year Espen has become part of our family; spreading good disko karma* (sic!) at Kulturhuset, and now: virtual space. Fingers crossed we will soon be able to experience this again IRL. For tonight we hoped for vinyl, if the kimono did allow. (Luckily, it did!)
Dear beloved friends of Karmaklubb*. We have started to telecommunicating live, in desperation and frustration, in lack of being able to do what we live for: gather people IRL. Operating on distance will never be our preferred method. It feels like putting on a dress when you do not want to. The neon claw cannot shine and paint the room green. Neither can we talk or dance together. Not kiss. But, over the next weeks, perhaps months (please, let us hope not!) a selection of ‘virtual smoke signals’ will take place: DJ sets, followed by concerts, sound productions, podcasts, talks, and more — hopefully making us both happier and smarter, ‘thought and pleasure’ — served by the most generous and trusted beings. Such as Espen Iden. More to come: Queerness, joy, and love. We still believe 2020 will be a good year. You can also ↗︎ read about the VSS here in ↗︎ MELK↗︎ ’s↗︎ ↗︎ online edition, in Norwegian.
For nerds
telecommunication (n.): 1932, from French “télécommunication” (see “tele-” [far, far off, operating over distance] + “communication” [act of communicating, act of imparting, discussing, debating, conferring]). Source: Online Etymology Dictionary. The icon of the lifebuoy — at SoundCloud and such — with light, smoke, and line is normally used as a nautical safety sign. Very symbolic, yes.