« Nous avons les moyens de vous faire danser! » clame une voix robotique, dans l’obscurité d’un théâtre pornographique du Berlin des 80’s. La machine dont provient ce bruit a un corps construit en synthétiseurs, et se meut à travers de fantastiques explosions artistiques New Wave. Son nom? Sex Kino. Un pied à Berlin, l’autre à Stockholm, elle a deux têtes mariées l’une à l’autre : celle de James Brook, producteur/compositeur et ex. chanteur de Pardon Moi, et celle de l’artiste suédoise Josefine Larsson.

Alors que les rues des villes résonnent dans le silence des confinements imposés, cette machine prévoit de passer le mur de son du futur pour ramener à nouveau les cris dans la ville. Un super pouvoir empli de luxure dystopique et d’envolées de fantaisies romantiques, qui appelle à ne pas regarder en arrière et à faire surgir le feu enragé qui bout en chacun de nous!

On a rencontré la machine Sex Kino au croisement de deux mondes virtuels. Tous micros dehors, on a recueilli ses propos pour vous les livrer avant l’explosion de son premier EP, ‘Scream in the city’, produit par HEARecordings!

Hello Sex Kino! How the two parts of you met, and how did you create the band?

James: We met whilst I was performing in Stockholm with Pardon Moi. We pretty much hit it off immediately and began talking about making music. Sex Kino was actually started as a side project of mine over a year ago, but it didn’t really take off until we started working together.

Josefine: Meeting James I was struck with the strongest sense of familiarity. It wasn’t my first intention to work with him but it quickly became inevitable. We woke up in love and hungover one Sunday in Berlin, grabbed a synth and a hurdy-gurdy, 3 hours later we had the demo for ‘Scream in the City’.

Where does the name Sex Kino comes from and what does it means?

James: Sex Kinos are what the Germans call ‘Porno Theatres’, whilst living in Berlin I would see it written, illuminated in lights on shop fronts in the less desirable parts of town.
Im often reminded of, I think it was Oscar Wilde who said, ‘ »We’re all in the gutter looking up at the stars »… I guess I’ve always had an affinity for the contrast between classy and trashy.

Your music and the voices on it makes me think a lot about 80’s movies’ soundtracks. Is it one of your influences?

James: Film Soundtracks, certainly! Television theme tunes as well… its an art in itself to compress a mini symphony into the space say, 30-40 seconds of a TV Show intro. We’re are very focused on finding ‘that’ theme.. the one that blows people away, transports the listener and prepares them for a journey.

Have you other influences, and not only musical ones?

Josefine: We’ve both dabbled in all types of art. I’ve studied music and played instruments, but my career has been as an industrial designer and illustrator. We enjoy building things, spending time in nature and the calm focus that comes with it.

The visual aesthetic, and particularly the cinematographic one, seems to be an important asset of Sex Kino’s experience. Isn’t it?

Josefine: I would say so, listening to music immediately paints pictures in my head. We like making our video teasers and discussing their themes and concepts.

Scream in the city

What are the universes of your music?

James: The universes of the music? Well… certainly living the past somewhere between the end of the 70’s and early 90’s, but looking forward into the future. I like to think that each one of the tracks is a self contained universe in its own right. Like a TV Theme tune, tailored to each ’show’.

In the teaser for ‘Scream in the city’, you show riot videos VS neoliberal figures and schemes, intimating the protesters to stop screaming in the city. Is there a political or societal statement in this video and your EP’s music?

James: We never aim for making a political statement as such… it sort of unfolds as we write. Maybe this song is about narcissistic world leaders and oppressive governments, maybe the next track is about masturbation.
The track ‘Scream In The City’ certainly shows our disillusionment with politics today, as many feel, and our desire to hide away out of necessity and safety. Things in the world are becoming steadily more oppressive, and ‘You shouldn’t Scream In The City’ Is a sarcastic statement warning you of what will happen if you speak up too loudly against the powers that be. We see it everywhere.

What are you working on or planning to work on during this lockdown period?

Josefine: Every day we jump out of bed and into our tiny studio. Fortunately we live secluded in the countryside where the lockdown isn’t very restricting. Chopping wood, working on the house and making music is what we do regardless.

With who would you make collaborations? Not only in the artistic field?

James: To be honest, we’re a pretty self contained little team and still exploring what we can do together… and as a result haven’t even thought as far as directly collaborating with others as such.
Of course if something interesting comes along, who knows. But we’re very much enamoured with each other and what we can do together.

Would you make us discover some emerging musical artists you like/frequent in your life?

James: Speaking for myself, I only listen to sad old bastard music… mostly 50’s – early 90’s, so I wouldn’t even know where to begin on advising the discerning listener on modern acts. For a Electronic Dance music producer I listen to a woefully small amount of dance music.

Josefine: I’m more scattered, I latch on to bits and pieces, old and modern, sometimes just a tiny detail from a song or performance. It’s such an unholy mess in my mind I can’t hope to tell anyone else what’s good.

Have you already been on stage together?

Josefine: No, that’s the one thing we’re longing to do, given this terrible crisis will pass.

What forms of concerts, clubs and parties in the next weeks and months? Is there new ways that could be explored?

James: We don’t really party much… we live in the woods with our cat and prefer solitude as such. However, now that summer comes it would be nice to once again tour and perform, feel the rush and crush of a crowed club. I fear that it may be some time before we see that again. New ways? I think people will always be a ’sucker’ for good old fashioned fun. Anything else feels isolated, removed and sterile.

What is your look about mankind’s evolution in future? (As UFO searcher particularly)

James: Well, going on the premise that we don’t blow ourselves up, its hard to speculate on the future as such… considering we seem to make the same mistakes over and over again, politically and socially. Yes of course progress is made and the world moves forward. Yet, we still struggle with the same issues like ego, narcissism etc. Humans think they are above everything… it’s arrogant to think that we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

The UFO subject in particular should be of interest to the world… it is not however, and is often ridiculed by the media and the scientific establishment. It is most certainly of great interest to our governments, tech corporations and military as documents and witnesses proves, so the disparity between these opposing views raises some very worrying questions. But ultimately, I believe ‘Disclosure’ is inevitable.

Josefine: It’s quite clear to me mankind is in for a huge shift. It’s been building up for some time. Recently I’ve seen more proof than I’m comfortable talking about… In the end I try not to lose too much sleep over it, and live as happy and safe as possible with my partner.

Thank you for sharing all these aspects of Sex Kino’s universes !