Pluie/Noir
Interscapes 09
“You Must Sleep And Dream”
Sound mixed and compiled by Myles Greenwood
Visual interpretation by Daniel Ellwood
Welcome to the new Pluie/Noir podcast series. 9 years after our debut we decided to press the reboot button and return to our roots. With a new format and back to a regular monthly schedule, Pluie/Noir Interscapes will feature audio collages, mixes, live interviews, and live recordings from P/N artists, friends, and other collectives we admire.
For Interscapes 09, we welcome Myles Greenwood – The DJ, promoter, digger extraordinaire, and part of the iconic Swiss record shop Le Gram Vinyl Garden – to give us a glimpse of his vast record collection. Scalpel art and digital finish by Daniel Ellwood, the Berlin-based visual artist behind Ellwood Art. We interview both for the occasion:
INTERVIEW — MYLES GREENWOOD
Hi Myles, welcome to the PN Interscapes series. How are you holding up?
Hello Bruno, thank you so much for having me. Things are very busy at the moment, actually. It’s been a tough, dull year for everyone, but now I’m back in the UK, I seem to have a lot on my plate.
How was it living in Switzerland? For how long were you based in Renens?
I loved Switzerland; like I said, this past year was challenging, but I can’t complain about the 8 or so years I’ve lived there; I’ve had a lot of fun. I mainly was living up in the mountains, they’re beautiful, they don’t seem real. The shop (Le Gram VG) is obviously down in Renens – it’s a sort of suburb of Lausanne. Totally different feel to the city. It’s got a great vibe, artier, and more kebabs. The last couple of years working down there with Oscar was great; I had a good routine of heading down from the mountains for a few days at a time, sorting out records, and eating kebabs. What’s not to like!
“I helped as much as I could sourcing collections, pricing, listing, and helping with the general tasks of running the shop“
Did you start Le Gram VG with Oscar Conway when you moved to Switzerland? Are you still managing the project from the UK?
I didn’t start it no, It’s Oscar’s love child. He just asked me to get involved from an early stage. I can’t take any credit for the building or aesthetics of the shop; that’s all Oscar. But I helped as much as I could sourcing collections, pricing, listing, and helping with the general tasks of running the shop. There have been times before where I was managing it from the UK. For example, the first wave of lockdown saw me stuck in England with 5000 records and Oscar in Renens needing the stock for the shop. We managed to make it work. Part of the beauty of running a business with your best mate is it somehow always works itself out.
How is Le Gram VG standing out from the general international record store panorama?
I’m not sure, to be honest, but I hope we’re standing out. We have our core values and just go with them. I think the partnership with LEGRAM (restaurant & bar) downstairs helps. When the building is actually open, and the customers can get quality beers and wines while digging, it creates a really nice atmosphere. In terms of the music on the shelves, we try to maintain an extremely high standard. People are picky; they know what they want! I think the struggles of opening so soon before a pandemic has shaped the character of the shop.
“the first wave of lockdown saw me stuck in England with 5000 records and Oscar in Renens needing the stock for the shop. We managed to make it work.“
And the events at the shop? Did you and Oscar curate these events too?
This was a bit of a team effort. Oscar had some great experience from booking the parties at the Polaris festival. We’d run events and parties in the mountains before. We’d often just brainstorm potential DJs who we’d like to see and go from there. The sound system was lent to us by a good friend; cars were sometimes borrowed, basically doing whatever we could to make it work.
For me, this was the biggest thing I missed in the pandemic months. The few events that we did really helped get the word out about the shop. We somehow managed to squeeze some amazing party’s out in some very stressful times. The work that goes into the events is always so worth it.
We had some close friends start to invite some of their favorite DJs from Europe to play the in-store sessions. This was another great collab between friends and artists, using the shop to host events and benefiting from the wonderful space.
“‘We somehow managed to squeeze some amazing party’s out in some very stressful times. The work that goes into the events is always so worth it.”
Tell us more about “you must sleep and dream.” What were your creative process and idea for this mix, when and how did you record it?
It was recorded in late January, so deep into a freezing & snowy winter. I was listening to A LOT of ambient/experimental. Once I started digging more and more into the sound, I fell in love. For the mix, I wanted to create moments that would catch you off guard: relaxing at times and stressful at others. I hope the listener feels a range of emotions while listening to it.
You see yourself as a DJ and Record Collector? Do you intend on getting involved in the creation of music or maybe even a record label?
I have dabbled, and I mean, I dabbled in music creation. I’ve had bits of hardware at times in my life. But the passion is always far greater towards digging new music than creating my own. Maybe this will change one day, but for now, yea, a DJ/Collector only.
"the passion is always far greater towards digging new music than creating my own."
A label? It’s funny you say that as we’re in the process of compiling a Various Artists release from the shop. It’s a little idea and compilation of our 4 favorite tunes that have been sent in to our monthly online Radio Show.
Short, medium and long term goals?
So haha, I don’t want to reveal too much at this moment in time. But the reason I’ve headed to the UK is to hopefully start a little project here. As soon as things are a little further down the pipeline, I’ll start telling people. But until then, I can’t say too much. Fingers crossed and lips sealed FOR NOW!
INTERVIEW — DANIEL ELLWOOD
Hi Daniel, welcome to the PN Interscapes series. How are you feeling lately?
Hi Bruno, thanks for inviting me to do a feature artwork for Myles’ mix. I’ve been good, keeping as busy as possible while patiently waiting for things to get rocking and rolling once more. Had my first vaccine jab last week, which put me out of action for a few days but now I’m fighting fit again!
Are you keeping active & creative? You feel these past periods had an impact on you?
During this whole lockdown, I have had the opportunity to keep busy designing and creating, which has probably kept the wheels turning. It’s given me a chance to go back to the drawing board and look into new styles and avenues of design. Recently I have been working a lot with digital artworks and motion graphics. I specialize in graphic design for work, so it’s great to incorporate my creative side with more commercial projects.
“my primary creative weapon of choice has been a scalpel and a black canvas which I cut and peel to reveal white underneath”
When did you move to Berlin? Do you still find Berlin and its music scene inspiring?
I moved to Berlin 3 and a half years ago. I had set my eye on this place while still based in Leeds doing my master’s in art & design. With regular visits coming here to watch my mates spin and the unique art culture that seemed to slip in and around every corner of the city, I knew this was where I was heading. I did a couple of years in Dubai to build my design portfolio up and hosted my first solo exhibition there, then a stint in South America, and then it was time to set myself up here.
The music scene for me is growing and growing. I am surrounded by DJs and producers in their prime, so I seem to be spoilt for choice. On arrival to Berlin, I ended up shacking up with Josh Tweek from The Ghost I lived with back in Leeds. He introduced me to the tightly knit group of ‘sound heads’ that he beers with, and it’s nice to be one of the few visual artists in the group. From there, I moved on to living under the same roof as Huerta, who also offered up consistent daily bangers, so it’s always inspiring to see my mates producing at the highest level.
“The music scene for me is growing and growing. I am surrounded by DJs and producers in their prime, so I seem to be spoilt for choice.”
Your style is very particular. What are your main techniques?
Since I was 15 years old, my primary creative weapon of choice has been a scalpel and a black canvas which I cut and peel to reveal white underneath, leaning into the apparent limitations of a black surface. I’m inspired by life, nature, and structure – and I love to throw these ideas into an abstract form. These ‘still’ images achieve their animated effect through the fluid lines that I favor. Using a scalpel without any guidelines is fun because it means there are no mistakes! Every work is a one-take, free-form improvisation. From here, I like to bring my artworks onto the computer to reinterpret them digitally: applying color, zooming in to create more abstraction, or else repeating patterns for a kaleidoscopic effect.
I’ve seen your work also appearing on labels of some records. Since when have you been doing freelance work like this?
It was always a dream of mine to design artworks for vinyl covers. My first cover was for Andy Ash on Fullbarr Records back in 2014. After that, I was contacted by Berlin-based label Dreamers Recordings and have done the last 5 artworks for their releases, and last year I was invited to do 4 releases for Opia Records. It’s been a perfect way to crossover my love of music with my passion for art.
“I have jumped into experimenting with video-based modular synths, which has opened up many new avenues for creativity”
And video? Is it another one of your passions?
Yeah, visuals and animations have been some of the most exciting projects I have been working on in the last few years. I have jumped into experimenting with video-based modular synths, which has opened up many new avenues for creativity. In the last couple of years, the gigs have started to come in, which has been great. I’ve had some incredible gigs at Gottwood Festival, Houghton, Free Rotation, CDV, and Hoppetosse… Last year, I was invited to create a feature-length visual for Huerta‘s downtempo album Junipero on Andy Hart‘s Voyage Recordings. During lockdown, I teamed up with Josh to create our own audiovisual series called Boshcast, where we have invited the likes of Bruno Schmidt and Sugar Free to lay down an eclectic range of grooves — I provide the visuals, and we live-stream each episode online. I can’t wait for clubs and festivals to open back up to get the chance to perform again, hopefully, this summer.
Tell us more about “Just Jamming”? What was your creative process, and how did the music from Myles inspire it?
After listening to Myles’s mix, I wanted to create the idea of excitement, movement, and vibrance but keep a clean structure with shapes locking together. Each track is unique and beautifully blended from one to the other. I wanted to keep that idea of individual shapes coming together to create something unique, with each object complementing its neighbors. I’ve titled this one ‘Just Jamming.’
“It was great to link up with Conxi in the last couple of years. She has been an incredible inspiration”
I’ve seen some lovely works done together with Conxi. Are you planning on doing more collaborations with her or other artists alike?
It was great to link up with Conxi in the last couple of years. She has been an incredible inspiration in terms of evolving my style and thought process. We are pretty similar in creating abstract characters and forms, so when we put our heads together for the first time, it felt right. We are currently in the middle of our third piece together, and hopefully, this will continue for many years to come as she offers up a whole fresh bag of wild ideas. I am always open to collaborations as it gives scope to experiment and develop new styles of work.
Short, medium and long-term goals?
In the short term, I would say is to keep pursuing opportunities to create more audiovisual experiences. I’ve just bought a new video synth, so that will keep me entertained for the foreseeable future. I’d love to look at applying for my work on clothing and textiles in the near future. My long-term goal is to eventually open up a gallery space here in Berlin. It was the 5-year goal I set myself when arriving here, to have a space where I can host audio-visual experiences and have a physical space for my work.
Links:
soundcloud.com/myles-greenwood
www.ellwood-art.com
www.maxbinski.com
–
W: https://pluienoir.tumblr.com
M: info (at) pluienoir.com
