Moods 09: Andrew Barren
Barren grew up in Livonia, MI, just a few miles west of Detroit. "Despite being so close to Detroit," Barren notes, "Livonia is extremely segregated & culturally bland." It meant sourcing his early music elsewhere -- Led Zeppelin, Jimi, and more bring us back to them good ol' suburban Michigan days. "The roots of my tastes come from my dad, who raised me on classic psychedelic rock. As I grew up and started to select my own music, I was really able to get into whatever the hell I wanted due to the lack of any external cultural influences." What's most interesting is the flexibility this gave him in listening. A town that's a "blank canvas" instead of a major city gave him room to breathe, listen, and grow. "I clearly remember hearing “Red House” by Hendrix for the first time when I was younger. I was with an older cousin of mine & we were cruising around listening to Jimi Hendrix’s blues album and it just stuck with me. The simplicity of the blues in contrast with Jimi’s complex playing style + storytelling blew me away. This track really put me on to psychedelic-bluesy stuff, which continues to influence my work today."
We then take a nosedive into classic rap with Biggie and W Tang with a dose of recent works from Tyler, the Creator and Playboi Carti. This shows a definite double-side to Barren's taste outside of techno. Of course, Barren's proximity to the city (a house party, a club, a festival) led to techno. Just like his early tastes with his father, techno's a family affair too: Barren's a part of Lobos, a four-person DJ team with Loren, Matias, and Jorisson -- many of whom he lives with. So, when you take a listen, think about those people close to you; not only close in proximity, but close in music too.
>LIST<
Led Zeppelin - Dazed & Confused
Led Zeppelin - Ramble On
Jimi Hendrix - Red House
Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Chile Blues
Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop
Funkadelic - Music for My Mother
Wu Tang - Can It All Be So Simple
Biggie - Gimme the Loot
NWA - Gangsta Gangsta
Dr Dre - Let Me Ride
Tyler, The Creator - Blow
Tyler, The Creator - VCE
Tyler, The Creator, Frank - She
Young Thug - Hercules
Young Thug - King Kong
Playboi Carti - Let It Go
Playboi Carti - Talk (Icytwat Remix)
Young Thug - (Rocket Man Remix)
>MORE<
Barren's mix is paired with Dutch-born artist Peggy Franck, a strong emerging voice in installation art. Not unlike Barren's mix, Franck's work investigates how space is transformed, used, disused, ripped, and ultimately remembered. In Black II: Lessons, she's photographed an installation of tarp, wire, tubes, plastic sheets, spray paint, and white projector screens, while a person (Franck?) sits among the mess in high heels and soft black-and-white businesswear. The work builds in its own disarray, like a party with its last raver ready to leave. Franck's questioning the role of entropy in art-making. Will creative work always lead to more busy, more messy, more complicated worlds like punk and rock music often parallel? Or will it point toward a single moment of blissful, cluttery chaos?
For more Barren, head here :)
For more Franck, head here :)