Amek nl_26: Sara Persico live in Sofia
New concerts, radio updates, and interview with Sara Persico
We continue our year-long anniversary celebrations with two more concerts. Keep your eyes peeled because even more things are to be announced very soon. If you’re not based in Bulgaria and cannot attend our events feel free to scroll down where you’ll find the nice conversation we had with Italian sound artist and vocalist Sara Persico just a few days before her first show in Bulgaria.
Comfort Club
In case you haven’t had the chance to score a copy of Comfort Club #4, you can do it here. The issue has several exclusive interviews, and contributions from various friends of Amek, as well as a free download code for “Vanishing Standards II”.
Radio
In the March Comfort Club, we had a guest mix from Cryo Chamber, while the guest mix in the April show was by Sara Persico who gifted us with a very introspective selection of songs. Listen to their mixes as well as the latest шумна неделя shows here.
Concerts
Sara Persico, Yoana Robova, Evitceles and Blessed by Saturn at Koncept Space
On April 22, the Berlin-based Italian sound artist Sara Persico will play for the first time in Sofia. We will also hear Yoana Robova (halojo and 1/2 of trohi), Blessed by Saturn, the alter ego of Zlatina Tochkova from Niandraz, and Evitceles, who will play music from “Velvet Room”, his latest album on Opal Tapes. Get your tickets here.
Stéphane Clor and Komoru at Fabrika Avtonomia
On May 3, we return Fabrika Avtonomia for a concert by French artist Stéphane Clor and the duo of Yavor Dimov (bass, also in ЛЕК, Dimholt, Brodnik) and Plamen Kolev (synthesizers, also in Adonai Atrophia, Brodnik), Komoru. As always, the show is free donation.
It’s all about listening - An interview with Sara Persico
Sara Persico is a Berlin-based sound artist, vocalist and DJ from Naples, Italy. Earlier this year, she released her debut EP “Boundary” on the Berlin label Karlrecords. We had the opportunity to speak with her a few days before her first concert in Sofia on April 22.
You’re an electronic music producer, but also an improviser and a singer, can you outline your musical background and how did you become involved in experimental electronic music?
More than an electronic music producer I would define myself as a sound artist, because my work articulates around different forms of sound: composition, production, performing for and with other artists, and more recently DJ-ing.
I was singing from the very beginning and started studying voice and music at the age of 11, and later at the Conservatory, somehow I always instinctively knew my life would have been shaped around music even though my family isn’t musicians, and I consider this feeling as a gift.
But I was constantly challenging myself and questioning the role of my voice in my life. So I got my first machines and started experimenting and looking for a way to express my voice in an uncontrolled way and reduce the distance
I learnt a lot from the musicians and artists I’ve met, and the infinite concerts attended, especially since I moved to Berlin in 2018.
Was there any particular moment, any particular record or artist that absolutely shattered your perceptions about what music and sound are that really pushed you to explore your own world?
I think the moment that changed my perception of sound was when I realised I could potentially do whatever I wanted, without necessarily having to follow instructions or schemes on how my ideas should be developed, pushing my own boundaries, and expanding my imagination in music. But more specifically when I realised the most important thing is to let go of all fears and approach my own work with love and devotion, being true to myself and the people around me. This applies to everything I do in my life.
Of course, there are many artists that inspired me with their approach to sound and music lifestyle: Elvin Brandhi, Rashad Becker, Mica Levi, Pan Daijing, Joke Lanz, Burial, Coby Sey (just to name a few).
A few months ago, you released your debut EP on Karlrecords, would you care to tell us more about it, how it was recorded, and what are the stories behind the tracks?
“Boundary” is the result of 5 years of artistic growth. It’s a statement of intensity and a form of healing in a way.
Most of the music has been recorded and composed during travels because it’s easier for me to compose while I’m moving, as all my senses are open and highly receptive. In fact, right now I’m in Beirut doing a residency and recording material for my next album.
For the EP I recorded most of the voices in my own studio in Berlin, working on the production with the amazing artist and sound designer Koenraad Ecker.
“Terra Mala” was made during a residency I did in Sardinia in 2021, right after the pandemic, where I spent one month in a small village called Argentiera, which used to be a silver mine, and during a little trip by car we ended up in Terra Mala (which literally means bad earth or evil earth). “Fugace” is born elaborating material from a session I recorded in Copenhagen in 2019. “Under The Raw Light” was made in Porto during a residency with the amazing collective and venue Sonoscopia. While “Boundary” and “Exit” (born from a live session with awesome baritone saxophone player and improviser Sofìa Salvo) and “Umbilical” have been composed in my studio in Berlin.
About “Boundary”, I had a raw version of the beats and was already performing it live way before the release. But while making the EP, I was about to exclude the track because I wasn’t sure it would fit with the rest. Luckily Koen pushed me to work together on developing the sounds and write lyrics for it, and in the end, it became the core of the work. I think it’s really important even when is about solo music to work and have other trusted people's opinions and input. Sometimes things get complicated in my head if they remain there, ha.
The only time I’ve seen you live was in collaboration with bass guitarist Tony Elieh, how different is your sound when you are performing with somebody else than when you are making music solo?
I don’t think my sound or approach is different when I’m performing solo or with others. It’s all about listening.
Do you rehearse before your collaborative performances like this or is it only about the music born in the spur of the moment?
It depends, it’s different each time. Right now I prefer to rehearse and get to know well the person I’m collaborating with because it’s an exchange and of course the more we share the more our music will sound rich and detailed.
But for many years I was regularly performing improvised concerts with many musicians and that was the perfect school for me.
You are from Naples but live in Berlin, and you are playing in Italy quite often, can you tell us about the scene in your native city and in general to give us an idea of what are your favorite projects and events happening in Italy right now?
The scene in Napoli has always been fiery and stimulating, but very underground at the same time. It’s really important for me to mention musicians like Mario Gabola (A Spirale) or Mimmo Napolitano (Sec_), among others. Their role in bringing artists to Napoli and keeping the scene alive has been essential.
I left Napoli when I was 21 and I felt particularly happy to reconnect with the scene in the past years. In January 2023, I organised a two-day event in collaboration with Radio Alhara, with the help of amazing artist Guido Marziale, which is becoming more and more the figure of reference for the musical scene of the city; the result was extremely successful. So, I have the feeling we’ll plan more together in the near future. There are so many interesting realities in Italy at the moment: labels like Haunter Records, A Flooded Need, and many festivals like Terraforma, Ortigia Sound System, the Roman-based venue Klang (active in new forms), etc.
Your music has been performed in a variety of big experimental festivals around Europe, where do you feel your sound fits best - in a huge room with powerful sound or in a smaller place full of people who are 100% there with you with no distractions?
I think other than playing my own music, I like the idea of playing and interacting with the space. I like to reflect on the place I will perform and make good use of the advantages, but also challenge my sound with the difficulties of the space and take some risks at times.
I definitely like big spaces and my music requires a sound system that fully supports bass and distorted sounds. But sometimes smaller places create a precious intimacy, a tangible connection with the people listening: that’s exactly what pushed me to become a musician.
On April 22 you’re coming to Bulgaria for the first time, what else have you planned for the year that we should keep an eye for?
I’m excited to play my music in Bulgaria for the first time. I have several shows in the coming months where I’ll present Boundary, but I’m not planning so much ahead I’m focusing more on the present, about performing and composing new music. Something I’m definitely excited about is the duo LXS, with amazing artist Ludwig Wandinger; we’re working on our debut album at the moment.
On your show in Sofia are we going to hear live renditions of the tracks from your debut EP or you’re going to present something different?
For the show in Sofia, I’ll play music from my EP, definitely in an evolved version of the tracks and some new music as well.
In recent months you’ve been regularly DJ-ing and are doing a show on Radio Alhara, what makes this form of musical presentation interesting for you, do you allow yourself to experiment with this medium as well - both the radio and the selection of music?
I started DJ-ing less than one year ago when Ibrahim Owais from Radio Alhara proposed almost as a joke/challenge to do a live DJ set on Berlin-based Cashmere Radio. I accepted and tried to learn CDjs while doing it; let’s say it kind of worked out, ha.
But after that moment I started DJing regularly and realised how much the preparation of the sets is becoming important and I would say complementary to my artistic practice. It pushes me to listen to an infinite quantity of music, researching even more than I used to, giving an organic structure to my sets and a more detailed understanding of time is inspiring my work as a sound artist as well.
What are your top three Berlin-based artists who are not from Berlin?
Oh, there are so many, it’s impossible. I’m going to name the 3 artists that came to my mind in the next 10 seconds: ABADIR, bela, KMRU.