Zillablog

Upon first listening to Deniz Kurtel's recent album on Crosstown Rebels, I noticed that she employed a notable amount of breakbeats and haunting, delayed instrumentation within the general structure of deep house music. While I found this novel approach to the genre's sound quite interesting, I noticed that some reviews were describing her tracks as boring, even underdeveloped. I think it's important to understand the context in which an artist performs and invited her to describe her goal for the album, as well as her overall music production career.

[This interview coincided with the release of Deniz Kurtel's Music Watching Over Me album (Crosstown Rebels), March 2011.]

What would have happened if this release was terrible? I'm interested because you seem to identify primarily with audio-visual art. Was there a "let's see what happens" thought process at work when you decided to create and release an album?

I didn't have a goal for the album.  I had just started making music and Damian was curious to hear what I was making and after he heard a couple of tracks he suggested I make an album for Crosstown.  So the album even has the first tracks I ever made.  It's a complete compilation of my first journey in making music.  I don't have a set goal for my music career, I see it as just another channel for my creativity.

In the same vein, have you begun to wonder how you will manage your creative expressions, insofar as your audio-visual art and now your music production are well-respected and newsworthy? For example, do you see yourself alternating projects based on available time, or melding the two competences into something greater?

I do both.  I usually have both going on at the same time; it helps keep my mind open and fresh for each area.  I also combine them, like I did last year for my first live tour, for which I built a LED installation that I designed to respond to my music.

You're described as integral to the Wolf+Lamb crew. Where does that work fit into this release? Consider this a question about inspiration, but less in terms of creative influence, and more in terms of encouraging friendship, or a relationship characterized by creative criticism. From previous accounts, it seems as though a family dynamic is appropriate, but perhaps doesn't go far enough.

Zev and Gadi (Wolf+Lamb) are my family.  We grew together in this thing for the last 6 years, and our roles in each others' lives are constantly evolving.  When I started making music, we decided it's healthier for me to develop my own path independently, but we always support each other and continue collaborating.

Does your previous experience with art make it easier to create on a music level? Do you feel it allows you to consider risks more favorably?

I don't know if it makes it easier but I feel like it makes it more exciting to be involved in two separate areas, I don't feel stuck in either one.

Without trying, you will be listed with the other ladies of techno. Without embarking on a conversation steeped in the gender framework, please speak a bit about media's role in the assumptions that determine so much about artists. Also, please discuss how you will cross that bridge, and by that I mean how you will handle being categorized before your work can speak for itself.

Well, the media is just reflecting and appealing to the views and assumptions of the public.  I am aware of this issue but I don't focus on it so much because it's more important for me to focus on my work, which already speaks for itself on the platforms that matter to me.