Kristina Klimova is a music producer, DJ and performer. Being originally from Kazakhstan, she currently lives in Moscow, where she works and develops her research on sound and urban environments. Kristina is obsessed by analogue synthesisers and sound installation. We have talked to Kristina about her favourite sounds, artists and aspirations.

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Hi! To start with, please share some fun facts about yourself.

 

1) I’ve completed my Masters in Disaster, Design and Development so my testamur says “Kristina Klimova - Master of Disaster”. 

2) Practice suggests that I can’t stay in a place for longer than 3 years - I always had this urge to move, so far I’ve lived in 6 countries, but hopefully I can find some peace, vibrancy, excitement and coziness in a place where I can settle.

3) I’m a middle child.

 

Which music, art, culture influenced you and why?

 

Cliche, but I’ve always been driven by avant-garde movements, not only through aesthetic side of things but the school of thought: Bauhaus, Russian Futurists, Suprematism in music (and overall) and Kinetic art. An absolute inspiration to me is Suzanne Ciani -  I had this rare opportunity to meet her, learn from her, chat and spend couple of days listening to her while she was sharing invaluable experience and life story. Apart from Suzanne I met Hiro Kone and inventor of Fairlight CMI - Peter Vogel. So what I want to say is that the analogue and modular world gives me ABSOLUTE goosebumps. I’m lucky enough to be a member of the MESS studio in Melbourne, they have one of the biggest collections of analogue instruments in the world - this is where I discovered this wonderful, unexpected, ever-evolving analogue world. And, this is where I’ve had this instant love with the original bassline 303 sound and got my hands on it. My friend Robin Fox is MESS’s co-founder and he is the one who has actually inspired me to experiment with the sound. This legend does city scale projects with sound generation and lights. 

 

Who would be an artist/DJ of all times you’d like a collaboration with?

 

Too many to name, but I’d go with one of the pioneers of electronica composers - Suzanne Ciani. I can envision a stage, Suzanne next to me, lights, beautifully interwinding west coast sounds with soft bassline sounds, some drums, perhaps some theremin too. Imagine how the quadraphonic sound fills the space creating this spatial movement with rich and fat sounds. Sound layers having length and width interchanging between moments of pause/statics and dynamism.

 

How’s your music is different? What are you trying to tell with your music and mixes?

 

TBH, if we are talking about producing, I write unstructured yet structured chaos. I don’t know myself yet, so how would I consciously know what I am translating with my music. It’s simple - I do what I can and what sounds closest to my state of being at this moment, yet I’m nearly always not really satisfied with the outcome. I have to say that I haven’t mastered my skills to that level when I can produce 100% what I want. However, when I dj or listen to my daily techno I just like it when it’s intense, rhythmic and dynamic so that I can nearly feel it inside: this feeling when your organs are pulsating from the pleasant sensations produced by soundwaves. When I play in public I just want this moment of unity and hope that people can feel that too. But also it serves me as an outlet for excess energy which would, so I’d rather spill it out there, on a dance-floor. Result? - more focused and tranquil state of mind. 

 

What are your plans and aspirations for the foreseeable future?

 

If we are talking aspirations in terms of sound, then I would love to bring my work-in -progress sound research into something tangible and have urban spaces as living labs. Also I would like to collaborate with galleries or museums, I’m obsessed with sound installations. I did the soundscape and sound design this summer for Archcode Almaty in collaboration with the LA gallery, something I’d like to develop further. 

 

Can you tell that music & culture from your region is somehow different from other parts of the world?

 

If I’m being honest I can’t tell how. We exist in this globalised era where acts like music are not necessarily culturally underpinned, usually having a diverse mix of bits and pieces from around the world. If I’d try to tell how Kazakstani modern music is different I’d say that we have some traditional music elements embedded into a composition, other than that, personally, it’s not in its mature state to define it and certainly say how it’s different.

 

How is queer culture developed and percieved in your region? Do you see any shift over the past years? 

 

With the emergence of more or less progressive spaces in Almaty I could definitely see more self-expression in people and openness. I’d say that we have more curiosity from conservative people towards, let’s say, differently looking people, rather than pure aggression and judgement as it used to be.

 

What is freedom for you?

 

Having choice/alternatives. Life is all about decisions, so having a wide spectrum of alternatives is an asset. 

 

Please describe your mix: what is your story in words, which you tried to reflect in music?

 

Creating meaning for something that carries a purely entertaining and healing form is unnecessary.  I guess my resonance with such music might be partially because I always felt myself in the grey zone. I could never reach this sense of belonging and capacity to represent one particular culture. Yes, I was born in Kazakhstan, yet it didn’t give me enough confidence to talk and express myself on behalf of it. My mix can totally feel a bit aggressive, monumental, strong, protective, geometrical and brutal, perhaps it’s something that reflects my ambivalent feelings towards my cultural identity. It’s something I had to carry throughout my mature life, that something has literally forced me to learn to be adaptive and taught me how to leave behind things/people/environments I’ve surrounded myself with. Important to mention that this music/mix is not dark as perceived, quite the opposite.  

 

What’s your favorite track in the mix?

 

Kaizoku - Charlie Sparks

 

What is the best location and setting to listen to your mix?

Personally I prefer such mixes when casually strolling around the town/heading anywhere. But doing pre drinks before a rave can definitely equip you with some raving energy. 

 

If your mix was a color, which one it would be? 

 

Definitely white 

 

Which moment is the most touching/emotional moment in your mix and why?

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Somewhere in the middle when I decided not to reduce lower frequencies for both tracks- strong and distorted 4x4ths wakes very strong feelings in me.