Slušati Žen orgazmičko je iskustvo koje kao svako takvo iskustvo vodi u neke druge svjetove i dimenzije. Četiri žene - tri glazbenice i jedna vizualna umjetnica, pozivaju vas na putovanje, kako svojom atmosferičnom glazbom tako i vizualizacijama koje se vješto isprepliću s kratkim, ali intenzivnim tekstovima. Ovo snažno glazbeno iskustvo, lijepo je sročeno u obliku albuma prvijenca pod nazivom "I onda je sve počelo" koji se zasluženo proziva jednim od najboljih prošlogodišnjih izdanja. Nakon što su spomenuti album izdale pod nezavisnim bečim label-om Unrecords i proputovale pola Europe, nedavno su razvalile prepun Mali pogon zagrebačke Tvornice. Po čemu je taj zagrebački koncert bio toliko poseban i koju filozofsku o Žen, pročitajte u recima koji slijede...
Fashionbabica: Po čemu je koncert u Tvornici bio toliko poseban?
Sara: Znala sam da će taj koncert biti poseban, ali kada sam čula ovacije već nakon prvih nekoliko pjesama, ostala sam prilično zatečena glasnoćom i veseljem koje me zapljusnulo. To je valjda prvi koncert na kojem je publika bila glasnija od nas, a Žen je prilično glasan bend. Na tom koncertu se desio i još jedan presedan, Tanja, koja inače VJ-a iz tame i anonimnosti ton pulta, ovaj put je bila uz sam stage, tako da se po prvi put Žen mogao vidjeti u punom sastavu na samoj pozornici. U svakom slučaju bio je to jedan jako poseban koncert kojeg ćemo pamtiti.
Eva: Koncert u Tvornici je naš prvi ozbiljniji koncert u Zagrebu, do sada najviše medijski popraćen. Oduševljeni smo ljudima koji su došli i podržali nas. Posebno sam bila iznenađena jer su tekstove pjesama znali bolje od mene.
Ivona: Vidjeti i doživjeti takvu gromoglasnu, pozitivnu reakciju publike, toliko nasmiješenih lica i skakutavih nogu na jednom mjestu, doživjeti takav feedback od publike... nešto je posebno. Tada i publika stvara zajedno s nama i sve je isprepleteno i raste :)
Tanja: U ovoj audio/vizualnoj formaciji nastupamo zadnje tri godine i imamo iza sebe dosta nastupa. Češće su situacije u kojima nastupamo na nepoznatim mjestima i, koliko god su te situacije intenzivne, emocionalni naboj koji se stvori kad nastupamo pred poznatim i dragim nam ljudima je, jednostavno, veći.
Fashionbabica: Smatrate li se feminističkim, aktivističkim ili pak queer (ili kakve već etikete vam lijepe) bendom?
Sara: Mi jesmo i feministički i aktivistički i queer bend, al prije svega smo bend. Kreativnost proizlazi iz svega što nailazimo u životima, a naši životi jesu queer i prožeti aktivizmom, pa nije neočekivano da nam se kao cjelini, tj. bendu pridaju te etikete.
Eva: Samim time što smo sve žene u bendu smo feministički bend, queer smo jer se ne držimo mainstream ladica, a aktivisti smo jer ne skrivamo svoje identitete.
Ivona: Ne lijepimo si etikete, rastvaramo ih i pretačemo. Kao što su Sara i Eva rekle: "Mi jesmo i ne sakrivamo se iza ničega."
Fashionbabica: Imate prilično nehrvatski zvuk, to je svjestan napor ili?
Sara: Ne bi to radile da nam je napor :) Često čujemo da zvučimo svjetski ili nehrvatski. Mislim da je to nespretno definiranje, mislim da bi točnije bilo govoriti o autentičnim i manje autentičnim izričajima. U Hrvatskoj zbilja ima puno bendova koji se povode zadanim putovima i time ograničavaju svoju kreativnost pa tako imamo dosta izvođača kod kojih je prilično jak i jasan utisak nekog drugog (legendarnog) benda. S druge strane je prisutan i kompleks jezika, pa se previše tekstova piše na engleskom, što radi toga što je taj jezik tečniji za pjevanje, što radi toga da se glazba približi stranoj publici. Mislim da je i jedno i drugo neosnovano. Najbolji primjer su svjetski poznati SigurRos koji su doveli pitanje jezika do krajnjeg apsurda: ne samo da su pjevali na islandskom, nego su pjevali i na izmišljenom jeziku. Glazba je univerzalno razumljiva, a glas je isto glazbeni instrument. Nije bitno što mozak razumije, bitno je što srce osjeća. Mi stvaramo upravo tako, bitan je osjećaj, pjesma nas mora emocionalno rasturit i onda znamo da je to to.
Eva: Uopće nismo išli za time, jednostavno se desilo, istina je da slušamo dosta stranih bendova, ali meni su neki od najdražih bendova hrvatski ili s područja bivše Juge.
Fashionabica: Slušati Žen, za mene je vrlo emotivno iskustvo. Osjećate li i vi dok stvarate glazbu taj emotivni moment, u smislu "operu" li vas emocije dok radite svoju glazbu i kakav je sve to raspon emocija?
Sara: Svirati i stvarati u Žen-u intenzivno je emocionalno iskustvo. Osobno se često naježim dok sviram, pogotovo ako se radi o nečemu novom. Doživljavam širok spektar emocija, od suzice u oku koja kane do naizgled bezrazložnog blesastog smijanja, a često me ubaci i u meditativno stanje.
Eva: Da, emocije su definitivno glavni pokretač benda, više plivamo u podsvjesnom i iracionalnom nego u racionalnom i tradicionalnom :D
Ivona: Intenzivnost emocija u procesima kreacije i sukreacije me iznenađuje, svaki put iznova. Kada sviramo, slušamo se na jedan potpuno drugi način, ne-fizički: mješavina naših osobnih emocija gradi se u nešto novo, veće. Raspon emocija: beskonačan :)
Fashionbabica: U kojoj mjeri je rađenje glazbe za vas emotivan čin, u kojoj pražnjenje/ispucavanje energije, u kojoj hobi, a u kojoj posao?
Sara: Gledano sa strane kreativnosti i osobne realizacije, Žen je život, a kada uključimo svu logistiku kojom se potrebno baviti u bendu izuzev umjetnosti, onda ponekad izgleda kao posao (na volonterskoj osnovi). Kako kod da se okrene, Žen nije hobi.
Eva: Imamo dosta ozbiljan pristup probama, tako da to više nema veze sa hobijem, posao još uvijek nije jer ne živimo od toga, volimo stvarati nove pjesme, ponekada taj proces potraje jer čekamo inspiraciju, dakle definitivno nije ispucavanje.
Ivona: Ozbiljna, zrela emocija, tako bih to nazvala. :)
Fashionbabica: Lijepe vam etiketu "kraut-post-math-dreamy-synth-psy-indierock"! Koliko se vi same nalazite u toj etiketi?
Sara: Ne snalazimo se s etiketama općenito, jer nismo osnovale bend s konkretnom žanrovskom definicijom, i zato nam je posebno zanimljivo čuti što razni ljudi čuju i vide u našem stvaralaštvu. Tako je i nastala ova složenica, to je spoj epiteta na koje smo najčešće nailazile pri definiranju naše glazbe. S obzirom da u zadnje vrijeme sve češće moramo odgovoriti na to pitanje jednostavno i jasno, odlučile smo da je trenutno indie psy rock najbolji opis naše glazbe, no pitanje je koliko će dugo to trajati.
Eva: Pomalo, u svemu pomalo :)
Ivona: U svemu, i u onome čega još nema :)
Fashionbabica: Ima li danas uopće smisla pričati o (glazbenim) etiketama?
Sara: Riječ etiketa ima negativnu konotaciju u smislu ograničavanja, možda je bolje pričati o odrednicama. Mi volimo da nas se čuje, vidi i osjeti, no u tom nepreglednom glazbenom moru, ipak je u najavama, recenzijama i ostalim srodnim formama potrebno verbalno opisati glazbu. U tom pogledu je to dobro, jer i sama sam otišla na mnoge odlične koncerte samo radi toga što su me zainteresirale te nesretne etikete koje su zakeljene nekom bendu. Ono što nije dobro je robovati tim istim etiketama, za glazbenike nije dobro da se boje odstupiti od utabane šablone, a s pozicije konzumenta glazbe nije dobro stvarati jaka očekivanja na temelju etiketa.
Eva: Nema previše, postoji već toliko podžanrova da se čovjek pogubi pokušajući ih shvatiti. Možda samo neke okvirne smjernice.
Fashionbabica: Ako bi proces stvaranja albuma morale staviti u jednu riječ, koja bi to bila?
Sara: Učenje.
Eva: Strpljenje.
Ivona: Razumijevanje.
Fashionbabica: Ako bi proces bivanja na stejđu morale staviti u jednu riječ, koja bi to bila?
Sara: Sreća.
Eva: Ljubav.
Ivona: Ljepota
Tanja: Sinergija.
Fashionbabica: Tekstovi su vam kratki kao sms poruke, kako se izrazila jedna vaša prijateljica. Čemu bježanje pod naracije?
Sara: Ne gledamo na tekst kao na jedini narativni dio pjesme, i instrumentalne dionice pričaju priče. Na ovom albumu smo se više posvetile upravo toj melodijskoj i ritmičkoj vrsti naracije ojačanu kratkim i često višeznačnim parolama koje istovremeno daju zaključak i postavljaju puno pitanja, dok će tekstovi na drugom albumu biti ponešto opsežniji. Sve to ovisi kako nam dođe i što nam ima smisla.
Eva: Naši tekstovi su poruke, ponekad jasne, ponekada zakamuflirane, ostavljamo prostora slušateljima da ih mogu doživjeti u nekom vlastitom viđenju ovisno o raspoloženju, prostoru u kojem se nalaze, itd...
Ivona: Kao što glas koristimo kao instrument, tekstove koristimo kao poruke koje bojaju i pojačavaju - ili od kojih nastaju, krug nikada nije pravilan - sliku i zvuk.
Fashionbabica: Recite nam nešto o svojoj platformi Živ Žar Žur?
Sara: Čim smo počeli organizirati vlastite koncerte, počeli smo nekako spontano organizirati i koncerte za druge bendove, i tako smo radili nekoliko godina, posve stihijski. S vremenom smo shvatili da radimo super stvar, predstavljamo zagrebačkoj publici odlične i nerijetko egzotične izvođače, pomažemo bendovima koji u sklopu svojih europskih turneja žele posjetiti i Zagreb, te jačamo umrežavanje na alternativnoj glazbenoj sceni. 2012. smo odlučili tu lijepu priču nazvati Živ Žar Žur.
Eva: Ugostili smo puno bendova u proteklih 4 godine, iz Danske, Njemačke, Austrije, Francuske, Portugala, Italije, Slovenije, Engleske... Činjenica je da su bendovi iz zapadne Europe više na turnejama. Neki od bendova koje smo u zadnje vrijeme ugostili su: Kwoon, Candelilla, Trus!, Tapso II, Ovo, Mombu, Rita Braga, Lines (ex Hooker)... Sva naša događanja su besplatna, a bendove podržavamo sa donacijskim teglicama koje su strateški raspoređene po klubu:)
Fashionbabica: I što Žen radi kada nije Žen ? :) Kako se zabavljate/provodite vrijeme? Na divljim tulumima, doma uz knjigu ili nešto treće?
Sara: Poso, kuća, žena, priroda i društvo.
Eva: Svatko od nas ima neku zanimaciju, ja volim surfati po Njuškalu, uglavnom gledam glazbenu opremu. Zadnjih nekoliko tjedana sastavljam svoj set pedala (efekata) tako da sam dosta u tome :) Tulumarenje nam se često zna spontano desiti, ponekada znamo i pretjerati, ali više volimo konstruktivno iskoristiti vrijeme i boraviti u prirodi s našim životinjicama.
Ivona: Kućni tip, s psom :)
Tanja: Fasciniraju me znanost i tehnologija, pa uglavnom nešto uzgajam ili testiram. Uglavnom neuspješno.
http://xzen.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/xzenxzen?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/zivzarzur?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/xzenxzen?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/zivzarzur?fref=ts
........................
Žen - a bend that carries into other dimensions
To listen to Žen is an orgasmic experience which as any such experience leads to other worlds and dimensions. Four women - three musicians and one visual artist, invite you on a journey with their atmospheric music and visuals that are skillfully interwoven with brief but intense lyrics. This powerful musical experience, beautifully worded in the form of their debut album titled "I onda je sve počelo!" ("And then it all began") is deservedly singled out as one of the best last year's Croatian music editions. After the aforementioned album, published under Vienna's independent record label Unrecords and a journey across half of Europe, they recently kicked ass out of the full Small section of Zagreb's Culture Factory. Why was this concert in Zagreb so special and a few philosophical thoughts about Žen, read in the verses that follow ...
Fashionbabica: What makes the concert at the Culture Factory so special ?
Sara: I knew that this concert will be special, but when I heard applause after the first few songs, I was quite taken aback by the volume and the joy that hit me. This is probably the first concert where the audience was louder than us, and Žen is a pretty loud band. At this concert yet another precedent took place, Tanja, who usually VJs out of the obscurity and anonymity of some dark corner, was at the stage with us this time, so for the first time Žen could be seen in full composition on stage. In any case, it was a very special concert that will be remembered.
Eva: Concert in the Culture Factory is our first serious concert in Zagreb, so far the most covered by the media. We are delighted with the people who came and supported us. In particular, I was surprised because they knew the lyrics better than me.
Ivona: To see and experience such a thunderous, positive reaction from the audience, so many smiling faces and legs hopping at one place, to experience such feedback from the audience ... that was something special. In that case the audience creates with us and everything is intertwined and growing :)
Tanja: We have been playing in this audio/visual formation for the last three years and we have a lot of gigs behind us. More common are situations in which we perform in unfamiliar places and as much these situation are intense, but the emotional charge that is generated when you perform in front of familiar and dear people is simply bigger.
Fashionbabica: Do you consider yourself feminist, activist, or queer (or any other label they stick to your name) band?
Sara: We are a feminist and a queer and an activist band, but first and foremost we are a band. Creativity comes from everything we encounter in life, and since our lives are queer and imbued with activism it is not unexpected to be attached to these labels as a whole or as a band.
Eva: The very fact that we are all women in the band makes us a feminist band, we are queer, because we do not hold on to mainstream drawers and we are activists because we do not hide our identities.
Ivona: We Don't stick to labels, we open them and transfuse them. As Sara and Eva said: "We are and we don't hide behind anything."
Fashionbabica: You have a pretty non-Croat sound, was it a conscious effort or ?
Sara: We wouldn't do it if it was such an effort :) We often hear that we sound foreign or non-Croat. I think it's a clumsy definition, I think it would be more accurate to speak of authentic and less authentic expressions. In Croatia, there are really a lot of bands who follow some default paths and thus limit their creativity, so we have a lot of performers in which a pretty strong and clear impression of some other ( legendary ) band is seen. On the other hand, the language insecurity is also present, too many lyrics are written in English, partly because of the fact that this language is smoother for singing, partly because such music is closer to foreign audience. I think that both points are unfounded. The best example are the world-famous SigurRos who led the language question to the absurd : not only that they sung in Icelandic, but they also sang in an invented language. Music is universally comprehensible, and the voice is also a musical instrument. It does not matter what the brain understands, what the heart feels is essential. We create in such a way, feeling is essential, the song must break us emotionally and then we know that this is it.
Eva : In general we didn't go for it, it just happened, the truth is we listen to a lot of foreign bands, but some of my favorite bands are Croatian or from former Yugoslavia.
Fashionabica: It's a very emotional experience for me to listen to Žen. Do you, while creating, feel that emotional moment too, are you "swept away" by emotions while you're doing your music and what is the range of these emotions?
Sara: To play and to create in Žen is an intensely emotional experience. Personally, I often get goosebumps when I play, especially if we play something new. I experience a wide range of emotions, from a tear in the eye to seemingly causeless flatheaded laughing, and I'm often inserted in a meditative state too.
Eva: Yes, emotions are definitely the main driver of the band, we swim more in the subconscious and irrational than in the rational and traditional: D
Ivona: The intensity of emotions in the process of creation and cocreation surprises me, over and over again. When we play, we listen to ourselves in a totally different way, non-physically: a mixture of our personal emotions builds up into something new, larger. The range of emotions: endless :)
Fashionbabica: To which extent is making music an emotional act to you, to which an energy ejection, to which a hobby and to which a job?
Sara: Seen from the side of creativity and personal realization, Žen is life, and when we include all the logistics that are necessary to deal with in the band except for the art, it sometimes seems like work (on a voluntary basis). In any way, Žen is not a hobby.
Eva: We have quite a serious approach to rehearsals, so it no longer has anything to do with hobby, it is still not a job because we do not live from it, we love to create new songs, sometimes this process continues since we wait for inspiration, and it's definitely not an energy ejection.
Ivona: A serious, mature emotion, I would call it. :)
Fashionbabica: They stick the label "kraut-post-math-dreamy-synth-psy-indierock" to your music! How much do you find yourselves in this label?
Sara: We are not accustomed to labels in general, because we didn't start the band with a specific genre definition, and therefore we are particularly interested to hear what different people hear and see in our creativity. That's how this expression was created, it is a combination of epithets that we commonly encounter in defining our music. Given that lately more and more we have to answer that question simply and clearly, we have decided that currently indie rock psy is the best description of our music, but the question is how long will it last.
Eva: A little bit, a little bit in everything :)
Ivona: In everything, and in what doesn't even exist yet :)
Fashionbabica: Does it even make any sense to talk about (music) labels these days?
Sara: The word label has a negative connotation in terms of limitation, it might be better to talk about guidelines. We love to be heard, seen and felt, but in the vast sea of music, however, in the announcements, reviews and other related forms it is needed to verbally describe the music. In this sense labels are good, because I myself went to many great concerts just because these unfortunate labels stuck to a band interested me. What is not good is to be a slave to the labels, for the musicians it's not good to be afraid to depart from the beaten patterns, and from the position of the consumers of music it is not good to create strong expectations based on labels.
Eva: Not too much, there are already so many subgenres that it is easy to get lost trying to understand them. Maybe just a rough guide is needed.
Fashionbabica: If you had to describe the process of creating an album in one word, what would it be?
Sara: Learning.
Eva: Patience.
Ivona: Understanding.
Fashionbabica: If you had to describe the process of being on stage in one word, what would it be?
Sara: Happiness.
Eva: Love.
Ivona: Beauty
Tanja: Synergy.
Fashionbabica: Your lyrics are as short as text messages, as one of your friends said. Why the avoidance of narrative?
Sara: We don't look at the lyrics as a single narrative part of the song, instrumental sections tell stories too. On this album we concentrated on that kind of melodic and rhythmic narrative, reinforced with short and often ambiguous slogans that simultaneously provide a conclusion and ask a lot of questions, while the lyrics on the second album will be somewhat more extensive. It all depends how it come to us and does it make sense to us.
Eva: Our lyrics are messages, sometimes clear, sometimes camouflaged, leaving space to listeners so they can experience them in their own vision, depending on the mood, the space in which they are located, etc. ..
Ivona: As we use the voice as an instrument, we use the lyrics as a messages that color and enhance - or sometimes create the circle, the circle is never regular - the picture and the sound.
Fashionbabica: Tell us something about your platform Živ Žar Žur ?
Sara: As soon as we started to organize our own concerts, we started to spontaneously organize concerts for other bands, and we did so for a few years, completely randomly. Eventually we realized that we are doing a great thing, we present excellent and often exotic performers to the Zagreb audience, helping bands which as a part of their European tour want to visit Zagreb and strengthen networking n the alternative music scene. In 2012 we decided to call this beautiful story Živ Žar Žur.
Eva: We hosted a lot of bands over the past four years, from Denmark, Germany, Austria, France, Portugal, Italy, Slovenia, England ... The fact is that bands from Western Europe are touring more. Some of the bands that we recently welcomed are: Kwoon, Candelilla, Trus!, TAPS II, Ovo, Mombu, Rita Braga Lines ( ex Hooker ) ... All of our events are free, and bands are supported by donation jars that are strategically placed all around the club :)
Fashionbabica: And what is Žen doing when it's not being Žen? :) How do you have fun / spend your time? At wild parties, at home with a book or something else?
Sara: Job, home, woman, nature and society.
Eva: Each of us has their thing, I like to surf around the Internet mainly looking at music equipment. The last few weeks I have been putting together my own set of pedals (effects) so I am in it a lot :) Partying often spontaneously happens, and sometimes we overdo it, but we prefer more a constructive use of time and spending time in nature with our animals.
Ivona: Home type, with a dog :)
Tanja: I am fascinated by science and technology so I usually grow or test something. Largely unsuccessful.
http://xzen.bandcamp.com/https://www.facebook.com/xzenxzen?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/zivzarzur?fref=ts
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