On the 7th of July Kems Kriol will be part of the multidisciplinary performance Continuum in New Grounds. Kems Kriol was the one who put together all the artists and the concept behind the show.
He was in New Grounds as part of the OPEN sessies, where local tv station OPEN Rotterdam films and interviews local music talents as part of an ongoing series. We got to steal five minutes of his time to ask him some questions about his upcoming show in New Grounds.
What can we expect from Continuum?
“Well, first of all, it is a multidisciplinary show. It has the elements of dance, visuals, and music, of course. Both electronic music and live instruments. I was invited by the booker of New Grounds, Hanyo, to put together my own event. So, I gathered musical talents: from friends and from friends of friends.
The event is going to be huge. There will be a photo exposition and I also will be screening a project that I was able to score, called REVIVE. This video is part of the Dutch Archive of film and sound. I’m on the roster of a label, it’s called Nous’klaer, and they invite contemporary composers and electronic composers to score music for films. I was able to do one of the city of Rotterdam so I’m very excited.”
Is it this multidisciplinary aspect to the show that makes it unique?
“It’s not. I think we’re actually living in a multidisciplinary age where we have a television in our pocket or film in our pocket. Music is always accessible. You might say it’s the future, but it’s all around us.
When I used to perform as a band member, I was worried about the show and nowaways people are more worried about their social media: How to brand yourself, how to present yourself. And I think that in the past, the USA had a good overview of those things: they really had the showbiz unlocked. We Europeans, we tend to be more conservative, but now there’s no escaping this ‘branding of yourself’. So I found my way through.”
The name of your new album is Equanimity. Why is that so important to you and how can we see that back in the show?
“Well, the funny thing is, I had to put a title to my EP and I’m a cinephile. So, I watch a lot of movies. I was looking at the comments of a movie and someone was bashing it. She used the word equanimity and I hadn’t heard of it before, so I looked it up. It describes a state of calmness and composure, especially during trying time. I immediately felt that this fits perfectly because I made the album during the first lockdown of COVID. So if you feel a certain pressure listening to the songs, hence the title.”
Why can people not miss this show?
“Because they’re in the hospital…”, he laughs. “No, but seriously, it’s the first of a series. I have a team of great people around me. When I was asked to do this event, I gathered people I had met before and felt like they’re good organizers, so shout out Cem and Kerem, my bros.
Our aim is to unify this city of international students, expats, and locals. I’m the local, they’re expats or former students. And the way we thought that would be good, was to incorporate all these different musical and visual elements. So when you go to this show, you’re not only looking at someone performing, but you’re actually experiencing something. And the tickets are worth, I would say, what people would normally pay for to go to a festival, or even just to go to the movies. So, we’re trying to keep it accessible for everyone.”
Kems Kriols episode of OPEN sessies will air on the second on the 2nd of July on the platforms of OPEN Rotterdam. This performance is a sneak peek of what can be expected for Continuum. During the recording of the episode, you could see the multidisciplinary aspects of the show well: using video footage, a dancer, electronic music and live instruments. All in all, a unique performance that cannot be missed if you want to truly experience something new!
IGTV series
Every week a new episode of the IGTV series comes out on our Instagram page. In these series members of all the different performances explain what the show means to them, and how the concept came to be. Two episodes have already been aired and can be found on our Instagram page. The third and final episode will air next week!
Episode one is Kems Kriol talking about Equanimity
Episode two is from the Janzous Collective
