Every now and then you fall in love. Sometimes it might be with a person, sometimes it happens with a painting and, on special occasions, with every release from a specific label. This is what happens when it comes to Correspondant, Jennifer Cardini's latest project. Being one of the most talented DJs/producers in the European scene and with a career that has been going on for a bunch of years, Cardini’s baby could only inherit the best of its mum’s DNA: sophisticated, sensual (and, thank God, a bit dirty) tracks for the darkest dancefloors. Cardini will visit Barcelona next Saturday —being part of the MiRA festival— for a special Correspondant showcase that will take place in Razzmatazz.
Correspondant started back in 2011. With a background that includes being the first female artist included in the Kompakt family and with a sound that has absorbed French dirt and German preciosity, Jennifer Cardini felt ready to create a place where she could help others release their music and take it to the next level. It is a long story that has counted with such characters as Roman Flügel, David Shaw, Man Power or Clement Mayer. Their music is not for those looking for something easy or quick, but rather for people with the need to dance to more elevate sounds. These are, though, as raw and primitive as good club music should be.
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for talking to us. You’re about to be part of MiRA festival. Did you know about the festival? What can we expect from the Correspondant show? Any other artists from the line-up you’ll try to see?
Hi! I am very happy to be part of MiRA. I didn’t know about the festival, but I have to say that I am very impressed with the full programming. We feel really excited about being part of this stunning line-up. I am especially looking forward to hear Clark, Factory Floor and Luke Vibert. And I hope I will have enough time to walk around and enjoy some of the installations and artwork. Regarding the Correspondant show, I am coming with two brilliant artists from the label: Carreno and Andre Bratten. We all love to play together, so I am sure it will be a great night!
You’re coming to Barcelona, a city with which you’ve a close relationship. You also take care of young Spanish producers and DJs, as you said you’re coming accompanied by Carreno. Which are your thoughts on the Spanish electronic scene? I think, from the inside, it’s a bit complexed…
The Spanish scene has always been one of my favourites, you really have great artists around. I am a huge fan of Pional, Talabot and Kresy. And Marc Piñol is, for me, one of the best DJs out there! I have played at great festivals in Spain, like Primavera Sound and Benicàssim’s FIB, and was a regular at Nitsa for many years. It has always been easy for me to connect with the Spanish scene, as the line-up has always offered a strong mix of genres, such as rock and pop and experimental music –which I love, and that are all part of my musical biography.
Regarding the actual situation, I have the feeling that, just like in France, the scene is strongly coming back with new artists that are changing the game, after some years that felt a little bit weak. The programmings of clubs like Nitsa, Moog, Razzmatazz or Lana show that things are really thrilling at the moment.
Lately you’ve been getting closer to Hivern Discs’ characters, too. Does this label feel like a soulmate of some sort?
That’s a huge compliment for me. I really love Hivern. We release a different kind of music, but we share some important influences and a common dancefloor notion, definitely.
Enough talking about Barcelona. What about Correspondant? You’ve said before it’s a bit cinematographic, so which movie would have a soundtrack by the label?
I love movies that are a bit edgy, that offer some realness and don’t blend out the roughness of things. A smart framing and an intelligent aestethic vision that comes across with some elegance. It doesn’t have to be perfect, I am satisfied if it offers a distinguished view on the world and its realities. We used footage from Cruising, directed by William Friedkin, for Venom’s video, but I guess any other great movie would do it!
Now that the label has been working for a few years, how do you feel about it? Is there still a lot of work to do, or do you already feel the love of the people?
I’m very happy with the label, we do feel the love of the people and I’m very grateful for that. As we are doing regular Correspondant parties in Paris and Berlin we have direct feedback. I imagine the label as something that is not fixed, that can evolve and grow artistically, so there is always a lot more work and new inputs ahead. This year we will start releasing albums, which is very exciting for me, as I find myself being the discreet witness of somebody else’s creative process…
What about your next release? After the All Star Mexico we’re expecting something huge for the end of the year, just saying…
The end of the year will see the comeback of Demian, with a killer dancefloor track. Marc Piñol did two amazing remixes of Demian’s first EP, As a replicant. Then 2015 will start with Carreno, Vox Low, Offset, Man Power’s album and the third compilation from the label…
Acid is getting a place of honor in your releases… Is it part of the sound you want to be recognised for?
I’m a rave kid and a 303 lover, it just gets me every time! (Laughs) This, arpeggios and pads and you can count me in… I can’t help it!
About your releases, although they’ve slow tempos, all of them work to perfection for the club. In fact you’ve released some of the greatest club hits of these years. Considering your background as well, do you think you have a special sensibility for clubbers? Is it a conscious or subconscious search?
Thank you, that’s nice to hear. I don’t know if I have a ‘’special sensibility’’, but I guess I’m still connected to the club kid I was when I discovered techno. When I’m in the studio or at home I always think about people’s reactions on the dancefloor, and if I start to dance while I’m preparing or working on a track, then I know that somewhere I must be right (laughs).
Do you feel the wide acceptance of the tracks with a slow down tempo is related with the arrival of electronic music to a bigger audience?
I don’t know… I’ve always liked slow stuff. Maybe you are right and it is related to a change of audience, but if you take albums like Closer Musik’s After Love, out in 2002; Aguayo’s first solo album, or some early Luke Vibert’s work, they’re already quite slow. Kompakt, for example, took a « slow turn » at a moment when techno and trance were getting faster and faster, in the beginning of 2000. Right now it’s a little bit the same again, you have slow acido on one hand and amazing techno from labels such as Token, who are flirting with 130 bpm, on the other. I have the feeling we’ve always had this opposition.
As we said before, your career is very linked to the club scene. How has it changed through the years? Or maybe you don’t feel like it changes at all? Why is it?
It’s slowly changing, the last years I did a lot of fashion shows’ music and played in places such as Centre Georges Pompidou or the Guggenheim in Bilbao. I like the idea of taking this music out of the club scene, but at the end of the day what I like is the energy of the dancefloor from 4am to 6am!
You have tattooed Lust all over your arm. Which track is the quintessential lust tune?
I would go for Closer from Nine Inch Nails, but this is of course not the only one!