Premiere: TWÏNS Creates A Spiritual Listening Experience Through "Peace" + Announces 'The Human Jazz' LP
☆ BY MOSES ROBERT SOZA ☆
RIDING THE WAVE OF PEACE — Miro Denck, known as TWÏNS, is truly making art that is aligned with mind, body and soul. Based in Berlin, they are nearing the release of The Human Jazz, their forthcoming album out in early 2022. The LP will be put out through Earth Libraries, a Birmingham, Alabama-based record label. This will be Denck’s first project to be released in partnership with the label. The first single, “Peace,” is out now alongside a beautiful video that transports you into the world of TWÏNS. Denck has also released the instrumental B-side for “Anatman” to accompany it. Though TWÏNS has released music before, this project seems to be the one to introduce Denck to the world as an established and on-the-rise artist.
The multi-instrumentalist records all of their music inside their home, and also writes and produces all of their music, as they did so for this upcoming album. The poetic and vulnerable lyrics for the single “Peace” draw from the experience of love and loss. The lyrics are honest and emotional; the track sounds 1970s-inspired, with roots in folk genre. Nevertheless, it is also gentle and unique-sounding. Denck’s voice and the melody pair incredibly well together, making the combination one that feels warm and welcoming into the world that is TWÏNS
As we continue to dive deeper into the sounds of TWÏNS, the B-side “Anatman” sonically reflects what Denck is feeling, without using any lyrics. Various instruments — including a gorgeously played tambourine — create feelings of joy and love. These sentiments are also translated into the music video for “Peace.” Primary and pastel colors set the mood for a story that shows a human displaying their soul to the viewer. To do this, TWINS, along with a couple of collaborators, use themselves as the talent; a location in nature, various objects, and human hands create an exquisite music video.
What I discovered listening to TWÏNS is that their art is meant to move you. That movement may be emotional, physical, spiritual or all three combined. They want you to know that they are human, just like you. They beautifully tell their story through artistic expression. TWÏNS will hopefully be making an impact on any person who listens or views their art.
We interviewed Denck to see how they are doing at this pivotal and exciting moment in their life. Read below to learn about the project and more.
LUNA: How has this fall season been treating you?
DENCK: I love the beginnings of fall, the light, the colours, but now it seems we’re heading straight into the ruthless Berlin winter, and everyone who’s lived through one before knows what I’m talking about.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of “Peace”! Really dig the rhythm and instrumentals on this one. The track touches on a more vulnerable side of your music, can you give some insight into the creative process for this one?
DENCK: Thank you so much for the kind words. Indeed I would agree that this is one of my most honest tracks, certainly the one in which I’m most openly displaying my vulnerability. Even if it might sound corny, in retrospect I’d say that it almost wrote itself. I was at a very weak place at the time of writing it, dealing with anxiety and an overpowering desire to resolve some issues, to find some form of closure for something but being unable to do so. In terms of lyrics, I often write in a form of stream of consciousness and it’s proven to have a very therapeutic effect on me. On the musical side of things, also this was a rather quick one. With the exception of some minor overdubs which I added later, most of it was written and recorded in a day or so. I happened to struggle most with the singing which I repeated over and over, and it was a very strong physical experience to tell those things to someone who wasn’t there to hear them, again, some form of self therapy.
LUNA: How do you think the physical setting you make your music in affects the feel of the final track?
DENCK: I record all my music at home which I assume is the place where I can be myself most. I might feel some strong emotion, be it nostalgia, melancholia or happiness and bliss, and whenever I do so I can just grab some instruments and turn it into some more concrete form. I don't always see those things through to the end, such a wave may come and go before I’m even close to having recorded something really interesting. But lately I’m trying to get more of a routine at it. Sitting down and doing the work I mean. It’s not always as automatic as with „Peace“, but there it was really driven by a strong emotional impulse.
LUNA: What lyric from “Peace” are you most proud of?
DENCK: I don’t know if pride is the word I’d use, but I am sometimes very happily surprised and delighted when my mind spontaneously comes up with a line that expresses exactly what I feel in a beautiful way, one that sort of transports you to another place, one that simply feels vivid. I don’t like to overthink my lyrics, I’d rather go with what comes up from the top of my head. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it's rubbish, but I’m always very grateful if something good comes up. I think good poetry can elevate you to another level of experiencing life, just as any good art can, or that is to say, art that resonates with you. Anyway I don’t know if I'd claim to be proud of it, after all it’s probably just some ideas I picked up somewhere sometime and that my subconsciousness processed for me.
LUNA: Shifting to the visual end, the music video has a beautiful vintage warmth to it thanks to the film nature. What do you like about tapping into the visual side of your music?
DENCK: It’s beautiful to hear that the warmth stuck with you, it’s something I felt a very strong necessity for, as it’s what I also feel in regards to the song. It’s a very emotional and vulnerable piece of music, but at the same time I feel like it transports some sort of tranquility and love, definitely love. I really wanted to find a visual equivalent for it, and I think I always knew how it was supposed to feel. Nevertheless it was the first time I was working on a video and I didn’t really know how to go about it. In that sense it was the same trial and error approach that also goes into my music, but the most important bit of it, again, was honesty I think. It certainly has bits where in retrospect I feel like I would’ve maybe appeared different in front of the camera if I’d have had the experience, or I don’t know, little bits, but after all it is what it is, and there’s nothing artificial about it. Besides, I was very lucky to have been able to work with two friends on this project, Julian Weigand who’s an experienced videographer who already made several music videos for other friends of mine, and Anarella Moreno who joined me in front of the camera, or well, her hands did. Anyway, with them I felt I was in a safe environment and we just went with the flow.
LUNA: What role do you play in the creative direction of your visuals?
DENCK: As a matter of fact, I am also working as a visual artist and I earn my livelihood as an illustrator and graphic designer. Naturally, the visual and the music always go hand in hand and very often they feed each other. I can hardly imagine giving that out of my hands because it really just belongs together. Nevertheless, it’s always inspiring and refreshing to have other people participate in that process like with the video, or the photos for my album and single which were taken by Neelam Khan Vela.
LUNA: “Peace” is our first insight into your upcoming album The Human Jazz, so how would you compare the feel of the rest of the album to “Peace”?
DENCK: I struggle a little to determine those things myself because maybe I lack the outside perspective, but I always considered the album to have a little bit of a mixtape character. There’s a great deal of instrumentals on there as well, and I think even though stylistically the songs vary they’re probably held together by a common instrumentation and feel.
LUNA: Describe The Human Jazz with 4 words.
DENCK: Warmth, devotion, sunlight, impermanence.
LUNA: What is the ideal setting for someone to listen to the project for the first time?
DENCK: Wherever one feels most comfortable to open up, but maybe not on the subway or in a sawmill. I seem to experience records the fullest sitting on my carpet right in front of the speakers and allowing myself to be carried away for a while, no distractions, just music and a light breeze from the window.
LUNA: As the year winds down, what intentions do you have for 2022?
DENCK: Well, it’s been another crazy and unpredictable year to say the least, so let’s see how the next one rolls out, but ideally I’d like to be looking into the possibilities of playing my music live with other people and turning this into a different kind of experience, which would be amazing. Apart from that, I’m writing a lot at the moment, and most of winter is still ahead of us, so I’m excited to see where that goes too. Thanks so much for having me!
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