JG: With less events, I’m wondering how much our feelings of togetherness and empathy are fed. Obviously there is a connecting factor, but what is being lost right now in a world where live music and shows and events are harder to come by? This is certainly connected to the idea of borders, dancing across borders, getting rid of the borders… It’s something that digital methods do.ĪC: I’m curious then, not to be harsh on the digital realm, but to consider what might be lost inside of it. If there was a pandemic in an era without digital networks, there would have been no compilation at all.
Jean Grünewald: There’s a paradox in the way that digital releases are connecting but also fragmenting. What does that mean for digital spaces? How is it the same, or different, when we’re talking about this type of music being experienced in a digital sphere? The hope is that this can create more empathy, solidarity and respect between different people.Īlso Cool: I understand that the music itself is political, and clearly the spaces in which that music is shared become political as well. Moments where you can acknowledge and celebrate different realities. The spaces where this music is played, whether it’s a warehouse or a club, allow for moments of togetherness. Underground dance and techno music survives the shared cultural knowledge of marginalized groups that is ongoingly threatened by systemic oppression. The idea of ‘dancing across borders’ relates specifically to this kind of music. Jean Grünewald: The project was created to remind us that music, embodied in spaces, is above all political. Simone Tissenbaum for Also Cool Mag: I read in a summary you wrote about the project that music embodied in spaces is inherently political… What does that mean specifically for Montreal Dances Across Borders?
Jean (AKA üw), one-half of the curatorial duo behind the project, spoke with me about challenging borders in a multitude of ways.