Juno Plus Podcast 130: Borusiade
Cómeme’s resident Dreamcatcher comes correct on an hour-long mix that goes from Nitzer Ebb to the Zenker Brothers.
It has been said before, but let’s reaffirm again how important the Radio Cómeme platform has become in nurturing a new generation of open-minded DJs and selectors along with the artists one readily associates with Matias Aguayo’s label. Plenty has been written about Sentimental Flashback, Lena Willikens’ wonderful show on the platform, whilst last year we became strong fans of Inga Mauer’s sonic adventures with Bon Voyage. Borusiade’s show The Dreamcatcher caught our ear too, allowing Bucharest native Miruna Boruzescu the chance to “dive into blurry memories of passed times and the crystal clearness of daydream’s future-projections.”
Later this month sees Borusiade stake her debut claim as a producer with the excellent Jeopardy 12″ for Cómeme, a psychedelically-charged collection of cinematic rhythm tracks that bear comparisons to Wolfers and Fairplay. Boruzescu is no newcomer to DJing or music-making however as she first started mixing record whilst in Bucharest back in 2002, whilst she’s also been involved in various music projects before manifesting as Borusiade.
Having been impressed by her Radio Cómeme show as well as a guest spot on the Hessle Audio show, it was hard to turn down the opportunity of a Borusiade mix for the Juno Plus podcast series. Just shy of an hour, Borusiade’s selections reflects the ease with DJing and range of music one acquires after years of practice. Miruna was also kind enough to answer some questions regarding the upcoming Cómeme 12″, her approach to producing and DJing, and what else we can expect from Borusiade.
Thanks very much for doing this mix, what were your intentions behind it?
Thanks for the invitation. I surfed on sounds that I like at the moment without following a clear purpose or a specific genre. What came out is a bizarre dance mix, the kind I personally would dance to.
How and where was it recorded?
The mix was recorded in Bucharest where I am staying for a while at the moment. It’s a digital recording.
You’ve been DJing for well over a decade now, how would you say your sound developed during this time?
To be honest, there are many things I was playing 10 years ago, that I dig out and play again today. I was always puzzled by musical genres so I never really “respected” them in my tastes or mixes. Music gets to me as sound. I always found the in-betweens more appealing and I still do. So, I believe there was a development but more in terms of finally accepting that I will never be able to fit in a musical box.
Were there any local Bucharest DJs who were inspirational in you deciding to start learning the craft yourself?
When I started there was a tiny underground scene in Bucharest that was gravitating around one club: The Web Club. The DJs that were playing there were friends, some are still my friends today, some continued playing and have very interesting developments, some others dropped DJing and do other stuff today.
I wouldn’t talk about inspiration but rather about curiosity and ambition: I wanted to share the music I liked with others, I wanted to see them enjoy it and dance to it. The DJs that were playing before I started, just showed me that it was possible to do that somehow. All I needed was to gain the courage to ask if I can try it out as well. After that I learned the craft by playing, not by watching.
And today, are there any selectors you look up to that make you challenge yourself?
There are DJs whom I appreciate very much and I enjoy listening to their mixes but I must admit I more of a radio listener or music digger, I don’t regularly follow mixes, except for friend’s stuff, and I am very lucky and grateful to have very talented and inspiring friends.
We are big fans of your Dreamcatcher show on Cómeme Radio, how much preparation goes into each edition?
The Dreamcatcher is my pleasurable challenge in compiling sound and music. The preparation is different from episode to episode, it depends on the type of month I had: on what I lived, read, saw, encountered, listened to. Sometimes it goes in one day, sometimes I feel like putting ideas together, weeks before the show and complete them over the time…It never works the same.
The story goes it was a chance meeting with Lena Willikens that lead to you joining, is that true?
The big lines are true but we didn’t actually meet at first but it was the music that connected us: I had posted a mix and later a track on the web platform for women in electronic music Female: Pressure and I got feedback in a mail from Lena who not only asked for that track but also invited me to play together with her at Salon des Amateurs in Düsseldorf. That eventually happened and we became friends.Then I met Avril, who runs Cómeme, she listened to my set at a Gegen Party in Berlin and later contacted me for demos and a show for Radio Cómeme and last but not least Matias (Aguayo).
How important has the platform been to helping you get the wider exposure your Djing skills merit?
I believe it was important, especially for my visibility as an artist. In terms of music, I see the Dreamcatcher more as a sonic film series rather than some regular DJ mixes. It probably has appealed to people who are open to weird, dark and sometimes disturbing sounds but I am not sure how they can judge it as a teaser for the club. When I make The Dreamcatcher, I don’t feel I am a DJ but rather a filmmaker whose material is sound.
Both you and Lena played with the Hessle boys in London last year, how was that night?
It was good. It was the first time I had played in London and I enjoyed it a lot. The company and line-up were exquisite as well. That also helped. I had a great time!
Your debut release, Jeopardy, is out later this month – how long had you been working on this music?
Jeopardy gathers together tracks that I have produced mostly over the last two years as well as one older track which is four years old. I won’t name it to not break the spell of the EP. Still, all the tracks gravitate around the same themes in my head so I regard them as a whole.
Was it produced with the intention of being released on Cómeme?
No, not at all. It wasn’t produced with any intention of any kind. Producing music was and is an outlet for me. Of course, having it released would have been ideal but I wasn’t counting on that, just hoping. When I first had a request from Avril to send them some demo tracks for Cómeme, I answered that I wasn’t sure my sound would fit Cómeme. It turned out it did.
What’s the reaction been to Jeopardy so far? Both from other DJs and when you have played the tracks yourself in a club?
Great! I am so happy and flattered to have so much amazing feedback from people that I personally appreciate so much musically. It is a real pleasure and it encourages me to continue putting out there what I feel and hear. I am very grateful to have these reactions until now, before the EP has even been released.
We read your interest in production dates back to 2005, what projects were you involved in before conceiving Borusiade?
Yes, is is true. In 2005 in Bucharest I was in a band called Hector. I was the vocalist and co-producer and composer of the tracks, together with a good friend. We had started the project. Hector was a great idea with an amazing sound for that time, especially in Bucharest but it didn’t last. There might still be some traces of it over Myspace and in my archives.
Then came Stereonucleose, a duo I had formed with a good friend. That was fully electronic music and we also had some releases, one on Female:Pressure DVD1 (a remix for a track from Electric Indigo) and a split EP with a project called Alloy Alloy on the Austrian label Comfortzone. We played for a while as a DJ duo as well, mostly in Berlin but that didn’t last either.
Then it was only me left as Borusiade. I have learned a lot from these experiences, especially technical skills and through this, the ability to create a sound of my own, a sound I feel I can express myself with and I feel it represents me.
Can we expect further “baroque and dark slow techno jams” from Borusiade as the year goes on?
Yes you can! One confirmed release to look forward to later in 2016 is another EP on Jennifer Cardini’s label Correspondent. It’s going to be massive.
What else are you looking forward to as 2016 takes shape?
I look forward to more releases on interesting labels, collaborations and experimenting with new sounds. I would also love to start a not-dance-oriented side-project involving voices and collaborations with other people, but I will know more about that later in the year.
Tracklisting:
1. Padna – Prelude For Organ And Bells
2. Plus Instruments – Love Is Not Enough (Khidja Remix)
3. Delusion Men – Stuck On The Border
4. Naturkunde Museum Ostkreuz – Tropycaliptic Excusions
5. Elec Pt.1 – Moonoo
6. Society Of Silence – Baghdad
7. Nitzer Ebb – Join In The Chant (Inst.)
8. Brassfoot – Serpetina’s Lust
9. Zenker Brothers – Innef Runs
10. NPLGNN – Variance I
11. Mariam The Believer – Invisible Giving (Wolf Müller Dub Remix)
12. Umberto – La Llorna
13. Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Miss Crazy Bullshit
14. Porn.Darsteller – Mistify