CLOT Magazine presents KAREN JUHL – THREADS

CLOT Magazine

Our new mixtape comes from Copenhagen-based experimental R’n’B artist Karen Juhl. Her influences span from the likes of Laurie Anderson and Holly Herndon to Solange. Juhl is interested in exploring different approaches to songwriting in the 21st century, her style ranging from experimental electronics and contemplative poetry to antithetical rap. Her debut album Mother Tongue, released on the 22nd of September, is a dynamic manifestation of her self-written poems and diary entries. The album explores ideas of fragility within a hyper-globalised world, shifting in dynamics from intensely noisy and emotive to calm and reflective. When explaining her process of making the album, Juhl stated that ‘I brought diary notes and prose poems with me into the studio and worked on vocals in a stream-of-consciousness kind of way.’ The album was released on the London-based art platform Inklingroom and worked on with fellow collaborator Johan Feierskov. Using mainly YouTube samples, MIDI instruments and vocals, the album feels incredibly fresh and immersive. The dysphoric and euphoric elements that occur between the music and the voice reflect the contrast and overlap in topics; from personal in relation to politics and gender in relation to time, the songs travel between childhood scenes, psychiatric wards and internet rooms. Alongside the album, an artbook is also set to be released in collaboration with graphic designer Paw Poulsen, that displays digital collages based on Juhl’s lyrics for the album. The artbook aims to create an external layer to the album outside of the digital realm, seeking a space of intertwining narratives. The mixtape that Karen Juhl has created for us, entitled Threads, is described by herself as ‘a mix of moods, ideas, sounds, songs, and states. It’s full of life, cuz it unfolds in the same way life does, forward and through unforeseen terrains. I wanted to honour sounds on the verge of becoming. My compositions "Face Wash" and "Home" were composed and recorded in this somewhat improvised manner. I delved further into my personal playlists, but I also asked my two close colleagues and friends Laust and Johan to share some of their magical memos with me.’ Juhl presents her mixtape as ‘a gentle framework that holds something beautifully frayed—loose threads that just barely come together to form a picture.’ Tracklist: Dienne – Mio Signore Hoy La – Ecotone Laust Moltesen – Meditation #1 (memo) Maria BC – The Only Thing Karen Juhl – Face Wash TLF Trio – Trio A Jonas Albrecht – LEIB Laust Moltesen – Meditation #2 (memo) Johan Feierskov – zoom (memo) Karen Juhl – Home Jeph Vanger – CA Study Marina Herlop – miu Johan Feierskov – into (memo) Valeria Miracapillo – Fiction Crush String Collective – Intermezzo II (Fetus) ill – íra ii Laust Moltesen – Meditation #3 (memo) Johan Feierskov – Chalk (unreleased) Pankisi ensemble - Asete ghame Abdullah Miniawy X HVAD – Notice a tiny scratch for the blue behind