HOW is the solo project of Alessia D’Artino aka A/Ona, curator/ Dj resident of the event Drone at Gegen Berlin. HOW is a journey within/in to different genres: post punk/noise, cinematic, ambient, post industrial, classical music, doom, metal. Sage Charles, a percussionist and a producer who as well combines instrumental, spoken word and live performance, will be on stage as well for this occasion. As a percussionist/drummer, Sage collaborated with many artists, such as: Carla Bozulich, Ron Athey, David Harrow, Jon John and Blacksun Drum Korps feat. Jarboe (ex-Swans).
FACTS:
1: HOW is something that your mom will never like, but if she does… (.)
2: HOW is a violation of different musical genres, sounds and melodies; it abuse noises, samples, loops: it is The ugly and it is The beauty.
3: HOW is a Kid without A leader and The label: all tracks are on free download on HOW’s Soundcloud page.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
It can be anything that catches my ear or curiosity- a concrete sound, a melody, a beat, an old song’s specific part, that I like to sample and rework. A pure noise, a word and its sound. Reading a poem. A lot of misunderstand ing- it all goes to create my music.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
I started as a drummer when I was 14 years old, then I switched to bass guitar and guitar. I always learned instruments by myself, except for drumming, which I studied intensively till I was 18 years old. I started listening to pop music, a lot of indie pop, then I became obsessed with post-punk, industrial and experimental, as well as avant-garde, jazz and other weird stuff. I have been very inspired by black metal, trash and grindcore metal + jazz and blues. You can capture all of this in the tracks: I like to mess up with genres that are various and matching them together when I compose.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
My taste in music is very various; my life changing records are gonna be a freaky list, perhaps in here.. So, without including all the Go-Go’s and The Beatles discography, I can say:
Pj Harvey “Rid of me”
Nine Inch Nails “The downward spiral”
Ministry “The mind is a terrible thong to taste
Opeth “Blackwater Park”
Diamand a Galas “The divine Punishment”
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
I moved in Berlin in 2006, when I was about 30 years old, from Rome (Italy). It had changed me and shaped me as a person and as an artist to live here. It gave me the freedom I needed to create and to explore music in the way I always wanted.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
I have a few, depending on my mood. I don’t go out clubbing so much, so I can not mention any place specifically. I rand omly change, mostly are anonymous. Small clubs where I go to see live shows, crooked small rooms.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
I will write endlessly.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
Colin Stetson “All this I do for glory”
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Haus Arafna, Al Yourgensen, Pj Harvey, Trent Reznor.. so far. For today.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
Bikini Kill and Team Dresch in Rome (it was like 2004/2005 if I’m not wrong), Fantomas and the one show I played with Molly Nilsson under the nick name of Dark Skies Association, that was like 8 years ago more or less: it was a project that lasted one gig only but that was the best gig I was involved as a bass player.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
Technology opened to me a different approach to express what I want. Its a very challenging and interesting open door in order to get what I want, always my way.
11. Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career/art?
If I ask them, they will say they don’t get it the most of the times… and that is a good thing. When siblings and family (whom follows a specific and corporate kind of “commercial” music, like in my case) don’t like what you do, it can only means you are going in the right direction. I test my music this way: I play it to my mom and I wait for that look.. the “disturbed, uncomfortable” one.
