This was supposed to be an interview. But Birk Bream is a good friend, and good friends don’t really do interviews… They just talk. So we talked about multidisciplinary expression, human thought, dedication, solitude, and why dance is where everything begins.
Sitting in a new beige jacket, with pockets for pens. Birk tells me it can even turn into a vest, and was thrifted while shooting a film in Poland.
BIRK BREAM: What does one say? I have been doing this for five years now. I am a music producer, composer and performer.
EUGENIA KRYVYTSKA: Solid titles, straight to the point!
BB: It’s very LA-like to say dancer, singer, actor. But that’s maybe what we want to talk about: that variety makes the practice sustainable. Through music composing, I’ve found the thing that has kept me alive and gives me that spark. If I am going to do this forever, I need to do different projects across DJing, production and now writing a play and “Sho and Hey”.
EK: As a jack of all trades, or a person with many ways of expression, don’t you ever find it overwhelming to choose one to dedicate yourself to, or has one form always been more impactful than others?
BB: Yes, well I have always looked up to other artists that have a strong vision and can dabble in the theatrical and really perform, when they can dance and get into characters. They become different characters from music video to music video and tell different stories. But for me personally, it started with dancing and I quickly realized that this was not where I could be “the best”, but there can still be enjoyment. Then I tried acting and got good feedback from others. But at the time it did not really give me anything. Until I started making music and was able to produce myself, and make the simplest, whackiest productions, where I thought, “WOW, this is fucking amazing!” That’s when I realized this is something I can get good at and develop other art forms within the context of composing music.
I just went about it strategically. My question to myself: what do I want to work with and what can I become the “best” at? When you’re the type that is jack of all trades, rather than picking juts one thing, try different roles and perspectives. For example, in a music video, everyone from the focus puller to the set designer is equally important. Even if you don’t master all trades, having insight into different skills is valuable.
EK: #Shoutout the beauty of a film team. For me, fashion was a way where I could do a little bit of everything. Or rather the common denominator in everything I wanted to do, from dance, visual arts, writing, etc was clothes and fashion.
BB: Music as well, fashion is always relevant. For example, ASAP Rocky or Yung Lean would not have the image and following they have, without their stylists and a well-established fashion. Persona.
EK: Sometimes I get scared to choose one thing to fully dedicate myself to, like FOMO.
BB: But that’s why we have a long life. You can choose one thing now and then do another thing later. Most likely, either way, you’ll grow tired of the thing you choose now and will have to pick up other skills to rely on. Like, for example, having hobbies. I struggle with the concept of hobbies. “Hobbies” that don’t end up being part of my work. It’s silly to say that making music is my work or job. That’s the last thing you would want it to feel like. It is supposed to be life and the things you “have” to do are work… maybe?
EK: The last thing you want your art to be is work, but at the same time you want to make it your living, for it to be your work. Have you always had a special interest in performance or is it a consequence of your work in music?
BB: It has developed from the way I dance, which is just improvisation and contemporary, so expressing music through my body made me fond of performing. Improvisation is nothing to remember. It’s just something to feel.
EK: Do you approach your work differently when it’s music or performance, or when it’s for someone else rather than your own project?
BB: They are separate and different. I love producing for other people and letting them interpret and receive it however they feel. I am more likely to experiment and be more “fancy” when producing for others while my own projects have their own pace. For me, it is not important to “achieve” something right now in my 20s, there is no rush for me.
"The opportunity to perform music live is very important. I don’t just make something, publish or post it, and then it is done. It needs to become something tangible."
EK: Is the need to perform music live and make it into something tangible the only reason you want to do more performance-related projects?
BB: The reason I am pursuing performance art is to show how in tune the body naturally is with music. Even the people who think they have no rhythm, which I think is nearly impossible. I want to show them that they can also feel something and if it’s not a bodily feeling, then they can hopefully still become creatively engaged or touched. Even if they think it is bad, sad, or good, you have been touched and experienced something. Even if they think it is shit I have been so lucky to be a part of their journey of developing their taste. It is a privilege to trigger people’s emotions, as someone else, through a character.
EK: As our theme for the 1st Issue is angst, I want to ask: Is this feeling ever a source of inspiration, how does it affect your process?
BB: Feelings inspire me. It’s often reflective of my current emotional state. Still waiting for the happy album to be written. With angst, it’s complicated; I often shut down when I am anxious instead of channeling it. I just walk around my apartment. It’s hard to just sit down and start writing. Maybe the anxious episode will make me sit down and write after. Often it’s the process of writing texts that triggers angst. It’s not often a pleasant experience when I write the texts, which I think are the best work. On the topic of inspiration: I have been watching a lot of films lately!
EK: Do you ever think about who your work is really for?
BB: Things take time if you want to create something new and if it’s truly new no one will probably understand it right away. By the time it’s not new anymore and digestible you are most likely no longer alive.
Building bridges between art forms is my mission right now.
EK: Do you want to say a little more about how you are pursuing your current mission?
BB: Yes! I am writing a play, it’s about fear. Fear of losing a child, fear that your brother might be sleeping with your wife, even if she loves you. These taboo human thoughts. Even when you love someone you still think about other people. It is “wrong” but human. We want to confront these thoughts and explore them in the play, with a focus on movement and soundscape, where I am the music producer. I am writing alongside Vilde Krohn, A Bream Production.
EK: Any last words?
BB: Good to yap about human thoughts and ramble.
EK: Thank you so much.
BB: STAY KAYF AND LIVE LIFE.
Words
Eugenia Kryvytska
Photography
John Salthammer