November / 2003
[Belgium]

You are involved in many projects with different names, labels and collaborators. What is the specificity of the Random Inc / Industries project?

Sebastian Meissner : Random industries was a project I done on the Mille Plateaux sublabel Ritornell. It was my attempt to push a CD as a media format to it´s possible limits, creating 2 albums on one CD. Also to deal with randomness on this media which can be created by the listener a home, with a simple CD player, encouraging people to listen non-linear. and using CD as a tool. At the same time I was finishing my "Jerusalem: Tales outside the framework of orthodoxy" album, and still didn´t know how to name the project. I was looking for a name which could has an equal meaning in Hebrew and Arabic but I didn´t succeeded. I was only able to find curses. So, calling the project random_inc was to create continuity between my previous project, random industries and the family of the INC-releases/artists at FORCE INC. Right now I see, this project(-name) as not active. My activities around the "Jerusalem/IL_PAL" subject has transformed themselves into new platforms and new projects. stylistically, Random_inc or at least what it was on the "clicks´n´cuts2" compilation with the track "losing touch", has become what now is Bizz_Circuits.

How was born the (Tales outside the framework of orthodoxy/Walking in Jerusalem) Jerusalem project?

It started with my interest in traditional Eastern European Jewish music and the compositions by the master musicians of Joujouka. It started with my interest and my studies of the history of the state of Israel. It started with my work on the second Autopoieses album, which was never to be finished.

What attracts you specifically as a European sound and visual artist in this hot zone and situation?

S.M.: My interest in the history of the state of Israel and the so called "middle east conflict" is rooted in the perception of the absence of Jewish life & culture in Europe. It´s rooted in an European tragedy which happened just one/two generations ago and which lot of people want to forget about now. It´s rooted in my desire to understand under which circumstances this state was born, how this traumatic experiences influenced the creation of this state. how a religion was transformed into a nation. and how it was build on top of "native" people, who now needed to become a nation as well.

You have a sociology background, does it influence in some ways your artistic approach such as the Jerusalem project ?

It surely does. "The sociology of religion" by Max Weber influenced me a lot at that time. but generaly my projects are born out of the heart. the dispute with the mind starts later on.

What did you bring - on a artistic and on a human level - from you recent stay in Ramalah and in Israel ?

I brought very diverse impressions back home. Lot of barbed wired, stones from demolished houses, pieces of concrete walls. sand. Also i have found the blues in east Jerusalem: the group SABREEN´s album "Death of the Prophet" hit me very deep. I have brought lot of great music from my friends in west Jerusalem. This experience will be documented on the upcoming bizz_circuits release on Mille Plateaux called: BIZZ CIRCUITS play INTIFADA OFFSPRING.

How did the Palestinian/Jewish people react to your recent projects using their sources and fragmentations?

On both "Jerusalem" albums as random_inc I havn´t use any music samples from Israel and Palestine. But everybody seems clearly to identify the sampled sources as Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian music. Hasidic violins doesn´t have necessary symbolize Israel and the sound of a oud doesn´t have to be Palestinian. This very fact reflects so much the "conflict" itself. To who does it belong? To Jews and Arabs? Or to Jewish Israelis and Palestinians? Who is an Israeli? Who is an Palestinian? How was this identity created? And how the rest of the world has shaped this so called holy land/promised land to a myth, which is now becoming reality?

How the political aspect and the artistic/poetic treatment (sounds & images combined) complement each other live?

In my live performance they are undivided. They are a unit and making me whole as an individual/human being/social person.


[Philippe Franck]