TLOBF Interview // jj

01 July 2010, 11:00

It’s hard to believe jj no.2 came out one year to the day today. Back then, it was a gorgeous, unexpected midsummer blissout, but also that rare summer thing that survived the post-August comedown and re-emerged in heavy rotation in late fall. Happily pilfering ideas from decades of world music, the ‘now’ of r’n’b and some kind of retro, alternate version of music history where St Etienne were pop superstars, no.2 dropped deliciousness at every turn, but with no clues about its creators.

Take no heroes, only inspiration, right?

So what a year it’s been for the eccentric, unfathomable, Lil-Wayne sampling oddity that is jj. Now with jj no.3 under their belt, a Rough Trade Album of the Month, and a tour with the xx, they’re maybe not such an oddity anymore.

But of course they are. Behind the ambient, lyrically warm pop, they are still very much Sincerely Yours alums; the record label that gives us everything, and paradoxically, nothing. No matter how much we know about them, Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander are still unknowable. In an age where you can know anything about anyone, this is infinitely comforting. They give interviews, play shows and yet they stay hidden and remain unseen. When they speak, it’s in dreams and sharp incisions, a reaction against the way things are.

So how has it been for them in the crazy past year? I asked them. They, being the star pupils of the *Sincerely Yours School of Cryptic Answers*, were only too obliging in not giving me the answers I wanted. Instead, I got quoted some Smiths lyrics and some point blank walls.

But maybe that’s the point: let go. Every step towards jj takes you a step further away. Sometimes the aim for reality feels too unrealistic. Sometimes you just have to indulge in distractions, escapes, and illusions to be able to stand this excuse for an existence, and that’s just what they do.

Where in the world are you now?
Madagascar.

How is your release schedule working out? Will we see jj no4 by next year?
I hope so, for my own wellbeing. I long for that record. It’s beautiful.

What is the ‘feeling’ of jj no3 vs. jj no2? How has the experience or situation of making each record been different for you?
It hasn’t.

From the beginning, jj has been a relatively anonymous entity. Now we know your names and where you’re from, but that still doesn’t answer any real questions. Tell us a bit about why you think mystery is helpful, both for jj and your listeners?
Helpful in what way?

You’ve (Joakim) said in a previous interview: “Whatever we do I hope people will understand that being on stage is a fucked up situation in the first place.” It seems inevitable in these fast and furious days of music to have to play live as another ‘dimension’ of a band’s sound and existence. What are your thoughts on that?
I agree. I’m in it for all the dimensions. I got my goggles on.

The problem of playing live seems to have dogged other artists who make music about escapism (Memory Tapes, Air France, for example). How do you foresee having to bridge the gaps between ‘fantasy’ and ‘representation’ in your live shows?
I don’t see a bridge between me and myself, we’re all there, every time. On records, and in person. People shouldn’t expect anything. That is a boring habit many have though. We represent ourselves and no escapism, we have nothing we want to create, there is no fantasy.

You recently played a live show at SXSW in Austin. What did you think of it?
I think it was like Sodom and Gomorrah, real dicks everywhere, yumma yumma yumma!

How did it influence your future directions for live shows?
It didn’t.

Music coming out from the west coast has a feeling of escapism and ‘tropicalism’. But you’re from Vallentuna near Stockholm. How does that I influence your sound in a way that might be similar/different to those other Gothenburg bands?
I don’t know, i can’t relate to a certain place, i live in the world, life influences me. I do not understand at all why so many people are trying to find something out about things they can’t understand. The thing we have in common is we’re human, and that we’re alive, and that we want to stay alive.

Like The Tough Alliance, jj also has an aesthetic of cutting and pasting together cultural references from rap, hip hop and europop, both past and present. Tell us a bit about pop culture in Sweden, and how it inspires you creatively?
It doesn’t. I don’t even know what pop culture is to be honest. It sounds boring though.

Well, inevitably, we’ll have to talk about it. How did you connect with Sincerely Yours, and how does their overall philosophy fit yours?
We knew each other from our past lives so we thought we would meet up in this life as well. The mission continues. It fits like hand in glove. The sun shines out of our behinds.

Your new song ‘ceo birthday’ seems to have popped up at the same time Eric Berglund from TTA announced his ceo project. What’s the relationship with ceo?
It’s beyond words. No, it’s not like any other love. This one is different – because it’s us. We can go wherever we please and everything depends upon how near you stand to me. And if the people stare then the people stare. Oh, I really don’t know and I really don’t care.

What does the blood splatter on your releases and t-shirts mean?
It means fuck all you hoes, get a grip.