Levanger Sessions; recordings and remixes
August 2006-June 2007
The DJ-project
A session is a musical term used for when musicians get together and play for the joy of it and as socializing. The Dj-project is interested in how music is listened to, shared and what fellowships emerge around music in a small community, and invites people to a series of ”sessions”, various events and workshops, during a year, at ”Gulbygget”. People in Levanger have a strong but individualized relation to music. “Levanger Sessions: Recordings and Remixes” aims to bring together different people and local groups in a production process whereby various attitudes and perspectives are united. The musical production is not profit-driven, but is rather meant to serve as a collective description of a contemporary situation and represents an attempt to reveal the less obvious aspects of music production and our relation to music. A chain of production evolves, open to ”disorder” and influences by different perceptions, desires and working methods.
The Dj-project is a loosely-knit group of artists deriving from the scene around the Art Academy in Trondheim. The group started in 2005 as a collaborative project between students of the art academy and local DJ’s in Trondheim. With a starting point in such themes as music and its ability to stimulate memories and associations, listening techniques, sound and imagery and the concept of “community”, the group creates projects in dialogue and collaboration with various local communities. The participants in ”Levanger Sessions; recordings and remixes” are Chris Gotaas (N), Carolina Jonsson (S), Martin Langlie (N), Kim Ramberghaug (N), Lisa Stålspets (S) og Jessika Thörnqvist (S).
01 Gregory at the opening party
06 Lørdagshumør – a poem by Jelena
08 John A. Charles (attic studio remix)
14 Jean-Paul at the opening party
The Dj-Project, Lisa stålspets and Carolina Jonsson
“Levanger Sessions: recordings and remixes”, the music video
2006-2007, premiere June 9 2007
Video still: the ferry from Levanger to the island of Ytterøy
The video was made in collaboration with children from Kulturskolen in Levanger, and gives a humourous account of life in a small town as seen through the eyes of the children. Throughout a whole year, Lisa Stålspets and Carolina Jonsson from “The DJ Project” provided the children of Kulturskolan in Levanger, with an introduction to the most common animation techniques. The children were between 6 and 15 years old.
“The work has been enjoyable and the purpose was to achieve new forms of expression. During the year the children made individual projects as well as a bigger, joint, project; a music video. The children built models of some select places in Levanger that function as social meeting places; the library as well as the cinema (“Festiviteten”) are present and also the harbour and the park.
From these set designs the plot for the video was playfully improvised. The musical score was a collaboration with music students from kulturskolan and the youths active in Levanger Ungdomshus, “says Carolina Jonsson and Lisa Stålspets.
“Levanger Sessions: recordings and remixes”, the Dj class for girls
The Dj-project; Jessika Thörnqvist(S) and Kim Ramberghaug(N) in collaboration with Jean Paul , Sideboy and k+k Paint&Copy
June 2006
Photo: J. Thörnqvist
On the basis of their own musical preferences, the girls were taught to present their own music collections to an audience. The course gave the girls control over technique and equipment and they learned to mix, add effects like scratching, echoing and so forth. A collaboratin with the youth club “Levanger ungdomshus”.
“Levanger Sessions: recordings and remixes”,
the HIP HOP class for students from Junior High School
The DJ Project; Kim Ramberghaug (N) and Jessika Thörnqvist (S)
The course was based on rappers Jean-Paul and Sidboys way of working. They use their own experiences and observations when creating their lyrics. They work to create a distinctive style, and they both rap in Swahili, French, Norwegian and English. They encouraged the participants to write texts based on their experiences and ideas, and to rap on dialect.
The course ended with a club night with djs and a concert by G.O.D.S on June 6. Those who wanted to could perform their songs at the club night. There was also a performance by the DJ class for girls and an exhibition of the drawings made during the Paint&Copy workshop. A collaboratin with the youth club “Levanger ungdomshus”.