CTM Festival

Burn, baby, burn!

20. Jan. 2015
© Lisanne Schulze

Berlin-based artist Born in Flamez first appeared last June with a contribution to the Monkeytown Records compilation Modeselektion Vol. 3. In July, s/he DJed at the painfully hip Boiler Room and debuted her/his live performance headlining the queer party Hot Topic at SchwuZ. Not a bad start for a newcomer. Then again, the official press release describes Born in Flamez as “a self without binary soul, post-physicality reborn as heat and sound” – so maybe there are past lives behind this project. Indeed, her/his recent EP bears the title Polymorphous, which means passing through various forms.
In line with this, the EP was released in a rather unorthodox format: a limited-edition, engraved glass pyramid with a download code. (You can also download just the audio files, of course.) “The etched glass is somehow traumatized and stone cold at the same time,” the artist told SIEGESSÄULE. “This duality symbolizes the digital and the human aspects of Born in Flamez, or if you think it as a oneness – which I prefer – the post-human position and the multitude of possible identities are reflected in the prismatic powers of the object itself.“ In other words, it’s a high-concept paperweight.
Polymorphous was released by UnReaL Audio, a new label formed by three expats including Tomas Hemstad, one of the promoters behind the Gegen party at KitKatClub. The EP’s four tracks find a balance between tension and serenity, with smoldering synths and rhythmic debris contrasted by gossamer vocals. You could call it dystopian new age music. And although Born in Flamez certainly prefers software over a six-string, s/he definitely has an axe to grind. The namesake is presumably the 1983 sci-fi film Born in Flames, which depicted feminist groups using pirate radio to mobilize against the sexism and racism they face. Song titles like “The Coming Insurrection” bolster this defiant attitude.
Two years ago, the CTM Festival caught some flak for their blatant bias in booking male artists over females. The point is finally sinking in, and things are starting to look more balanced: This year's edition features the likes of Lydia Ainsworth, Nan Goldin and Electric Indigo, and the recent addition of Born in Flamez to the lineup confuses the gender equation even further. S/he will join U.S. duo 18+ and Swedish rap posse Yung Lean & Sad Boys at Yaam on January 31. “There will be more and new instruments involved, and a new look as well. I will have one or two guest musicians join me onstage,” s/he explains of the evolving live show. “But still no pyrotechnics.”

Joey Hansom

CTM Festival, Jan. 14 – Feb. 1, various venues

Born in Flamez, 18+, Yung Lean & Sad Boys, Jan. 31, 23:00, Yaam

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