NVST & Zohar
A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols through which humans can collaborate. Yet sometimes, when it comes to art, music and even emotions, language is not needed. Unquestionably in this case, there’s no need for language because the fact that both NVST and Zohar were two artists of rare talent was already clear in their individual projects. But much more is brought to the table.
Those with their ears to the dancefloor will surely have already heard of NVST and Zohar's intense and unpredictable B2B. Complex moods both rich in tension and energy, that vary from a wide-range of different club-driven tunes, exploring breaks, drum 'n' bass, footwork, bass music, experimental electronics, dub and techno. I mean, already legendary.
Genuinely the B2B experience evolved into a project together: Sixsixsevenfortyseven. A project in which music is filtered through the human experience, in essence: those kinds of projects in which music acquires its highest conception. Because when two people meet and non-verbal communication becomes a part of their strength, then there we touch the true mystery (but the real sense) of the music that attracts us all.
Together NVST and Zohar definitely share a somewhat anarchic attitude, in its most beautiful sense. And that is precisely why it is so fascinating to discover the synergy that can be created between two artists with strong personalities who lay themselves bare within a new project.
Because in 66, what NVST and Zohar have managed to do is something truly powerful: open a window onto their worlds, which from two become one. A window through which a soft light perpetuates, in a blurred state somewhere between dreamlike and lysergic. In front of that window, there is (again) no need to speak, to use a system of symbols to understand: it simply happens. It happens when you’re ready to react to the other's creative input, while teaching something and learning something else. Everything is in its place: in what are not just two collaborations, but tales of the raw-dance of life together.
Looking out of that window is a kind of privilege, a “voyeuristic act” but with heavy, intimate, gorgeous music.
It always seems like a cliché question, but I find it relevant and fascinating. What is the music that shaped you back in the days? Could you recognise 1 record that made you realise that electronic music was your thing?
N: I was raised in the forest and in squats, so I think unconventional dub and noise definitely shaped my taste. Meeting Warzou [Big Science Records owner] was also a major factor in me discovering good music. If there’s one record that opened the door for me, it’s “Drexciya - Harnessed the Storm”.
Z: I don’t think I was so aware of defining music or electronic music growing up - but what shaped me in listening was Portishead’s Dummy at a younger age, after that Kevin Martin’s work under his different aliases started to really boil something inside. It's funny you ask because N has given me his Techno Animal Symbiotics split with Porter Ricks recently and I still feel the exact same feelings listening to it over and over again now.
It all started with an invite to do a B2B by Identified Patient. Then at some point NVST also started adding her voice into your sets. What were your first B2B experiences like? Did you prepare the set together, or did you let your instincts guide you?
N: Our first B2B was indeed under the grace of IP. I’ve always been a huge fan of Zohar’s work, so it was a big honor for me to collaborate with her. We had a second round at De School, and I think after those two, it became pretty clear that playing together was effortless. We didn’t need to talk much about what to play, how, or the kind of evolution we wanted, it just flowed naturally. I think with Z, we’re really good at communicating without words. She then suggested we play together at PEF [Positive Education Festival]—I think that’s the vocal you’re referring to. We just wanted to make something very special for that gig; it was the first time we really prepped a B2B. We’re both pretty psycho and rigid when it comes to sets, so it was also easy and fun to sit and obsess over the tracklist for hours together. I think it’s one of the best sets I’ve ever played.
Z: Like N explains, our first times we were briefly in touch before the sets, but I knew and loved her work already way before that so it wasn’t hard for me to envision a set where I knew there is overlap in taste and that there was space for both of us to take some risks in sound. PEF was a whole other level indeed; I think we missed some acts we wanted to see because we were completely sucked into creating a storyline and the excitement of sharing music with each other.
I guess it was kind of a natural process, going from playing on a B2B to a new musical project together. But was there a moment that represents a genesis for you? Was there a particular moment when you realized your musical connection truly worked?
N: I think falling in love is a pivotal moment where the collaboration becomes emotionally deeper. Obviously, when you spend a lot of time together and you're both creative, you eventually end up in the studio [laughs]. I think the first time we produced together, we made this track called “I Stood There” from our upcoming album, just like that. I remember us looking at each other and saying: “Oh, okay”.
Z: I completely agree. For me that night we worked on “I Stood There” was the beginning of 66. We just started working and it became something in just one take, and I notice it’s often our way of working, it feels right, for us.
Why did you decide to play behind a cloth during your live performance as Sixsixsevenfortyseven? How did you conceptualise the live?
N: I think the key word to answer this question is intimacy. I have this old camcorder that I take with me everywhere, and I’ve been recording our life as partners with Z a lot. At some point, when we were thinking about the live show, it became clear that we wanted to use that raw, intimate material since it resonated deeply with the lyrics, which are also about our intimacy. It was also really important to Z that we had visuals. She came up with the idea of the cloth, and I feel it was the perfect way to create intimacy and a sense of "nudity" with the crowd. It allowed us to be either behind distorted footage of our reality or in front of it.
Z: Indeed - I think the set up as it is now comes from a wish to translate and enhance sound with visuals of our time, be it video or installation or whatever it will become in the future. For me our stage design is something that will keep evolving, I love working on these ideas together and I'm sure that there will be several versions of our live performance.
What surprised you the most about each other during the creative process?
N: Our unspoken connection is something that will never cease to surprise me. Her infinite beautiful creative brain too [smiles].
Z: N has an incredible way of writing out her emotions and her timing is always different, this keeps surprising me. I love witnessing this process and being able to react to it creatively.
Your music carries both physical and emotional intensity—how much of yourselves do you reveal through your sets and live performances together? With the project together, it seems to be a bit like laying yourself bare through music compared to your individual projects…
N: Yes, this project is by far the most intimate and vulnerable I have ever written. It’s the first time I’m not writing about societal issues, anger, or deep life contemplation.
It was quite surprising and somehow vulnerable to see that our music made me write about us—how we feel about each other, how we love each other, and how life can be hard to navigate together when you’re both quite sensitive. I think the fact that this collaboration and project is primarily about our relationship makes it emotionally go far beyond any of my solo work.
Z: This project is such personal work as it’s made so close to progressing our emotions together, it’s also the first time for me focussing purely on expressing without any concessions of wanting it to sound a certain way or have a club mind focus. Something I will take along in my growth as an individual artist for sure.
Has one of you introduced the other to an artist or an album that changed your musical perspective?
N: I think Z made me dive much deeper into Dummy by Portishead. I knew about it, but somehow, I never had that WOW moment. In the beginning of our relationship, she sent it to me, and I was like: “Wait a minute—this is such a complex masterpiece!” [laughs]
Z: Lesley Winer, I wasn’t familiar with her work until I met N. I could immediately hear why Lesley is such a significant inspiration in N, her signature sound and her approach to music.
Is there a record you have “stolen” from the other’s DJ set?
N: I don’t know if there’s just one [laughs]. Something I love about us is how freely we share music—she’s the only DJ I’m not secretive with about my hidden bangers. It’s a special part of our relationship. I remember when I was supposed to play in Barcelona and forgot my computer and USB sticks on the plane—it was a mess. I called her, and she sent me a huge folder via WeTransfer. Four hours later, sweating in the club's kitchen, I was able to play. That’s teamwork.
Z: This Barcelona story! [laughs] It’s the perks of doing this together, I could share any track with N knowing we will always have a different way of presenting it, we have similar taste but our own ways of DJing.
Collaborating is to learn. What have you learned from each other, both musically and on a personal level?
N: To listen better. I think I feel just very empowered by this collaboration both musically and personally.
Z: I can be quite strict with myself in my work and personal life, N has shown me a way of acceptance and care which I am slowly able to apply in both.
Has working together influenced the way you approach sound design or music selection? Listening to your live show, you seem to have perfectly managed to make your sounds coexist, making it one. What would you say there is about each of you, into the project, musically speaking, in terms of sound elements?
N: I believe that working with someone else definitely nourishes your own practice, and that’s perhaps what I adore most about collaborating. It coexists because it’s the essence of the project, and it helps that we share the same taste. In this project, I think I contribute more in a lyricist way, while Z brings her ability to sculpt rhythm, and together we find a balance for the rest [smiles].
Since you both have a very strong personality and sound identity, have you ever had to find a compromise between your sonic identities? How did you navigate that?
N: No, we never had to compromise when it comes to music!
Z: [laughs] No we haven’t - I don't know if we will need to in the future, I think collaborating also means being open to each other's creative input.
What would be the perfect/ideal place/space you can imagine your music being played—both for a b2b and a live set? And why? (like a forest, a church…)
N: I think the dream location for live is Kraftwerk Berlin and the best location for a DJ set would be a squatty sweaty basement.
Since NVST has this radio show called ‘Easy Bites’, let's talk a bit about food. If your music was a dish, what would it be and why?
N: Mmmh, I feel like mine needs to be an obscure cheesy plate. To be fair, I think a real fondue, including a starter and a proper dessert with kirsch and potatoes, might be the right choice.
Z: Kale, I have no idea why but right now I can only think of kale [laughs].
Last question: if you could imagine your projects together as a drawing, what kind of drawing would it be and what colours would it have?
N: For me it would be an agitated and powerful purple sea.
Z: This has nothing to do with N her reference to the sea but in the beginning of making music together, when we listened back to our work we looked up a deep ocean video and totally got sucked in. I developed a bit of a fascination for rare deep sea creatures and jellyfish through it so I’d definitely draw one of those.
Catch Sixsixsevenfortyseven live on March 1st during Hybrid Festival at Grand Theatre Main [22:45] and the B2B DJ set of NVST & Zohar at OOST Main [01:30]