It took us a while to fully grasp the magnitude behind Pinsleep’s artistry. She’s not only a gifted professional violinist – an endeavour that in itself takes a lifetime to master – but also an imaginative producer and singer. Add to that her academic achievements (she’s currently embarked on a PhD at Belfast University) and a general attitude toward creativity and wonder, and what you get is a world-class artistic figure, a malleable, dynamic voyager decoding reality through musical symbolism.
‘Each Time’ is the perfect example of that. A poignant, reflective and expansive composition, the piece finds strength in the many soundscapes and orchestral layers in it, wrapping Pinsleep’s intimate, luscious vocals into a mysterious gloom; as if the listeners were looking in from the outside, a white see-through curtain separating art from reality. The airy visuals – shot in the iconic white cliffs of Beachy Head in Eastbourne, UK – are the perfect counterpoint to such a meaningful piece.
As for the lyricism in ‘Each Time’, we’ll be hearing from Pinsleep herself very shortly. Intrigued by the project, we caught up with the Belfast-based, Polish artist to learn more about her artistic practices and overarching ethos.
Hey Aga, thanks for chatting with us! We have already introduced you, but I’d like to stress how appreciative we are of your nuanced, meaningful artistry. In particular, what I find very intriguing is the way you are able to blend critical futurism with tradition and elegance. Do such values inform the Pinsleep project too?
Hi, thanks a lot for chatting with me too, it’s my pleasure! Definitely, what I do is exactly stemming from the desire to connect the past and future, while keeping some balance between both. I think often it comes too easily to write off the past, simply because it no longer exists while glorifying the future as potentially more exciting. This couldn’t be more actual when it comes to music- a wooden box, such as a violin is often perceived as an object belonging more to a museum than being at the forefront of the future of music. I like to question such views by pairing violin with technology and sci-fi themes, making its ‘voice’ heard in the context of art-pop. I like operating on the edges of genres, this liminal space of non-belonging is exciting to me.
Your latest effort ‘Each Time’ is highly cathartic and evocative. Firstly, how do you approach your writing? do you prefer to work alone or in a team? Do you focus on conventional instruments or machine-powered production?
For this material, which comes from my first album as Pinsleep, I have worked alone – well, not exactly, as I perceive technology, especially the computer as my creative partner. The ideas come initially through improvising and layering the violin, played through Helix Line 6 guitar effects processor. Violin parts are usually followed by the lyrics, also a result of the improvised flow and then polished. Next, I record these layers into Ableton Live and then comes production. I treat my studio as another instrument, a voice in the creative process. The other layers such as synthesizer and effects are an important part of the process, they help shape the final result. So, the production is also a bit eclectic- as it combines the ‘natural’ with the ‘artificial’ elements, just like the music itself.
‘Each Time’ is not just a sonically rich and bold piece; it’s also rather meaningful, born out of your own reflections and emotional struggles. How do you conciliate the conceptual meaning of a composition with its physical/aural characteristics? As in, do you let the music first evoke a range of emotions, or do such emotions inform the direction the music will pursue?
I have quite an organic approach, as I believe that through improvisation, during which I allow myself for spontaneous creation, whatever is ‘hiding’ in me will come to the surface. This process requires some trust and practice, as you have to sometimes remove ‘yourself’ ( and expectations) from the equation for things to emerge. Ideas definitely stem from my aural side, it is less frequent that I would write sitting with a blank piece of paper (however, that can happen too). The production process helps create the aural properties. I have taken the time to learn to produce, as it is so important for shaping the music.
The single is taken from your self-produced album ‘Black is Not Forever’ – is it out yet? or when will it be? What can listeners expect from it?
I decided to release the album piece by piece- as I am embracing the freedoms of being an independent musician and doing things at my pace. It also allows me to showcase each piece as a story on its own. ‘Each Time’ is the first single, next comes ‘Through the Spaceship Window’, which is an instrumental piece with electronics. The album consists of both songs and instrumental pieces, which also is something typical for me.
It is a kind of an emotional journey through the ‘inner Cosmos’- as I was branching out from my full-time career in music in all sorts of formations and bands, carving my own artistic voice. You can expect some dark tones and lyrics about the search for my own place and identity as a woman and musician. Another theme is the human-machine relation, blending the ‘natural’ with ‘artificial’. The pieces will be coming out on average every six weeks apart, with the full album being out in Autumn this year.
Pinsleep is just a small part of your artistic endeavours. Can you tell us about your academic journey, and what can they tell us about AI music as a new creative horizon?
Actually, at the moment I tend to look at all my adventures in music through the lens of Pinsleep, a space persona who is an ‘Alien’ looking at music made on Earth from a distant perspective. This kind of look allows me to gain the right perspective, which is one of a great distance to what we (humans) are doing here, with music and not only.
Definitely everything I am working on now is informed by studying for a PhD degree at Queen’s University in Belfast- it is a practice-based PhD, which means that I am lucky to be performing and writing music as the main element. I always wanted it to be easily explainable what it is that I am doing there, so here it is: I am creating a musical Cyborg, a human-machine ensemble consisting of myself, the machines (including the computer, effects, synthesisers) and the AI.
More specifically: I would like to create a balanced performance system, which will enhance my creativity and allow exploration, an alternative to the power-dominant structure which seems to be emerging from the rise of AI through the way it is used by the Big Tech companies. I am not interested in how good is the AI in creating instead of me and the ability to replace existing music. I am more curious about what can we do together to take music in new directions. Definitely some feminist and anti-capitalist tones there emerging for me.
You are also a gifted violinist and a celebrated performer. If you had to choose a couple of highlights from that career, what would they be?
In the past, I have been lucky to perform at many classical music festivals across Europe as a member of classical formations. I have also done some large productions with a classical-comedy show in Poland, involving live performances for millions of viewers on national television. In the last few years, since moving to the UK, I have been performing and recording mainly with ‘Arborist’, a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who won the Northern Irish Music Prize in 2023. Recently I came back from a UK tour, I was a supporting act for British soul pianist Alexis Ffrench.
I had a chance to present Pinsleep to large audiences in several UK cities. This was a fantastic opportunity to connect with people who appreciated my music. I loved every moment of it!
‘Each Time’ also features a hazy music video, shot at the famous white cliffs of Beachy Heads. I have been there a few times and it’s such a beautiful place. I trust it was a great day out!
Yes, this is such a spectacular place! In the video, I am performing as two different characters- the White and Black PInsleep representing different emotional sides of me, as well as the singer and violinist, the two main identities ‘within’ me. So, there were two costumes and two make-up sets… it took two intensive days to shoot the video. I remember mostly how amazing and professional was my crew, especially the director, Sandra Rychlicka, who is just an outstanding person on all fronts. We were also hoping for good weather, with such production a lot relies on the lack of rain. Despite the pessimistic forecast, there was almost no rain at all. A bit of luck is always needed, and we definitely got it this time!
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
I will be releasing the album over the next months so join me on the journey to the (inner) Cosmos with violin, voice and electronics through the Instagram and Facebook page. There will be live shows announced there as well… I am also regularly doing short videos from the Pinsleep’s spaceship where I am showing the improvised stages of my creative process and commenting on how strange things on Earth look from Space!
