Anna Papaioannou, better known by her stage name Anna Vs June, is exploring uncharted territory for electronic music. Her unique approach involves combining traditional risitika with live mixing and synthesisers to create eery, down tempo songs. These highly original works have attracted the attention of the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy and gained her a spot on their famous residency which has seen the likes of Nina Kravitz, Evian Christ and Flying Lotus pass through their doors.
Image © K.Krasouli courtesy of Anna Vs June
Every year the conference takes place in a different city with this year’s being held in Berlin. Attendees will attend lectures and seminars as well as have the opportunity to use a custom built studio to create new music or experiment with other musicians, producers and technicians. In addition there will be a series of concerts and club nights to accompany their stay in the city.
Papaioannou is currently based in Athens where she was born. Having studied theatre in Athens and music in Edinburgh, she makes music and sounds to accompany theatre performances for a living. Now she is performing her own music and growing a fan base. Her song kafkos features poetic lyrics like “God I wish I could explain/ the dream I had tonight/ I saw my lover as a hunter / my husband as a wild beast” sung over blossoming synths, sharp claps and serine vocals. While pale blue doves is a more energetic cut with punchy percussion and wavering vocals. Here, Papaioannou tells us about her creative process and her upcoming residency with the Music Academy:
When did you begin your interest in music?
As far as I remember myself, music was my usual escape, a place that I could get lost easily and leave with great difficulty. Even though I am mostly a listener, I started to make electronic music 8 years ago.
What attracted you to the traditional songs?
I was fascinated by their melodic and rhythmic difference to western music. Traditional songs give me the feeling of listening to something familiar yet unknown.
How do you approach song writing?
Making music usually starts with a melodic phrase that I try to transform into a beat or a percussive element that I tune into a melody. Traditional songs enabled me to forget about both the lyrics and the song writing and focus on the musical elements that I need in order to connect with each different song. I spend a lot of time on my own in my work so I like to create a dialogue or a battle happening between two things during my process. That is how my name – Anna Vs June came up, as well as my decision to mix traditional with electronic music.
Are you looking forward to working with Red Bull Music Academy?
By watching lectures of previous academy editions and listening to tracks created by former participants I couldn’t resist dreaming of this experience.
Now that is finally happening I am really looking forward to it.
Check out Anna vs June on Soundcloud here:
