LISTEN VIA BANDCAMP / WATCH VIA VIMEO
Constellation Records share the eighth entry in their Corona Borealis Longplay Singles Series. “Je Vois / Non-Dit” by Montreal based avant-electronic artist Joni Void and featuring vocals by poet/singer and frequent collaborator N NAO, with an experimental film by Sonya Stefan.
“Je Vois / Non-Dit” combines live recordings by the duo into a single track longform where N NAO’s vocals are given unearthly yet organic treatments through Void’s warped manipulations, sampling, atmospheric textures and deconstructed beats – joined by Eddie Wagner on flute about halfway through the track’s 21-minute running time.
Filmmaker Sonya Stefan‘s accompanying video is an impressive work of avant-garde analog filmmaking it its own right, in the tradition of materiality/light-as-sculpture, amplifying the hypnotic and dreamlike trajectory of “Je Vois / Non-Dit” with its abstract, spatial, refracted projections.
My first proper collaboration with N NAO (Naomie de Lorimier) was at the end of 2017, when an extensive voice recording session in my apartment led to the song “Non-Dit” which appears on Mise En Abyme. In September 2018, I ended up with an a cappella soundboard recording of Naomie’s set from one of my Everyday Ago events – which I used as a starting point, cutting four distinct loops of her “Je Vois” lyrics and running them through a series of effects. The resulting ‘micro-remix’ would serve as the opening music for almost all my solo performances over the next two years. We came full circle during the two live performances featured in this single, when we had the chance to perform “Je Vois” and “Non-Dit” together.
Sonya Stefan‘s visuals consist of rehearsal recordings shot at the microcinéma La Lumière Collective for our 2019 MUTEK multi-media performance. The video combines our respective visual techniques and practices, consisting mostly of a 16mm projector light shining through water, glass, and color gels that is captured and replayed on a video-line. This creates a literal ‘mise-en-abyme’ through feedback. – Joni Void
As with the entire series, this is a bandcamp/vimeo exclusive and 100% of proceeds shall go to the artist.
“Je Vois / Non-Dit” is the last Corona Borealis track of 2020, and a luminous final chapter in this first half of the series. Stay tuned for the second batch of 8 longform singles that will begin dropping in January 2021, including new work from Eric Chenaux, Sam Shalabi, Jerusalem In My Heart and more.
Joni Vois + N NAO
“Je Vois / Non-Dit”
Corona Borealis Longplay Singles Series
Constellation 2020
Music by Joni Void + N NAO
Flute by Eddie Wagner
Video by Sonya Stefan
Joni Void is one of the creative monikers of Montreal-based avant-electronic artist Jean Cousin (aka Jean Néant; aka Johnny Ripper). Since getting his start in the city’s fertile DIY community several years ago, Cousin has produced out a steady stream of genre-defying, adventurous and experimental work that landed his Joni Void debut Selfless on Pitchfork’s list of Best Experimental Albums of 2017, with the 2019 follow-up Mise En Abyme garnering even higher accolades: an 8.0 at Pitchfork; “one of those electronic musicians capable of wringing unexpected emotion out of his sounds” (Electronic Sound), resulting in “a profoundly affecting collage of memory and longing” (MOJO).
Alongside his solo endeavours, Cousin works continuously with a wide range of collaborators, and curates his own music site, micro-label, community and concert series Everyday Ago. Among these recurring musical accomplices is poet and singer N NAO (Naomie de Lorimier). Since first meeting in 2016, the two have worked together frequently in both live and recorded settings.
“Je Vois / Non-Dit” consists of live recordings from two different Montréal concerts in 2019, reflecting several years of non-linear work and serving as a testament to collaboration. The music combines Joni Void + N NAO performing “Je Vois” at the Mise En Abyme album launch at Casa del Popolo on October 5th 2019 and “La Plus Belle Chose + Non-Dit” performed at Église St-Édouard on June 16th 2019 during the Suoni Per Il Popolo festival (with special guest Eddie Wagner on flute).