Berlin-based DISCOVERY ZONE releases debut album ‘Remote Control’ via Mansions & Millions
New York born, Berlin based musician and film maker JJ Weihl just released her debut solo record as Discovery Zone having previously played bass and sang in acclaimed experimental pop band Fenster.
Remote Control is out now via cult Berlin label Mansions and Millions.
Discovery Zone announced her debut album in April with trippy video Blissful Morning Dream Interpretation Melody which received praise from the likes of Loud & Quiet, Gorilla Vs Bear and NPR.
Her album Remote Control, with its palette of chimes, chirps and shimmers, is a glowing meditation on our contradictory moment in history. In her hands, the limitations of the default setting form a territory of unbounded experimentation, from the system-notification synth funk of “Dance II” to the trance incantations of “Blissful Morning Dream Interpretation Melody.” There are bits of sound collage and a lot of operatic robot choirs woven through tight emotional electronic pop.
About the lead single ‘Dance II’. Weihl says
“I remember finding this beat on an old Yamaha keyboard and playing the chords on the guitar in my studio. I was absolutely elated. I was dancing around the room. In the beginning stages of writing the songs that ended up on this record, I lacked a lot of confidence. I’ve been making music and touring for the past several years with my band Fenster, but this project is the first time I ever tried to write and record music on my own.”
The music video for Dance II is a split screen of images in the background that are in conversation with each other either visually or conceptually with Weihl in the foreground in relation to those images. Compiled by Fenster bandmate Lucas Chantre, the video is compiled of mobile phone clips, little moments we see and shoot on our own.
Live visuals and music videos are a big part of Discovery Zone. Presenting a wild curation of green screen, found footage, and original material, the visual palette is one of digital bricolage – weaving narratives out of youtube videos, personal beach vacation footage, television commercials, early computer animations, and 3d renderings.
Utilizing sci-fi and lo-fi aesthetics in the deep web, the sonic and lyrical themes of nostalgia, paradox, love, physics and philosophy are further explored and enhanced by visual journeys through second life and the funhouse mirror of the internet.
Weihl implements drum machines, vocoder, sound collage, theremin and electric guitar, creating a small laboratory both in the studio and on stage.
The experimental aspects of Weihl’s music are reflected in the spectrum of playful aesthetics, maintaining a strong focus on emotional and accessible pop melodies.
Nostalgia is mixed into more synthetic sound worlds, each song dipping into past and future sonic landscapes.
Discovery Zone - Remote Control