The abstract geometries that characterize the work of Catalan artist Kenor are always the result of the visual interpretation of the music that motivates his creative action: techno, and more specifically Detroit techno. “An abstract, fascinating techno which originates and evolves… Detroit”.
This musical style, made from textures, makes Kenor’s interpretations compose music through gesture, the very act of painting.
Each of them is the launching of an accurate, final line which arises in a visceral way. Composing a piece of work in which no line has privilege over the others, any color prevails over others. His achievement is thereby to generate harmonic and coherent work from the purely expressive. The surface isn’t divided into coordinates, there isn’t a foreseen composition. It is the piece of work itself that takes its own rhythm, its own voice. Every gesture builds a line, each set of lines forms a sound, a rhythm. And it is the rhythm of each work what Kenor listens to and paints. It tells him what line follows, what color is needed.
We had the chance to sit down with him and ask a few questions.
Electronic Groove: Hi Kenor, tells us about your inspiration to create physical interpretations of techno. Where does this come from?
Kenor: In 1995 was the first time I listened to “Autechre’s” album “Incunabula”. From that moment I was mesmerized by the continual evolution of their sound, without repetition and constantly changing and adding new elements into their music. That’s when I decided to paint this style of music, where the musical composition is represented by gesture. It’s all about action and reaction. One sound creates a type of line, and other sounds moght destroy it. While the track evolves it generates an abstract piece that is constructed on different sounds, something called “Intelligent Techno”
Electronic Groove: What are your favorite producer and styles that inspire you to create such pieces?
Kenor: At the beginning of the 90s, labels like “Warp Records” and “Planet Mu” were my biggest influence. They were innovating so much releasing tracks from Ambient sounds to Breakcore. Right after is when I started my relationship with Detroit Techno. The futurist and abstract style made me immediately fall in love with the genre. Artists like Carl Craig, Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Jeff Mills, and Kenny Larkin were the creators of this style and they truly inspired me to produce and explore. After this is when Techno arrived to Berlin and London. The influence in Berlin was very important to me since I became a fan of the Techno Dub and labels such as “Basic Channel” and “Chain Reaction”. Then it was the Hard Techno from London with artists such Dave Clark”, Dave Angel, Surgeon, and Regis.
Now days I’m a big follower of “Prologue Records” and “Raster-Noton”. I think that they perfectly merged all the past styles to create the future of techno. Mod21 Ben’s Wolves is one of the tracks that im really enjoying.
Electronic Groove: We’ve seen your gigantic murals and canvases. How does your style tracend into sculptures and live paiting?
I’ve been doing walls for more than 20 years, developing different concepts in 2D. If you see the history of my work you can see that there’s been a constant evolution, just like music. In this period I went from pure abtraction to form desconstruction, and then from geometry to straight line (with or without the use of the curved line). In the past years I’ve mixed all this styles and concepts into one. At this point is when I found that the lines wanted to come out of the walls transforming into 3D. Here’s where my sculpting and installations were born. This new language allows me to intervene spaces and create pieces that the spectator can go into, making them part of the piece.
Electronic Groove: Thanks for your time Kenor!
