ARTIST OF THE MOMENT: JakoJako

Some artists build entire worlds that invite us to join, escape, and find solace, or simply have a lot of fun. Berlin based DJ, producer, and modular synth enthusiast Sibel Koçer, better known as JakoJako, is one such artist. Her music evokes a sense of otherworldliness, deeply touching listeners, especially in her ambient works and collaborations. Yet, she also knows how to create a hedonistic, joyful atmosphere in her techno live sets and DJ performances. This multifaceted blend of sounds and moods has made her a long-awaited candidate for our Artist of the Moment series.

The nurse-turned-synth crack has honed her incredible depth and skill through her work at Schneider’s Laden, one of the go-to places for electronic equipment. This background results in a beautiful interplay of playfulness and structure in her music. While there is the technical aspect to her work—one could easily ask about the machines and techniques she uses—what stands out even more to me are the feelings and sensations her music awakens. To me, her sound feels authentic, honest, and pure. Listening to her excellent collaborations with Rødhåd (“In Vere” on WSNWG, 2022) or Mareena (“Atlas der Gedanken,” Muzan Editions, 2021), you’ll notice a special chord struck, somewhere between extraversion and introversion—appearing lighthearted and effortless, yet with profound depth. Both releases became a staple in my regular listening practice and widened my understanding of modern ambient music.

Following solo releases on Bigamo, Mute, and Leisure System, JakoJako now presents a beautiful new EP on novamute. “Segmente” is inspired by her dancefloor targeted live sets, but sure is a multipurpose record. 

Your latest EP, “Segmente,” was released on the esteemed NovaMute label on July 26th. Congratulations! The EP was basically born out of your live set and “dancefloor approved,” as you said earlier. Do you want to share a little about this process?
Sure, thanks for the invitation first ;) 
Often, when I play live shows, I use it as a source of inspiration for recordings. The process of preparing a live set is quite different from producing a tune. I have to think about what equipment I should bring, what is the “brain” of the setup, and how I can fill the time without repeating myself for an hour or longer. This process helps a lot to strip things down. I need to decide quickly and keep enough space for improvisation and fun while performing - the thrill. Then, when I perform the set, I see what was extra fun and what moments stood out. Sometimes, people ask for certain moments in the set. They want to know what was making a certain sound or how I did a melody. And that's great feedback for me. I have the opportunity to learn and improve and record tracks that were well received. 

“Introspektion” especially touched me. There is something ethereal about it, and while it may not be an obvious dancefloor track for many, it amplifies the mind states of the audience to another level. When you produce, how does your dancefloor “heritage” influence you?
Usually, I don't think of a certain scenario. I just do what I feel like at the moment. Inspiration can come from a new tool, like a new synth. But it can also come from new techniques I want to try out or something I feel at the moment. It sounds cheesy, but it is true. Sometimes you're sad, and you want to escape in music. It's a great tool. For this EP, though, I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to record from the live set. I played quite some live techno sets last year, and I wanted to record those festival memories. 

Regarding the track ‘Introspektion’, I have had it in my machines for many years and have always wanted to release it. I’m glad you like it. It might be something you listen to rather on your own than collectively on the dance floor, though. 

As an experienced raver, I’m curious: which dancefloor experience was your favorite so far this year and is therefore “approved” by JakoJako?
Hehe, this is where we met—on the dancefloor! With my Berghain residency, I have the great possibility of trying all my tracks out before finishing them. Berghain ravers are thankful people who cheer and scream when they like something. This is how the Track ‘Modus’ came on the EP.

I love Reza Hasni's artwork, especially its psychedelic and colorful appeal. For me, there is a lot of black-and-white in the world and electronic music, anyway. How did you come across the artist and the idea of working together?
Reza is a great artist and electronic music fan. He's from Singapore and is a friend of my former booking agent, Kavan. I know him through him and have been a fan since I saw some of his artwork. 

Reading music features or discussions on the web, I feel it's rather grim these days. Many writings are about what is wrong with the scene, how it has changed, how much AI might change everything, and so on. Sometimes, there is a constant look back and a romanticizing of the past. How do you feel about that personally?
Progress and technology are important, if not I wouldn’t do what i’m doing now. I have to admit AI is a scary topic. I’ve seen ‘fashion models’ who looked so real but aren't. But in the fashion industry a certain look is the standard, hence can be copied easy. With music (excluding service music), it's different. It lives from diversity, surprises and humans playing it live. It’s nice to see how someone on stage is nervous, and it's charming to see how a human makes mistakes. 

Maybe sometimes it’s all portrayed more negatively, as there is so much opportunity and many great developments are also happening. Music became more accessible, and so did music production. What about the future of electronic music excites you?
I hope one day I’ll find a tool that helps me keep up with administrative things in life. A tool, AI or not, which helps me by replying to my email, doing my Finanzamt letters and helping me to organize my projects. That would be great. It’s nice if someone can use AI to help their creative process, but it's really important to be able to do your art without that help. If not, it’s like scrolling through presets of a synth instead of creating your own favorite sounds, which bring the characteristic and uniqueness. 

Talking about the “industry” a bit more. There seems to be an idealization of labels, venues, and events. Apparently, as an artist, one “makes it” if you are a Berghain resident or released on certain platforms. You are a Berghain resident and released, for example, on Mute. Clearly, it is something many aspire to and dream about. Not to discredit that, as these are amazing achievements! I’m wondering, for you personally, what's a good definition of success for yourself, or when do you feel a sense of achievement or completion?
It feels great to have the trust of a label or club like the ones you mentioned. It makes it, in the best case, more professional; the amount of experience a label like Mute brings is important for relatively young artists like me. Having a club like Berghain backing you up makes me feel special. But it doesn’t make me feel like I have achieved all my goals in life. Don’t get me wrong, I love being in this position and being taken seriously. The process of music-making is the long-term achievement I’m chasing. There’s still so much to learn and discover. It's just the beginning. 

This is also more of a question for our community: we regularly have younger artists reaching out, squeezed in between their day jobs and their artistry, and figuring out what is right for them. You studied nursery initially and raving got you into producing at some point. When was the moment you said: ok, I gotta go for this fully? What was” What was the tipping point?
It must have been on those days when I forgot to go to work. I was touring the weekends and working during the week, and sometimes I forgot to go to work because I was already living the lifestyle. I was reducing my hours over time until it just didn't make any sense anymore, haha! 

I needed a little external push, though. Most people said to keep this job as long as possible, but the artist Sam “Barker” encouraged me to leave my job behind. He said, “You gonna  be fine; it will work out for you.”

I have to admit - I came across your work because of your collaborations with Rødhåd and Mareena and then discovered you as an individual artist (your track “Kambo” was the one that I got hooked on). What specific sides of yourself do you live out more in collaborations? 
I enjoy leaving my comfort zone as a challenge. Creating something together is important. It’s not about your artist ego; it’s for the sake of the outcome, the art. Making music together is fun, and not everyone can step out of their comfort zone. It’s also a great opportunity to exchange knowledge and techniques. As producers, we are so much alone. I find creating together is happening too little. 

I think it’s rather easy to describe you as a multifaceted artist with many projects that extend to dance and live improvisations. Have you ever considered having your own event series or record label yourself?
I already know who I would invite to play or produce, but I don't see myself doing this right now. I’m not organized enough to be responsible. Maybe this could be an option in the future when time has passed and I have learned some time management skills.