Guelph, Ontario artist LEVELSEVEN, aka Nina Platiša, shares her new single “I Wove A Garment For You.”
Recorded in Los Angeles in collaboration with co-producer Jonah Mutono, “I Wove A Garment For You” highlights Platiša’s delicate vocals against minimalist beats and soft synths; wrapping the listener in a warm and glowing world of its own.
The track is accompanied by playfully edited archival footage from the 1957 film A Dancer’s World, featuring dances conceived by iconic modern dancer and choreographer Martha Graham.
In a recent interview with her isolation companion and husband, Charlie Carrick, LEVELSEVEN’s spoke about her new track and video:
Charlie Carrick: “This song is about weaving a garment. Is that a skill you actually possess?”
Nina Platiša: “Yes. In 2014, I learned to weave on a floor loom in Novi Banovci, Serbia – a village nearby my grandparents. This lady Jelisaveta had her own weaving studio at home named KALEM. I spent about a month going there nearly every day to learn the basics. She loved animals and whenever I arrived, making my way through wild shrubs to the porch, I’d be greeted by at least 15 cats emerging from around the corner of the house. She always offered me coffee and Turkish delights during a break from my weaving. I’ve always had the urge to create and this was a perfect combination of doing that while also feeling close to my cultural heritage. I now weave on a smaller table loom.”
CC: “Do you consciously try to find original takes or angles on “love” songs?”
NP: “I don’t think I make a deliberate choice while writing to approach a love song in an original way, but I do find that when the song has a more specific narrative or theme, such as weaving a garment, I become closely connected to the song as it evokes more vivid imagery. I also see “love” songs as going beyond the often depicted romantic love. I find myself inspired to write about self-love, companionate, and familial love a lot. Those are just as affecting to me, especially since many of my most valued relationships are long distance. Reflecting on the challenges of maintaining those connections and the loneliness that comes with them is a common theme I revisit in writing.”
CC: “Did the melody or the lyrics come first or did they arrive together?”
NP: “Here the melody came first. I had a feeling and it quickly translated into the opening line you hear played by the synth. I looped the melody to repeat itself and began singing – improvising overtop of it. The words came instantly, and I finished writing the song’s lyrics and melody within an hour or so. Later on I added more to the production and finally asked Jonah (Mutono) if he would co-produce the rest of it with me a year later. He’s an incredibly talented artist whose work I’ve admired for a long time. Jonah’s intuitive way of working always puts me at ease, so I knew I could entrust him with helping me to articulate the song’s musical construction.”
CC: “Where do you imagine someone listening to this song?”
NP: “I love working on imaging – playing around with the spatial location of instruments and more specifically vocal production in a song. An example of how you might achieve this is by designating which speaker a sound might come from or by panning a sound from left to right. It’s one of my favourite elements of producing. My preferred way to listen to music is finding somewhere quiet where I can close my eyes and pay mind to what’s coming from all sides. That’s how I imagine someone might listen to I Wove A Garment For You – basically in a dark isolated room… ha!”
CC: “Performers have been doing lots of concerts and interviews from home this year. Which artist’s home would you most like to peek inside?”
NP: “Robyn. Her music is such a delight to listen to and I admire the choices she’s made throughout her career. I’ve been infatuated with her Honey album for over a year now.”
Check out LEVELSEVEN’s new track “I Wove A Garment For You” and video here.