INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY PATTI DOUD ☆
Photographer: Lea Wise
Wardrobe Stylist: Isabella Lopez
WHO DECIDES WHAT IS HOLY?—Despite being a centuries-old debate, fawn burke has unveiled a new secular method in spirituality. While she may subscribe to the emerging theme of pop girls rightfully embracing both the niche and grandiose blessings in life (see: the airy, echoing track, “it makes you feel like interlude”), don’t let any category discredit her. She travels upon the haphazard, messy road, carved out by other female electronic artists such as Ninajirachi and SOPHIE, to spread the gospel of practicing radical acceptance while turning up.
When struggling with the drab, gray life in a nihilistic society, burke’s debut EP, incense for the data center, is the perfect pick-me-up for both pretentious music snobs and casual listeners alike. While aesthetically uniform in concept, the tracks boast unique textures that still somehow melt together to provide a pleasant depth. For example, the crunchy synths on “hands out the window” could easily be played in an empty warehouse, where the haunting lack of sonic resolution bounces off the walls. Conversely, the bittersweet tracks of “tokyo” and “forever” feel like glittering whirlpools of reminiscing and moving on in two drastically different ways. Both the sultry, sexy hit of “do it now” and the seething bluntness of “deleted u” boast burke’s ability to both utilize and reclaim her power as a spiritual being.
incense for the data center perfectly depicts the balance of a complex spirit: glittery and raw, a sugary-sweetness that rots your teeth. Respect for experiences and the maturity to let them go, it’s a tribute to the beautiful beings who take the heartache of a lesson learned without disavowing the most important part: enjoying the storm.
Read more about fawn burke’s practice and her debut project below.
LUNA: You’re incredibly involved in the entire creative process of your music, from production to visuals. What originally interested you in making music?
BURKE: I’ve always been really interested in poetry and constantly writing poems for as long as I can remember. A lot of those things became songs later, but it was quite a process making them submit to the form of music down the road. I found out today I have the same birthday as Sylvia Plath which makes so much sense to me. I always knew I wanted to make music aside from that though, I was just really shy about it for a long time (laughs). I've always been super invested in music and inspired by all facets of it.
LUNA: When you started releasing tracks, you quickly caught the attention of many electro-pop fans. How did you decide to pursue this specific sound, and have there been any challenges in executing your vision?
BURKE: I grew up listening to a lot of electronic music like Purity Ring’s Shrines album, Grimes’ Visions, XXYYXX, etc. I knew I wanted to make something in that world but it was a process to refine the sound because I didn't have the language for it. I think the music I'm drawn to the most is more of a feeling; I want to make beautiful energetic music that feels relatable. I feel like a vessel for ideas a lot of the time. I just have a definitive way of knowing what something is supposed to be and I don't question it. I wrote a song [“song about strippers”] about throwing money in the strip club from the point of view of a man, I don’t know why.
LUNA: How do you deal with creative blockages or a lack of inspiration?
BURKE: I just don’t force anything. I think the best ideas come naturally. I'm lucky to have a lot of ideas, but there are days where I have a deadline or something and I just won't meet it because I don't see the point in making art you don't give a fuck about or is uninspired.
LUNA: How do you balance collaborating with other creatives while still ensuring your art is still authentically your own?
BURKE: I love collaboration. I think like-minded artists are naturally drawn to each other so usually if me and another person have a desire to work together, there's a shared goal in mind. I’m very hands-on with things and can be probably a bit annoying with my direction at times, but I have a really clear idea of how I want everything to be and most times people appreciate that.
LUNA: Your first full extended play, incense for the data center, is out now, and is described as “a study in ritual, obsession and transformation.” Can you give us any hints as to what vision, sound or message you wanted to convey when releasing these songs as a complete project?
BURKE: Throughout the project I'm reflecting on relationships, particularly negative ones, and alchemizing the pain that comes with that. A lot of these songs were written about me losing my mind in one way or another, but the production is either ethereal or turnt up. I think the message with my music has always been to give a platform to things people don't want to talk about. Optimism in dystopia.
LUNA: I think the concept sounds super cool—incense is a traditional spiritual cleanser, while data centers are obviously a controversial topic that run a lot of AI-generated content and bot farms that contribute to the majority of the internet no longer containing human-created content. This idea of spiritually cleansing a space that doesn’t have a spirit, or a soul, per se. How long has this project been in the works, and what inspired these ideas? How do you feel about the rise of inauthentic/machine-made content, especially in music?
BURKE: I've been working on the songs from the project over the last four months, but the concept has existed longer than that. The title is referencing how I feel with all the things you're mentioning. We are declining into a dystopia and we might as well turn up for the time being. It's like a beautiful blip.
I spend so much time alone in my house on my computer—it can be very consuming and have negative impacts on my life, so the title is also kind of an ode to having something to show for that. Pursuing art as a career can feel really weird and like you’re commodifying something really pure. Calling the project “incense for the data center” is also me acknowledging what I'm up against and offering something personal to the world. A gesture of care directed towards systems that were never designed to receive it.
I dont fuck with AI (especially in music) or data centers, [so] this isn’t a project about praising that sort of thing. The messaging is more so about bringing humanity back into the moment we’re in, caring about our emotions, creating rituals that make our days feel meaningful and using healing modalities…despite how negative things can feel.
