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A conversation(Q&A) with Louis Carnell

By vowi

April 27, 2025

Updated: 03/05/2025

Category: Music

Please introduce yourself

I’m Louis Carnell, I’m a multidisciplinary artist best known for the music I’ve released over the last 12 plus years. I explore the experimental electronic & acoustic world. I also have a long history in curation, running multiple record labels (92pnts, Lost Codes, PAN x Codes) and collaboration working in other mediums from visual communication and design (Daniel Sannwald, Peter De Potter, Federik Heyman, Heliot Emil et al). I’ve also had several Fashion Brands use my music in their Runway & Collection Videos (Acne Studios, Nike, Qasimi, Per Gotteson et al).

Could you tell us about your childhood and the things you loved and were obsessed with as a child?

I spent most of my childhood in London, but had one year in Manchester when I was 5 & would spend most holidays with my Granny in Nottinghamshire or on a beach in Mallorca or Greece. I was similar to how I am now, confident in my abilities but a little reserved & comfortable in allowing those who were louder their need to fill the space. I achieved a lot in sports at school & at home would get lost in playing with lego & painting.

I grew up with a Mum who played music from all around the world, my Granny only listened to classical music, & though enjoying the sounds I was surrounded by I mainly would listen to R&B, Dancehall & Garage. I did sing in the school choir & tried my hand at different instruments. My Mum was a Dance Officer so I would see early performances of people like Wanye Mcgregor & such & remember many trips to the Tate.

Have you encountered any bottlenecks(Creative Block ,Etc..) during your creative process? If
so, how did you solve them?

I have, many a time. I’m not someone who needs to create in an obvious way each day but I am definitely a busy person practically and mentally. In terms of having a moment of creative block when writing music I learned that output is not always what is needed from a day & that I can learn in the moments of frustration & what feels like stagnation. It was once said to me ‘the machines have given you so much they are allowed a day off’ & so I guess so am I.

Your music seems to transcend language, conveying emotions to listeners beyond linguistic
boundaries.

Which do you prefer: your music directly communicating your specific emotions to the listener, or allowing listeners to interpret and feel emotions based on their own personal experiences and perspectives? And what is the reason behind your preference?

In the past I used to struggle with the premise of not being understood, but rather than concentrating on what others did in order to sell their ideas I began to focus on continuing to find the best ways to communicate and translate my vision. I know that I work in an environment that goes beyond any time and so there will always be people who can relate and that connection between me and my listeners/ consumers has been very special.

Equally it is important within my work that I also want to ask questions of the world we live in because of who I am there is an extremity in everything I do and I believe in opening new pathways.

How does collaborating with multiple artists, as in the ‘111’ project, differ from working on solo projects?

What draws you to collaboration not only within the field of music but also across other artistic mediums?

Collaboration is another form of experimentation dealing with other people’s energy & ideas which can lead to things beyond one person’s scope.

The ethos behind ‘111’ was to create an environment without hierarchy, questioning how & with whom we collaborate, & where we can find commonality, processed in repeated cycles of promise which I call ‘hope journeys’ – ‘1’ is both a beginning & ending point.

What was first a record project in which I created pieces of music with 15 musical collaborators evolved into a space of various mediums. Alongside a number of visual artists, I also worked with jewellery designers and sculptor’s and I intend on broadening the landscape of ‘111’ , it will become the space for all collaboration projects away from my solo albums coming. So far I’m focusing on ‘111’ events and I have co-designed the ‘111’ table which I use for performance & the rings which can be found in Raddlounge in Tokyo.

What draws me to other mediums is mainly due to my own interests whether that be events & installations, furniture, jewellery, clothes etc I love design in all forms & creating physical objects. I have a consistency in building connections with those I admire who have the skills and a recognition of my ideas, wanting to make them a reality.

As you continue to push the boundaries of art, are there any sounds, styles, or other mediums, such as film scores, that you would like to experiment with in the future?

I’ve always felt my work lends itself to scoring films & I’ve started to begin on that journey & look to continue in the future. I’ve learnt the differences in practice. It is important to use sound to accompany and emphasise what is happening in a scene rather than distract. A film I’ve watched recently that uses sound in such a simple but genius way for me is Tarkovsky’s Nostalghia, the use of hearing the needle on the end of a record in repetition should feel so isolated but really adds to the overall feeling and story of the film.

I would also love to compose for Dance more & continue on what I’ve done for fashion runways.

How do various artistic fields (such as film, painting, sculpture, fashion, photography,architecture, furniture, and design) influence your music creation process? If you could collaborate with an artist from another artistic medium, who would it be and why?

Everything I see & feel affects my music creation so part of my practice ultimately is to storytell, it’s important that I am able to envision pictures, atmospheres, objects when creating & then translate those with sound.

There’s so many but someone I was able to sit and listen to in person in the last few years which I found very inspiring was Es Devlin.

Do you think your taste and preferences in music will change over time?

We are also curious about your thoughts on change?

My music taste has always been quite consistent but as I got older I allowed myself to acknowledge connections from a broader landscape, music is very much a stimulant in helping reach the emotion I may need in that present time. I was exposed to music from all over the world from an early age & though wanting to find my own taste have always been influenced by this when making what I knew as isolated choices. My Preference is heavily inspired by the environment I want to be in.

I feel change is only really when you cut something off completely and don’t access anything from what existed before.

Do you enjoy traveling? Among the places you have traveled to, which ones were the most memorable?

I enjoy landing ha, but yes I do enjoy being in other countries & cities, having the opportunity to see landscapes I had no idea I would & experience people from all over the world. I have & remain very lucky in that sense.

I really enjoy Tokyo. At times what can be a pretty chaotic city, with all its bright neon lights there is always a corner to turn where you can find a quiet moment, I was able to navigate it pretty quickly which surprised me having no initial ideas of the place before I went. Also the amount of curated shops, cafes, bars & galleries maybe only Paris in recent times can compare. I also enjoyed walking the streets of Manhattan, looking up at the tall buildings living out my TV fantasy, the food & architecture of Florence & the warmth of the people I met in Prague and Belgrade.

Could you share what you gain from collaborating with other artists such as Arcin Sagdic, David Guerrero, and Peter De Potter, as well as your thoughts on these experiences from a musical perspective and their cultural connections?

Additionally, could you share any interesting anecdotes from your collaboration process with other artists?

When working with visual artists I like to do as much research about that person as possible. I like to know why their work exists. Aesthetics alone is not enough for me.

There is a lot of conversation before any work together has taken place. The conversation usually has two parts, one on a more personal level, getting to know each other alongside our artistic philosophy & mantras. It’s important that I have a good understanding of who I’m working with. You want your collaborator to treat the project as if it was one of their own.

Working & communicating in this way can result in additional forms & output for example when I worked with Peter De Potter what was a record front cover image proposal also became a zine with 10 images allowing an image for each track on the record. A fabric vinyl packing that contained these images as screen prints was inspired by his time working with Raf Simons.

With every record project I love to find multiple outputs as I love to build worlds. Working with visual artists assists me in further communicating my language & meaning of the work I create.