zweikommasieben: Where there is smoke, there is fire

This issue of zweikommasieben marks fifteen years of creating a print publication that explores the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary sounds, culture, and critical listening. Since August 2011, the publication has shape-shifted through 31 different iterations, mirroring its subject matter by design, never settling on one form or structure. What has remained the same, though, is the wish to create a publication that's initiated from a place of curiosity; a publication that takes exploration and experimentation seriously, aspiring to make it work against economic, logistical, or trend-related odds. At its core, zweikommasieben has always been a fanzine [a fact we explored more deeply in issue #25 back in 2022], guided by an ethos of being present in the real world, experiencing music and sound firsthand, and connecting with the communities that make all that noise. Quite a few pieces in this issue are structured as encounters between different artists (e.g. between Sylvie Fleury & Russell Haswell, Jan Vorisek & Embaci, and Kleenex & Manic Pixxies), sometimes mediated, sometimes without any interference. The artists featured are presented with the opportunity to articulate ideas about their practice in their own words, and the title of this issue, "Where there is smoke, there is fire", can be read as programmatic. It points towards the importance of following the signals and the benefits of tracing something back to a source. The 31st issue of zweikommasieben is, in format, the smallest one yet. Directly referencing a passé object as a vehicle with ambiguous meanings: a facilitator for social encounters, a cultural practice fighting for relevance, something one would share with friends and strangers alike. A Trojan horse, in a way, that works against its form. zweikommasieben – Where there is smoke, there is fire includes …… interviews with / conversations between Kleenex & Manic Pixxies, Tiran Willemse, Pronto, Trajal Harrell, Lhaga Koondhor & Yeshe, Ruhail Qaisar, Purelink, Jan Vorisek & Embaci, and Sylvie Fleury & Russell Haswell;… essays on "finding quietude in an unlikely place" as well as the "ticking wheel of fortune", the latter conceived in collaboration with E.N.C. TV; … photography by Aidan Wilson, alfatih, Aurélien Haslebacher, Bahar Kaygusuz, Diego Sanchez, Flavio Karrer, Jeff Rossi, Jiajia Zhang, Matthieu Croizier, Rico & Michael, and Simon Habegger.