Jem “Stone” Panufnik Talks ‘The Legend of Kaptain Karnival’ And More

Artist and musician Jem “Stone” Panufnik, renowned producer and sleeve illustrator for pioneering dance music label Finger Lickin’ Records has released ‘The Legend Of Kaptain Karnival’, hardback book with accompanying musical album. He kindly chatted to us all about the release:

The Legend of Kaptain Karnival’ is out now as a hardback book which accompanies an album of electronica. When did you first start having the idea?

 

My background is in both music and art and it has always been a major passion of mine to fuse the two. I’d started piecing together an album and wanted to combine a visual narrative that wasn’t exactly a story but more of a journey. My initial inspiration was everything from King Kong to Indiana Jones to create some kind of pulp book mysticism. It wasn’t necessarily a book at that point, it could have been a film, an art piece, it still might be!

 

During that weird period of lockdown, when I was also quite ill for a while, I was aware that we are all, in one way or another, seeking something existential: that need for the metaphysical or mysterious beyond our day to day lives. Some translate that as faith or religion, others as mischief and sparkle and I wanted to have fun showing that not only both seriousness and silliness were equally valid, but in the journey to find that elusive spark we should allow ourselves to be buffeted around and awaken our senses. Maybe it was for my own personal therapy!

 

 

When you were creating the music for streaming and the bonus CD, had you already started working on the artwork?

 

I had a few tracks on the go that were sounding quite filmic, and I was really enjoying escaping the confines of being a DJ and dance music producer, so as soon as the visual aspect began to emerge it freed me to be even more expressive, as if I was writing a symphony or a film score. Soon after that both mediums were bouncing off each other.

 

How would you describe Kaptain Karnival?

 

Kaptain Karnival represents that missing spark – once revered and celebrated he is now confined to musty museums and folklore. Is he some kind of wise god, or a mischievous Pan-like figure? The need to find him raises questions of desire. I wanted to demonstrate that it’s ok for naughtiness to eclipse piousness in the pursuit of fulfilment. We need to be reminded of our souls, to embrace what it is to be alive.

 

Do you have any plans to do any book signings, Q&As or other events to support the release?

 

In the second half of last year I created an art show with paintings, sculpture and prints derived from the book that travelled around galleries and public spaces in UK cities, it was very well received and I am just cementing some more dates and venues for this year and hope to include some workshops and talks. My dream is to perform it live in a fully immersive environment, it would work really well!

I am also releasing singles off the back of the album with some great remixes and accompanying animations.

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

 

My late father, Andrzej Panufnik, is a renowned classical composer and much of my childhood was going to rehearsals, attending recordings and concerts, but the memory that evokes the most magic is as a very young boy hovering quietly outside his studio, a dilapidated old stable at the end of our garden, and listen as he explored harmonies, frequencies and patterns on his piano. I used to picture him as a wizard in the midst of great alchemy.

 

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

 

It really got going right at the point when the world was locked down, so I was very lucky to be able to hook in the services of some great musicians who would’ve normally been on the road. Dom Glover, on various brass and who usually performs with Primal Scream, Brand New Heavies and Incognito, had played on my very first single, a jazzy house track, back in 1996 and it was a sudden re-emergence of that on social media that hooked me back in touch with him after almost three decades. Ben Castle, a phenomenal wind player who has worked with people as varied as Quincy Jones, Elton John and Radiohead was equally stuck in his home in Ireland so I could pin him down too.

 

Do you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

 

I think I am the first person to use a clarinet in a disco track! Ben turned out some great bluesy licks as well as a deliciously Womble-like refrain for another chapter. Dom also used his trumpet in extraordinary ways, at one point (in Moose Knuckle Sandwich) acting as a drunk and belligerent elephant. I gave them both character descriptions rather than specific musical demands, sending them images to inspire and tell the story, and they both rose to the challenge brilliantly.

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

 

I’m a drummer mainly and I have a great collection of weird and interesting percussion instruments, I enjoyed doing a lot of foley work on the album, making field recordings and textures.

 

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

 

Twickenham: tranquil, riverside, historic, green, middle-aged!

 

Was it a difficult book to create?

 

Once it had crystallised it was very fluid. I love telling stories, and often do through my musical and art commissions. Probably the hardest part was finalising it, prepping for print, getting technical!

 

 One of the tracks is ‘Chilli Con Carnage’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

 

Each chapter is a kind of demon to face in your journey to enlightenment. We wrestle with faith, love, dark thoughts, temptations. Chilli Con Carnage comes near the end of the book, a climactic point where you have finally reached “The Temple” – your inner self. You have been wearing your experiences like trophies but now you are stripped bare as you face your final reckoning.

 

Did you have a particular series of comics or graphic novels that you enjoyed when you were growing up?

 

My favourite book in the world is still Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and I also love Dr. Suess. I adore their visual styles and I guess I love surreal and absurd scenarios. I was also a big fan of Tintin.

 

What two pieces of advice do you have for a novice illustrator?

 

Don’t be precious – it’s easy to get hooked on one angle and one style, instead push yourself to see where else you can take it. Whenever I start something new I never think “this is going to be it”, I assume it is the first step to taking it elsewhere, it takes the pressure off for one thing.

The second piece of advice is to not be depressed when you keep hitting a dead end – who was it who said creativity is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration? Just keep plugging on!

 

What makes Jem “Stone” Panufnik happy and what makes you unhappy?

 

All the crap going on in the world makes me unhappy, reading the news fills me with despair. But right now spring is in the air, the birds are singing and the leaves are bursting out, and I feel we have a lot to be thankful for. But sometimes I have to remind even myself to keep looking for my own Kaptain Karnival!