STM 032 - Ran Slavin

“Secret Thirteen Mix 032” is an enchanting musical selection that gently explores the symbiosis between nebulous rhythms and enigmatic soundscapes. This smoothly polished yet volatile musical compilation fuses fifteen exclusive records from notable audio projects such as Murcof, Stina Nordenstam, Erik K Skodvin, Strië, G.H., and other relevant musicians, including the mix's author himself with his exclusive unreleased material.

The author of the mix is Ran Slavin (born in 1967 in Jerusalem), an Israeli filmmaker, video artist, and sound producer who lives and works in Tel Aviv. After completing a BA in arts in Jerusalem in 1990, Ran has produced a valuable body of work in video installation, film, and sound performance. Slavin's audio works can be described as a culmination of processed acoustic sources, glitch music, and sonic panoramas, often based on or derived from guitar or piano. He has released over ten records on respected labels such as Crónica, Mille Plateaux, and Sub Rosa. Slavin's artistic expression often ranges from dreamy stories to science fiction and neo-noir styles. Working between the contemporary art world and the experimental music scene, his visual works have been described as intense urban surrealism. Ran's creations have been presented internationally on numerous platforms. Selected screenings, performances, and exhibitions include Mediations Biennale (Poland), Manifesta (Belgium), Venice Biennial, Liverpool Biennial, the Torino Film Festival, Ars Electronica (Austria, where he received an honorary mention), MaerzMusik (Berlin), Transmediale (Berlin), DEAF (Rotterdam), Rencontres Internationales (Madrid-Berlin-Paris), the 9th International Istanbul Biennial, Netwerk Contemporary Art Centre (Aalst), Petah Tikva Art Museum (Israel), and Gallery Givon (Israel).

“Secret Thirteen Mix 032” serves as the author's subconscious attempt to complete a feature-length audio collage for a fictional film, and Slavin accomplishes this with great success. The foundation rests on vaporous experimental atmospheres, melodic fuzzy loops, hollow beat patterns, and sonorous, authentic musical effects. As softly shifting background layers subtly merge into a continuous whole, a solid unpredictability emerges in each unique composition. Slavin demonstrates how natural creativity across different art forms can enrich the approach to sound, creating a powerful emotional balance. The entire selection is a sublime harmony that circles back, each time allowing us to discover something new and previously unnoticed.

This mix is akin to Georges Braque's aesthetically chaotic Analytic Cubist painting “Soda,” where contrasting forms gracefully connect through favorable color tones and spatial cipher exposition, thus involving the observer in a romantic, industrial, fictional drama.