She Just_Left
„ I guess I‘m just done with being pointed at and told how to act right“
This line, coming from one of the earliest songs of the band Shejust_Left, can without doubt describe one of the basic principles and main connecting ideas of the recently formed, Leipzig based Band, „Shejust_Left“.
Myrsini Bekakou (Violin/Loopstation/Fx), Pauline Tschirschwitz (Vocals/Electronics) and Leonie Sobek (Drums/Percussion) met in autumn 2019 during their studies of in the Jazz department of HMT Leipzig. They immediately connected with each other started on building deep friendships. Being socialized as women musicians,(more precisely at the Jazz scene,) they shared similar experiences concerning the difficulties that this identities may carry (male dominated music scenes, being looked down or treated differently than their male collegues). Creating a space where they could express and develop their musical ideas, without being limited and regulated by anything else but their own taste and conception was the first step to do.
In October 2019 they formed as a trio. Through this special instrumentation they started their musical journey in order to find what is now their unmistakable sound. Sound that was described by a recent listener as following:
„Plaintive moments are expressed throughout this performance interspersed by playful invention. Chaos and contraction. Many moments of coming together kindling quietude of resolve and wonder and reflection.“
Finding it difficult, but also unnecessary, to define their music with just one genre, they prefer to consider it belonging to the creative-improvising-music spectrum. With the important component of improvisation they manage to create fragile atmospheres pervated by minimalistic melodies, same as pumping, almost techno-like beats and distorted, rough soundscapes.
Their compositions seldom use common forms, but are rather to be understood as a linear sequence of various sonic events, framed and connected by recurring loops. The sounds of the voice, the violin, the bass and the percurssion are mixed in surprising ways, jumping from Hiphop to Freejazz and Freebeat.
Shortly after they played their first concert in February 2020, they were confronted with the task of continuing their artistic work under the difficult conditions of the Covid pandemic. They resorted to unusual concert formats and, in addition to a number of living room and balcony concerts, they also played at a number of open-airs, at the Leipzig jazz club “Horns Erben” and in the black box of HMT Leipzig. During this time they also realized recordings for their first album.
In Oktober 2020 a new member, Paula Wünsch (Bass/Fx), joined the band to broaden the sound horizons and the musical perspectives.
Instagram @ she just_left