Kristine Barilli is a born and bred New Yorker with a masterfully keen ability to translate her listening habits into rhapsodic DJ sets. Her work as a music supervisor yields original and authentic results while preserving an insouciant edge.
As razor sharp as the city from which she hails, her punk ethos is discernible amongst her vast interests. In conversation, her New York accent waxes feverishly over sounds and the records that serve as an ever-growing axis of obsession. The objective is evident: to opt out of a price tag lexicon, instead weaving together savored memories underpinned with a youthful romanticism.
It is precisely this independent conviction that serves as the foundation for her overall sound, which she describes as “sleazy and street-based.” Her experience has fostered a symbiotic relationship between her knowledge and ever-expanding audience—a curated altar with a palpable harmony.
“The biggest influence on me has probably been Vivienne Westwood. What she was doing with Jordan and all of those bands at the time—she was a genius progenitor. That marriage of the fashion world and the underground music scene led to some of the coolest and most historic moments of styling.”
What got you into music as a whole? What led you in?
It was the classics that drew me in initially. It wasn’t until later that I realized music would be my creative outlet. As someone who always felt like an outsider and weirdo, it was a perfect world to enter. My dad was very interested in David Bowie and Brian Eno, so those were my foray and served as crucial stepping stones. Coming up in the 1990s, there was no internet, so it was up to the listener to seek out their preferred counterculture by way of ceaseless pursuit. The library was a great resource where I would highlight the names of artists that seemed interesting. At around 12, my grandpa would give me twenty dollars, and I’d ride my bike straight to the record store with that same list of artists. From there, I began to expand into a sphere of punk and new wave. To this day, those initial findings inform the way I consume all music, even dance. Lately, I like to seek out more esoteric, subversive, and aggressive sounds when possible.
Coming off the back of the CBGB New York punk stuff, right?
Yeah! The first label that stood out to me once I had gotten into collecting was Ze Records. It felt like an ideal intersection of arts and not just the underground music and fashion scene. It was an amalgamation of everyone coming together to create a sort of mutant disco. That was the moment I realized I wasn’t just into punk but also dance. From then on, I was perpetually trying to find records that reflected that sentiment, whether it was an album from Turkey or Southeast Asia. I was fascinated with the notion of what was interpreted as dance through the decades internationally. This led me on very specific hunts—for example, what was popular in the 1980s in Japan? Pulling on those threads, I discovered YMO and all that kind of Hosono-produced stuff. I became insatiably curious about how I could find sounds I really loved from every corner of the earth and how they could be interpreted, if that makes sense.
"Peter Ivers’ tragic death and unsolved murder are still a mystery, but his music lives on as beautiful, haunting, silly, and queer..."
Sure, it’s always sensitive when you get that deep into it. Like growing at the same pace as those musical discoveries. A mutual metamorphosis.
Exactly! I felt such a connection initially from the sort of drops of punk that had permeated the popular music world via someone like Bowie—and then all of the influences that came along with that.
Was there a specific aesthetic you were drawn to besides the sound?
Absolutely. Even the way I dress today is very influenced by a sense of opposition. The way I collect records is indicative of that school of thought as well, in that I don’t want to subscribe to any one rule. I was always kind of rebellious and drawn to things like the Fluxus movement in New York and anything that was markedly radical and not just toeing the line.
So, nonconformist aesthetics, then?
Right. Circling back to what I was saying about Ze Records. Cristina was on their label and had a kind of Old Hollywood appeal that was also very punk. I remember first discovering her when I was 18, and her image seared into my mind. Later on, that paved the road to discoveries like Malcolm McLaren and the Seditionaries. However, the biggest influence on me has probably been Vivienne Westwood. What she was doing with Jordan and all of those bands at the time—she was a genius progenitor. That marriage of the fashion world and the underground music scene led to some of the coolest and most historic moments of styling.
Which is probably related to the New York Dolls and that whole scene.
Definitely, I just loved all the grit and glamor of it. Come to think of it, one of my earliest influences was also my grandmother. She was from Bensonhurst and dated the singer of the Capris, and was a huge doo-wop Collector. Because of that, I was lucky enough to hear some obscure things early on and piece together just how influenced the New York Dolls and Lou Reed were by doo-wop. All of those early memories still inform what I love today.
You were born in New York, right?
Yeah, I was raised by my grandma in Brooklyn. My dad worked at a bar that The Ramones played in the 1970s, so it was a natural progression that I would become enamored with that sort of sound. I actually remember I snuck out of my parent’s house to go to Joey Ramone’s birthday party at CBGB. When I went to England for the first time at 18, I started collecting Northern Soul. It was interesting to see the evolution of one genre to the next. I always loved records that conveyed a sound of longing.
There’s a lot of crossover in your picks, stuff that doesn’t fit into a specific genre but makes sense to pair together—a sort of invisible sound eliciting a similar reaction.
“Invisible sound” is a good way to put it. I struggle when people ask me what I play. I tend to veer towards a sort of sexy European dance music. But I do also like to collect rare records. I just didn’t want this to be about those records. I’d rather think outside of the box and outside of the rules of this industry. Personally, I feel most satiated by sifting through lesser-known works, underdogs, if you will, and then finding something shockingly good.
This is a fascinating cross-section of music that you have here. You’ve got Joe Cuba, but also Bappi Lahiri. Obviously, you’ve developed your own sound, but do you find that you can be ostracized as a result? Because you’re speaking a language that maybe no one understands or cares to decode
Absolutely. I also just love a wide array of genres. There’s nothing I’m not interested in. I collect Latin music, Bollywood, hardcore, punk, new wave, and synth. I love David Lynch, Pete Drake, 1950s, nasty-sounding country, blues, jazz, and spiritual jazz. It feels impossible to represent such a wide variety of sounds, so I just tried to include my most recently listened to genres and some ambient music. I included the Jon Hassell La Monte Young album because I feel really connected to it as a NY record. Young’s Dream House is one of the only art installations that remains from the 1960s. It’s impressive that what began as a space for him and his friends to do psychedelics and make music still stands, especially considering the ever-gentrifying landscape of Manhattan.
" I just love a wide array of genres. There’s nothing I’m not interested in. I collect Latin music, Bollywood, hardcore, punk, new wave, and synth. I love David Lynch, Pete Drake, 1950s, nasty-sounding country, blues, jazz, and spiritual jazz."
Essentially, you’re a part of the same place, just at a different time.
I feel that all the time. I specifically chose the Joe Cuba record because of the track “Do You Feel It.” He talks about summertime in NY and describes the neighborhoods so well that you can close your eyes and see, hear, and smell it all. It’s so romantic and perfectly encapsulates the energy of the city, even today.
Is there anyone or anything specific that helped you find music? Or help you find yourself through the power of music?
Justin Strauss and Jeremy Novak. Justin and I initially bonded over our love of punk and new wave, but it was at a moment when I was just getting into disco at around 22. He’s a house music disco legend from New York, and he really fostered my relationship with dance music and showed me albums I’ll never forget, like Fingerprintz’s Wet Job. Jeremy is a record dealer who used to play with Stereolab and showed me a ton of things I hadn’t previously seen. Back then, it was less trendy to find records, so I would find tons of weird private press stuff everywhere. It felt like an extension of my fascination with outsider art.
Who do you find a connection with now? Is there anyone contemporary that is special to you? Or are you very Renaissance only?
No! I love my friends in a band called The Phenomenal Handclap Band. I think what Daniel and the rest of the band do is so incredible, in that they make disco that is fun and exciting. My friend Tom also has a project called House of Spirits, which is amazing disco that will carry us into the future. There are actually so many contemporary artists that I admire. I also love System Olympia. I think what she’s doing is so interesting. I’m always on the hunt for newer artists because of my day job as a music supervisor. Oh, and RVNG is a great example of a new label doing great things, like how they put out all of those unreleased Peter Ivers tapes. Ivers is another artist I featured on my picks who has so many great recordings. Listening to the re-release RVNG did was like hearing him for the first time. It was a pleasure to revisit.
"I collect records with a BDSM theme; the allure of the sleeve aesthetics often matches the significance of the situations represented as musical mirrors or, metaphorically, as a musical Rorsarch, and this is the case with most of the LPs in this section.”
What would be your dream lineup? Up to five, with any venue past or present.
That’s a good question! I’d want to see Sun Ra, Blondie, Ron Hardy at the Paradise Garage, and Roxy Music.
You still have one left.
Okay, GG Allin, then. I didn’t put David Bowie on the list because I saw him when I was 16, and it changed my life. I cried the whole time.
How about your record picks as a perspective?
I’m interested from a research perspective of what pop music sounds like from every corner of the earth and every genre. Let’s not forget Honey Bane, who was a part of Crass, made a pop record cover of “Baby Love.”
What’s the deal with this Transistor Jet LP?
Oh, it’s an incredible underground, gay club, and aggressive disco. There are no mincing words or polishing what needs to be said. He is literally saying all the things he wants to be done. Slap my face, then fry some eggs.
How do you feel about the digital aspects of music?
I like things to be accessible to people, so I do like that you can find almost anything online. AI and the evil aspects of the internet scare me, but being able to find a rare record on the internet doesn’t. It’s just another way to consume it. If someone can’t afford to buy a record but can have the satisfaction of listening to it online, I don’t see the harm in that. It would be pretentious to say otherwise. I’ll always find things in the real world because I have my plugs, my secret stores, and my savviness when I travel. I have mastered the art of digging, so I don’t feel threatened or upset about digital music. I actually think it’s cool.
Do you ever buy things off Bandcamp that aren’t on hardcopy? And does it bother you?
I find things I own on vinyl on Bandcamp because I’m too lazy to rip it myself. I don’t see a point in being bothered by it. It’s nice to have a file.
The Marcel Marceau record. Was that your wildcard?
Sure, but it was also my ode to John Cage. Cage very famously said there’s no such thing as silence—there is no silence. And that’s what drove me to initially collecting records. So I picked that record for that reason.
Is there any record you never want to take out to play?
No, I’m not really that protective of my records at all. I’m actually kind of messy with them. But that’s how I am in general. You can only live once, fuck it.
Do you have words of advice for your younger collector self?
I’ve kind of been collecting the same way for the past 20 years. My inspiration for digging always came from my travels, so I would say travel as much as possible and find all the radio people and record stores in each city. This is how you find the best people and best music.
"This is a record compromising of Silence. This has always fascinated me from the perspective of John Cage, who famously said, “There is no such thing as silence.” The insanity of owning a completely silent record appeals to my sensibilities..."
“I like things to be accessible to people, so I do like that you can find almost anything online. AI and the evil aspects of the internet scare me, but being able to find a rare record on the internet doesn’t. It’s just another way to consume it. If someone can’t afford to buy a record but can have the satisfaction of listening to it online, I don’t see the harm in that. It would be pretentious to say otherwise.”
Kristine is a music supervisor, DJ and musician from New York. You can catch her at good room, public records and other venues around town.
@kristine_barilli
Mixcloud
kristinebarilli.com
Interview by Cherrystones
