Unsound Festival has been organized for 10 years already and has grown to be one of the top festivals presenting eclectic, intelligent and inspiring contemporary music in Poland. Three years ago the organizers from Kraków joined forces with Fundacja Tone, the Polish Cultural Institute New York and Goethe-Institut New York and with the support of many other organizations from the States and Europe, and media partners such as The Wire, Hype Machine, LittleWhiteEarbuds, Playground Mag, Resident Advisor, Self Titled Mag, this very Wednsday 18th of April the third sessions of the Unsound Festival New York starts. Venues are spread across Manhattan and Brooklyn, including David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, (le) Poisson Rouge, Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, BAMcinématek, WARSAW, ISSUE Project Room, Glasslands, Film Anthology Archives, West Park Presbyterian Church, IndieScreen.
Unsound Festival New York 2012 Playable Schedule by hypem.com
The Program includes forward-thinking music, discussion panels, screenings. By embracing a broad range of genres from contemporary classical music to post-industrial sounds to black metal to new directions in bass-driven club music, UNSOUND Festival uniquely explores the current music scene's cutting edge.
Program is so rich it is really difficult to mention all the attractions in one post. But once again I wish I had a magick teleporter to hop to the absolutely unique meeting of the dark ambient king Lustmord from LA with Norwegian champion of arctic sound Biosphere, who will present TRINITY, a work that explores the first tests of nuclear weapons in the New Mexico desert. TRINITY is commissioned by Unsound, with partner festival Communikey. This one you cannot MISS! The more so as they are supported by a well-known Polish musician Jacaszek with his trio promoting his latest album 'Glimmer' released on Ghostly International. (Saturday, 21st April, 07:00 PM // West Park Presbyterian Church).
Just after this amazing event I really recommend you move your enchanted bodies to IndieScreen to enjoy a different kind of sensation, late-night Bass Mutations, already a a legendary series at both Krakow and NY Unsound. Future bass music of the highest quality is served by 2562 from the Netherlands and Helsinki's Teeth, both making live U.S debuts, supported by Stateside talent including Nguzunguzu, Distal and Throwing Snow, while Praveen (of Percussion Lab) performs with Machinedrum in a Sepalcure Live A/V show. DaveQ (of Dub War) opens with a DJ set. Arghh, I really wish I was there :(((
You should also check Friday night's show at Bunker presenting German electronic music giant Monolake who will present his jaw-dropping Live Surround adventure, while UK duo Demdike Stare should explore the dark outer-edges of experimental/club music. Brooklyners ITAL and Laurel Halo favor warped, idiosyncratic dance sounds, which attach as well to Chicago's Hieroglyphic Being. Zemi17 opens. Expect a lot of minimal beats and mind-twisting synths.
I would also definitely check Unsound LABS Music program which features collaborations between musicians of different kinds working together for the first time in a series of unique free performances. Curated to cross borders related to matters of sound and geography, this year's program pairs artists from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia with musicians from the U.S. Furthermore, Unsound LABS discussion workshops look particularly interesting. In a series of discussion panels presented by The Wire Magazine, you will have a chance to meet Robert Henke a.k.a. Monolake, a figure who helped shape a unique Berlin techno sound and who is a co-developer of Ableton LIVE software or Stefan Betke a dub-techno icon, better known as Pole. Dave Tompkins presentation about evolution of Miami bass is another thing not to be missed. But the real highlight of this part of Unsound for me will definitely be a Jeremy Grimshaw's presentation on the music and mysticism of the esoteric, avant-garde and experimental composer Le Monte Young, who was a prominent figure of Fluxus movement. I hope the good guys from Unsound will record all these workshops!
I've mentioned just a few events, but look at this line-up - it is simply RIDICULOUS!!
2562, Actress, Baaba, Biosphere, DaveQ, Demdike Stare, Denis Kolokol/Tomek Chołoniewski Duo & Nate Wooley, Distal, Eltron John, Hai Nguyen Dinh & Nondor Neval, Hieroglyphic Being, Hype Williams, Inner Tube (Mark McGuire & Spencer Clark), ITAL, Jacaszek, Jenny Hval, Julia Holter, Julia Kent, Kotra & Black Rain, Laurel Halo, Lustmord, LXMP, Maria Minerva, Mark McGuire & Bartek Weber, Mark Van Hoen & Maria Minerva, MFO, Monolake, Napszyklat, Next Life, Nguzunguzu, P.MA, Peaking Lights, pole, Sepalcure, Sun Araw, Sun Araw vs. Heat Wave - DJ Set, Teeth, Throwing Snow, Zavoloka & Andrea Pensado, Zemi17
