This page has archival information for Unsound Festival New York 2010.
Preliminary Information on Unsound Festival New York 2011 will be announced soon.
Sunday New York Times Festival Preview - January 29th 2010
Press release * Archival Material
UNSOUND FESTIVAL NEW YORK
Since 2003, Unsound Festival, Poland's most adventurous music festival, has brought a bold and uniquely modern program of music to Kraków. Now, with seven festivals in their native city under their belt (and outpost events further east in cities like Minsk), Unsound is coming west to New York for their first ever North American edition. Unsound Festival New York’s mission is to forge new links between music genres, between generations and even between artistic practices.
The driving force in the assembling of the New York program has been Unsound Festival's commitment to forms of music and sound art that involve experimentation and risk. Unsound Festival has made a worldwide reputation by breaking new ground while dealing with vibrant electronic, experimental, independent, post-classical and club music scenes from around the world.
Taking place over the course of ten days starting on Thursday February 4th 2010, Unsound Festival New York will boast an ambitious lineup of artists from both Europe and the US.
One of the cornerstones of the festival is Eastern Promise, a substantial undertaking that aims to expose a wide range of musicians from east of Berlin that have long been ignored in North America. Never before has this broad a range of producers and musicians from Eastern Europe been assembled to perform alongside their US and West European counterparts. Appearing at the festival are acclaimed techno artists Jacek Sienkiewicz (Poland), Petre Inspirescu (Romania) and Marcin Czubala (Poland), minimalist composer Jacaszek (Poland), experimentalist Zavoloka (Ukraine), bass mutator TRG (Romania), new music ensemble Kwartludium (Poland), dub electronic artist Pavel Ambiont (Belarus), drone specialist Zenial (Poland) and a special exhibition of historical Polish Soundcards.
Unsound Festival New York will also feature a special series of events dedicated to and inspired by Andy Warhol. The Warhol Program will feature the worldwide debut of Carl Craig (USA) and the USA debut of nsi. (Germany) performing live electronic soundtracks to vintage Warhol films, as well as the USA debut of Groupshow (Jan Jelinek, Andrew Pekler and Hanno Leichtmann) (Germany) performing an eight-hour long live improvised soundtrack to Andy Warhol’s “Empire.” Additionally video artist Lillevan (Germany) will be creating a special series of Warhol inspired screen tests during the festival.
Unsound Festival New York will also feature a number of debut performances, as well as the aforementioned Warhol related events, Unsound Festival New York will feature the stateside debuts of the Moritz Von Oswald Trio, Vladislav Delay & Lillevan’s audio / video performance, Sebastian Meissner and Kwartludium's classical interpretations of the music of infamous US punk noise label SST, Tobias. live techno, Kadebostan live, and DJ sets from Untold, Petre Inspirescu, Newworldaquarium and Pavel Ambiont.
Additionally the festival will also feature a special program of the music of Polish Composer Henryk Górecki, two Silence and Noise nights devoted to post-rock, noise, drone and experimental work, a Brooklyn electronic music showcase, two nights at the Bunker featuring the very best in contemporary Techno / House and a special Bass Mutations showcase dedicated to dubstep and beyond. Seeking to reach all ages Unsound Festival New York also incorporates a unique kids only workshop in electronic music. To round out the festival there's a series thought-provoking series of panel discussions, workshops and film screenings at the Goethe-Institut New York Wyoming Building that will enable a context for dialogue related to the festival.
Acts confirmed to appear at Unsound Festival New York include 2562 (Netherlands), ACME (USA), Pavel Ambiont (Belarus), Vince Aletti (USA), Borne (USA), Blondes (USA), Kabir Carter (USA), Eric Cloutier (USA), Carl Craig (USA), Marcin Czubala (Poland), David Daniell (USA), Vladislav Delay (Finland), Ensemble LPR (USA), Falty DL (USA), Groupshow (Jan Jelinek, Andrew Pekler, Hanno Leichtmann) (Germany), Tim Hecker (Canada), Luke Hess (USA), Ezekiel Honig (USA), Mike Huckaby (USA), Petre Inspirescu (Romania), Jacaszek (Poland), Jan Jelinek (Germany), Kadebostan (Germany), Alexander Kaline (USA), Konque (USA), Kwartludium (Poland), Legowelt (Netherlands), Hanno Leichtmann (Germany), Alan Licht (USA), Lillevan (Germany), Sebastian Meissner (Germany), Moritz Von Oswald Trio (Germany), Mountains (USA), Nadja (Canada), Neurotic Drum Band (USA), Newworldaquarium (Netherlands), nsi. (Germany), Joshua Ott (USA), Andrew Pekler (Germany), Tristian Perich (USA), Derek Plaslaiko (USA), Pole (Germany), Barbara Preisinger (Germany), Dave Q (USA), DJ Qu (USA), Radian (Austria), Lee Renaldo (USA), Simon Reynolds (USA), Patrick Russell (USA), Sawako (USA / Japan), Anthony “Shake” Shakir (USA), Sepalcure (USA), Michael J. Schumacher (USA), Mike Servito (USA), Jacek Sienkiewicz (Poland), Spinoza (USA), Asa Stjerna (Sweden), Morton Subotnick (USA), Tape (Sweden), Tobias. (Germany), TRG (Romania), Untold (UK), Levon Vincent (USA), Xavier Van Wersch (Netherlands), Bora Yoon (USA), Zavoloka (Ukraine) and Zenial (Poland), and more.
Event Information and Links
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday February 4th 2010
Unsound Festival New York - Opening Event
Vladislav Delay + Lillevan (A/V performance) (USA debut)
Sebastian Meissner + Kwartludium = Solid State Transmitter (USA debut)
@ Target Free Thursdays, David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center,
Opening Unsound Festival New York is Finland's Vladislav Delay and German video artist Lillevan who will continue an ongoing series of electronic music and video improvisations in their first ever USA gig together. Experimentalist Sebastian Meissner, well known for his work as Klimek, joins forces with Polish new music quartet Kwartludium to perform modern classical interpretations of music from the legendary American punk rock label SST.
Links - Vladislav Delay (Finland) / Lillevan (Germany) / Sebastian Meissner (Germany) / Kwartludium (Poland)
File Under: Concert, Classical Music, Electronic Music, Video Art, Free Events, Festival Opening
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday February 5th 2010
Warhol Program
Max Loderbauer (nsi.) and Sasu Ripatti (aka Vladislav Delay, Luomo etc) – live soundtrack to Andy Warhol’s “Kiss” (USA Debut)
Carl Craig – live soundtrack to Andy Warhol’s “Blow Job” (World Debut)
@ The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater,
165 West 65th St, New York, NY
7.30 pm - first screening (nsi. & Carl Craig)
9.30 pm - second screening (nsi. & Carl Craig)
In what is sure to be one of the festival's highlights, respected electronic music innovator Carl Craig from Detroit who is known for continually pushing the boundaries of electronic music and the duo of Max Loderbauer (nsi. (non standard productions) + Sasu Ripatti (Vladislav Delay, Luomo etc) perform specially commissioned synthesizer based electronic music soundtracks for rarely screened 1960s Andy Warhol movies "Kiss" and "Blow Job." One night, two performances. Part of a special series of Warhol-related events during Unsound Festival New York.
Press note: due to an unavoidable visa delay Tobias. of nsi will not be performing.
Funded and commissioned by the Goethe-Institut New York and Krakow.
Presented with Film Comments Selects and Backspin Promotions.
Festival Page
Links - nsi. (Germany) / Carl Craig (USA)
File Under: Film, Concert, Electronic Music
Download a Carl Craig MP3 here
Download a live nsi. MP3 here
Read Carl Craig discussing his favorite soundtracks here
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday February 5th 2010
Bunker Unsound Edition 1
Front Room
11.00 pm Front Room - Legowelt - Live
12.00 am Front Room - Kadebostan - Live (USA debut)
01.00 am Front Room - Jacek Sienkiewicz
03.00 am Front Room - Marcin Czubala
05.00 am Front Room - Uusitalo- Live
Back Room
10.00 pm Back Room - Spinoza
11.00 pm Back Room - Luke Hess
12.00 am Back Room - Newworldaquarium (USA debut)
02.00 am Back Room - Patrick Russell
04.00 am Back Room - Derek Plaslaiko
@ The Bunker @ Public Assembly, 70 North 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
A night of innovative contemporary techno that shows how worldwide the music now is - drawing acts from Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and America in both live and DJ format. Performing live, Legowelt brings his mind bending electro-infused sound, while Germany's Kadebostan bends minimal techno into new shapes and taking the place of Tobias. in a special 5am set will be Uusitalo (aka the techno project of Sasu Rapatti (aka Vladislav Delay, Luomo etc) fresh from having performed with Max from nsi. earlier in the evening, brings a set of vintage machine-based dancefloor oriented experimentation. Poland's top two techno DJs, Jacek Sienkiewicz (Cocoon Recordings / Recognition) and Marcin Czubala (Mobilee), both from Warsaw, make a rare stateside appearance showing how much promise lies in the East, while Newworldaquarium makes his long overdue US debut, with Detroit's acclaimed new school DJ / producers Luke Hess and Patrick Russell plus Bunker residents Derek Plaslaiko / Spinoza completing the line-up.
Presented with the Bunker
The Bunker & Flyer / Festival Page
File Under: Club Event, Electronic Music, House, Techno
Links - Legowelt (Netherlands) / Kadebostan (Germany) / Jacek Sienkiewicz (Poland) / Marcin Czubala (Poland) / Tobias. (Germany) / Luke Hess (USA) / Newworldaquarium (Netherlands) / Patrick Russell (USA) / Derek Plaslaiko (USA) / Spinoza (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday February 6th 2010
Warhol Program
Groupshow (Jan Jelinek, Andrew Pekler, Hanno Leichtmann)
with Andy Warhol’s “Empire” (USA debut)
@ Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012
Free / Starts 12.00 noon - 8.00 pm
A special FREE show featuring German electronic music trio Groupshow in an eight-hour long live improvisation to Andy Warhol’s film “Empire."
Funded and commissioned by the Goethe-Institut New York and Krakow
Venue Page / Festival Page
File Under: Concert, Electronic Music, Improvisation, Free Events
Links - Groupshow (Germany) / Jan Jelinek (Germany) / Andrew Pekler (Germany) / Hanno Leichtmann (Germany)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday February 6th 2010
Warhol Program
@ Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
Lillevan’s Screen Tests Studio
Free / 2.00 - 3.00 pm
Come get a screen test made by video artist Lillevan who's doing his own take on Andy Warhol’s classic Screen Tests. Tests will later be used as VJ material at the Bunker club night on Friday Feb 12th (see below).
Warhol Program
Workshop: Lillevan’s Screen Tests Revisted
Free / 3.30 pm
Video artist Lillevan talks about his project Screen Tests, explaining the background of Andy Warhol’s original Screen Tests and his own extrapolation on the idea.
Funded and commissioned by the Goethe-Institut New York and Krakow.
The Hidden History Of The Vocoder
Free / 5.00 pm
Music writer Dave Tompkins, author of the forthcoming book "How To Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder From World War II to Hip Hop," presents a history of the Vocoder as it has evolved from military device into a major element in electronic music.
Festival Page / Venue link
File Under: Panel Discussions, Video Art, Film, Authors, Free Events
Link - How To Wreck a Nice Beach / Link - Lillevan (Germany)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday February 6th 2010
A Century of Dance Music
10.30 pm - Ensemble LPR presents music of Ravel & Mussorgsky
12.00 am - Moritz Von Oswald Trio Live (USA debut)
01.30 am - Levon Vincent DJ
@ Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012
Tickets: $25 advance / Doors open at 10.00 pm - tickets
Berliner Moritz Von Oswald is well known for his work as part of the duos Basic Channel and Rhythm & Sound as well as for his own "M" series of recordings. He could be labeled the inventor of "dub techno," if that weren't too narrow a tag to define the scope of his music and accomplishments. Moritz Von Oswald is highly ranked by many critics and fans alike as one of the most original electronic music producers of the last two decades. Tonight, Von Oswald unveils his new trio featuring Vladislav Delay on drums and Max Loderbauer on electronics in their first ever North American performance. Last year their debut album was released by London's Honest Jons.
In tribute to Von Oswald, the evening opens with New York City's Ensemble LPR - the flexible house band of the venue (Le) Poisson Rouge which is led by LPR's two young founders - David Handler (violinist / composer) and Justin Kantor (cellist) along with fellow Manhattan School of Music graduate Orlando Alonso (conductor / pianist). The Ensemble will perform new renditions of Ravel's "Bolero" and selections from Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" based on remixes Moritz Von Oswald and Carl Craig assembled in 2008 for the Deutsche Grammophon album "Recomposed" (released only in Europe). Von Oswald and Craig used original Karajan conducted recordings as the basis of their work. Rounding out the night performing after Von Oswald's trio will be rising American DJ Levon Vincent who will pay tribute to Von Oswald's continued influence on dance music with his own late-night contemporary take on dub techno in a dancefloor context.
Presented with Wordless Music
Venue Page / Festival Page
File Under: Concert, Classical Music, Electronic Music, DJ
Links - Moritz Von Oswald (Germany) / Moritz Von Oswald Trio (Germany) / Levon Vincent (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday February 7th 2010
Kids Electronic Music Workshop
@ Harvestworks, 596 Broadway, #602, New York, NY 10012
11.00 am - 5.00 pm / $25 all sessions
Producers of electronic music will show kids and young adults how to create music using simple technologies, found objects, and their own ingenuity. Each student will walk away with the experience of having performed using their very own inventions, and will be able to take home with them not only the objects created in workshop, but a spirit of collaboration and innovation. Participants in the workshop will perform at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday, opening a night of world class experimental music.
Presented with Communikey Festival and Harvestworks
Venue Page / Festival Page
Teacher from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU.
Note this is NOT A PUBLIC EVENT
File Under: Kids
Additional workshops
Monday February 8th 2010
4.30 pm - 7.30 pm
Tuesday February 9th 2010
4.30 pm - 7.30 pm
See Wednesday February 10th for information on public performance / appearance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday February 7th 2010
Panel Discussions
@ Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
Panel: Music Journalism
Free / 2.00 pm
What does it mean to write well about music, and how should we do it? A panel of working music journalists discusses issues related to the art of music-writing, as well as the changing practice of covering music in an increasingly eclectic and diversified world. When so much is available globally, how does one search for the new? Andy Battaglia and Simon Reynolds lead a discussion with other working writers in the field.
Panel: The Hidden Issues: The Art of the Party
Free / 3.30 pm
A panel discussion explores the hidden challenges involved in producing music events in New York, from small club parties to big concerts. This will include everything from obtaining legal U.S. work permits for international artists to dealing with agents and gatekeepers. Participants involve prominent artists, promoters, and organizers, including Wordless Music's Ronen Givony, Lincoln Center's Bill Bragin, The Bunker's Bryan Kasenic and artist/organizer Jessica Schmitz.
Panel: Who Programs Who
Free / 5.00 pm
How do you create sounds that have never been heard before? What is the connection between music consumption and creation? And how do technology and music making software influence this quest? Do we program machines, or do they program us? Vladislav Delay, Sebastian Meissner, Jacek Sienkiewicz and Ezekiel Honig talk about the process of finding an original voice in electronic music.
Festival Page
File Under: Panel Discussions, Journalism, Authors, Electronic Music, Music Programming
Link - Simon Reynolds / Link - Vladislav Delay (Finland) / Sebastian Meissner (Germany) / Jacek Sienkiewicz (Poland) / Ezekiel Honig (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday February 7th 2010
Eastern Promise
Polish Sound Postcards Exhibition opening
@ Devotion Gallery, 54 Maujer St, Brooklyn, NY 11206
Free / 7.00 pm
During 60s and 70s Polish communism, when vinyl singles were rare, sound postcards became extremely popular. Bearing striking designs, they contained analogue recording engraved in a laminate layer. Sound quality was low, but they meant access to hit songs from the West. In Mat Schulz' and Rui Silva’s exhibit, tracks are transferred to mp3s, revealing how recording technology changes over time.
More info and images Here /Festival Page
File Under: Art, Free Events
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: UPDATED INFORMATION
Monday February 8th 2010
Electronic Music Roots - Two Films
The Delian Mode (NYC debut)
The Future Is Not What It Used To Be
@ Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
6.30 pm / Free
The NYC debut of Kara Blake's 2009 documentary "The Delian Mode" which explores the life and work of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire: the woman behind the distinctive Doctor Who theme music created at the BBC in the early 1980s. The film provides a glimpse into Derbyshire's creative process and supports her slowly growing notoriety as an innovative and influential figure in the history of electronic music.
Director Mika Taanila's "The Future Is Not What It Used To Be" finds a truly visionary subject in Erkki Kurenniemi , a Finnish scientist, artist, musician, film-maker, theorist and all-round cybernetic pioneer.urenniemi's story is a fascinating and forceful depiction of a forgotten visionary; it is significant because of the cultural history of the unique, never-before-seen archive material alone. The documentary includes footage of the unique DIMI-instruments developed by Kurenniemi, and segments from unfinished experimental short films from the 1960s. The Future is not what it used to be is a film about the 1960s avant-garde in music and film, the early history of microcomputers and the open questions of 21st century science.
Note - limited capacity event - this screening will be repeated on Friday
Venue link / Link - Trailer The Delian Mode Website
File Under: Film, Electronic Music, Free Events
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday February 8th 2010
Anticipate label night
08.00 pm - Borne - DJ Set
09.00 pm - Sawako
10.00 pm - Alexander Kaline
11.00 pm - Ezekiel Honig
visuals - Joshua Ott via superDraw
@ Littlefield, 622 Degraw, Brooklyn, NY 11217
New York native Ezekiel Honig's "Surfaces of a Broken Marching Band" album generated worldwide buzz with press from The Wire to XLR8R. Now for Unsound Festival New York he's put together a special showcase for his Anticipate label which he describes as an evening of various electro-acoustic pursuits, in both sonic and visual form. Bringing together New York artists along with affiliated friends, expect muted rhythms, textured melodic directions and an experimental bent that warms to the touch.
Festival Page / Anticipate Label
File Under: Concert, Club Event, Electronic Music, Ambient, Experimental
Link - Ezekiel Honig (USA) / Sawako (Japan / USA) / Joshua Ott (Japan / USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday February 9th 2010
Electronic Bridge
Zenial
Zavoloka (Ukraine)
Bora Yoon (USA)
@ Issue Project Room, 232 3rd St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
This night showcases two artists from Europe's eastern side. Zenial is Lukasz Szalankiewicz a long-time feature on Poland's experimental and electronic music scene known for his delving deep into drone, ambient sound and harsh noise. Zavoloka (a.k.a Kateryna Zavoloka) experiments with digital and analogue synthesis, unusal rhythms and a deep love / appreciation for the traditional Ukrainian music around Kiev, Ukraine. Her album "Plavyna" received an Honorary Mention at Prix Ars Electronica 2005. A New York mirror to these composers interdisciplinary practioner Bora Yoon showcases her unique brand of experimentalism which has received increasing praise from diverse sources like the Wall Street Journal and The Wire.
Presented with Electronic Music Foundation
Festival Page / Venue Link
File Under: Concert, Drone, Noise, Electronic Music
Link - Zenial (Poland) / Zavoloka (Ukraine) / Bora Yoon (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday February 10th 2010
Panel Discussion
@ The Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
Panel: Rework, Recontextualize, Review
Free / 6.00 pm
This panel looks at how historical avant-garde films have been used in recent music performances. Lee Renaldo and Alan Licht, of Text of Light, a project devoted to putting music to films by Stan Brakhage, meet with Lillevan as well as Hanno Leichtmann and Andrew Pekler of Groupshow, an act involved in Unsound’s Warhol series. Moderator: Andrew Lampert (Anthology Film Archives).
6.00 pm
Festival Page / Venue link /
File Under: Panel Discussions, Sound Art, Film, Video Art, Electronic Music
Lee Renaldo (USA) / Alan Licht (USA) / Lillevan (Germany) / Hanno Leichtmann (Germany) / Andrew Pekler (Germany)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday February 10th 2010
Silence and Noise - Part 1
08.00 pm - Kids Electronic Music Workshop - Live performance
09.00 pm - Mountains
10.00 pm - Tape
11.00 pm - Radian
12.00 pm - Tim Hecker
@ Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012
Europe meets North America in this event that explores everything from post-rock to field recordings. Opening the night is a special performance from the children from the Unsound Kids Electronic Music workshop (see above for more details). Ambient duo Mountains (aka Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp) released their third album "Choral" on Thrill Jockey last year receiving comparisons to both Brian Eno and Fennesz. Stockholm based trio Tape (aka brothers Andreas and Johan Berthling and Tomas Hallonsten) mine a similar territory albeit with their own unique edge that has been compared to the work of Finnish writer Tove Jansson (writer of the wonderful Moomin stories). Experimental Austrian trio Radian (Martin Brandlmayr, Stefan Nemeth and John Norman) explore a terrain between free improvisation, post-rock and electronica that is all their own. They released their fifth album "Chimeric" late last year on Thrill Jockey, quickly receiving praise from the New York Times. Canadian sound artist Tim Hecker has recorded highly respected "structured ambient" works for a broad range of labels including Kranky, Alien8, Mille Plateaux, Room40, Force Inc, Staalplaat, and Fat Cat.
Presented with Wordless Music
Festival Page / Press Release and Venue Link
File Under: Concert, Post-Rock, Improvisation, Ambient, Electronic Music
Link - Mountains ( USA) / Tape (Sweden) / Radian (Austria) / Tim Hecker (Canada)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday February 11th 2010
Walking Tour Dream House
Unsound leads a walking tour of minimalist composer La Monte Young’s legendary Dream House in Tribeca. A discussion of the installation, in process now for 17 years, will help provide context at the Wyoming Building, followed by an experience of the work on-site, in a loft with plush carpeting, pillows on the floor, and banks of big speakers.
Meet @ The Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
6.00 pm / Festival Page / Venue link /
File Under: Art, Minimalism, Free Events
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday February 11th 2010
Eastern Promise: The Contemporary Sound World of Poland
Jacaszek
ACME plays the Music of Henryk Górecki
@ Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012
A night exploring older and newer forms in Polish contemporary classical music. Opening is New York new music ensemble ACME performing the String Quartet No. 2 ("Quasi Una Fantasia") of Henryk Górecki, the internationally renowned Polish master. In a complementary vein, the young Polish composer Jacaszek, whose 2008 album "Treny" brought him worldwide attention, combines electronics with strings, finding connections with Górecki’s work, as well as the likes of Zbigniew Preisner and Arvo Pärt. For this performance, Jacaszek will be joined by the cellist and violinsts of ACME. Co-presented by the Wordless Music Series.
Presented with Wordless Music
Festival Page / Venue Link
Link - Jacaszek (Poland) / ACME (USA) / Henryk Górecki (Poland)
File Under: Concert, Classical Music, Minimalism, Electronic Music
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday February 11th 2010
Brooklyn Electronic Music Showcase
09.00 pm - Treehouse DJs - Raspberry Jones & Treeboy
10.00 pm - Blondes Live
11.00 pm - Neurotic Drum Band decks & fx's set
12.00 pm - Morgan Geist DJ
@ Littlefield, 622 Degraw, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Brooklyn ain’t just indie bands, so the monthly Treehouse party showcases live and DJ sets from three BK-based acts who make the whole city dance. Featuring - new kids Blondes’ 2010 analog driven take on Balearic grooves; Neurotic Drum Band (aka John Selway & Elliot Taub) and its mix of classic house, Italo and techno which received glowing praise in 2008 from Juno UK and Time Out New York; and Morgan Geist, one half of the very respected boogie-influenced Metro Area duo who will be exploring the city’s history in records.
Presented with Treehouse
Festival Page / Press Release & Venue link
Link - Neurotic Drum Band (USA) / Morgan Geist (USA)
File Under: Concert, Club Event, Electronic Music
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: UPDATED INFORMATION
Friday February 12th 2010
Electronic Music Roots - Two Films
The Delian Mode (NYC debut)
The Delian Mode director Kara Blake (Q&A)
The Future Is Not What It Used To Be
@ Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
The NYC debut of Kara Blake's 2009 documentary "The Delian Mode" which explores the life and work of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire: the woman behind the distinctive Doctor Who theme music created at the BBC in the early 1980s. The film provides a glimpse into Derbyshire's creative process and supports her slowly growing notoriety as an innovative and influential figure in the history of electronic music. For his one night only director Kara Blake will also be attendance and available to discuss the film in a Q&A following the screening.
Director Mika Taanila's "The Future Is Not What It Used To Be" finds a truly visionary subject in Erkki Kurenniemi , a Finnish scientist, artist, musician, film-maker, theorist and all-round cybernetic pioneer.urenniemi's story is a fascinating and forceful depiction of a forgotten visionary; it is significant because of the cultural history of the unique, never-before-seen archive material alone. The documentary includes footage of the unique DIMI-instruments developed by Kurenniemi, and segments from unfinished experimental short films from the 1960s. The Future is not what it used to be is a film about the 1960s avant-garde in music and film, the early history of microcomputers and the open questions of 21st century science.
Note - limited capacity event
File Under: Film, Electronic Music. Free Events
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday February 12th 2010
Silence and Noise - Part 2
Xavier Van Wersch
David Daniell
Nadja
@ Issue Project Room, 232 3rd St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
David Daniell from Chicago has collaborated with the likes of Thurston Moore, Loren Connors, Douglas McCombs (Tortoise) and Christian Fennesz. Tonight Daniell will employ guitar and electronics to explore the vast terrains of the contemporary dronescape. Like a modern Frankenstein, Xavier Van Wersch constructs custom sound making machinery from parts of deceased equipment and disfunctional devices. These custom machines form the basis of his organic approach to the field of electronic music. Canadian duo Nadja (Aidan Baker & Leah Buckareff) create a wall of noise that has been described as ambient doom and shoe-gazer metal.
Festival Page / Press Release and Venue Link
File Under: Concert, Drone, Noise, Post-Rock
Link - Xavier Van Wersch (Netherlands) / David Daniell (USA) / Nadja (Canada)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday February 12th 2010
Bunker Unsound Edition 2
Front Room
10.00 pm - Barbara Preisinger
01.00 am - Mike Huckaby
03.00 am - Anthony “Shake” Shakir
Back Room
10.00 pm - Eric Cloutier
01.00 am - DJ Qu
03.00 am - Petre Inspirescu - USA debut
Visuals: Lillevan's Screen Tests
@ The Bunker @ Public Assembly, 70 North 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
House music is experiencing a new renaissance worldwide and this night explores the different textures and techniques of house (and beyond). This night's great line-up includes the US debut of new school Romanian Petre Inspirescu who is now well known worldwide for his recordings on Luciano's Cadenza label and ~scape recording artist Barbara Preisinger who'll show us how the Germans do it. But the core here is American talent - Bunker minimalist Eric Cloutier will open, followed by the under-recognised rising New Jersey talent DJ Qu who follows a path all his own despite being associated with Jus-Ed, Levon Vincent and Fred P as part of the new wave of New York House music, and long term Detroit based innovators Mike Huckaby and Anthony “Shake” Shakir. Huckaby is currently much in demand as a remixer for his takes on dub techno and house, while Shakir, who has been releasing music since the late 80s when he was amongst the first wave of Detroit Techno producers, will release his first ever album "Frictionalism 1994-2009"on Rush Hour the week after his appearance here. Shakir rarely performs outside Detroit so it's especially a treat to catch this quirky and totally unique electronic wizard in action behind the decks in NYC. German video artist Lillevan will screen his Andy Warhol inspired Screen Tests shot around New York during Unsound Festival New York 2010. See above for more on Lillevan.
Presented with the Bunker
The Bunker & Flyer / Festival Page
File Under: Club Event, Electronic Music, House, Techno
Links - Anthony "Shake" Shakir (USA) / Pete Inspirescu (Romania) / Mike Huckaby (USA) / DJ Qu (USA) / Barbara Preisinger (Germany) / Eric Cloutier (USA) / Lillevan (Germany)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday February 13th 2010
Panel Discussions
@ Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
Panel: Bass Mutations
Free / 3.30 pm
How have bass-heavy forms of music shifted in recent years? Where did the genre called dubstep come from—and where is it leading? How does it differ in New York, London, Berlin, Minsk and Bucharest? Writer Mitch Strashnov (URB, Electrodrone) will lead a discussion with artists from the Bass Mutations club night lineup. Further details TBA.
Panel: Mapping Sound in Art
Free / 5.00 pm
In America, sound art remains a fluid catchall term for a range of acoustic activities. Conversely, in Europe, sound as art occupies narrower practical methods and concepts. Kabir Carter leads a discussion on the role of sound in the arts with curator/writer Regine Basha, philosopher, writer and co-editor of Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music (Continuum, 2004), Christoph Cox, composer/artist Michael J. Schumacher and Swedish installation artist Asa Stjerna.
Dialogue: Vince Aletti
Free / 6.30 pm
Storied disco critic Vince Aletti, one of the first to cover disco during its 1970s heyday, talks about the history of the formative dance music as it happened in New York. Discussion focuses on Aletti’s recent anthology The Disco Files: 1973-78, as well as his memories of the scene as he saw it firsthand. In discussion with music journalist Andy Beta (Spin, Village Voice).
Festival Page / Venue link /
File Under: Panel Discussions, Sound Art, Disco, Authors, Electronic Music
Links - Kabir Carter (USA) / Regine Basha / Christoph Cox / Michael J. Schumacher / Asa Stjerna / Vince Aletti / Electrodrone (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday February 13th 2010
Bass Mutations
Front Room
10.00 pm - Dave Q
12.00 pm - TRG
01.30 am - Untold – USA debut
03.00 am - 2562
Back Room
10.00 pm - Pavel Ambiont – USA debut
12.00 pm - Sepalcure
01.00 am - Konque - Live
02.00 am - Pole - Live
03.00 am - Falty DL - Live
@ The Bunker @ Public Assembly, 70 North 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Bass music and its many mutations from dubstep to far beyond will be explored in this bold club night. Perhaps traveling the farthest for Unsound is Belarus' highly prolific dub experimenter Pavel Ambiont, he opens the night alongside Dave Q resident DJ from the much loved Dub War party. Romanian TRG proves there's more to his native land than a great film movement with his own brand of bass attacks. New Yorkers Falty DL (whose album for Planet Mu generated much buzz) as well as Sepalcure and Konque (aka Sasha Kaline, Eddie Krilov and David Last) show Americans have much to offer to the bass movement, whilst Pole - a long standing innovator in dub techniques, 2562 - one of Europe's rising stars both in house / techno and dubstep and England's Untold are sure to really open ears. Untold will be making his much anticipated US debut this night - XLR8R recently said "Burial may have introduced the world to next level of richly layered dubstep in 2007, but Untold is fearlessly waving that flag in 2009" - perhaps they should have said 2010 though since his new EP shows innovation in dubstep is far from over. Prepare for the bass !
Presented with the Bunker
The Bunker & Flyer / Festival Page
File Under: Club Event, Electronic Music, Dubstep, Bass
Links - Untold (UK) / 2562 (Netherlands) / Pole (Germany) / TRG (Romania) / Pavel Ambiont (Belarus) / Falty DL (USA) / Sepalcure (USA) / Konque (USA) / Dave Q (USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday February 14th 2010
Panel Discussions
@ The Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
Panel: Connections
Free / 3.30 pm
Presentation of Eastern Promise emerging from ideas integral to Unsound Festival and its international projects in New York, Poland and Eastern Europe. This includes “Connections," which linked Belarus and Western European electronic musicians. With “Connections” co-ordinators Stefan Betke aka Pole (~scape) and Mat Schulz (Unsound), as well as Pavel Ambiont (Belarus), Zenial (Poland) and Petre Inspirescu (Romania).
Dialogue: Morton Subotnick
Free / 5.00 pm
A talk with electronic-music pioneer Morton Subotnick, whose career goes back to the 1960s and includes some of the most important early work with modular synthesizers in the popular realm. Anecdotal talk focuses on Subotnick’s work, both as it plays into history and as it has evolved into the present. In discussion with music journalist Andy Battaglia (A.V. Club, Pitchfork).
Festival Page / Venue link /
File Under: Panel Discussions, Electronic Music, Free Events
Morton Subotnik (USA) / Pole (Germany) / Pavel Ambiont (Belarus) / Pete Inspirescu (Romania) / Zenial (Poland)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday February 14th 2010
Official Unsound Festival Closing Party
Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party
Mike Servito (Ghostly International)
+ two surprise guests TBA
Well-known electronic music DJs eager to play different kinds of sets composed of music from outside of the respective genres. The intimate venue will be decorated in a sea of hearts, and guests are invited to dress up in festive outfits of red and white. Come help close Unsound Festival New York with a warm, heartful event.
@ Rose, 345 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Presented with Kiss & Tell
File Under: Club Event, Festival Closing, Free Events
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsound Festival New York - Kids Electronic Music Workshop
Click here for full press release
Unsound Festival New York - Warhol Series
Click here for full press release
Unsound Festival New York - FREE ALBUM
In celebration of the Unsound Festival New York, record store halcyon proudly presents the official
Unsound Festival New York Compilation, a FREE Seventeen track aural primer showcasing the diversity of
experimental / electronic music talent scheduled to perform.
Click here to download
download press release as PDF
Unsound Festival New York - Tickets
Tickets to Unsound Festival New York are sold individually by venues / organizations, or at the door if still available. All events at The Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building are free, as well as the opening at Atrium at Lincoln Center and the Groupshow event at LPR. Many venues have a limited capacity - buy tickets & be early.
Unsound Festival New York - Festival Office
The festival office is located in the The Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
It will be open from 11am – 5pm every day, between February 1st and February 14th.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsound Festival New York - Credits
Unsound Festival New York, Presented by:
Unsound, Fundacja Tone, the Polish Cultural Institute in New York and the Goethe-Institut New York
In Cooperation With:
Trust for Mutual Understanding, German Federal Foreign Office, the City of Krakow, Krakow Festival Office, Romanian Cultural Institute New York, Austrian Cultural Forum, Consulate General of Finland in New York, Pro Helvetia, Netherlands Consulate-General in New York, Fonds Pop Over Zee,
Anticipate Label, Beyond Booking, The Bunker, Devotion Gallery, EMF – Electronic Music Foundation, Film Comment selects, Halcyon, ISSUE Project Room, Kiss and Tell, Treehouse, Wordless Music, Communikey, Todays Art, ICAS – International Cities of Advanced Sound
Media Partners: Brooklyn Vegan, The Fader, Last.FM, Little White Earbuds, The Onion, A.V. CLUB New York, Resident Adviser, Self-Titled, URB, XLR8R
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsound Festival New York - PR Contact
Backspin Promotions
718.399.1632
g@backspinpromo.com.