seven

"information wants to be free - a festival for spoken word, video-art, performances and experimental electronic music" took place in three cities (london, stockholm, and berlin) over the weekend of december 5-7 2003.

after my failed attempt to visit maschinenfest earlier this year, the lineup for the berlin part of the "information wants to be free" festival looked too good to pass by - the artists that rarely get a chance to play together, a truly diverse list of performances that represents so many sides of modern "post-industrial" music from all over the world.

iocur e.v. / formosan records was the entity that organized the festival; those that live in berlin will surely recognize them as the people responsible for many "experimental electronics" concerts in past few years. the festival was made possible with the support from the labels, many individuals, and EU's "culture: 2000" community program.

the announced performance artists, installations, vjs and a long list of djs promised to elevate the event above the level of "just" the music show, becoming a sort of unified interdisciplinary event I was always looking for.

from the little information that was available at the time (the condition that has not improved much since then), the festival was dealing with the topics of communication in the modern environment of media overload, globalization and other "popular" activist topics.

the setup

industrial-halls berlin-friedrichshain that hosted the event turned out to be a concrete compound in east berlin with two big rooms on the first floor and a small merchandise area on the second. although it lacked the factors that usually have caused the proverbial "maschinenflu", its innards were not the best in terms of sound and comfortable listening environment.

it appeared that most of the bands did not even get a chance to soundcheck beforehand, which showed in most of the performances. it was not clear whether it was the fault of the equipment, or the sound personnel, but the frustration of the musicians themselves was obvious, not to mention the audience wincing in pain after being subjected to the overwhelming bass and high-pitched frequencies.

a lot of the material presented was strictly "listening" music, best experienced in a comfortable setting, especially considering that each day the performances lasted well after 6am. lack of chairs and any kind of hot beverages besides alcohol really became a problem closer to the morning hours (berlin's strict work hours came as a surprise, especially after the excess of moscow and new york I am used to; our only hope were tiny turkish joints in the neighborhood).

anyone that visited a festival similar to this, knows that it is an overwhelming experience - there is never enough time for everything - between trying to see all the acts and talk to everyone there hardly remains any time to simply relax and "have fun", not to mention absorb and organize the impressions.

iwtbf was not meant to be an "industrial discotheque" - the main room lineup was balanced nicely, allowing one to experience the genres fully without losing themselves in hours of numbed stomping or overly ambient soundscapes. ideally, the dj room could provide an alternative, but it turned out that with a few exceptions it featured nothing else than high-bpm breakcore paired with non-stop blinding strobes. its sound was getting especially annoying when it leaked to the main room during more ambient sets. like any extreme, it is most effective when used sparingly; after a few hours it became dulling and increasingly boring. even if there were good breakcore sets, they were lost to me after this excessive exposure. the only interesting set I managed to catch was salt's refreshing take on electro-meets-technoise with as much variety as I would expect from someone with diverse taste and erudition.

unfortunately all of the spoken-word performances were in german, except for a single american fellow that was spewing out propaganda cliches suited for an exalted 13-year old.

the visuals

there were a number of screens in each of the rooms (plus an interesting 3d construction at the center of the main room) that hosted video projections and real-time image manipulations. as with the other aspects of the festival, the organizers tried to bite off too much and sacrificed quality for the quantity. only a couple of vjs went beyond the stereotypical inverted-colors-stop-motion-proto-industrial footage.

the lights for the first two days were nothing but an embarrassment - ran by a deranged gollum-like creature that seemed to have absolutely no sense of the music, hitting the strobes and floodlights at random, occasionally screaming unintelligibly in the middle of the sets and flailing around what seemed to be a miniature copy of itself. at first it was an amusing distraction (I think many entertained the idea that it was one of the announced performance artists), but later on proved to be an extreme annoyance, especially considering the spartan (to say the least) lights setup. only halfway into the second day our hero got replaced with someone that made the best of the light situation, matching both the music and the spirit of each performance.

the public

it was heartwarming to see kids running around in old "rage" and "fear factory" t-shirts (I suppose this is the usual "euro-goth" public savoring their metal roots); majority of the audience was wearing ad noiseam's "enjoy noise" and ant-zen "ant" t-shirts, a disheartening uniformity that speaks a lot about the good marketing by the labels and passivity of the listeners. there were a lot of the usual twitchy breakcore-junk-punk folks that were stoically enduring the epileptic pace of the dj room, ignoring the main performance space.

day 1

the first act of the festival, audiokollektive (billed as "ruptured soundscapes") started an hour later (the starting times for each act continued to slip throughout the festival) and provided a clear illustration of the young generation of technoid musicians that obviously have heard a lot of the good acts in multiple genres, but possess zero creativity themselves. after getting tired of playing "spot the influence" game, we took off to explore the venue.

following echokrank could be complimented for their fashion sense and good intentions, but either the cursed soundsystem has let them down, or their mix of low-fi electro and acoustic percussion was really that terrible.

I remember nothing of jean bach performance, perhaps because I was chatting with andrey kiritchenko that appeared to be surprised to find himself participating in this event. he did indeed looked a little out of place, wandering around and not seeming to quite connect with the performances and the whole "industrial" background of the audience, but in reality his set turned out to be the first truly interesting experience of the evening, finally setting the "right" mood. it was an improvised set, blending together ambient textures later on joined by disarranged remains of minimal techno. similar to his release on ad noiseam, there were multiple isolated moments of enjoyable oscillating ambience mixed with cold arrhythmic glitches - non-linear music that could only be perceived in this discrete, fractured mode, disappearing and falling apart if one were to take it in as a whole.

gabriel severin also known as rob(u)rang (and a part of silk saw) climbed on stage next, dragging along a grandma's chest of wonders - whistles, rocks, chimes, bizarre metal instruments; they occupied the whole table next to him (he looked like that particular kind of extremely likable decrepit chevalier from the 70s, getting ready to begin an exquisite shamanistic ritual). it was a setup promising a delightfully rich electroacoustic weirdness, and I was rubbing my palms, getting ready to chuckle and savor the moonsanto-like wackiness, but unfortunately most of the toys went unused due to the efforts of sound people. still, it was a heaving beast he was tending to - dense arrangement of heavy rhythmic sounds that possessed an intrinsic compositional appeal, something that is not so easily identifiable, but immensely fascinating.

it was an appropriate move on the part of organizers to place skanfrom next, brightening up the atmosphere. I have expected a lot from him, but a certain "vibe" was missing during his set; it started out as ambient, and then performing a few of his well-known electropop songs, and then becoming increasingly dark. I think it was a missing self-irony that made the set seem too dry (or perhaps it was the sound guy again that made his performance too bass-heavy, without those prominent naive retro melodies).

monokrom/morgenstern that followed was an overbearing barrage of dirty noise; after a few minutes I could not take it any longer and fled outside for some power drinks and fresh air. by the time I got back, it was around 5am, and the bunnies behind the paper screen were finally done with their performance (the stage presence was their only saving grace, and even that was not enough to make up for the music), and I could actually chat with a few people and get ready for gridlock.

the latter were nowhere to be seen until the very last moment. this was the show I wanted to see since 1997, and at this point I was almost afraid that the sound would fail again, their stage presence would be lacking, I would be too tired to enjoy their set, or even that they would not show up.

at last two (almost stereotypically) energetic californians were on stage with their laptops. there was none of the dramatic stage presence that I remember from their video with individual totem (ah, the good old pendragon days... but apparently another american tour with the live drum set is imminent). they have performed for a dwindled crowd of those that made it through the night. during first few minutes the sound was quite sketchy, with deformed bass, and highs that seemed completely disconnected from the music (I could be spotted running around the room, trying to find a better-sounding spot), but later on it all came together, and that long overdue sweeping feeling of excitement and giddiness has finally settled in.

gridlock played material from all of their albums, rhythmic pieces connected by quieter ambient interludes (the joy of recognizing familiar tracks and hearing the way they flow together and resonate with the crowd). grinning, snapping photos, exchanging quick replicas with each other and completely getting into the music - their set was the culmination of the evening, an example for all the modern laptop kids - the way heavy electronics should be done and performed. it was almost impossible for me to judge it objectively - their sound was something that I kept coming back to for all these years, maintaining it as a reference point for countless technoid musicians. their formula is simple, but the execution is flawless and thorough; their superiority was obvious.

day 2

we were running late, but it still was a while before detritus started. it was most painful to witness what has been done to his material by the poor sound. I would imagine that his music works best in a setting where it fills the space and people are moving, but this time around when it did not sound tedious, it was way too toned-down to have any kind of a "groove" present. he made a considerable progress with his last release, and it was unfortunate that he was not able to present it properly.

mago, another ad noiseam entry, had similar sound problems that considerably reduced the softness and reflective nature of their music. potentially it could have been a very moving pop interlude, with just the right amount of industrial grittiness, but regrettably a lot of times it sounded too hollowed-out. at any rate, it was a welcome addition to the roster and their professionalism still allowed them to pull off a few impressive tracks. plus an addition of their own visuals was a pleasant surprise.

recognizable shape of doepfer a100 accompanied by its owner manu of xabec occupied the stage next. he started out with strong straightforward beats off his recent "pulses" 7", and gradually moved to a heavy wall of warm organic noise, filled with crackling, grinding noises that he produced right on the spot with an assortment of rocks and metal tools. in addition, he used a theremin-like device plugged into the doepfer board that responded to the movements of his hand, producing modulated analog noises. with his ongoing "electric mandala" series xabec is the most interesting act on hands records, and his work with sound in general adds to his material a whole another dimension.

the feathered attempt (those that were there would understand) at performance art by 2nd gen and alice kemp and uniform was embarrassingly dull; musically they have fully confirmed their title as "the-worst-album-of-the-year-i-paid-money-for". perhaps it is one of the best examples of "some ideas, real bad execution, real good niche marketing" and should be left alone as a puzzling phenomenon.

the following three acts (not an intended order, but a mistake on the part of the stage crew that worked out for the best) delivered one of the best concert experiences in many years. they have created that truly "industrial" atmosphere, firmly planted in the ideological and experimental roots of the genre, the roots that so many modern musicians lack, going for the superficial sound and shallow emotions.

silk saw duo - truly a "difficult" but rewarding listening - slowly building organic sound, a rocking mass of rhythms, with gabriel sampling the noises in real time and then processing them and adding the result into the mix. the crowd was literally weighted down by the sound, a hypnotic slowly building groove with wicked outlandish flavor.

telepherique trio was next - rene, klaus and danijela with several tables of equipment. they started out with slabs of industrial beats and gloomy atmospheres reminiscent of their earlier solo albums; slowly transitioned to increasingly "open" sound - very much in the vein of their split with contagious orgasm with its soft analog feel. it probably was one of the most impressive sets of the whole weekend, effortlessly changing moods and styles, always remaining thoroughly composed and supported with very appropriate visuals. their set was a kind of experience I have hoped for - a cinematic listening composition, complex and thought-provoking.

vromb completed this "classic" showcase with his special 10-year anniversary performance. as usual, hugo has not failed his audience - plunging into his tried-and-true industrial rhythms, creating a trance-like experience. he was fully getting into the spirit of the performance, twisting and squeezing the sound out of his equipment. the encore was inevitable, with people practically pushing him back on stage. this was the ultimate way to end the best day of the festival.

xanopticon finished the evening, but I could not warm up to his set that only seemed to attract spastic kids from the other room. compared to his latest on hymen, ryan's material sounded too tedious, and repetitive, lacking even those connecting bits of melody and feeling that were present on the album (although I am perfectly content with blaming the sound guys for that).

day 3

the last evening of the festival started out with deep drones and clicks by pure. I have only heard the split with milkmaids before, but the solo material was close enough - a little dry and mechaninc glitchiness, but not without a touch of lush melodies. it was in perfect sync with the abstract organic visuals by m:l:p, probably the best collaboration of this sort at the festival.

magnus sundstrom, accompanied by his partner, performed the new des esseintes material. it was good old death industrial in the best CMI traditions - heavy guttural drones and militant marching rhythms. it worked nicely as a genre representative, complete with typical visuals.

LA-based cruelty campaign fulfilled their promise of "sentimental noise & drones", yet another quality "genre" performance, accompanied by a video of rusted metal, railroad tracks and concrete. somewhat reminiscent of raison d'etre, they emphasized a softer side of noisy ambience, relying heavily on raw musique concrete elements.

one could feel the tension mounting, it was obvious that most of the people were expecting massimo magrini with live bad sector material that in a conversation earlier he described as a special "pop music" set.

he kicked things off with "droinate" off "planar energy" 7" and continued along the same lines with his usual overwhelmingly emotional noise on top of simple rhythms. it was indeed "pop" - a danceable adaptation of his "trademark" sound. his setup consisted of a uv-stick, some sort of theremin-like contact pad and two laptops. one could barely make out his face, lit by two visors - a figure of ultimate concentration manipulating the sound with vigorous robotic movements, a set from fritz lang "metropolis" - a succinct expressiveness of man-machine interaction.

it was pointless to listen to anything else after his performance - a triumphant end to the festival. we left chased away by unintelligible rumbling of latvian error.

a month later

the festival was clearly the best music event of the year. even though it has not fulfilled the promise of interdisciplinary all-encompassing experience, it indicated that these ideas were in the air, serving as a promise of things to come.

perhaps massimo magrini was the one that summarized it the best for me, mentioning that he was not interested in "being a rockstar" anymore, focusing more and more on conceptual sound installations that combined the physical scientific aspects of sound creation with the performance and music itself. this paradigm shift is essential, preventing "industrial" music from losing its roots. it is important to note that in the light of all the organizational troubles, the established musicians were the ones that still managed to sound fresh and innovative.

given all the technical problems, I do wonder whether if it is at all feasible to properly organize underground music festivals of this caliber, or would it be better to hold smaller, more manageable events with good sound and organization in order to avoid spoiling the experience. in most cases it would be a better route, but "information wants to be free" seems to have the right ideas in place. the room for growth is clearly outlined, and the support of the government program is a promising sign. hopefully the festival will become an annual event, once the organizers will learn how to match their ambitions with the available means.

what could have been different? better international promotion; better organization of the event itself (sound, visuals, space, food, "chill-out" dj room); more information about each act (the leaflets, the communicated intent and vision of the artists - more of a gallery approach as opposed to a "concert"); clearly communicated vision of the festival itself (the promised compilation and informational booklet/website); wider stylistic diversity, stricter selection process (music acts, djs, visuals).

despite all the problems, it was a historical event on many levels. I am infinitely grateful to the organizers for their time and efforts that made this event possible.