NEXT FESTIVAL 2010 Bratislava

Since this was my first time on NEXT festival, forget my being so enthusiastic. But this is really a great feat from where I come from. Althought quite extraordinary gigs are thrown here and there, NEXT is a continuous, three-day flow of “marginal” music. And you really DO get things in context. I mean you can compare various experimental approaches, see how the people do it and touch them if you want.

And as it was also a trip for me, to Bratislava, Slovakia, I need to share some background stories. Here’s my day-to-day report.

First day

Quite exceptional. Genreless whatever-in interprets. From rather gentle music concrète and procedural composition by @C with great visuals by Lia, over kosher analog turntable noisemaker from Montreal - Martin Tetréault to pumpy zornish (and well applauded) jazz trio The Thing. I was thrilled. Paal Nilssen-Love totally got me as Mats was chewing on the reeds. Everything topped by fucking sickening U2 in a hostel lobby :)

Second day

My shoes are wet and my toes frozen.

Amazing analog performance by GER/US/MEX trio Die Schrauber, funny you could tell their nationalities just from appearence. Recognizing their insruments was a bit trickier. I was caught by the energy of FM Einheit and a little asian kid dancing to his banging giant amplified springs. The final session was closed by a minimal dancing sphere Elektro Guzzi, They could be as well playing in the clubs. To make my day complete I got a traditional, marvellous topping by the hostel lobby DJ - slovak bullshit punkrock.

Hostel Blues atmos

I’m sharing a room with four african guys from Senegal selling wooden statues of giraffes, blaming bad sales on the crisis. They wear incredible amounts of clothes, all navy blue. They put their goods in those huge hockey bags, they rub in warming salves and set off to do the business. And they food they cook smells incredible *salivate*.

In the lobby, there’s a mixed group of four, drinking since morning including one fat bleched teethless fairy, one hairy transvestite in a twinkled denim vest, onehobo wearing an XS Ferrari t-shirt, and one gang-leader, probably called “The Professor”. He wears glasses.

They all smell the same, probably a gang ident.

Hostel lobby is providing another wunderbar exp. - Lord of The Rings with the soundtrack by Sinatra: Love&Marriage. 

• (Boromir running slo-mo) ♪ Go together like a horse and carriage 
• (Frodo looking frigtened) ♪ This I tell you brother
• (Boromir slaying an ogre) ♪ You can’t have one without the other

Bratislava is mad with Christmas’ market fast food. Dozens of stalls luring their victims with hot steam, mulled wine and pancakes. They all sell basically the same, but some of them are packed and some get no attention. (My guess people stand in the queue just because there IS one. There MUST be something EXTRA about this stall, otherwise we would be total idiots, wouldn’t we?)

Last day

Definitely the densiest one. Firstly, music by an innovative jam “V4 soundlab”. A couple of guys from various soundscapes, trying to put together something new. A fair starter. But moments later, a contemporary mixed duo Kamama (Audrey Chen and Luca Marini) emanated such a brilliance and imaginativeness, it made me buy their CD. (I did this for a first time in my life.) Those animalous female vocals made my goose bump. Definitely on my watchlist. And yours.

A brutal mood switch by a lebanese Tarek Atoui, who starred his live act with contactless DYI gadgets, building epileptic noise sheiks. His energy could turn a rock fan into a noise head (and probably a fastfood kebap into food). A thankful crowd enveloped him, curious for the secrets of his technical magic. To smooth things up, rather famous Warp’s Mira Calix played a cosy and sophisticated act, with hip overhead-projector visuals. And to rough things again, the masters of bangers&mashup, Fuzzy Osbourne & MSCLV threw a party the institute for arts and culture haven’t heard before.

Thanks to all people involved. It were great three days, the atmos of the festival was homy, calm and spasm-free. No hip posers, no big-headed outbidders or disturbing maniacs. Well, one maniac, but he was kind of harmless and fascinating. 

If you live around and are into this kind of music, you should definitely come NEXT year. 

• VIDEOs from the fest!!
• Official NEXT website
• A4 ZERO SPACE (the venue)

Check my photos on FLICKR.