A Journey Into the Unknown
For Unsound, 2016 is a year of journeys around the world as part of the Dislocation project, which is also the leading motif of the Kraków festival (16-23 October).
“I have nothing against the centre, but I’m more drawn to the peripheries. The middle of the continent is becoming increasingly homogenised… I think we will soon be travelling to the outskirts, to the boundaries, to places watched over by old women wearing headscarves,” wrote Andrzej Stasiuk in There is no Express by Yellow Routes. Unsound organisers seem to share the view of the Warsaw-born author who has been living in the provincial Beskid Niski for many years. This year they have visited Batumi, Bishkek, Vladivostok and Dushanbe. “In the coming years, we plan to explore Russia, return to Ukraine and travel to Armenia and Kazakhstan,” says Łukasz Warna-Wiesławski, festival spokesman.
The east is full of sun
The voyages have brought tangible results – not just in the form of minifestivals held in eastern lands, but also as projects invoking the character of the given place. Kyrgyzstan? Where even is that? That’s the most common response. The visit to the country three-quarters of which is covered by mountains has resulted with a collaboration between Moritz von Oswald and the local group Ordo Sakhna. Electronic sounds combined with local folk music? Sound interesting, doesn’t it? It’s also home to Gletschermusik, another project transcending borders. Robert Lippok from Germany, Askat Jetigen from Kyrgyzstan and the visual artist Lillevan combine field recordings of melting icebergs in Central Asia with electronic music and traditional Kyrgyz instruments and songs.
The ensemble Samo from Tajikistan maintains musical traditions of villages in the Pamir mountains. The group from Dushanbe preserves styles such as falak (funereal music), darguilik (laments) and lalaik (lullabies). They perform on their own and with our own Stara Rzeka.
At the edges of the empire
The world’s longest railway is fully electric, spans eight time zones and the main line ends in Vladivostok. Inspired by the trans-Siberian railway, the British artist Helm, the Moscow artist Moa Pillar and the Greek collective Embassy For The Displaced joined forces to create the audiovisual project Inner Space: Siberia, recorded near Novosibirsk and the Altai mountains.
The southern boundaries of western Siberia are in Kazakhstan, home of Nazira – DJ, vinyl collector and promoter of the local club scene. In Kraków she performs with our very own Olivia – one of the most important personalities of Kraków’s nightlife.
A journey within
We can also think about Dislocation in other ways: a release from one’s own body, delocalised intersections between seemingly distant worlds of experimental pop dance and Polish folk dance or orchestral and underground industrial music. Join us for an exciting journey in which music helps us look deep inside ourselves and visit hidden corners of our souls.
Felicita’s Polish roots and immersion in our folklore helped him prepare a hypnotic multimedia spectacle together with the Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble. Traditional choreography and colourful costumes juxtaposed with the young British producer’s enigmatic sounds should make for a fairytale evening!
Body Sculptures is a Danish/Swedish supergroup combining shocking and beautiful sounds from the boundaries of industrial ambient. They will be joined by the infallible Sinfonietta Cracovia under the baton of Ilan Volkov, acclaimed Israeli conductor and curator of the Tectonics festival.
Echoes of escapades
Just a few months ago the very idea of Brexit seemed impossible, so while organisers of Unsound weren’t expecting some of the interpretations of the Dislocation motif, they have responded to the EU crisis in their own way. Many events of the Kraków festival focus on British artists bringing special commissions and premieres as well as stressing the close ties between Poland and the British Isles for artists and audiences. Forest Swords and Demdike Stare bring premieres to the festival. The former is a project by Matthew Barnes whose work combines dub, Ennio Morricone-style guitar and the mystical atmosphere of English villages. The latter comes from the British duo with a strong presence at Unsound: they debuted at the festival with their acclaimed performance during Horror 2010. JD Twitch presents a set dedicated to Muslimgauze, the controversial British artist who used exclusively analogue kit and reached for inspiration from rhythms of the Middle East; sadly he passed away before his time.
The world at your fingertips
Although the organisers present world music without getting too deeply involved in the details, they explored the furthest corners of the globe, bringing several uncompromising exotic artists to Unsound. DJ Fulltono from Japan performs alongside Traxman from Chicago. The premiering project F5 combines club music with the Afro-Uruguayan rhythmic drum style candombe. DJ Katapila visits from Ghana, and Mikael Seifu travels from Ethiopia. South Africa brings the self-styled king of the new, exciting genre gqom DJ Lag and the flamboyant queer FAKA duo. The dazzling, slightly psychedelic scene in Cairo presents the ensemble of improvisers The Dwarfs of East Agouza. The abandoned kitchen of Forum Hotel boils over with music from the Mexican collective NAAFI, seasoned with sounds from Berlin performers Ziúr and Mobilegirl. The dynamic ensemble Senyawa from Indonesia, playing instruments they built themselves, performs twice: on their own, and accompanied by Rabih Beaini from Lebanon. Their solo performance supports the American formation Death Grips, best known for their unconventional blend of hip-hop, punk, industrial and electronica, making their debut in Poland.
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As usual, Unsound resounds from unexpected locations in Kraków, including kitchens of Forum Hotel and the pre-war railway depot hosting events opening and closing the festival. There will also be afternoon discussions, film screenings, installations and field recordings from Tanzania, Białowieża and American casinos, transmitted on radio and in city spaces. “To travel is to live, or at least live twice, thrice, repeatedly.” These words from Stasiuk are the perfect inspiration for this musical voyage into the unknown. (Artur Jackowski, "Karnet" magazine)
