Official Unsound 2015 Logo
A few months ago this year’s Unsound introduced its “Surprise” theme and stirred the imagination of experimental music lovers all around the world. The festival is famous for one-off performances, unique collaborations, unexpected revivals, and the unusual pairing of sound, emotion, and locale, thus the surprise element only adds charm to this narrative taking place in the magnificent city of Krakow. The aim of this year’s Unsound is to challenge our preconceptions and to balance between the known and unknown. Yesterday the festival’s program was published along with the website. About half of the performers has been revealed, but there are still many black spots in the list, leaving much space for unexpectedness and discovery.
The line-up announced so far is as rich and diverse as you can expect of Unsound. There will be a strong outburst of meditative experiences with apocalyptic folk pioneers Current 93, special piece garden yoga sessions by Laraaji, as well as Charles Cohen’s collaboration with Rabih Beaini. The harsher part of the festival will be filled by the mysterious b2b between Helena Hauff, Golden Pudel’s resident Nina, and Romans - the collaboration of two heavy house innovators Gunnar Haslam and Tin Man. The surprising collab between Japanese experimental/math/noise Nisennenmondai and bass explorer Shackleton should also be an interesting experiment in the physicality of sound. The remaining list of collaborations is just as exciting and fascinating. Apart from the before-mentioned artists, there will be a specially-commissioned performance of Rabit and Kuedo with visuals by Workflow, Surgeon’s performance with Lady Gaga collaborator Lady Starlight, and Rimbaud’s show with Tomasz Budzyński, Mikołaj Trzaska, and neoclassical drone artist Jacaszek. Unsound goes even further and introduces collaborations where one side is unknown. These will include Rob Mazurek, Ghedalia Tazartes and a special experiment called Gregidency, where drummer Greg Fox will play a session with musicians he does not know in advance.
Dance movements will be maintained by various rhythmical excursions ranging from the footwork of Visionist, Jlin and RP Boo, to the melancholic techno of Andy Stott, the ever eclectic and soulful Levon Vincent, rising house talent Galcher Lustwerk, Polish techno legend Jacek Sienkiewicz and Zenker Brothers.
It seems that the location list is also getting more adventurous this year. Apart from such already established spaces as Manngha, The Engineering Museum, The Narodowy Theater or St. Catherine’s church, one of the most surprising venues is the Wielizcka salt mine, which goes 200 meters below the ground with its open chambers, natural caves, halls, sculptures and labyrinths. Also in the list of locations is the disused restaurant in old Krakow’s central station and the Church of Saint Peter and Paul church. Naturally, the brutalist Hotel Forum building still remains an inseparable part of the festival.
Photos Obscured by Piotr Jakubowicz
The Full line up is listed below:
█████, Rob Mazurek & █████, The Black Madonna,█████, Charles Cohen and Rabih Beaini, █████, Jacek Sienkiewicz, Shackleton x Nisennenmondai, █████, █████, █████, █████, Nidia Minaj, Angel-Ho, █████, █████, █████, █████, Optimo, █████, Lexxi b2b Endgame, Nozinja, █████, DJ Bone, Rabit & Kuedo, █████, █████, Nina, █████, █████, Bill Orcutt, █████, Rimbaud, Elysia Crampton, Low Jack, █████, Amnesia Scanner,█████, Alessandro Cortini, Surgeon & Starlight, █████, █████, █████, Romans (Tin Man & Gunnar Haslam), Matana Roberts, Sax Ruins,█████, █████, Helena Hauff b2b █████, █████, Andy Stott, Liturgy,█████, █████, Current 93, Julius Eastman & Tomasz Sikorski performed by Lutosławski Piano Duo, Joanna Duda & Mischa Kozlowski, █████, █████, █████, █████, Holly Herndon feat. Colin Self, █████, █████, Health, Galcher Lustwerk, █████, █████, █████, █████, Jlin, Levon Vincent, █████, █████, █████, Uniiqu3, █████, DJ Nobu, DJ Firmeza, █████, █████, Aurora Halal, █████, Laraaji, The Greg Fox Gregidency, █████, Nkisi, Untold, FIT Siegel, █████, Tazartès / █████ / █████, Zenker Brothers, RP Boo, █████ + More to be announced, including special projects.
The reminiscences from the last year’s dreamy Unsound can be read here: Unsound Festival 2014 - The Reminiscences of Dreams
