L.E.V. Festival 2015 Reviewed

L.E.V. - Laboratorio de Electrónica Visual

L.E.V. Festival - A Sublime Spot to Dive into the Most Innovative A/V Offerings (photos below)

The Laboratory of Visual Electronics (L.E.V.), Gijon´s International Audio-Visual Creation Festival (Spain), reached its 9th edition this year with the same high-level line-up it has been known for in the past. If Aphex Twin, Apparat, Tim Hecker, Clark, Pole or Atom™ were some of the glimmering names on the festival roster in previous years, 2015’s offering would be just as engaging. The likes of Cabaret Voltaire, Jacaszek, Ben Frost, Senking, and Gazelle Twin appeared on different stages throughout the festival.

L.E.V. chose to open with PlayMID’s new project, “Axial” - a futuristic and immersive audiovisual space consisting of a light corridor that offers a truly synaesthetic experience in an incredible environment, the harbour of Gijón. Albeit the weather was not the best, the result proved nevertheless rewarding for visitors.

On the second day (May 1st), the concerts moved to La Laboral, an impressive complex marked by a dark past — having been built during Franco’s dictatorship, it is nowadays used for the brighter activities of culture or academia. The first artist to step on the Theatre stage was Jacaszek. The Polish composer opened the day with a massive and inspiring performance of his 2011 “Glimmer”, garnished with Alba G. Corral’s abstract, colourful, and evocative live visuals. Unbelievably, it was Jacaszek’s first time in Spain, and his combination of baroque and experimentation turned out to be the perfect way to set the stage for the concerts at La Laboral. Cabaret Voltaire, i.e., Richard H. Kirk, who had been silent for almost 20 years, offered the best he has. His show was still that powerful mixture of rhythms and industrial atmospheres that CV are famous for. The visuals were a three-screen collage of dynamic aggressive super 8 films and television images on social/political issues. Thought-provoking and violent though the gig was, perhaps the environment was not the best suited for such a display. Finally, closing the venue for the day was Ben Frost. The Australian performed his acclaimed “A U R O R A” with MFO (Marcel Weber) on the visuals. The experience was unbelievably intense: Frost’s low frequencies and harsh beats, together with MFO’s light installation and visuals, turned the Theatre into an environment where the senses of hearing and sight became interchangeable. Their consistent, at times brutal, and truly impactful discharge of power was enough to close the venue for the day.

Once Ben Frost’s concert had finished, the performances moved to La Nave, which is a huge new L.E.V. Festival venue, located in the Modern Art Museum of La Laboral. The contrast in sound quality between the Theatre and La Nave was simply huge. While the former is a venue thoroughly designed and built for musical performances of any kind, the latter proved to be “not the perfect spot”.

There were three artists left and expectations were high. First on stage was Architectural. The Spaniard is one of the best talents within the Country - an artist worth following. His EDM is mental and deep, a combination of minimalistic, organic, and techno elements, but, as mentioned, the venue did not really favour the sound. Bochum Welt from Italy was next. Gianluigi Di Costanzo, the author of the superb “Robotic Operating Buddy”, is a consolidated producer/composer who has collaborated with many - from Thomas Dolby to David Bowie. His dreamy Sci-Fi electro soundscapes were good, but it seemed he could not reach his full potential with the sound lacking in depth. Danny Wolfers, a.k.a. Legowelt, was the last artist to perform that night. The Dutchman’s performance was one of the most eagerly awaited and, in spite of the searing heat, the venue was packed and people were ready to dance. And they did. They danced till the end. I didn’t think Legowelt’s gig was his best effort ever, but those present were “hungry” enough to devour the last dish on the menu.

May 2nd was the closing day. Sunday’s activities began at the astonishing Atlantic Botanic Garden of Gijón, a classic spot near La Laboral. Perhaps not the cup of tea for fans of dark or experimental music, that morning’s offering dealt with more danceable “outdoor” genres. It featured Skygaze, Daisuke Tanabe, Yosi Horikawa and Memorabilia. The gigs started at 1 p.m. and finished at 5 p.m. However, the formula seemed to work out. People want to dance. Big time!

The evening concerts moved back to La Laboral. The first two acts performed at the Theatre again. Transforma & Yro went on stage at 9 p.m., and it was the perfect beginning for a great evening. They offered a hypnotic experiment called “Bsynthome”, which explores the relationship between the synthetic and organic realms, putting the audience’s perception into an altered state. Half mechanical, half handcrafted, the outcome, both from an aesthetical and musical perspective, was overwhelming. Subsequently, Paul Prudence would close the set of Theatre gigs with his audiovisual display. The Brit uses field recordings and works with computational, algorithmic and generative settings, focusing on sound and form manipulation. This allows him to create appealing industrial cinematic images and an intense sonic experience. “Cyclotone” (the performance title) was short, but very well fit to close the Theatre.

Upon returning to La Nave it seemed the sound had improved - good news, considering the line-up for the night. Kidsuke was sharp enough to cut through ice. Just as Jacaszek in the beginning, The Japanese artist had extraordinary visual help from Alba G. Corral. Around midnight, one of the biggest names on the bill this year stepped onto the La Nave stage. It was Senking’s turn. His wrapping low-bpm dub rhythms, together with his cutting-edge effect manipulation and experimentation undoubtedly turned his performance into the deepest and most hypnotic of the night - it was superb. Next up was Gazelle Twin, who chose to reproduce her breakout “Unflesh” album on stage. Her performance was wild, powerful and intense. It was also very interesting, which is why it’s a shame it was so short. Afterwards, Blanck Mass (Benjamin John Power of the Fuck Buttons) tried to bring some noise to La Nave. The result was satisfying but far from brilliant. He has shown the world that his move from ambient to a more beat driven genre has truly been successful. The sound, however, was not particularly cooperative and overshadowed his gig. Finally, Akkord were tasked with closing L.E.V. 2015. The Brits had to conjure up quite the effort to satisfy a content audience. Somehow they managed.

The festival also presented two inspiring installations by Nicolas Bernier and Quayola. Bernier’s “Light Quanta”, which was extensively addressed in the interview+article S13 published this year, is a breakthrough. Based on the use of light, movement and sound, and his research of the quantum, the Canadian’s work is intriguing, exciting and forward-looking. Quayola’s work was wisely displayed at the Church, which is a charming spot in the La Laboral complex. He is known to focus on the unpredictable collisions, tensions and equilibriums between the real and artificial, the figurative and the abstract. “Strata#4” is the result of both research and creativity. Quayola used altar paintings by Rubens and Van Dyck and created modern geometric forms from them in order to understand the universal laws that rule the concepts of beauty and perfection. Thus the artist managed to maintain a thought-provoking dialogue between two worlds: the old-universal, the new-innovative, and their commonalities.

The 2015 edition of L.E.V. Festival was an amazing opportunity to see some of the most interesting and cutting-edge A/V performances. Both musically and visually, La Laboral was the right environment to enjoy the live sets of extraordinary A/V artists and musicians. The organizers’ intent to bring big names to Gijón is praiseworthy. In fact, some of those names had not played in Spain ever before. Despite the small issues with the sound in one of the venues, and maybe the lack of lectures by artists, there is no doubt that L.E.V. enriches, culturally, the audience and the city, and is something to be protected and supported by the organization, the public, and all other stakeholders involved. Culture is a natural way to grow both on a personal level and as a collective. L.E.V. is culture.