Tamizdat Dispatch #7 / July - Aug 2001 [01.07.2001] post-rock/avant garde/electronic/indie-pop/ethnic/jazz/punk Dispatch is a newsletter about independent music from Eastern and Central Europe. For more info, please write us: info@tamizdat.org I. Music news: New, Tour Dates and Festival Megalist II. Field report: The Russian Electronic Underground III. New cds! on our rapidly growing Tamizdat RPM Catalogue IV. Featured website this month: Cosmic Sounds V. Tamizdat distributors: a growing team of great distributors we work with I. MUSIC NEWS: News: Ninja Tune Records signs Polish group Skalpel [www.ninjatune.com] DJ Vadim will no longer be the only Eastern European on arguably the hippest hip-hop label on the planet. Ninja Tune confirms that they have signed the Polish DJ duo "Skalpel". Release dates TBA Tamizdat releases "New Music From Central & Eastern Europe Vol. 4" A new promo compilation CD is on the way featuring some of the best new music from around Eastern and Central Europe. Request copies now, friends! Bands include: POINT (cz), BAND OF ENDLESS NOISE (pl), ZIVE KVETY (sk), IVA BITTOVA+CIKORI (cz), HERE (cz), RALE (cz/fr/jp), UZRUJAN (hr), KOBIETY (pl), SUNSHINE (cz), ROBOTOBIBOK (pl), NOT (pl), SPECIES OF FISHES (ru), PIECES OF BRAIN (pl), KORAI OROM (hu), WLOCHATY (pl), NYLON UNION (sk). News on USA tours next Dispatch. "Dom Kulturi" "Dom Kulturi", a new music shop specializing in Eastern Sounds opens in Berlin-Mitte, Torstrasse 61. The project is run by Christoph Carsten (Most Records) and Henning Kupper (Lollipop Shoppe). Concerts and a gallery will be coming soon. "Point" records with Kip Beelman [point , www.minorityrecords.cz/] Leading light of the new Czech rock scene, Point has teamed up with renowned US producer Kip Beelman (Unwound, Juno, Built to Spill) for a stunning debut record. Point's CD is just out this week in the Czech Republic on Minority Records, a super indie label based in Prague who've brought bands Waawe and Point to international attention. Minority invites the right international producers to Prague to make recordings with his bands, and the results are excellent. The next Waawe album will feature another prominent USA producer, keep your ears on for more news. Tours Dates: Nozh Dlja Frau Muller(RU) in Germany (A.K.A.: "Messer Fur Frau Muller") [www.fraumuller.spb.ru] NDFM are stirrig up international commotion with their kitchful scratchy/samply/danceable art-electronica. July 4, Dresden at Club Riesa July 5, Berlin at the Mudd Club July 6, Bremen at Güterbahnhof Inna Zhelannija and the Farlanders (RU) in Germany The beautiful sounds of Russian singer/guitarist Inna Zhelannija and the Farlanders comes to Western Europe on tour this summer, starting with German dates. July 7-8, Rudolstadt Tanz- und Folkfestival July 26, Lauchheim at Schloss Kapfenburg July 28, Friedrichshafen at the Kulturufer Aug 3, Kempten at Archäologiepark Aug 8, Hagen at Open Air Festival Kampec Dolores (HU) in France and Germany [http://www.bahia.com] Hungary's renowned avant-rockers hit France and Germany with bang. June 29, Bourges at Autre-Peaux June 30, Evreux in Normandie, Rock dans tout ses etats festival July 6, Paris at Guinguette Pirate July 9, Mulhouse at Betes de scenes festival July 19, Berlin at Kulturbrauerai July 20, Burg Herzberg at the Burg Herzburg festival Festivals: TABUNS NON_COMMERCIAL CULTURE FESTIVAL, Kuldiga Latvia July 6-7 at Veckuldigas Pilskalns [www.nekac.lv] The Tabuns fest of noncommercial art and music features everything from visual art exhibitions to cultural conferences to minimalist-avant-rock music. Musical offerings are mainly Lithuanian, Belorussian, Russian, Latvian, and Finnish. Definetly check out KNJAZ MISHKIN's post-jazz minimalism and the hardcore art-punkers POSLEDNIJE TANKI V PARIZHE's (Last Tank in Paris). BOSKOVICE FESTIVAL, Boskovice, Czech Republic July 12-15 [www.unijazz.cz/aktuality] If you've ever seen Uz Jsme Doma live, you've seen a Boskovice t-shirt. This favorite Czech fest, started as a fundraiser to support the rebuilding of the Jewish area of Boskovice. It has grown to feature exciting Czech and international musical, film, theater, and photographic talents. Anticipated highlights include music by chamber goddesses Tara Fuki, electro-indiepopstars HERE, and The Krakow Klezmer Band, and vintage film cuts from the Czech "new wave" era in the 60's (made famous by Milos Forman) as well as animated films by Aurel Klimt. Curated and produced by UniJazz. LUCKY PEOPLE Festival of Electronic Music, Brandys, Czech Republic June 29-30, Probostska Jazero [www.openairfield.cz] LPC's outside 5-stage electronica monolith puts is on par with the best dancefest this summer. Everything from the hardest techno to the swerviest jungle and the stonedest dub will be represented. Headliners include THE ORB, DERRICK MAY, and DORFMEISTER. Excellent Czech and Slovak Djs include the young and sassy IM CYBER, serious technomaster AGENT, the suave BABE LN, and Slovakia's hip-hopper TROSKY. Nice website, in English too. KLEZFEST, London, UK July 1-4 2001, Club Spitz [www.jmi.org.uk/klezfest] An academic gathering of world experts in Klezmer studies. Events during the day are by invitation only but late night sessions on Tuesday July 3nd will take place at Club Spitz with Oi-Va-Voi and the Kharkov Klezmer Band. KARLOVY VARY FILM FESTIVAL, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic July 7-14 [www.karlovyvary.cz] Seems these days that the Czech Republic is the hotspot for the film industry. The world's filmies will gather at the 36th International Karlovy Vary Film Festival, which promises to be a landmark. Official film selections by authors Bille August (DK), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (FR), Vladimir Michaled (CZ), Stefan Jager (DE), Ted Demme (USA), Park Chul Soo (KO), Mona J. Hoel (NO), John Williams (JP), Terry Zwigoff (USA), Ibolye Fekete (HU/DE/HR/CHILE), Karen Shakhnazarov (RU), Peter Popzlatev (BU/FR), Maziar Miri (IRAN), Maryse Sistach (MX), and Darko Bajic (YU.) Other categories of nominees include of course Czech films, documentaries, forum of independents, etc. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY?" 7th International Arts Festival, Tabor, Czech Republic August 23- 27, CESTA [www.cesta.cz] CESTA wants you to laugh, but are curious why you're laughing. This international conference invites rib-ticklers and Rhodes scholars to meet to discuss the fundamentals of comedy and the social exchange identified as humor. Sound funny to you? If so, contact CESTA for more info. ROCK FOR PEOPLE, Cesky Brod, Czech Republic July 7-8 Athletic Stadium [www.rockforpeople.cz] Rock for People has won awards for their festival productions, but before this year were typically deemed as overly-commercial by independent music communities. This year, RFP changes its face, adding headliners MIKE PATTON and FANTOMAS, SHELTER, Japan's EX-GIRL, Hungary's YONDERBOI, Finland's APOCALYPTICA, ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION, amongst hundreds of Czech and regional bands including POINT, TATA BOJS, ROE-DEER, HYPNOTIX, STO ZVIRAT, TRI SESTRY, PLASTIC PEOPLE OF THE UNIVERSE, and much more. EUROTRIOLOG FESTIVAL, Mikulov, Czech Republic August 24-26 in at the Borders of Czech, Slovakia, and Austria [www.eurotrialog.cz] If you are going to Jazz Saalfelden this year, you'd be an absolute fool to miss the Eurotrialog concert in Mikulov. Eurotrialog's blistering line-up includes a rare performance by the one and only Ex Orchestra, in which The Ex members play with Dutch chamber players. Other extremely interesting performances include a rare concert of prog-rockers DUNAJ, art-poppers TATA BOJS, folk masters HRADISTAN, Slovak DJs DALO and AGENT, driving rockers -123min, apocalyptic chamber musicians METAMORPHOSIS, Polish accordion-punkers SOMETHING LIKE ELVIS, and Hungary's fun-loving ERZSI KISS. POHODA FESTVAL, Trencin, Slovakia July 20-21 [www.pohodapohoda.sk] From the notorious brass cavorting of the BOBAN MARKOVIC ORKHESTRA (known from their score for Kusterica's film "Underground") to MAD PROFESSOR to the big pop sounds of FUN LOVIN CRIMINALS, Pohoda blends a whole big batch of excellent taste into a heck of a varied festival. Not-to-be-missed acts include AUKTYON (RU), VLTAVA (CZ), NEUROPA (former Bez Ladu a Skladu) (SK), SABOT (US/CZ), NYLON UNION (SK), PRESSBURG KLEZMER BAND (SK), PUDDING PANI ELVISOVEJ (weird name, but a great band, SK), and PERSONA NON GRATA (HU). Many stages and over 200 groups, with stuff like bunging jumping and tea rooms and the lot. Tamizdat has been to this fest since its start, and we highly recommend it to everyone. Bring your tent because Pohoda this year expects over 20,000 to hit this small Slovak town. PEPSI SZIGET ISLAND FESTIVAL, Budapest, Hungary August 1-8 on Sziget Island [www.pepsisziget.com] Pretty much THE mega-commercial festival of Eastern and Central Europe, Sziget presents wads of major Western stars as well as top-notch regional headliners. This year, Sziget features MORCHEEBA, PLACEBO, ASH, OMARA PORTUONDO, and HIM to rock the big stages. I'd cast my lot on the smaller stages, particularly the BAHIA STAGE (Bahia Records is the most established indie label in Budapest.) If you get to go to Sziget, don't miss: UZGIN UVER (ethno trance), TROTTEL (legends of prog), SUNSHINE (new-wave-post-hardcore), PERSONA NON GRATA , KAMPEC DOLORES (the one and only), TUDOSOK (too doh SHOCK, grinding avantrock), BANKRUPT (nice hardcore), FRANK LONDON'S KLEZMER ALLSTARS, BESH O DROM (outstanding gypsy-jazz), and TARAF DE HAIDOUKS (the real stuff from Romania). SUNDANCE ELECTRONIC MEGAFESTIVAL, Tallinn, Estonia July 14-15 [www.vibe.ee] A massive treat away from the heat, the 3rd Annual Sun Dance Music Festival is a huge... and I mean massive... 2-day dance music festival in Estonia, expected attendance at over 20,000 people. Headliners include artists from R*SENAL RECORDS, ROGER SANCHEZ and SCUMFROF. Stage presenters include BAZA, St Petersburg's hotbed for indie electronic music, APELSIN RECORDS from Estonia, Sweden's FOKUSED CLUB, and DJ MAG from the UK presenting PAUL EDGE (aka Twister). Featured sets by DJ ORKIDEA (Finland), LOVESKY (Russia) Definetely check out the Sundance Festival website. It's really cool and tells you lots about Estonian electronica. VALLEY OF THE ARTS FESTIVAL, Kapolcz. Hungary July 27 - August 6 [www.kapolcs.hu] Set in small villages surrounding Kapolcz and about 15 kms North of Lake Balaton, Valley of the Arts features folk, classical, and jazz music as well as art exhibits. A big festival for a beautiful small town area, highlight performances will include MARTA ISTEVAN, KIZZ ERZSI, EIHINGER JAZZ, KORAI OROM, BOBAN MARKOVIC, and about 150 more amazing groups. TRUTNOV UNDERGROUND MUSIC FESTIVAL, Trutnov, Czech Republic August 17-19, Air Field [trutnov.openair.cz] Co-founded by Magor (Ivan Jirous), Trutnov began in 1987 setting the groundwork for something of a Czech "Woodstock." Originally the festival was shut down by local authorities, until I.M. Jirous (otherwise known as Magor, of Plastic People notoriety) and others with him drafted the petition called "OK, enough" to convince the authorities to lift the ban. When the ban was lifted, 1000 avid fans came to the first fest and now the number has grown twentyfold. Be sure to check out COLORFACTORY, HERE, LVMEN, UZ JSME DOMA, BOO, and stick around for specially added show by FEARFACTORY from the USA. Oddly enough, there will be an open air mass for attendees as well. START FESTIVAL JAROCIN, Jarocin, Poland August 2 - 4 at the stadium of City Sport and Recreation Center [www.jarocin-festiwal.com/2001] The big grandaddy of rock festivals in Poland, Jarocin offers the tops of independent rock and dance music. Historically - and like the Trutnov Festival- Jarocin was the place where concerts were banned under the former state. Jarocin this year brings in JIMI TENOR, ZION TRAIN, and SUNSHINE. Don't miss energy packed shows by ACID DRINKERS, and KAZIK GRA WEILLA and indie rock brilliance by KOBIETY, and SOMETHING LIKE ELVIS. Dance stage acts include SKALPEL, JAZZ NOJZ, and FUTRO. (festival tip couresty of 93anxious93) EXIT FESTIVAL, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia July 6-14 [www.exitfest.org] Wow, big names hit Novi Sad this July when FINLEY QUAYE, RONI SIZE, LUKE SLATER, and MAX ROMEO headline a whopping line-up of bands from Yugo and the whole greater Balkan region. Prime local talent that you shouldn't miss includes DARKWOOD DUB, DARKO RUNDEK, TROTTEL MONODREAM, SARAJEVO DRUM ORCHESTRA, and DOGMA. If this isn't a testament to how good things prevail despite hard times, I'll eat my hat. Kudos to you Novi Sad! ROCK OTOCEC, Otocec, Slovenia July 6-8 [www.rock-otocec.com] This muddy monster of a rockfest happens annually in the little town of Otocec, Slovenia. And I mean, muddy- this year and last year there was even a contest for Miss Mud Otocec and Mr Mud Otocec! Well, I doubt that LIVING COLOR, FUN LOVIN CRIMINALS, or ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION are going to be getty down n dirty, but they will help to bring thousands to see hundreds of Slovenian and regional bands. Don't miss homegrown driving punk talent of ELVIS JACKSON's driving punk rock and ZABLUJENA GENERACIJA (Lost Generation.) LITOMERICSKY KOREN, Litomerice, Czech Republic July 5-7 in Letni Kino [www.modryznebe.cz] A beautiful festival this year, Litomerice Kozen captures the spirit of Czech and Hungarian music, featuring established and new artists in the genres of world/new-classical, also klezmer and experimental acoustic. IVA BITTOVA, TROTTEL, and MONGOL AJALGU headline the roster of events. Other groups to catch are AHMED MA HLAD and TY SYCACI. LJUBLJANA JAZZ FESTIVAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia June 28- 30 [www.jazzfest-ljubljana.org] A wonderful array of new jazz, but one wouldn't expect anything less from the discerning tastemakers of Slovenia. Ljubljana Jazz features BUTCH MORRIS & BIG BAND RTV SLOVENIJA, SUN RA ARKESTRA conducted by MARSHALL ALLEN, ITALIAN INSTABILE ORCHESTRA, AL DI MEOLA, RABIH ABOU-KHALIL QUINTET, BRIZANI ALLSTARS BAND, PLAN 9, BOILERS, DAVID S. WARE QUARTET, and MARC RIBOT's "Los Cubanos Postizos". Wow, don't you want to go???! II. FIELD REPORT: What's Going Down in Russia's electronic underground? Part I Many will say that while Moscow is a city of business, St Petersburg is Russia's Culture Capital. The music in these cities reflects this tendency. The big music biz is in Moscow, Moscow clubs sprout like dandelions, Moscow record labels have more money so can make more CDs than cassettes, and Moscow Djs have the means to buy lots of superfly dance gear. St Petersburg boasts fewer clubs and independent labels tend to release their music on cassette, but "Piter" suffers no lack of compelling and extremely arty, hard, and hip music. Let's just cut to the artists' views on this. A focus for underground electronic players in Moscow is Exotica Records. DJ, producer, and composer Andrej Borisov is behind this label, which releases a wide range of beautiful bizarreness and also some smoother sounds for the weaker-kneed. Comparing Moscow and Piter, Borisov comments "In Moscow, electronica is perhaps more technological, and musicians here play more with computers and programming than in Petersburg. Moscow is a much richer city financially, and the electronica scene there has definitely become more commercial. There are many electronic projects making techno, drum-n-bass, house, and many clubs in Moscow are now playing dance music. Electronic music from Piter tends to have a more industrial or post-industrial sound. The sound is generally more experimental, lo-fi, and there is a good atmosphere in the underground scene." Projects affiliated with Exotica include F.R.U.I.T.S., Volga, Species of Fishes, and a wonderful series of bizarre music called N+B Research Digest. Exotica Records also puts out a series of compilations called "Tell Tchaikovsy the News," which started with the William Orbitish idea of affixing beats to classical music and has developed into a series boasting the full spectrum of cool Russian electronica. Arising from traditions established by Russian experimental composer Sergej Kuryokhin, and the legacies of "western" influences from Kraftwerk to Miles Davis to Kid606, the electronic underground in Petersburg comprises many scenes. Drugaja Kultura (Other Culture) and Chebu Records participate in the small circle of experimental DJs including Cabina, Clutch, Kovalsky, Jolochny Igrushki, Vesna, DJ Slon, and Parky. Cabina and Clutch are rebels making sounds that are fresh, raw and indie. According to DJs Cabina and Clutch, "We are not interested in pop music, we make independent music for our own small market; the problems of distribution are such that it's really difficult to get distributors to take everything that small labels release. Our community in Petersburg is small, but we've got a good distributor in Moscow, one of the strongest distributors in Russia. Part of the problem is that we don't have much out on cd because it's expensive and risky if you consider the statistics of how many Russians buy cassettes versus how many buy CDs. Sure you can try to get licenses, but the kind of music we make is really independent so we're not going to wait around for licenses to come in. We make the music as we want to make it and as we can, simply." "Other Culture" supporters are to be found at the record store Baza, the record label Svobodny Pilot, and promotions company Intel Music Factory at the Spartak and Griboedov clubs and of course Drugaja Kultura's biggest festival called the Free Fly Fest in the Spring. Emerging from a slightly different scene, Nozh Dlja Frau Muller came from punk/noise roots into kitchy, scratchy, funny, and highly sample-filled electro sounds. NDFM 's sound combines samples from films and found sounds and ties them into a frenzied danceable electro-bop. Their releases are on excellent Russian indie label, Solynze Records. Lastly, Novy Kompository triumph the ambient sounds of Piter. Brian Eno, while living recently in Petersburg, joined them in a wonderful released by Fax Label, Germany. Valera Alakhov and Igor Veritchev of Novy Kompository make beautiful ambient electro for educated minds and tranquil times. If you've got some Russian under your bearskin hats (and a versatile web-browser), check out these websites: www.otherculture.chat.ru www.cherubrec.com www.messerchups.com www.nbresearchdigest.com www.baza.spb.ru III. NEW CDS IN TAMIZDAT's ONLINE SHOP Happy Pills: Smile [Poland] Indie-rock is alive and kicking in Poland, if this disc is any indication. Think the exuberance of the Breeders, the drive of Team Dresch, and the poignant melodicism of Unrest and Opal, and you have an idea of where this explosive band is coming from. A gust of healthy happy wind to restore one's faith in guitar pop. Look out for the Happy Pills USA invasion this September, as the Pills hit the East Coast and more! F.R.U.I.T.S.: Electrostatik [Russia] Very minimal electronica which reminds one that St. Petersburg is just across gulf from Pansonic's home-town. Their sound palette is flexible and fascinating, sometimes even recognizable samples are interspersed amongst the purcolations and cracklings. Messer fur Frau Muller: Little Joys [Russia] If you're a fan of MfFM's recent electronic work, be forewarned: this1992 recording is pure driving punk rock. While the band's fascination with surf music is hinted at, this brutal disc much more Disctators than Dick Dale. Still, there's a fervant enregy here which makes this disc much more than an interesting historic note. Species of Fishes: TripTrap [Russia] Russia's answer to the Finnish electro scene, Species of Fishes display virtuosity in intricate and highly likeable minimalist techno. Blank Disc: V [Yugoslavia] The fifth edition of Blank Disc's eponymous series splits its time between an improvised half and an overdubbed half. For this recording, it appears that their studio has been pared down considerably, lending th recording a rougher, more fragmentary feel. Less Pansonic, more Nic Collins. If IV sounded to you like they were flirting with accessibility, this disc will relieve those fears! See Dispatch for live reviews and photos of Blank Disc from their recent Austrian performance. Various Artists: Ring Ring 99 Around the World [Yugoslavia] In the spring of 1999, when NATO bombs were falling on Belgrade, the organizers of that cities glorious "Rig Ring" festival opted to hold the festival in locations all around the world... Scotland, Italy, Japan, Canada, and Moscow. This disc is taken from these disparate events, as well as several highlights from preceding years' festivals, including performances by Steve Buchanan, Zu, Tudosok, Eva Kant, and Chris Cutler. Sunshine: Necromance [Czech Republic] Sunshine's last release brought them fame and fortune in the US. Their new album proves that they deserve it. Still steeped in 80 gloom pop, Robert Smith's specter is less noticeable, as the group finds a compelling niche with a sound somewhere between hyper-charged Psychedelic Furs and a sample-savvy AC Temple. Point : Aquila Bert [Czech Republic] Minority Records is kicking ass, with Waawe reviews around the world and with Point's newest release produced by American producer Kip Beelman. Raw and hearty post-indie-rock, groovy and blustery, a touch of Seattle a touch of SY and ...wow, just listen. This is Kevin: Slowly to the Sun [Slovakia] Proudly merging indierock and electronica, This is Kevin became legends in Slovakia with their first releases. Slowly to the Sun is an extremely likeable album. IV. TAMIZDAT'S FEATURED SITE THIS MONTH: Cosmic Sounds Cosmic Sounds represents a very particular set of aesthetic grooves that hover somewhere betwixt London, Berlin, and Belgrade. Label owner Zeljko Kerleta is not only an accomplished architect but also is a renowned musician and producer- in fact, he's teaming up with Crippled Dick Hot Wax to himself remix tracks for upcoming sequel to "Beyond and Behind the Iron Curtain", featuring Jazzanova, Mojo, Sonnar Kolektiv, Les Gammas and more. Releases like Balkan Express (v.a., jazz/fusion) and Belgrade's Burning (V.A., Belgrade club scene) define the CS catalogue. V. TAMIZDAT DISTRIBUTORS AND SALES PARTNERS: Argentina: Mr Floyd Benelux: Lowlands France: Orkhestra Taiwan: Avant Garden Switzerland: RecRec UK: Shellshock USA: Revolver, Southern, Other Music Online: InSound, Clamazon
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