Artist Blog LDN ‘10 – Om Unit Day 4
So after having yesterday off to do something people call a job (I call it hanging out with teenagers and making beats/talking about life) we got together to round off the writing and rehearsals, after a banging Turkish breakfast at Olive’s in Hornsey which brought back memories of being 24, fancy free and probably quite hungover.
So we went through the tracks as per usual – tweaked a bit here and there.The end of the day left me with a feeling we’re gonna freestyle it a bit, but in a good way – its not so static that we have to do everything cleanly and routinely, the music will make itself on the night and I look forward to hearing how it goes on the recording.
Today I also finally managed to get hold of a real Roland 606 (see 1st blog) – it doesn’t work… yet.
Also we had the closing party for the Original Cultures exhibition at Stolen Space – I have to give it up for Beatnick for coming through with plenty of musings on all things music as usual! Once again Charlie Whatley on photo duties doing the humble work and to Ericailcane, DEM and Will for taking time out to do the boards for Stolen Space out in the freezing cold.
See you tomorrow at the show!
Organiser’s blog LDN ‘10 – Day 3
Improvisation is the name of the game, not just for the artists who start from improvised ideas and develop them into a full show in the space of a few days but also for us at the level of organisation.
Even the best laid plans require a degree of flexibility and this time round even more so than the first event last year. From transport to catering, technical supplies to venue logistics the plans have changed daily and sometimes even hourly. Flexibility is not always easy though but as long as you are able to keep a cool head it’s never that much of a problem. A cool head isn’t always a given though, and I’m the first to sometimes be a little too emotional. Still you live and learn and I have definitely learnt a lot in the last 4 days especially with regards to being flexible and rebounding fast and quickly rather than getting caught up in the fact of things not going according to plan.
I spent most of the day with the visual artists as the musicians had to take a day off due to work duties, and that’s been rather insightful. Last year I never saw inside their world, never stepped foot into their workshops and to be able to do it this time has only given me more respect and appreciation for their art but also for who they are as people. I feel privileged to be privy to what they do but also to have become friends with them over the last year. Coming from the world of music, the visual side of our project has been a constant learning curve for me and one I’ve greatly enjoyed.
The way we are managing to combine two art strands and sets of artists never ceases to amaze me and further proves the power of creativity in uniting people and bringing them together outside of their comfort zones.
I’ll leave you with a video feature The Freak Show shot for the opening of our exhibition a few weeks ago. Come down tomorrow night to see the closing party which will feature some small scale live painting from our guys alongside the usual free drinks and merryment. And then be sure to come down on Friday for the final show. Without hinting at what will be there too much I can definitely say it will blow a few minds I think. We’ve stuck to our words – what people will get is something they’ve never seen.
Artist Blog LDN ‘10 – Om Unit Day 2
Today I re-discovered the sandwich world deli in Hornsey. Bangin. Oh and we made some more music!
It’s all about the art of stitching ideas together at the moment, that and for me trying to let go of my producer perfectionist ears, I have to remember this is supposed to be fun!
And it is, but my ears are constantly searching for more, and with 3 days only to write up to an hour’s worth of music it’s just not going to be that detailed. It’s about the impact and the feeling.
Sleep time
Organiser’s blog LDN ‘10 – Day 1
And so it starts again. The second original cultures event. We’ve swapped the heat of summer and the historic streets and old buildings of Bologna for the less scenic streets, though still inspiring in their own ways, of a rainy London in early spring. That’s the beauty of this project, being able to transport the idea around different cities and see just how it changes and takes on a different form based on the location.
Our six artists have returned alongside a seventh, the Japanese visual artist Hiraki Sawa. The guys all met together for the first time since last June last night and already the creative juices are flowing. This morning they are setting up in their workshops in East and North london. They’ll come out in four days with a one hour show. What shape it takes is still anyone’s guess at this point. Edit: by the time I’m posting this we already have an idea of the shape, but I won’t give it up just yet. Stick around for the week via the various social sites (and here) and you can get an idea for yourself – see below for links of where to see things as they happen (more or less). And if you can be sure to come see the final result Friday evening in Brick Lane.
With the Italian contigent playing the guests this time I’m already seeing the same cultural exchange and learning that made our first event so special. From the weather to the food, transport and people they are learning just how different a city and place London can be. And seeing just how this impacts them and what they do is definitely one of the best things to come out of this project.
For me personally it’s a much bigger challenge this time round as I’m having to look after and organise movements and the such for 10-15 people for a week. Anyone who lives in London knows just how difficult that can be. Thankfully bologna 09 served as a good preparation and once more we’re seeing the same supportive spirit where everyone is helping out and people are giving us their time and help to ensure the event runs as smoothly and professionally as possible. Shouts to Mauritz and Erwan for the rehearsal space and help, proving this point once more.
I was speaking to Word to Mother last night, a visual artist and friend of our visual artists and our host Stolen Space. It was interesting and rewarding to hear him relate to the idea behind Original Cultures and the need for a structure behind artists so that they do retain a degree of control but can also focus on what they do best.
All in all it’s been a good day and it’s all just started. More caffeine and more coffee and then some sleep. Oh yeah and big up to the waiters at Somine’s for being good hosts even though they wouldn’t go lower on the discount. Anyone looking for a good, honest Turkish meal in Dalston needs to check them.
Follow us around for the week (and after) as we go along at the following spots:
Facebook page
Tumblr blog
Twitter
‘Original Cultures – The Showcase’ at Corbet Place, March 5 2010
Original Cultures London 2010 will close with ‘The Showcase’. As with our first show in Bologna last year, this will feature an exclusive one-hour performance from our seven artists: the musicians Om Unit (UK), Tatsuki (JP), and Tayone (IT) alongside visual artists Ericailcane (IT), DEM (IT), Will Barras (UK) and Hiraki Sawa (JP).
The performance will feature brand new music and visual works created by the artists in the 3 days prior to the showcase. This will be a totally unique performance, not to be missed. This last sentence may sound like a boast but we mean it – just check the footage from our Bologna show if you don’t believe us (vids on the right hand side). Expect an audio and visual experience like never before!
‘Original Cultures – The Showcase’ will be held at Corbet Place, part of the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, E1. There’s lots of comfy seats, a nice garden for the smokers and a lovely drinks selection at the bar. Doors open at 6pm. Timetable and links below.
Don’t forget that the day before, on March 4th, we will be in the square where both Corbet Place and the Stolen Space gallery are located (at the back of the Truman Brewery) for the closing party of our exhibition featuring all our artists, live painting, music and more. So if you can’t make the Friday than make time for the Thursday, and if you can make both even better!
Venue: Corbet Place
Entry: FREE
Timetable: 6-8pm – Warm up with Original Cultures DJs / 8-9pm – The Showcase / 9-11pm – afterparty with Tayone, Om Unit and Original Cultures DJs
Links:
Corbet Place
Truman Brewery
Original Cultures London 2010 is a week long event taking place in venues around the Old Truman Brewery, London. Full schedule of activities is as follows (full details on our events page):
• ‘Original Cultures – The Show’ an exhibition of brand new works from Ericailcane, DEM and Will Barras, Feb 11 to March 7 @ Stolen Space gallery, with private viewing Feb 11, 6-9pm, free
• Music production workshop for young people, feat. Om Unit and Tatsuki, Feb 27 @ Stolen Space gallery in conjunction with Hackney Council and the DYH 2010 festival
• Closing party for ‘Original Cultures – The Show’ exhibition, March 4 @ Stolen Space gallery featuring all artists, live painting, exclusive art for sale and more, 6-9pm, free
• ‘Original Cultures – The Showcase’ featuring all 7 artists collaborating for a unique audio/
visual show created in the days prior, March 5 @ Corbet Place, 6-11pm, free
‘Original Cultures – The Show’ online preview
In the run up to the opening of our exhibition, ‘Original Cultures – The Show’, at the Stolen Space gallery on February 11, 2010 we are giving everyone the chance to preview some of the art created exclusively for the exhibition and which will be available on sale. The exhibition forms part of Original Cultures London 2010, our second event.
This preview is just a small insight into what the artists have created for the occasion and features new works from Ericailcane, DEM and Will Barras as well as audio from Om Unit, Tatsuki and Tayone.
Read on for the previews and be sure to come and see them for yourselves if you are in London between February 11 and March 7, 2010. Please check our events section for full details of all Original Cultures London 2010 activities, opening times and locations.
NOTE: This is only a small fraction of what is on display at the exhibition!
‘Original Cultures – The Show’ gallery
In the slideshow below you can preview some of the art available exclusively at the exhibition, including the pieces used for the limited edition picture discs and the two collaborative prints created especially for the show by the 3 artists. In addition there are also previous pieces by DEM, some of which are available at the exhibition. You can view full details of each image on the Flickr photo set.
Original Cultures picture discs
Original Cultures has produced 6 limited edition picture discs for sale at the exhibition. These are unique audio and visual packages comprising 6×10″ picture discs and accompanying 7″s. Each package includes the following: one 10″ picture disc framed featuring work from Ericailcane, DEM or Will Barras and audio from Om Unit, Tatsuki or Tayone, one separate 7″ featuring two exclusive tracks from Om Unit, Tatsuki and Tayone which can be listened to (this one isn’t framed!).
Below you can preview the picture discs artwork as well as the audio.
Om Unit, Tatsuki and Tayone – Picture Discs audio preview
Ericailcane Picture Disc artwork
These 2 designs will be sold alongside music by Tayone. Each package will feature a 10″ picture, framed and mounted, and a separate 7″ with the two tracks for personal enjoyment.
DEM Picture Disc artwork
These 2 designs will be sold alongside music by Tatsuki. Each package will feature a 10″ picture, framed and mounted, and a separate 7″ with the two tracks for personal enjoyment.
Will Barras Picture Disc artwork
These 2 designs will be sold alongside music by Om Unit. Each package will feature a 10″ picture, framed and mounted, and a separate 7″ with the two tracks for personal enjoyment.
Ericailcane x DEM x Will Barras – Bartleby video
In the run-up to our Original Cultures London 2010 event we’re releasing a brand new video of our visual artists painting a building in Bologna together on the last day of our 2009 event. Footage from this session, which was organised at the last minute, has so far never been released. The only record of it were a few images on our Flickr page. For the first time you can see what these guys did in an afternoon and in an improvised setting.
The soundtrack for this video is taken from the live show that was held the previous night, and features our three musicians alongside Bruno Briscik on cello bass. Check out full audio from the show on our Soundcloud page.
The video also forms part of the video documentary of our Bologna 09 event, which if you’ve been paying attention you’ll know has been considerably delayed from our original announced release date of October 09. We’re sorry for the delay but we’re doing our best to release the Bologna video doc this month, as a way to promote the London show. We hope to have everything online in two weeks time.
You can stream or download the video below. iTunes and RSS feed subscribers should already have it. Remember the easiest way to keep up with all our video and audio is to subscribe to either RSS or iTunes and then just let them do their magic.
Stay tuned for details of Original Cultures London 2010 and in the meantime enjoy!
Filmed, edited and produced by The Slow Breakfast – http://www.theslowbreakfast.com
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ericailcane, DEM, Will Barras – Stay Away From Light (edit 2)
Here is the second short edit of the exclusive animation created by the trio of visual artists we invited to Bologna in June this year.
As we explained with the first video this animation was created by Ericailcane and DEM from Italy and Will Barras from the UK. The music was written by Om Unit (UK), Tatsuki (JP) and Tayone (IT). Together these six artists worked as part of the first Original Cultures event in Bologna, Italy in June 2009. The audio and animation were created separately, without the artists knowing what the others were doing, before being brought together for a live showcase.
This edit gives everyone who couldn’t make the show, as well as those who did, a chance to see part of what happened on the night – a truly unique coming together of artists and cultures.
Originally silent, these short edits of the animation have been synced with music from the live show. You can also view this Flickr album for more behind the scenes look at how the guys created the animation and the rest of the visual show they put together.
You can view the first edit here. Stream and download the second edit below.
In 2010 we’ll be unveiling three remixes/soundtracking of the animation by new artists from the UK, Italy and Japan. Till then enjoy!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ericailcane, DEM, Will Barras – Stay Away From Light (edit 1)
Finally we’re very proud to bring you the first (of two) short edit of the exclusive animation created by the trio of visual artists we invited to Bologna in June this year.
Together these three artists, namely Ericailcane and DEM from Italy and Will Barras from the UK, created an animation to accompany the music that was being written at the same time by the three musicians we’d also invited – Om Unit (UK), Tatsuki (JP) and Tayone (IT). Bear in mind that while these six artists worked in the same period of time (4 consecutive days) and in the same city, they didn’t work together as such and never saw the final result of each other’s work until the last day when everything was brought together for the final showcase. No one knew what it would look and sound like together until the show started.
Originally silent, we’ve made short edits of the animation synced with music from the live show to give everyone a chance to see some of the incredible stuff the guys came up with. You can also view this Flickr album for more behind the scenes look at how the guys created the animation and the rest of the visual show they put together.
You can stream and download it below.
This is the first of two edits, the next one will go online shortly. And in 2010 we’ll be unveiling three remixes/soundtracking of the animation by new artists from the UK, Italy and Japan. Till then enjoy!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Original Cultures Radio – Live in Bologna 09
Finishing the podcasts from our first event is an exclusive mix featuring audio from the final showcase. On the evening of June 6th, 2009, Om Unit (UK), Tatsuki (JP) and Tayone (IT), together with special guest Bruno Briscik on cello bass, performed over an hour of music they’d created in the days prior to the show. This was the first time they’d all met and worked together, and the result ended up being beyond what most of us had imagined.
For more information on what happened during the workshops which took place before the showcase and listen to the entire audio documentary from which these podcasts are taken, check part 1 here and part 2 here.
Remember our RSS or iTunes feeds are the easiest to stay updated on all our podcasts and get them directly to your computer.
This exclusive mix features audio from Om Unit and Tatsuki’s solo showcases as well as the show they all performed together, and their encore. This is only a short edit of the whole thing, which lasted 2h30. A full version of the entire night will be made available as a high quality download pack later this year with videos, art and more. Stay tuned for info on that. For now though enjoy what was a truly unique moment!
Om Unit x Tatsuki x Tayone ft. Bruno Briscik – Live in Bologna 09
Tracklist:
Tatsuki – solo showcase
Om Unit – solo showcase
Om Unit x Tatsuki x Tayone ft Bruno Briscik – live showcase
Om Unit x Tatsuki x Tayone ft Bruno Briscik – encore
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Original Cultures Radio – Bologna 09 workshop mix 2
Following on from yesterday’s podcast, we have the second of our music workshops mixes from the Original Cultures Bologna pilot now available for download. This time round the mix features audio from all 3 days of the workshops, edited into a continuous mix alongside extracts from the seminars, interviews and more. All the audio featured in this mix is at various stages of development, from rough demo ideas to versions nearing completion.
For more information on what happened during the workshops and hear the entire audio documentary from which these podcasts are taken, check here and here.
Remember our RSS or iTunes feeds are the easiest to stay updated on all our podcasts and get them directly to your computer.
The next podcast will be made available next week, an exclusive edit mix of the live showcase which took place on the last day of the event. And then following that we’ll have a two-part video documentary towards the end of the month.
For now enjoy a meeting of minds, cultures and musical influences.
Om Unit x Tatsuki x Tayone – Bologna music workshops mix 2
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Original Cultures Radio – Bologna 09 workshop mix 1
Following on from our audio documentary, which can find here and here, we are podcasting the mixes from the audio documentary, which so far have been available as streams only.
First up is the artists mix from the music workshop sessions. This short mix was recorded on day 3 of the music workshops, and is essentially a short rehearsal of about half of the tracks the artists went on to perform at the final showcase a day later. All of the tracks you hear are still at a certain demo stage, though most of them were nearing completion and appeared in pretty close style in the final showcase.
So without further ado, here’s the first Bologna 09 workshop mix for your enjoyment. You can stream or download below, and if you don’t want to have to do it everytime we recommend you sign up to our RSS or iTunes feeds and get each new podcast downloaded to your computer automatically.
Next up is another workshop mix, tomorrow, then an exclusive edit mix of the live showcase next week, before the video documentary which will drop towards the end of the month.
Om Unit x Tatsuki x Tayone – Bologna music workshops mix
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Original Cultures Bologna pilot – Audio documentary 2
Following from last week, here is part 2 of the audio documentary detailing the music workshops and live showcase that took place during the first Original Cultures event in Bologna in June 2009.
You can read a detailed explanation of this documentary and what it is documenting here.
Following this audio documentary we’ll have a video documentary to accompany it which will give more insight into the showcase and visual arts work done alongside the music during the week. This video documentary will be online by the end of september. You can see a full schedule below.
Original Cultures Bologna pilot: audio and video documentary schedule
- 26/08/09 – Audio documentary pt1 (streams)
- 02/09/09 – Audio documentary pt2 (streams)
- 03/09/09 – Audio documentary podcasts pt1
- 09/09/09 – Audio documentary podcasts pt2
- Late september – Video documentary pts 1 and 2 (stream and podcast)
The audio and video documentaries are the second part of our online documentation, with the first part consisting of short video edits, photos and blogs of what happened during the week. You can find a round up of all these below.
Original Cultures Bologna pilot – Audio documentary 1
In the first week of June 2009, Original Cultures held its first even in Bologna. Over the course of the week 6 artists from the UK, Italy and Japan, and the fields of music and visual arts, were brought together under one roof (well technically many roofs) to create art, exchange and learn via workshops, seminars and more. The idea was simple: to create and facilitate cultural exchange between Japan and Europe through the medium of modern performing arts.
The results of all this work were showcased in a final event on the evening of the last day. Over 2 hours the 3 musicians performed the music they’d spent the previous 3 days creating while the visual artists showcased the artwork they’d created to go alongside it, a combination of animation and a modern take on chinese shadows.
Everything that was done was documented, and finally after a few months wait we’re able to start divulging more of what happened, starting with an audio documentary of the music workshops and showcase.
This audio documentary will be in two parts, and you can see a full schedule of what you will get and when below. Following this audio documentary we’ll have a video documentary to accompany it which will give more insight into the showcase and visual arts work done during the week. This video documentary will be online by the end of september.
Tayone – Original Cultures Radio
The latest installment of Original Cultures radio is now available for download as part of our audio podcast series. Every month we bring you exclusive mixes and audio from Original Cultures artists and events, which can be streamed on Samurai FM before being made available for download right here (generally a few weeks later). You can find the show on the Original Cultures page on Samurai FM.
Mixed by Tayone, this new show is a 30 minute ride through electro and other favourites done in Tayone’s inimitable mixing style.
The next show, which will be online next week will feature audio from our Bologna event.
No tracklisting this time!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Original Cultures x Museo della Musica
From July 4th to 31st, Original Cultures will be holding an exhibition at the Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna showcasing all the art created during the Original Cultures pilot, which was held from June 4 to 6, 2009.
For full details check our detailed event post.
Where: Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna
When: July 4-31 (all day)
Contact details for museum: Tel. 051 2757711 • museomusica@comune.bologna.it
Launch: Saturday 4 July at 12,00
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 9.30 to 16.00 • Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays: 10.00 to 18.30 • closed Mondays
Original Cultures Bologna 09 – Day 4 video
And here we are, a video edit of Day 4 the last day of the Original Cultures pilot. Featuring work from all the artists during our live showcase which took place on the evening of Saturday June 6 at Si, in Bologna.
Edited by The Slow Breakfast. Available as a direct download in HD quality (quicktime format) optimised for iTunes and iPod viewing. Direct download link beneath the preview.
Look out for one more video edit of the Original Cultures pilot and then we will be working on a short documentary of the entire week which will be made available during the summer. For now though enjoy!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Original Cultures – The Exhibition
From July 4th to 31st, Original Cultures will be holding an exhibition at the Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna showcasing all the art created during the Original Cultures pilot, which was held from June 4 to 6, 2009.
The exhibition will be spread over two spaces inside the museum. In one space an installation will feature music and visual works created by the pilot’s six artists: visual artists Ericailcane (IT), DEM (IT) and Will Barras (UK), and musicians Tayone (IT), 2tall/Om Unit (UK), and Tatsuki (JP). More specifically the installation will recreate all the visual and musical elements of the pilot’s showcase, including the ingenious Chinese shadows based visuals, adapted for a smaller space.
In the second room the exhibition will showcase the video and photo documentation by The Slow Breakfast and Anna Marocco respectively.
Where: Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna
When: July 4-31 (all day)
Contact details for museum: Tel. 051 2757711 • museomusica@comune.bologna.it
Launch: Saturday 4 July at 12,00
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 9.30 >16.00 • Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays: 10.00 >18.30 • closed Mondays
Organisers’ blog – Day 4
Whoa. That is the most direct and natural reaction to what happened last night, on the evening on day 4 at the closing of the Original Cultures pilot. Whoa. The live showcase, the crowning of the 4 days of work for the artists and the cherry on top of the pilot if you will, the event where the public gets to see everything that we’ve all worked on for so long, was a success – and as an organiser this isn’t a boast, it really, truly was.
We had a packed house, with over 300 people, we emptied the bar, the artists got a thunderous round of applause and demands for an encore, which they obliged leaving us with people in the venue until 2am, when we’d officially announced it would end at midnight. One of the members of the city’s council, who sits on the cultural board came at midnight, on a saturday, and personally shook the hand of the artists, thanking them for the show. One of the guys who runs the company which handles the space was dancing and smiling all night, telling us at midnight that we could have another 30mins of show if we wanted – so the 4 musicians, Tayone, 2tall, Tatsuki and Bruno Briscik, went back on stage and jammed for 20 mins. By 2am Will Barras, DEM and Ericailcane were still painting – which is all the more hilarious considering what happened earlier in the evening. Let me rewind for a sec…
We got to the venue around lunch – the musicians soundchecked in the PM while the visual artists put the finishing touches to their creations and masterminded how the visuals would play out throughout the night. Things were going well, with the necessary high level of running around involved when you put together an event. And then as we approached opening time, the decision was made to cancel the live painting aperitivo due to technical issues – partly true, but also due to the fact that the visual artists actually stopped working as people entered the venue. Having been at it for 5 days non stop, there was no way we would force anyone to do something just because it was originally written in the programme.
With this in mind we opened and hoped for the best. People came looking for the live painting and decided to maybe come back when they learnt it wasn’t happening. Others came in regardless, curiously looking around the venue, trying to understand what was going to happen 4 hours later. As I stood in the courtyard next to the bar, DJing, I kept thinking to myself that maybe even without the live painting we’d still manage to bring enough people in. You see the thing is, the whole live painting is quite popular here in Bologna, and the visual artists were definitely one of the main attractions of the project for people in the area, mainly because Ericailcane and DEM are local artists who everybody knows. Losing the live painting meant we might well lose a big amount of people. As I tried to not think about it too much, considering that we knew we still had something incredible prepared but that we couldn’t really tell people without giving the game away, I got on with trying to make people drink and enjoy themselves as the evening rolled on. And then I looked up, around 8 or so and Will was walking around with a tub of paint… and that’s when it all started going crazy.
DEM, Ericailcane and Will painted from 8 till 10, as they did people flocked to the venue, by the time I finished the DJ set in the courtyard, the venue was nearly full and I could barely believe it. The show started with the first hour split between Tatsuki and 2tall/Om Unit doing solo shows of about 30mins and the second hour with Tayone, Bruno and the two of them doing the live show they’d spent the last 3 days creating. As I stood there looking at Tatsuki on the stage playing to the audience a piece he’d finished writing 2 hours before it started to hit me just how special this all was.
The stage was set in the center of the room, so that people could stand all around the musicians. On the walls projections made by the visual artists played using Chinese shadow concepts. And on one side a giant screen played elements from an animation that they also created during the week. Tatsuki for his part ditched the entire 30 mins set he’d originally prepared and instead played a beautifully atmospheric 20 or so mins using sounds he’d recorded the day before and inspired by the visuals created by DEM, Will and Ericailcane: us talking, him speaking Italian, the ticks from the clock of one of the guys who runs the venue… it was incredible to hear all these sounds which I knew were ‘ours’ coming together while people stood around trying to understand what was happening. It was the perfect way to start.
2tall/Om Unit came up next, playing 20 or so minutes of new material and bringing the vibe and energy up a level, perfectly as if we’d masterminded the whole thing from start to finish. But we hadn’t, no one had heard the others’ bits, no one apart from the artists knew what would happen…
And then the final hour started and it continued to be incredible – the three of them played as if they’d known each other all their lives. The audience went crazy, the vibe was unbelievable. 10 mins before the end we were turning people away by the tens, and wondering how the hell it had all happened. Everywhere I looked people were smiling, dancing and enjoying themselves. The visual artists were more happy than I’ve seen them all week and so were the musicians.
Fast forward two hours, and we’re all sitting around coming down from the adrenaline rush and thinking back to various elements of the night. Everyone, from the artists to the organisers, the technical crew to the film crew was on a high. And everyone was responsible for the beautiful event that took place last night – everyone worked for nothing more than the want to do this, we came together as a whole in the most organic manner.
And to me, as the person who had this idea, who brought this idea to this town nearly 1 year ago to get some advice, to see the idea turn into reality like this (pretty much one year to the day since I first came up with it) is just simply incredible – tears came to me early on in the night and by the end I was just floating on a cloud, words unable to do justice to the feeling of seeing this idea birthed into reality. To know that every single person involved also felt the same is the best reward ever.
We’ve worked on this for 6 months solid, plus 6 months before of masterminding, and one week of just working non stop – and there has never been a point in all that time where someone argued or something went truly ‘wrong’. And that’s something I can’t even begin to comprehend. It gives me incredible faith that what we are building, is something that will continue to grow organically and that will hopefully be enjoyed by more and more people in the future.
For now, the best brunch in Bologna awaits me. HD video teasers of day 3 and 4 will be online by tomorrow. And full reports from the editors and artists too. And then stay tuned as we start to roll out the documentation of the project starting this month until the end of the summer.
To everyone who came last night, thank you. To everyone who took part in this, bless you.
Laurent
Videos:
Day by day HD teaser vids on Vimeo
Behind the scenes videos on Vimeo
Links:
See behind the scenes on our Tumblr – originalcultures.tumblr.com
Catch the daily blogs on our site – originalcultures.org/blogs
Catch us over at Shook Magazine on the daily too – shook.fm
Hear us tweet as we go – twitter.com/og_cultures
And don’t forget to check/add/friend/fan us on the Flickr, Facebook and Myspace.
Editors’ blog – Workshops day 2
We are sorry but this post is not yet available in English.
Da Giorgia Soncin.
Da oggi cambio di location, che si sposta dallo studio di Ericailcane agli spazi del Sì in via San Vitale 67 a Bologna, luogo deputato per l’evento conclusivo di sabato sera. E’ da oggi che le idee dei tre artisti prendono forma e interagiscono con lo spazio dandogli nuova vita.
Dopo gli interventi dei tre musicisti, che hanno permesso al pubblico di prendere parte alla gestazione del progetto, anche per quanto riguarda ERICAILCANE, DEM e WILL BARRAS, partono ufficialmente le prove in in loco che anche in questo caso dialogano con l’ambientazione scegliendo i linguaggi figurativi più diversi.
Altri elementi si aggiungono dunque alla composizione finale: L’interazione con lo spazio e la scelta di coniugare forme di espressione artisticha legate alla tradizione, che troppo spesso nell’arte contemporanea viene sottovalutata o messa da parte, con le tecnologie del video e dello screening.
Come giustamente ha detto Tayone, uno dei tre musicisti coinvolti nel progetto: “Non aspettatevi uno show come gli altri”. Né dal punto di vista musicale, né tantomeno da quello scenografico in cui gli artisti si riapproprieranno dell’ambiente rivoluzionando con esso l’intero spazio percettivo degli spettatori.
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Da Alarico Mantovani.
Sono arrivati i sub! E si sente…! Il Teatro San Leonardo rimbomba di bassi belli pieni e potenti mentre i Nostri sono all’opera sul materiale di ieri, per raffinarlo, ampliarlo e rielaborarlo al meglio. E’ già pronto un set di almeno una dozzina di pezzi, tutti preparati con impressionante rapidità, nell’arco di appena due giorni. Oggi pomeriggio, entrando in sala, pare evidente che il dialogo artistico stia decollando. La musica del trio assume un livello di fluidità palpabile, è rotonda e scorrevole ma incalzante… a tratti rivela qualche parentela con quei Glitch Mob su cui cadrà il discorso qualche ora più tardi…
Alle 18, come previsto, inizia il workshop dedicato alla sezione musicale di Original Cultures. Il pubblico si dispone nell’adiacente sala dello spazio Sì, dove si svolgerà lo show di sabato, ed assiste ad una dimostrazione in diretta video di Tay, 2Tall e Tatsuki, un assaggio del lavoro che stanno allestendo. Il live demo viene ripreso tramite una telecamera e proiettato su un grande schermo. Al termine del set gli artisti raggiungono i convenuti ed inizia una conversazione/interazione/intervista, gestita e moderata dal sottoscritto e da Laurent Fintoni. La discussione tocca diversi argomenti: in primo luogo la differenza tra l’attività musicale che comunemente svolge un producer e la peculiarità offerta invece da Original Cultures, quella di poter interagire giorno dopo giorno, gomito a gomito, in un’atmosfera di cameratismo creativo e spirito di condivisione di un’esperienza inusuale.
Il focus si sposta poi sulle modalità operative che si sono stabilite tra gli artisti: ne emerge in sostanza una sorta di intercambiabilità, casualità ed eterogeneità dei ruoli in fase di composizione. La chiacchierata scivola quindi sul ruolo del produttore e su quelle che sono le difficoltà di mettere in scena un live davvero efficace ed esauriente al giorno d’oggi. Non potevo non chiedere infine quali sono i loro preferiti al momento e tra i nomi escono Flying Lotus, Mark Pritchard e diversi esponenti della scena dubstep. Ottime scelte direi… Le chiacchiere e gli scambi di pareri proseguono in cortile. Fine della seconda giornata.
Original Cultures Bologna 09 – Day 1 video
Here it is, a short video edit of what happened during the first day of the Original Cultures Pilot at the music workshop. Featuring Tayone, 2tall/Om Unit and Tatsuki.
Edited by The Slow Breakfast. Available as a HD quality download (115mb) optimised for iTunes and iPod viewing. As usual it should work with all media players, as long as you have the latest codecs.
Click underneath the preview to download!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Editors’ blog – Music day 1
We are sorry but this post is not available in English yet.
Da Alarico Mantovani.
Ai nastri di partenza il più in palla è Tatsuki: durante la conferenza stampa svoltasi al Museo della Musica dichiara di essere lieto ed orgoglioso di esibirsi qui a Bologna perché Hidetoshi Nakata (ve lo ricordate?), il più celebre calciatore proveniente dal Paese del Sol Levante, ha in passato vestito la casacca rossoblu. Risata generale.
Una volta giunti alla location destinata ad Original Cultures, i tre dj/producer si dispongono uno dinanzi all’altro su un ampio tavolo quadrato installato al centro del palco del teatro San Leonardo. Una sistemazione ideale per collaborare in progress e conoscersi: inizia così, dopo un lauto pranzo, la prima giornata di prove. Da questo momento cominciano ad edificare, beat dopo beat, scratch dopo scratch, il live set collettivo inedito che presenteranno sabato sera al pubblico. Tutti con i loro portatili, mixer ed i diversi controller che ciascuno ha scelto per l’evento. Tay e Tatsuki utilizzano principalmente i giradischi, con il nipponico circondato da apparecchiature della Korg, l’azienda per cui progetta ed esegue dimostrazioni di strumenti sempre più sofisticati, mentre 2Tall utilizza keyboards ed un drumkit minimale.
Si parte. Scaldano i motori, si annusano su ritmi un po’ sovraccarichi e Tay One propone di scendere su ritmiche un po’ più distese e sincopate: viene fuori una sorta di remix di “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” dei Daft Punk. I tre virano verso un abstract hip hop che poi si fa assolutamente convincente quando assume toni electro-hop su campioni di Kraftwerk e Run Dmc. Jim 2tall inserisce note eteree e traballanti che mi trasportano con la memoria alle atmosfere acquatiche dei Drexciya (Underground Resistance esclama 2tall!). L’amalgama e l’affiatamento sembra crescere sensibilmente con il passare del tempo. La jam successiva si concentra principalmente sulle percussioni, con ritmiche che si fanno piu incalzanti ed una maggior attitudine esplorativa, alla ricerca.
La confidenza tra i tre è ormai piu che buona, complice il gelato al pistacchio elogiato a gran voce da Tatsuki… Ora ci avviciniamo a forme innovative con beat possenti come alcune delle migliori produzioni degli ultimi tempi, vedi l’ultimo Dr. Who Dat?, ma al contempo cerebrali, alla Flying Lotus, con interessanti derive wonky beats, molto Harmonic 313 e Joker. Il livello di coinvolgimento empatico giunge al culmine e così anche la capacità espressiva. A questo punto Laurent Fintoni, durante una pausa, fa il punto della situazione: visti i buoni esiti che si stanno raggiungendo sembra opportuno allungare la durata del live set collettivo a scapito di quelli individuali. Su questo mi trovo perfettamente d’accordo. L’appuntamento è per la giornata successiva.
Original Cultures Pilot – Programme
What? Original Cultures Pilot
When? June 3 to 6
Where? Bologna, Italy
Final programme:
• Thursday 4 June @ Sì, via San Vitale 67
Time 18,00: seminar and meeting with musicians Tayone, 2Tall/Om Unit, Tatsuki
• Friday 5 June @ Libreria Modo Infoshop, via Mascarella 24/b
Time 19,00: seminar and presentation of the Original Cultures project with all artists and staff
• Saturday 6 June @ Sì, via San Vitale 67
Time 18,00/22,00: live aperitivo with live art from Ericailcane, Dem, Will Barras + DJs
Time 22,00/24,00: live showcase with music from Tayone, 2Tall/Om Unit, Tatsuki and art from Ericailcane, Dem, Will. Directed by the artists, one of a kind showcase!
• 1/31 July @ Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna
Installation and exhibition of all the work produced during the Original Cultures pilot + extra work commisioned for the occasion
For more information on the artists please visit our Artists section. For full details of each activity please visit our Events section.
See you there!
