the press release

PRESS RELEASE
A L‘ARME! FESTIVAL VOL. IV
—INNER LANDSCAPES & UNKNOWN CHAMBERS
27 – 30 JULI 2016
BERGHAIN BERLIN & RADIALSYSTEM V
Now in it’s fourth edition the A L’ARME! Festival invites you to be part of a metaphysical
journey to our inner self! The guiding theme of INNER LANDSCAPES & UNKNOWN
CHAMBERS lends itself as a potent metaphor for almost every emotional state, whether it be joy, curiosity, pain, desire, awe, the sublime or simply as a space where we
search for a sense of dejà-vu and ultimately, beauty...
In our perception of the sensitive and sentient individual, the severe natural phenomena and outer landscapes such as the desert, wilderness, mountains and ocean with
their magnificent panoramas often create a polarizing reflection on the fragility and
smallness of humankind in the face of this, the duality of the infinite both of an exterior
world and a world within.
Let us consider a realm where musical composition and performance is created in an
imaginary space in which we can indulge an affection for music/ sound - one without
any tangible or practical purpose – to find a space within this space in-between. Here
in this playground of the immeasurable we are consumed by the intensity of this given
perceptive space. Here we become free to engage with/in the cognitive processes
caused by sound connecting the infinite dimensions and reach of the music, the sound,
the space and the body.
Within the frame of contemporary experimental music, A L’ARME! VOL. IV has focused
on a theme which addresses the creative artistic construction of these imaginary
A L'ARME! Festival — Rastig & Mertin GbR — Prenzlauer Allee, 201 — 10405 Berlin
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A L‘ARME! FESTIVAL VOL. IV — INNER LANDSCAPED & UNKNOWN CHAMBERS — BERLIN — ALARMEFESTIVAL.DE
spaces with the notion of creating a topography of these areas of perception in which
‘inner’ and ‘outer’ events are no longer clearly defined. These could be called liminal
interstices, dominated by ambivalence, contradiction or a kind of radicalization of
binary oppositions of the tangible and the ephemeral.
These are the UNKNOWN CHAMBERS in which no definition of “either/or” exists, but
rather prevail within a connected coexistence. Mental divisions, transformations and
transitions are executed playfully and symbolically in a sense reflecting the notion of a
kind of 'rite of passage' - to be living between realms in this space of the improbable and to explore this rare state, its transition and flux exposed.
So what does it mean for a festival embarking on an expedition along such treshhold?
For what promises to be something of a powerful and intense opening night hosted in
the renowned Berlin venue Berghain on the wednesday up until a long emersive Saturday night at Radialsystem V, when those themes and ideas of INNER LANDSCAPES will
be represented and shared by 50 state-of-the-art musicians from three continents.
From incendiary group free-improvisation to contemplative deep-listening and multimedia performances from world renowned groups and solo acts along with a number of
exclusive collaborations between some extraordinary singers and vocal virtuosos, performing in English, German and French to experience a vital and relevant voice of freedom. The festival will thoroughly explore the expansive fields of music and soundscapes - encompassing what we call avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, psychedelic-folk, drone, dark ambient, avant-garde pop and noise. While diving into the perceptive realms of dream-states and fantasy these sonic encounters make such genres or
tags seem meaningless.
A L’ARME! VOL. IV promises to be a challenging experience for musical pilgrims of
experimental sound and senses.
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A L‘ARME! FESTIVAL VOL. IV — INNER LANDSCAPED & UNKNOWN CHAMBERS — BERLIN — ALARMEFESTIVAL.DE
— LINE-UP OVERVIEW
ANNA HÖGBERG ATTACK! (SE)
BUTCHER/BAUER/MEYER (GB/CH/DE)
FIRE! & OREN AMBARCHI (SE/AT/AU)
FOVEA HEX (IE)
FRANCOIS TESTORY (FR)
JOE MCPHEE (US)
LANIAKEA FEAT. MASSIMO PUPILLO & DANIEL O'SULLIVAN (IT/GB)
LUFT FEAT. MATS GUSTAFSSON & ERWAN KERAVEC (SE/AT/FR)
MIEKO SUZUKI (JP/DE)
MOHAMMAD (GR)
PETER BRÖTZMANN/HEATHER LEIGH (DE/GB/US)
SARAH NEUFELD (CA)
SEVAL FEAT. FRED LONBERG-HOLM & SOFIA JERNBERG (US/SE)
THE GREAT HANS UNSTERN SWINDLE (DE/BE)
TRANSFER FEAT. ANDY MOOR & ANNE-JAMES CHATON (NL/GB/FR/AU)
TRONDHEIM JAZZ ORCHESTRA & KRISTOFFER LO (NO/DK)
YAIR ELAZAR GLOTMAN (IL/DE)
U.V.M.
An event by Louis Rastig und Karina Mertin (ABOUTNOW). In cooperation with MOTE
Studio, RADIALSYSTEM V and BERGHAIN BERLIN. Funded by Hauptstadtkulturfonds.
Artistic direction: Louis Rastig
Concept & project management: Karina Mertin (ABOUTNOW)
Design & PR: MOTE Studio (Davide Luciani, Fabio Perletta, Daniel Cupic, Marco
Portello)
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BERGHAIN BERLIN
Am Wriezener Bahnhof
10243 Berlin (S-Ostbahnhof)
RADIALSYSTEM V
Holzmarktstr. 33
10243 Berlin (S-Ostbahnhof)
— FESTIVAL PASSES & TICKETS
Day pass: € 25 (reduced) / € 32
Combined ticket for three days at Radialsystem: € 70 (reduced) / € 80
Premium ticket for four days Festival: € 80 (reduced) / € 100
Opening hours ticket office:
Tue - Fri from 10am to 7pm, Sat and Sun from 12 to 7pm, as well as 1 hour before the
event.
Ticket hotline: 030 - 288 788 588 or at www.radialsystem.de
www.alarmefestival.de
www.berghain.de
www.facebook.com/alarmefestival
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A L‘ARME! FESTIVAL VOL. IV — INNER LANDSCAPED & UNKNOWN CHAMBERS — BERLIN — ALARMEFESTIVAL.DE
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A L‘ARME! FESTIVAL VOL. IV — INNER LANDSCAPED & UNKNOWN CHAMBERS — BERLIN — ALARMEFESTIVAL.DE
— WEDNESDAY 27.07.2016, 19:00
BERGHAIN BERLIN
With Sarah Neufeld, Laniakea, Fire! & Oren Ambarchi and many more
Doors: 19:00 / Start: 19:00 / Entrance 18+ only!
SET 1: SOLO
SARAH NEUFELD (CA) — violin, vocals
SET 2: LANIAKEA
DANIEL O‘SULLIVAN (UK) — voice, electronics
MASSIMO PUPILLO (IT) — electric bass
FRANCOIS TESTORY (FR) — voice
ECHO COLLECTIVE (GB) — string players
SET 3: FIRE! & OREN AMBARCHI
MATS GUSTAFSSON (SE/AT) — saxophones
JOHAN BERTHLING (SE) — electric bass
ANDREAS WERLIIN (SE) — drums
OREN AMBARCHI (AU) — electric guitar, electronics
ON DECKS:
MIEKO SUZUKI (JP/Berlin) — records, sound design
Laniakea is home. A reflection of our galactic supercluster, Daniel O'Sullivan (Ulver,
Grumbling Fur, Æthenor, Mothlite) and Massimo Pupillo (Zu) invoke eternal vibrations
devoted to living spirit in perpetual becoming.
Cosmic hymns and atomised riffs slowed and stretched to unveil a pantheon of sound
in particle form. Drawing on a rich tapestry of influences ranging from the plainchant
of Hildegard von Bingen to Alice Coltrane's vedantic tapes to the monolithic bass
frequencies of Godflesh. Laniakea investigates the micro and the macro in hermetic
ubiquity. As above so below.
Recorded at 147 Tower Gardens former home to gentleman satyr and Coil affiliate Ian
Johnstone (and former residence of DOS), this music was conceived soon after Ian's
untimely passing. An exercise in how to transform grief into grace. How to allow grace
to transform space. How space can transmit information and be transformed in sound.
A space so charged with life and energy and art and magick that only the physical
presence of two vessels were needed to manipulate a variety of instruments and the
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A L‘ARME! FESTIVAL VOL. IV — INNER LANDSCAPED & UNKNOWN CHAMBERS — BERLIN — ALARMEFESTIVAL.DE
atmosphere provided all the rest. Daniel was custodian of the suburban dwelling in
which Ian Johnstone poured enormous love and energy. Clad in dark stained wood, a
dense menagerie of power amulets and the sidereal painting of Austin Osman Spare,
Ian shared his home with the late Jhonn Balance of Coil up until his death in 2004. In
the process of packing an immense cabinet of curiosities into cardboard boxes, Daniel
was visited by his friend Massimo (now resident of the Peruvian jungle and student of
shamanic power plants) and in the midst of a great grief sounds began to flow with
little discussion.
Only to celebrate the artistic and human heritage of dearly departed friends through
music.
Hence Laniakea was born. And started sailing home.
LANIAKEA will be joined by special guests François Testory (who used to perform live
with Coil) on vocals
and with live strings from Echo Collective (Stars Of The Lid and A Winged Victory For
The Sullen).
The Echo Collective collaborates on and produces music that bridges classical and
non-classical genres. Bringing new audiences to all kinds of music.
http://houseofmythology.com/
Listen to the album here: https://laniakea.bandcamp.com
MIEKO SUZUKI (KOOKOO)
Working for over 15 years, Mieko Suzuki is a Japanese DJ and sound artist who has
been based in Berlin since 2007. Grounded in hauling deep bass, Mieko's sets create
a constant tension between the delicate, the raw and the daring. Folding together and
finding connections between the subtle textures and qualities of different genres,
Mieko's experimental approach always gives careful attention to the space and to the
people. Noise and warm ambience, rhythm and industrial resonance are improvised
together to submerge you in a big adventure of electronic sound.
https://soundcloud.com/mieko
http://www.miekosuzuki.net
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— THURSDAY 28.07.2016, 20:00
RADIALSYSTEM V
With Mohammad, Mats Gustafsson, Erwan Keravec, Transfer and many more
Doors: 18:00 – A L'ARME! Slow Food BBQ by PIECHAS (river side)
Concerts start: 20:00
SET 1 @ HALLE: MOHAMMAD
ILIOS (GR) — oscillators
NIKOS VELIOTIS (GR) — electric cello
SET 2 @ HALLE: LUFT
MATS GUSTAFSSON (SE/AT) — saxophones, flutophone
ERWAN KERAVEC (FR) — bagpipes
+ direct
SET 3 @ HAALE: TRANSFER
ANDY MOOR (GB/NE) — electric guitar
ANNE-JAMES CHATON (FR) — voice
ROY PACI (IT) — trumpet
JOE WILLIAMSON (CA) — double-bass
GOERGE HADOW (GB/NL) — drums
+ Visuals by Iranian filmmaker BANI KHOSHNOUDI
Mohammad [Antifrost, PAN] have been forging their deep monolithic sound for the
past 6 years, bringing together low frequencies, inter-modulations, dark textures, and
distant folk nuances through custom made instruments and software. Prolific in their
output with 6 releases to date, their sonic arsenal is equally deployed live, a ceremonial
experience in physical sound [quoted by some as ‘Chamber Doom”] that evokes a
wide emotional palette.
“Mohammad’s set-up is, to say the least, unconventional. Sterling stuff … ”
— FACT Mag
“ More than just the trio’s name conjures a sense of religiosity: their melodies evoke
liturgical chanting”
— The Wire
“Certain projects appear to be born in heaven… Mohammad is one of them”
— Touching Extremes
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A L‘ARME! FESTIVAL VOL. IV — INNER LANDSCAPED & UNKNOWN CHAMBERS — BERLIN — ALARMEFESTIVAL.DE
“You breathe it in like vaporized anesthetic and pray that it will never end.”
— Tiny Mix Tapes
http://mohammad.gr/
https://vimeo.com/51703465
https://vimeo.com/129024081
https://vimeo.com/98311996
https://youtu.be/3lCY3kj4w-A (live)
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— FRIDAY 29.07.2016, 20:00
RADIALSYSTEM V
With Hans Unstern, Joe McPhee, Sofia Jernberg, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and many more
Doors: 18:00 A L'ARME! Slow Food BBQ by PIECHAS (river side)
Concerts start: 20:00
SET 1 @ HALLE: THE GREAT HANS UNSTERN SWINDLE
HANS UNSTERN (Berlin) — vocals, electric guitar, harps
SIMON BAUER (Berlin) — double-bass, harps
TUCKÉ ROYALE (Berlin) — vocals, electric guitar, percussion
DANIEL SCHRÖTELER (Berlin) — drums, harps
PAULINE BOEYKENS (Berlin) — sousaphone
ELS VANDEWEYER (BE/Berlin) — vibraphone
SET 2 + 3 @ SAAL: MCPHEE/MARHAUG/NILSSEN-LOVE
JOE MCPHEE (US) — reeds, pocket trumpet
LASSE MARHAUG (NO) — electronics
PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE (NO) — drums
SET 2 + 3 @ STUDIO A: SEVAL
SOFIA JERNBERG (SE) — vocals
FRED LONBERG-HOLM (US) — cello
DAVID STACKENÄS (SE) — guitar
EMIL STRANDBERG (SE) — cornet
PATRIC THORMAN (SE) — double-bass
SET 4 @ HALLE: TRONDHEIM JAZZ ORCHESTRA & KRISTOFFER LO
INGRID HELENE HÅVIK (NO) — vocals
KARI ESKILD HAVENSTRØM (NO) — vocals
EIRIK HEGDAL (NO) — saxophones and clarinets
ANDRÉ ROLIGHETEN (NO) — saxophones and clarinets
METTE RASMUSSEN (DK/NO) — alto saxophone
THOMAS JOHANSSON (NO) — trumpet
ERIK JOHANNESSEN (NO) — trombone
PETTER VÅGAN (NO) — guitar and vocals
OLA KVERNBERG (NO) — violin and viola
TOMAS JÄRMYR (SE/NO) — drums
PEKKA STOKKE (NO) — live visuals
TOR BREIVIK (NO) — live sound
KRISTOFFER LO (NO) — tuba, guitar, flugabone, vocals and music
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A L‘ARME! FESTIVAL VOL. IV — INNER LANDSCAPED & UNKNOWN CHAMBERS — BERLIN — ALARMEFESTIVAL.DE
— SATURDAY 30.07.2016, 20:00
RADIALSYSTEM V
With Yair Elazar Glotman, Peter Brötzmann, Heather Leigh, John Butcher, Anna
Högberg Attack! and many more
Doors: 18:00 A L'ARME! Slow Food BBQ by PIECHAS (river side)
Concerts start: 20:00
SET 1 @ HALLE: SOLO
YAIR ELAZAR GLOTMAN (IS/Berlin) — double-bass, electronics
SET 2 @ HALLE: BRÖTZMANN/LEIGH
PETER BRÖTZMANN (DE) — reeds
HEATHER LEIGH (GB/US) — pedal steel guitar
SET 3 + 4 @ SAAL: ANNA HÖGBERG ATTACK!
ANNA HÖGBERG (SE) — baritone sax
ELSA BERGMANN (SE) — double-bass
ELIN LARSSON (SE) — tenor sax
MALIN WÄTTRING (SE) — tenor sax
LISA ULLÉN (SE) — piano
ANNA LUND (SE) — drums
SET 3 + 4 @ STUDIO A: MEYER/BAUER/BUTCHER
SABINA MEYER (CH/IT) — voice
JOHN BUTCHER (GB) — tenor saxophone
MATTHIAS BAUER (Berlin) — doublebass
SET 5 @ HALLE: FOVEA HEX (IE)
CLODAGH SIMONDS (IE) — vocals, keyboard, piano, harmonium
LAURA SHEERAN (IE) — vocals, various instruments
KATE ELLIS (IE) — cello
CORA VENUS LUNNY (IE) — vocals, viola
MICHAEL BEGG (UK) — electronics, keyboard
COLIN POTTER (UK) — mix, electronics
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ab Mitternacht A L‘ARME! AFTER SHOW
ON DECKS:
MIEKO SUZUKI (JP/Berlin) — records, electronics
DAVIDE LUCIANI / MOTE Studio (IT/Berlin) — electronics
YAIR ELAZAR GLOTMAN (also known by his Ketev alias) is a Berlin-based sound artist
and interdisciplinary experimentalist focusing on electroacoustic composition, sound
installations and sculptures. Yair’s sonic world produced under his own name stretches
between icy and melancholic layers of sharp drone waves to haunting acoustic
experimentation exploring the variety of resonance transmitted by a contrabass.
His compositions are currently concerned with analog tape loops, electronics and,
most importantly, contrabass – an instrument in which he is classically trained. For A
L´ARME! Vol IV he interrogates his chosen instrument, drawing out its hidden
resonances, physical vibrations, and exploring the uncharted territory of the
instrument’s acoustic dynamic range. Creating a separation between action and
outcome, he escapes learned restraint, abandons former training, and develops a
method by which concentration and control are translated into a visceral interaction
with the bass, uncovering hidden sounds and building an expansive and dynamic sonic
palette for the contrabass, beyond the confines of classical virtuosity.
FOVEA HEX continue to be one of the most intriguing phenomena in contemporary
music. Clodagh Simonds visionary ensemble has developed an enviable cult status
both in Europe and the United States, have performed at the personal invitation of
David Lynch in the gardens of the Cartier Foundation in Paris and have attracted the
free and willing participation of a genre and generation hopping rollcall of A-list
luminaries including Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Carter Burwell, Donal Lunny, and Steven
Wilson, as well as a who's who of the electronic avant-garde including Roger Doyle, the
Hafler Trio, William Basinski, Colin Potter and Michael Begg.
The frequently claimed "impossible to categorise" tag applies well to Fovea Hex. The
songs are dominated by a voice that's too strong to be deigned ethereal, but remains
too otherworldly to file alongside more conventional female singer-songwriters. As
Drew Daniels of Matmos observed "The starlit nocturnes of Fovea Hex bind
electronics, drones and voices into song-spells that are untimely in the best possible
sense; their intimacy and raw emotional power feel centuries old, but the experimental
sound-design can be shockingly modern."
The shape-shifting nature of Fovea Hex has seen the ensemble assume a variety of
performance formats. A L’Arme constitutes a rare opportunity to experience the full
ensemble: Clodagh Simonds (voice, keyboard, harmonium), Michael Begg (electronics,
keyboard), Colin Potter (mix, electronics), Laura Sheeran (voice, various instruments),
Cora Venus Lunny (viola) and Kate Ellis (cello).
»Some of the most extraordinary songs i've heard in years«
(Brian Eno)
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»One of the most hauntingly lovely discoveries of this or any other century thus far«
(Neil Cooper, The List)
»If Emily Dickinson had ever been allowed to make a record, this is probably what it
would have sounded like«
(The Wire)
http://www.janetrecords.com/2015/index.html
~
The A L´ARME! AFTER SHOW ritual will continue with hypnotic sounds by MIEKO
SUZUKI and DAVIDE LUCIANI of MOTE Studio.
https://soundcloud.com/mieko
http://www.motestudio.net/
https://soundcloud.com/lucianidavide
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FESTIVAL CONTACT
Artistic Director
Louis Rastig
— [email protected]
Concept planning /
Project management
Karina Mertin (ABOUTNOW)
— [email protected]
PRESS & MEDIA CONTACT
— [email protected]
PARTNER
Gefördert durch:
Hauptstadtkulturfonds
In Kooperation mit:
Berghain, Radialsystem V,
MOTE Studio
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