This is not the first time Unsound travels abroad. Previous editions took place in Tbilisi, Adelaide, Minsk, Kiev, Prague, and Bratislava, while the largest Unsound besides the one in Kraków has taken place in New York City - twice. The event continues to export the most interesting Polish experminental music acts. In the words of Mat Schulz the festival's founding artistic director"
Unsound London is a great opportunity to make the link between Poland and the U.K., developed via our festival, even stronger, as well as bring artists or projects to London that wouldn’t usually appear here, especially in such combinations. The Polish contemporary-music scene is very strong right now, but too often overlooked, so we’ve given it particular attention throughout the programme.
Unsound highlights will include projects commissioned especially by the organizers. The London edition is going to be opened with the performance by Concealed – a mutual project by Demdike Stare and Michael England, including a violin partita devised by Danny Norbury and played by Sinfonietta Cracovia. Demdike Stare’s "occult project" fuses obscure library records and horror soundtracks with rhythm and dub elements. Concealed, featured at the festival in Kraków in 2012, was very well received by critics. Jędrek Jędrośka wrote for Lineout.pl: "Beautiful music and excellent string section. It is a combination that would normally promise cheap incitement ('classical music plus something else'); in this case turned out to be a skilfully designed mix". The Guardian was also very enthusiastic about the concert in Kraków: "Their mixture of acoustic instruments and rumbling electronics creates an icy sonic grandeur".
The festival will also present top Polish electronic-music performers. Anna Zaradny, the composer, improviser and audio-visual installation artist – to list just a few areas that she is involved in – is aboard, as is Robert Piotrowicz, the composer, improviser and sound artist who has played many a time with Zaradny.
The youngest segment of the Polish scene will be represented by three distinct projects. Piotr Orzechowski, aka Pianohooligan, is going to present a show based on classic-music compositions of Krzysztof Penderecki "rewritten" for grand piano and electric Rhodes Piano. In the original arrangements, these compositions crush audiences with their arsenal of noisy instruments forming jarring, invasive sound textures. Pianohooligan attains similar effects with the grand piano he personally adjusts.
BNNT is a band led by Konrad Somoleński, the Polish representative at the 55th International Art Exhibition in Venice, and Daniel Szwed. The aim of this noise-punk band is to create sound interventions and bomb the audience – often made up of accidental listeners, as BNNT likes to perform in public without any prior announcement – with intense noise. Stara Rzeka, the solo project of Kuba Ziołek, is characteristic for its baroque eclecticism and excess – its sources of inspiration are black metal, fingerpicking and several varieties of electronic music.
The first Unsound festival took place in 2003, and it has since been an annual event. Initial editions were oriented towards the Polish audience, but in recent years the festival has seen a growing number of fans of experimental music from all over the world. Discussion panels also play an important role in the festival’s programme. The festival hosted a series of talks organized by The Wire from the U.K. in 2012, and by Glissando, the Polish magazine for experimental music, and by one of the most significant websites for club music – Resident Advisor.
Author: Filip Lech, July 2013, transl. AM July 2013
Sources: unsound.pl, unsoundproductions.com