Sonar Festival: DJ Gig Auction on e-Bay

I received this today from Sonar PR Central. They are selling DJ gigs if you want to play at Sonar Festival in Barcelona. Gigs are being auctioned on e-Bay. We live in a capitalist society in which everything becomes commodity (unfortunately). In the spirit of PLUR, I think it would be revolutionary if raised funds were donated to charity or some noble cause. Some millionaire DJs would be motivated to pay even more to participate and help people. See below:

Sónar 2011 is up for auction with 2 extraordinary passes:

Introducing the DJ PASS... Is performing at Sónar your dream? Now you can achieve it with DJ PASS. This is a unique and unrepeatable offer enabling you to buy a 50-minute slot in the booth of the new SonarCar stage, at Sonar by Night (Barcelona) and perform in front of thousands of people. Prepare your set, visit ebay from Monday 2nd May onwards and start bidding. SonarCar is waiting for you.

Opening bid price: 1€
DJ PASS includes: 1 50-minute DJ set on the SonarCar stage on Friday 17th June at Sonar Barcelona + 1 festival accreditation.

...and Introducing the EGO PASS :: Buy your 20 seconds of glory! Do you have something to say to more than 15,000 people? All the screens on the SonarClub Stage on Friday 17th June at Sonar Galicia and Saturday 18th June at Sonar Barcelona can be yours for 20 seconds. Record your message and we will project it after the headlining concert. Visit ebay from Monday 9th May onwards and start bidding for your 20 seconds of glory.

Opening bid price: 1€
Sonar Galicia Ego Pass Auction for Friday 17th June from 9th May onwards.
Sonar Barcelona Ego Pass Auction for Saturday 18th June from 16th May onwards.
EGO PASS includes: projection of a 20-second video with your message after the headlining show on the SonarClub Stage + 1 accreditation for the festival.

*Offers only available to natural persons. Companies and brands may not participate.

Doc: ElectronicAwakening

Sorry for the silence, my friends. I've been too busy with other dimensions of my life, but here is some good news. My colleague Andrew Johner is about to release his new documentary on electronic dance music spirituality "ElectronicAwakening" and is raising some funds to put it on road of festivals and distribution.

He interviewed and video-taped me during his doc research in 2008 (yes, that's a while ago...). I haven't seen the full documentary yet, so I can only hope that my work and myself are featured in a nice light. :-)   I recall that Andrew's ideas centers on scatological beliefs about global transformation related to 2012 Maya Calendar. Will it happen? I don't know. Let's wait and see. In the meantime, you can sit back and enjoy the trailer of "ElectronicAwakening":

"Tron Legacy": Daft Punk's Digital Symphony

Daft Punk's amazing soundtrack for "Tron Legacy" at times resembles Avatar's lethargic soundscapes, but more so evokes "Dark Knight"'s psychological dramaticity. (I actually didn't know the French duo had co-produced "Tron Legacy" with Hans Zimmer, who greatly enjoys the Bethovian-style doorknocks we insistently listen in Batman sequel movies). I'll leave it to music critics and ethnomusicologists to extract genealogies of artists and sounds that make up the album universe, and will rather place some notes on social implications and multimedia connections.

One of my main concerns has been to assess to what extent electronica emerges/pops/arises onto the mainstream, via popular culture or media industry. Is "Tron Legacy" an example? Somewhat but not quite. Daft Punk arguably is one of the most well connected underground artists in terms of media/entertainment industry appearances (e.g., Sony cell phone, DJ Hero soundtracks, etc.). From their origins in 1990s French House, the duo Homem-Cristo and Bagalter does a great job in laying ambient electronic with orchestral symphonics arrangements for Tron Legacy, creating engaging digital soundscapes that is well suited to the movie's digital dreamlike sceneries.

However, don't expect any smashing sounds from the underground, but rather a softer version of ambient music occasionally peppered with hair-raising "acidy" sounds (I wonder if Roland 303s are still used at Disney high-end studios). In sum, this is no underground resistance music, but some interesting exercise (gym) for your mind, with a sentimental touch.

The movie? Well, this is Disney: child-oriented father-son drama; no blood (yet some robot busting), no sex (but some sexy chicks). It looks as though like an interesting view into digital imaginaries of the future, now.

"Eat Pray Love" and "Global Nomads"

The best-seller travelogue by Elizabeth Gilbert has a book precursor (actually many precursors), such as “Global Nomads” by Anthony D'Andrea (Routledge 2007). Both cover the same topic: educated and successful professionals who are existentially unhappy and decide to “drop out” (at least temporarily), traveling globally and experimenting in search of one’s own self.

In fact, there has been a spike in sales of “Global Nomads”, which can be explained by a few factors: a) the start of academic year in the U.S. and Europe (with the book being included in classroom reading lists), b) the gradual popularization of the book (as academic titles may take a few years to take off), and c) as an effect of  “Eat Pray Love” phenomenon played by Julia Roberts.

If you like “Eat Pray Love”, you will probably enjoy “Global Nomads”. As main differences, “Global Nomads” addresses a more marginal countercultural experience of lifestyle migration, connected to Gilbert’s story but more radical at times, as it depicts New Age spiritual practices and Techno rave experimentalism across Spain and India. A more sociological take on disaffected expatriates is another differential of “Global Nomads”, as this book is based on a PhD thesis in Anthropology at the University of Chicago, published by premier publisher Routledge in their premium series: International Library of Sociology (founded by Karl Manheim, currently directed by John Urry).

There are many travelogues out there, in erudite and pop versions, usually written by expatriates who decide to reminisce over their travel or diasporic experiences. There is also a growing literature analyzing such travelogues from a more academic perspective, including topics such as imperial travel, lifestyle migration, global trekking, global wellness resorts, etc. But “Global Nomads” is well connected with “Eat Pray Love” for they share a contemporary concern with modern dilemmas of a troubled, affluent individualism.

"Global Nomads" can be found at Amazon, Routledge, or any other good online book store, in affordable paperback, durable hardback, or in digital edition for Kindle/Ipad e-readers. Enjoy!

SONAR CHICAGO 2010 - a Preview

A press release from Sonar HQ (Barcelona) reached Chicago today (Aug 27). It states [with my edits]:

"On September 9, 10 and 11, Sónar will be staging the first Sónar Chicago, a festival that (...) bases its artistic personality on the DNA of the [pivotal] festival in Barcelona. (...) Sónar Chicago has an ambitious and wide-ranging line-up with plenty of electronic experimentation, in its derivations and mutations and in collision with other genres. [It] will present more than 30 events, including concerts, lectures and screenings." And I must add, it is all FREE (except Smart Bar Sonar nights which are only $5 to $10 anyways...)

I saved you some time and digested Sonar's highly complex website. The festival indeed showcases the cutting-edge of electronica internationally, yet from a peculiar modernist Catalan viewpoint. This means that Sonar unfolds upon a tension, between an experimental/minimalist pole which mainstream crowds will find hard to swallow, against a more emotion-oriented pole hosting danceable, really awesome music (house, pop, dub, even techno).


PROGRAM - SONAR CHICAGO 2010:

Thursday 9th during the day @ Millennium Park provides a general overview of Sonar philosophy, starting with some trippy experimental music (Faraon, Bradien), going into a really crowd-pleasing rap rock (The Slew) followed by a deep tech-housy ending (Martyn).

Friday 10th during the day @ Chicago Cultural Center will feature veeeery experimental stuff. That's "intelligent" music, and if you are expecting to dance, you'll be disappointed with "sound sculpture" (Lesley Flanigan). Still, I highly recommend watching with your ears and eyes Nosaj Visual Show, an amazing blend of music in sync with dynamic visual projections.

"Sonar at Night" (Friday Sep 10th), as always, is unmissable, and you will be amazed with the line-up playing @ Smart Bar, which includes the likes of trippy funk Space Dimension Controller, Black Devil Disco, and the eclectic house of Cosmin.

Saturday 11th during the day will again have experimental music @ Chicago Cultural Center. This is music for head-strong artists into minimalist effects. I recommend it if you are a vanguard aficionado or music composer, to see Chicago's own Flashbulb, or delve into the depths of musical horror deconstructionism (Huan). PS: I heard through the grapevine that Sound Bar will host an ending party Saturday night...


Sonar Chicago program is listed below. (Gray marks indicate the ones I'm not missing...)

It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that Chicago music scene may not be the same after this 30 top-quality-event-line-up festival which intends to become "annual" in Chicago. Sonar has been shaping the electronica scene since the late 1990s, not only in Barcelona, but throughout the continent as well: it is "the largest multimedia festival in Europe", as I've witnessed with my eyes in various editions. Let's wait and see if Sonar will really make history in the Windy City.

PROGRAM - SONAR CHICAGO 2010

Thursday 9

12:00 pm :: Jay Pritzker Pavilion :: Millennium Park :: live :: Faraón

05:00 pm :: Jay Pritzker Pavilion :: Millennium Park :: live :: Bradien

06:00 pm :: Jay Pritzker Pavilion :: Millennium Park :: live :: Jimmy Edgar

07:00 pm :: Jay Pritzker Pavilion :: Millennium Park :: live :: The Slew featuring Kid Koala

08:00 pm :: Jay Pritzker Pavilion :: Millennium Park :: dj :: Martyn

Friday 10

03:00 pm :: SonarHall :: Preston Bradley Hall :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: Faraón

04:00 pm :: SonarComplex :: Claudia Cassidy Theater :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: Bradien

05:00 pm :: SonarHall :: Preston Bradley Hall :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: Lesley Flanigan: Amplifications

06:00 pm :: SonarComplex :: Claudia Cassidy Theater :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: Nosaj Thing Visual Show

07:00 pm :: SonarHall :: Preston Bradley Hall :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: Oval

Sonar by Night

10:00 pm :: Sónar Club Night by Red Bull Music Academy: Smart Bar :: live :: Space Dimension Controller

11:00 pm :: Sónar Club Night by Red Bull Music Academy: Smart Bar :: dj :: Todd Osborn

12:00 am :: Sónar Club Night by Red Bull Music Academy: Smart Bar :: live :: Black Devil Disco Club

01:00 am :: Sónar Club Night by Red Bull Music Academy: Smart Bar :: dj :: Cosmin TRG

02:00 am :: Sónar Club Night by Red Bull Music Academy: Smart Bar :: dj :: Appleblim

Saturday 11

03:00 pm :: SonarHall :: Preston Bradley Hall :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: The Flashbulb feat. the New Millennium Orchestra

04:00 pm :: SonarComplex :: Claudia Cassidy Theater :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: bRUNA

05:00 pm :: SonarHall :: Preston Bradley Hall :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: Huan

06:00 pm :: SonarComplex :: Claudia Cassidy Theater :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: Ben Frost

07:00 pm :: SonarHall :: Preston Bradley Hall :: Chicago Cultural Center :: live :: Nicolas Bernier + Martin Messier: La Chambre des Machines

Ending party (Saturday night) @ Smart Bar?....

Death in the Love Parade

Something went terribly wrong in the last edition of the Love Parade which took place in Duisburg (Germany's Ruhr region) on July 24. Massive crowds bottlenecked in one of the entrances, and 21 people were crushed to death and 500 injured.

Over the years, safety warnings have been issued, although only minimal incidents have been registered. The main problem has always been the huge mess and logistical chaos resulting from a concentration of up to 1.6 million revelers each year. In the early 2000s, Berlin curtailed its public services support (police, garbage collection, traffic control), and the Love Parade was moved to the post-industrial Ruhr region where its towns, looking for a new look and tourism, take turns in hosting the event.

But this year's Love Parade took place in an apparently compact area of a relatively unprepared town, as the venue was occupied by a long line of trucks with DJ music systems, whereto hundreds of thousands of people, as usual, concentrate. The safety controls collapsed against the massive crowd, which could not be hold back. Authorities could only pray for that the worst would not happen, but it did. More information can be accessed in the press, such as UK's The Economist.

As repercussions - it is unlikely that the Love Parade will be forbidden. But tighter regulations and professional organization will be certainly demanded by public authorities (- remember, this is Germany). The encroachment of public controls/commercial interests begs the question of whether the Love Parade remains a political carnival, a movement of critique of mainstream society. Certainly not.

Let's face it, an event that attracts 1.5 million young people and is sponsored ("co-opted") by a gym chain, structured nightclubs, and local mayors is by no means countercultural. That doesn't mean that it has no value, or that people can't have fun. Enjoying and taking it lightly is something that several countercultural subcultures have forgotten... In any case, minimal organization and safety must be provided, particularly at such massive levels of attendance.

12-Month Updates - Fresh from Google Analytics

A few updates on Global Raver over the last 12 months, according to Google Analytics. This is what I found:

• London overtook Calgary as the top city reading Global Raver.

• UK overtook India as the second place in number of blog visits, after the US.

• The most popular post now is "How to Find a Rave Party", overtaking the classic one on Pac Man quote hoax.

• Lots of people in California trying to find parties around...

Stay tuned...

Rio de Janeiro: In between Gangsters and Drag Queens

Electronic music scenes are quite unique in Rio de Janeiro. They unfold upon a sharp divide between funk and house, the underclass and the upper class, pushing and pulling a sizable middle-class youth in opposite directions.

On the one hand, "bailes funk" are highly popular parties playing a sort of proto-hip hop, James Brown-inspired music marked by a tough syncopated beat and irreverent, goofy lyrics. Originated in marginal segments of the working-class youth, funk parties are often sponsored by drug lords in ghettos outside police reach.

Nevertheless, funk music has become fashionable among a larger segment of the middle-class, and can be easily found in nicer venues, such as those in the "bohemian" (gentrified) district of Lapa and uptown Barra. "Ghetto cool" is not unique to Rio (- just see, for example, white college kids dressing like gangsters in the U.S. or France). But the popularity of funk among well-off segments also expresses the glamorization of gangsterism, a historical feature of carioca culture unfortunately.

On the other hand, electronic dance music per se (house, tech house, deep house, industrial, etc.) is almost exclusively found in gay milieus of uptown Rio. In larger parties, a mass of G.I.-looking teen males can be seen sweating shirtless on the dance-floor, showing-off their beefed-up muscles as if holding imaginary buckets. Most gay nightclubs in the city charge incredibly inflated entry prices to opposite sex individuals. (So, fag hags must find some other safe venue to show their love).

Yet, there are a few truly exceptional nightclubs in Rio that are more eclectic, diverse, queer in essence, welcoming all sorts of smart clubbers: straights, gays, lesbians, more or less discreet, more or less outrageous - just like any good party should be! Against the myriad of club labels that come and go over the years, I must mention Dama de Ferro (Iron Lady), located in an oddly-looking bunker-style house in Ipanema. This is a small yet highly cosmopolitan venue, hosting clubbers and DJs from the best corners of the planet. Moreover, in a fashion resembling Manumission (now defunct) or Bar 25 (Berlin), the creative promoters of Dama de Ferro - led by charismatic Adriana - have expanded their party portfolio to include experiments with cabaret art and "silent [headphone] parties". Viva Dama!

Massive Attack is Back!

Just a quick note to let you know that Massive Attack new album is out. "Splitting the Atom" contains many innovative, high-quality tracks yet in the line of the British duo's prior work. Check the amazing juxtaposition of sound and imagery in the digital video clip "United Snakes" by clicking here. Wicked!

Scientists on the Dancefloor: Dancecult Journal

A brand new academic journal is now out in the scientific arena: Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture. In its first edition, this is a peer-reviewed, open-access e-journal. Edited by scholar Graham St-John, Dancecult articles come in pdfs accessible at: http://dj.dancecult.net

A book review of Global Nomads was also published in its first edition. The review was written by Charles de Ledesma, a professional travel writer and PhD candidate at University of East London. I am very flattered with Charles' words about my book:

The sub section "Techno trance assemblage: aesthetics of power and limit-experience" remains the strongest, most ethically powerful and revealing writing on the psychedelic trance party to date, certainly in an academic context, if not anywhere.

Thanks Charles, and congratulations Graham on Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture!