Great festival for me.
KONTINENT was intense start. Perhaps even too intense, considering that the standards this project set with it's heavy electronics assault was on such level, it took until late evening to really match such level! Kontinent was one half of Kevlar. Not so far from Kevlar's sound, but perhaps even further to atmosphere of suffocating heaviness of electronics. Vocals probably intentionally quite low in mix.
TERROR CELL UNIT from USA was not really my thing. Rhythm loops, samples and some vocals. Often using samples without any artistic treatment seems quite lazy, and this was the case here too. Something what sounds like someone listening news from youtube while other guy keeps dull rhythm beat going on and on and on. It would be nice to have the samples sound good and somehow blend in...
Last time I saw MAGADAN it was good. What the hell happened here? Last time aggressive processed vocals changed into dry and powerless mumbling and electronics from lap-top couldn't really save much..
ANTIVALIUM has much more stage presence. It was pretty good thing to watch after these two. While more power electronics leaning works were nice, there were too many rhythmic tracks for my personal taste. However, even as it is, lightyears ahead TCU, that's for sure.
Basically it was Unrest roster artists who set festival back on track. Since shows in Finland, STAB ELECTRONICS added more new tracks on set, changed videos to ball-crushing brutalism and provided what man does well. Straight forward power electronics sleaze. Even when backing video shut down for little while, it didn't affect the set. People just cheered more, when suddenly video appears again instantly to dominatrix kicking slave-men to groin.
IFOTS was surprisingly "laid back" if one can say that? It was getting late, considering the "jetlag" over travels, so I wasn't 100% focused on entire set, but listening eyes closed on the side of venue, zoning in&out of attention, hah, but as it was, good to see IFOTS again.
Walk from islington to about 7-10km to some shitty hostel was good awakening.
Was playing drums at the Desertfest at Camden during afternoon. Luckily slot there was so early, I could basically see entire Saturday of UFOI too!
INSTINCT PRIMAL was in stage when I came in. Maybe saw 1/3 or half of set? Jan had been the guy help out with Madagan yesterday, and his lap-top / vocal processing worked much better with this atmospheric slowmotion... well, I guess we can call it "ambient"? At least based on the stuff what I saw.
I liked that MOLLUSK KING split tape what came out last year. Wasn't sure how he could play that stuff live, and I guess he didn't try to recreate such complex studio work? At first I was quite positive that he seemed like getting there among the better acts of the fest, but then dull techno beat started to appear and clumsy bass-guitar goofin' around. It was quite satisfactory to watch, that he actually did a lot on stage. Create sound, scream passionately etc, but the music combined with animations and horrormovie clips aren't really something I'm into.
KOUFAR was nearly identical to Terror Cell Unit. It was notch better, but not enough for me. I didn't care much for the rhyths, nor vast majority of electronic noises they managed to pull. I appreciate frantic screaming, yet it was always the same from track to another. Like with TCU, samples were just dry and clean political messages. I am quire fan of blatant political approach, but if it lacks the tiny element of actually treating speeches with at least some artistic touch, then it may cross the thin line of mere indoctrination attempt. One could see the men felt passionate on expressing themselves, but I didn't feel it myself. Still, I greatly appreciate such rare opportunity to actually see what's up.
Secret act suddenly appeared. When I saw personnel on stage, I was sure it's going to be ZYKLON SS, and that it was. If Koufar had themes indicating racial tension, it was here too, but perhaps slightly other angle. What Zyklon SS has in benefit, was great vocal sound. Raw, simple, yet clear enough to get all the blunt slogans. Another was the physical noise making. Scratching of metal sheets. Piercing feedback. Rugged sounding old speeches, which have exactly the artistic quality I was talking before. You know, I don't absolutely need speech to be white supremacist rant, but I'd need or hope it to have this type of grainy, mystical and audio-alchemic nature. Not some digital news broadcast, but with artistic touch. Lots of ZSS stuff was just piercing feedback and yelling, not very far from some XE material, but later on the set emerged more rhythmic heavy electronics background what set the course of set towards his latest tape. I'm sure some say cliche ridden, but burning crosses and klansmen and freedom spirit of white rebels don't get old in context of industrial music.
If Saturday had already proven to be total success, KEVLAR just raised the stakes. Fucking great. Some said "cliche", but if that word means things what has lost its power to make impact, then I could say Kevlar was perhaps the opposite. And I guess vast majority of audience must have felt the same based on reactions. INTENSE. Great stage presence. Great sound, great vocals. Killer track after another. Perhaps among very best of power electronics/heavy electronics live bands at this moment!
Another observation of audience reactions was that perhaps festival could use more than 1 harsh noise act? While KERANEN basically stands still behind his desc, making harsh noise, he could get audience burst in energy. Perhaps not in same way as the "mosh pit" of Jaakko Vanhala set last year, but nevertheless! His set consisted perhaps 4 distinctive chapters. He would start making something, reach point of apparently finding what he was looking for and milking the moment until it's done. Then move on. At least to me it seemed like there was clear transitions, although man himself just commented "it's always the same", haha.. Harsh noise energy, that's good thing to be even in industrial festival!
Italian UNCODIFIED had quite tough to be last to play after good evening. He delivered solid set. It was man making rough industrial-noise. No vocals, but lots of processing tapes, electronics etc. It has edge of noise to it, but not really the free-form approach like Keränen. More towards instrumental power electronics.
This time UFOI schedule run accurately. Everything happened in time, all organization appears to work smoothly. There was very decent crowd especially in Saturday. While not all bands were my taste, I appreciate festival to give chance to small, unknown, different bands. I don't know who'd bring bands like TCU or Koufar to Europe if it wasn't this? All the sort of "safe choices" get to visit europe multiple times, so I salute UFOI for courage to give it a try for something different. I think Unrest's own roster kept the core in high level, even if some of the smaller groups hardly lived up to expectation of international industrial festival. It seemed quite clear who have played more or rehearse etc.
Thanks to Unrest & rest of the UFOI crew and people I met.. several I regret not to talk at all, but perhaps next time..
