Live show reports / comments

[Balor/SS1535]

Can you say more about the Ochu set?  It sounds from what you say that it was amplified?  If so, how?

It was a three-piece for this performance. Combination of pre-recorded sounds on (mostly?) tape and lots of live fumbling & cracking of various types of wood. The live source sounds were looped and manipulated which created a nice blend with the prerecorded materials. The focus was definitely on the sounds produced in the moment.


Besides that an absolutely amazing set by Alfarmania + Proiekt Hat, somehow managing to perfectly walk the line between crude abrupt madness & hallucinatory psychedelic drift. Other noteworthy sets were Anenzephalia, Treriksröset, Lille Roger and Control.

Thank you!  It sounds very cool, not to mention a fun idea for future experimentation.

[post-morten]

Gutted I couldn't be in Stockholm this time. Lots of acts I hate having missed out on. I'm especially annoyed to have missed Alfarmania/Proiekt Hat once again. No big reveal on who is behind African Imperial Wizard then? Expected but a little bit disappointing.

AIW is a French (white) guy with a background in the techno scene. He was pretty much the only non black-clad person in the venue. I didn't like his set. Not so much for his style of music. More so for the sort of cultural appropriation he indulges in. His imagery and background videos promote stereotypes by taking African tribal traditions out of context and exploiting them for his own purposes. Having lived a decade on African soil I can't help but object to this.

As for the good stuff I pretty much agree with everyone else. Inade, Lille Roger, Control, Ochu, Alfarmania + Proiekt Hat all delivered super solid sets. Also need to mention Trepaneringsritualen. Of course they are now a mainstay on the live circuit but this was my first opportunity too see them, which was most impressing. Also liked Beckahesten, sort of a slower, more introvert Sephiroth.

[Phenol]

Gutted I couldn't be in Stockholm this time. Lots of acts I hate having missed out on. I'm especially annoyed to have missed Alfarmania/Proiekt Hat once again. No big reveal on who is behind African Imperial Wizard then? Expected but a little bit disappointing.

AIW is a French (white) guy with a background in the techno scene. He was pretty much the only non black-clad person in the venue. I didn't like his set. Not so much for his style of music. More so for the sort of cultural appropriation he indulges in. His imagery and background videos promote stereotypes by taking African tribal traditions out of context and exploiting them for his own purposes. Having lived a decade on African soil I can't help but object to this.

As for the good stuff I pretty much agree with everyone else. Inade, Lille Roger, Control, Ochu, Alfarmania + Proiekt Hat all delivered super solid sets. Also need to mention Trepaneringsritualen. Of course they are now a mainstay on the live circuit but this was my first opportunity too see them, which was most impressing. Also liked Beckahesten, sort of a slower, more introvert Sephiroth.

Thanks for clearing that up. Can't help but find it a little stupid to create all of that mystery and fake identity only to blow the cover like that. I'm not so sure how I feel about AIW. Something about the whole thing feels a bit off to me. I don't like to throw terms like "fake" around too much, but that's kind of how it feels to me. I understand your sentiment about the cultural appropriation of African tribal culture. At the same time, that's also kind of what industrial is; the appropriation/subversion of information by displacing it, so why not do that to African culture(s) as well? I was a bit curious about Beckahesten. I have difficulty not laughing at neo-pagan dress up like stupid elfs bands such as Wardruna and Heilung and Beckahesten is a little bit to that side, at the same time I have listened to some of their stuff on Spotify when I saw their name on the poster for this event and found it strangely enjoyable. Glad the event was a succes!

[accidental]

Who was the guy collabing with Treriksröset? Looked very familiar but could not figure out.