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Netaudio Festival 2009 Report

Marco Donnarumma — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:05:12 +0000

All pictures by Joanna M. Stacewicz, thank you!

Berlin. Wonderful as always.

I visited again the city 3 weeks ago to play the audiovisual concert ‘I C::ntr::l Nature’ - selected for the day program of Netaudio Festival.

I went there together with Joanna M. Stacewicz for few days and we had the chance to live one of the (probably) last days of full warm sun before the winter.

Our expectations about Netaudio Festival were pretty high… probably too high. Wait… i’m not talking about the organization but about the musical offer.
The event was really well organized and it was clear the amount of efforts the staff had to face in order to make everything work. I want to thank all the staff for making this happen. People were great and we all had nice times, but the only thing that i found unsatisfactory was the line-up policy of the event.

Probably i just wasn’t considering the complete spectrum of a “netaudio-only” event. The line-up was almost completely dedicated to dance live acts (or dj sets), dancy electronica, dancy idm, dancy dubstep, techno, and some live pop bands.

Don’t misunderstand me… i like to dance, but i largely prefer to discover new sounds, new approaches to music, innovative reflections of sounds and technology.

This actually made me think a lot about Netaudio scene and how I relate myself to it. Why do i listen to free music? Because it’s free – free as in beer? Because i don’t want to spend my money for music?
No, i don’t think so. Probably i listen to free music ’cause i seek for an added value that can somehow guarantee a different approach to music composition, and hearing experience.
Probably i would like to see a Netaudio festival dedicated to music free as in freedom. The freedom to create music and sounds that are going beyond my everyday perception of techno-glitch, pop-kraut-rock, hip-top raggae dance-hall. Music is much more than this, music is not only something to have fun with, but i believe it is a relevant aspect of our everyday learning process, so that it doesn’t have to be undervalued.

Anyway, excluding my personal complains, I happily performed the 3rd version of the audiovisual concert for augmented bass guitar and butterfly and introduced the free software C::NTR::L. Thanks Georg – from Pure Data mailing list – for dropping by!

We had the pleasure to meet many old friends after quite a time. The almighty Dr.Nojoke was there (thanks for hosting us and being our light in Berlin!) – he played a really interesting live set under the moniker Trioon together with the common friend Servando Barreiro and JLab - and the omnipresent Visual Berlin collective was contributing to the event with quality live visual shows by Flux, Fred, Oigovisiones, E-Gruppe, Pixelnoizz, Yagama.

We had also the chance to get to know Fernando Fonseca (Public Spaces) who played one of the most interesting acts in whole the festival. A weird coincidence made me play exactly before his set, thus we met and found out many common ideas. Finally we had also the time to go out for dinner altogether and release our minds from too high thoughts hanging around Kreuzberg for 40′ looking for a place where to eat.
Actually i’m forgetting about another interesting project developed by Netaudio organization: The Berlin Wall of Sound. People were invited to record field sounds around the Berlin Wall to create a Berlin Wall sound map. The map was physically available as touch screen installation inside the main room of the venue ( http://www.netaudioberlin.de/berlin-wall-of-sound/ ).

All in all i’m glad to have participated and contributed to this event. All critics and doubts expressed in this article don’t have to be perceived as a provocation, not at all. I only try to stimulate constructive discussions and thoughts, since this is what we are here for…
Should i sit all the day long mesmerizing myself thinking how beautiful is life?

Nahh… that’s not for me. Please, feel free to write few lines about your idea of free music and whatever could be related to it. I definitely wish to know your opinion and keep on the conversation.

Live at Netaudio Berlin 2009

Marco Donnarumma — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:26:32 +0000

For those of you who hang around Berlin, I’ll be participating to the almighty Netaudio Festival – day program – with a showcase of my audiovisual performance for augmented bass guitar ‘I C::ntr::l Nature’ (check the project here) entirely made and performed with PureData.
I’ll be performing on Friday from 14.15 to 14.45h and for the remaining 30 minutes I’ll be explaining the functionality of ‘C::NTR::L’, the free software I developed for the performance . The software allows you to transform your standard musical instrument in an augmented audiovisual controller, it’s published under GPL license so free to be used and modified. If you’re interested you’re very welcome to drop by.
The festival will take place from 8th to 11th October at the wellknown Maria am Ostbahnhof (Mao).

I was really glad to get to know about my selection since Netaudio festival is the bulwark of free CC-licensed music, so it represents kind of _must_ for me.
Here you are the statement of this Berliner edition – via Netaudio website:

From the 8th to the 11th of October 2009, Netaudio Berlin will be gathering the international netaudio community for a four-day music and conference festival in Berlin, under the title “East meets West”. 2009 will mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain. We recall pictures of hands reaching out to pull people from both sides up onto the Berlin wall. The event will take place at Maria, a venue situated immediately on the former Berlin ‘death strip’ once dividing the city and the world into eastern and western hemispheres.

In recent years a netaudio landscape has emerged in the countries of Eastern Europe. Speakers, artists and netlabel managers from Eastern and Western Europe as well as from the USA are invited to find out more about the needs and possibilities, challenges and chances of netaudio under the various cultural frameworks and to discuss new opportunities for networking and collaboration across borders and cultures.

The line-up of the festival is generously eterogeneous, providing a day program including:

… and a night program too broad to be described in this article. Plenty of artists and genres – electronic, drum’n'bass, dubstep, hip hop, techno. Be sure to check the full program here. The live visuals will be curated by my dear friends Visual Berlin, don’t miss it!

KRÆKA!™ Compilation Series

Marco Donnarumma — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:20:43 +0000

Out Now new Digital Kranky Compilation Series Issue #10.

“With the newly discovered intention to bring electronic experimental music in every open-minded living-room all across the world, far away from all these mainstream suburbs, the city of Berlin was chosen for our sadistic plan:
‘Let’s feed the world with oscillators, beeps and bleeps, smash-crack them ears from the strangest arrangements ever heard…””

from Digital Kranky website.

Releases | KRÆKA!™ Compilation Series
year: 2008. catalognumber: dkkcsX. format: printed silver/silver 5 inch cdr. limitation: 60 copies, numbered.

[dkkcsX] Issue 10

THE !S.A.D!: on the sofa [4:33]
TEAM PLASTIQUE: virgins do it best [3:34]
TRANSFORMER DI ROBOTER: bob ross (the joy of painting) [3:51]
LEOPARDEN: matsi [4:13]
EECKMAN: ambush [5:12]
GIRLS UNITED: whom do you love? [3:49]
LOVE MAPS: wreckage [5:44]
TRAUMKAPITÄN: house of glass [2:00]
DOPPELKLICK: oberfläche [5:34]
CNTR: girl at strip club, reno nv [4:44]

info: http://digitalkranky.de/v8/index.php?id=241#comment

!S.A.D! Live in Berlin

Marco Donnarumma — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 09:29:57 +0000

European Tour 2008 has started in january/february with a couple of concerts in Berlin where my a/v work ‘I C::ntr::l Nature’ has been much appreciated and commented.
A lot of new ideas and inputs coming out and the work is going on!
I want to say special thanks to Dr.Nojoke, Konik Polny, Fred, Tobias, RQM, Rina and Saimon and all Visual Berlin crew. All you has helped me in spending really great times there and to live better the amazing Berlin.
Peace and bless to all you!
Here you are some pictures (by the only ONE Dr.Nojoke!!) during the reharsal before live performance in Ak28, in Berlin Mitte.