That said, if these people ever feel the need to educate themselves they needn't look any further than The Black Madonna. She has been a resident DJ at the legendary Chicago house club Smart Bar alongside Derrick Carter and Frankie Knuckles since 2012. Her toe-tapping house tracks like “Exodus” are anthems in spots like the Panorama Bar in Berlin. The Black Madonna exudes a certain level of political awareness in her music, and subsequently demands it in the club world. In her pamphlet (which you should read) she states: “Dance music should always raise questions, it needs salt in its wounds. Dance music needs Riot Grrrls and women over 40.” Amen!
The second headliner of the Red Bull Music Academy night is Osunlade. Back in 1999, the US musician and priest of the West African Ifá religion started his label Yoruba and quickly rose to fame as a beacon of afro-centric dance music. His DJ sets work as séances during which Osunlade takes his audience on spiritual journeys. His vehicles of choice are latin jazz, afrobeat, soul and deeper house, the latter of which really deserves that attribute.
Suzanne Kraft takes a similar approach, at least as far as his rich tapestry of work goes. Upon arriving on the scene under his given name Diego Herrera in 2011, the Californian producer released hushed house tracks, warped disco records, lo-fi funk and hissing ambient tracks on acclaimed labels like 100% Silk and Running Back. His current album “Talk from Home” is a small masterpiece, chock-full of stripped down sunset anthems meandering between Balearic house and handyman electronica.
The German-Venezuelan Viennese resident Moony Me – who's disco opus “Magergarten” is in the running for track of the year on the Dresden-based label Uncanny Valley - will be rounding out the night alongside Etienne Jaumet. Etienne will be performing a live set which in his case does not mean unenthusiastically pushing buttons on a midi controller. The Frenchman is known to travel with a boatload of analogue equipment that includes a modular synth the size of a suitcase. As a result of all this heavy lifting, Jaumet's music sounds like Todd Terje edits of lost John Carpenter scores.
Text: Florian Obkirchner
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The Editions Mego showcase at this year's Elevate Festival shows great variety and aims to highlight the label's diverse aspects. You will hear not only new acts but also musicians who have been with them since the label's inception. One of those people is Christina Nemec aka Chra. The Viennese comfortzone Label boss (who by the way also performs with Rehberg and Christian Schachinger in the band Shampoo Boy) is known for her immersive and deeply resonating drone scapes. Nemec paints dystopian sonic pictures using bass guitar, effects and field recording-samples to great effect. These images oscillate between existential trance and industrial wastelands. The second local act on the bill is the keyboard improv madman Philipp Quehenberger. His solo sets combine off-kilter melodies with relentless, pounding bass drums. Psychedelic and quirky techno that has been causing a stir in the Viennese underground scene for a good 10 years now. The two international acts are from the Spectrum Spools roster: Steve Hauschildt should probably ring a bell for most people, not lastly since his involvement in Emeralds. His gentle synth modulations sound like an eclectic mix of trance-induced krautrock, meandering, neon-coloured cosmic daydreams that bring back vivid images of the 80s. His colleague James Donadio does quite the contrary. He is known for cranking up synth modules with Verve and his nasty and noisy project Prostitutes manages to fuse Detroit techno with harsh noise while staying effortlessly restrained and that way creating a type of radical aesthetic that has attracted labels like Diagonal or Opal Tape over the years. The DJ line is also promises to be confrontational at the very least. Berlin's own Peter Votava aka Pure has been rolling with Mego since the 90s. He has worked with them as early as Mainframe, releasing joint efforts with Christopher Just under the Ilsa Gold moniker. Later on he re-emerged as Bolder on Editions Mego. His DJ set will be an exhibition of 20 years of performance and production experience with electronic music of all shapes and sizes – this is akin to his latest Editions Mego release (Bolder – Hostile Environment) which combines experimental elements with danceable ones. DJ Pita aka Peter Rehberg himself will be on site and might surprise with new releases and other acoustic intransigency.
Text: Shilla Strelka
]]>The lineup is complete, here are the latest additions:
Herbert (UK) Jimi Tenor (FI) Bok Bok (UK) Dorian Concept ft. Cid Rim & The Clonious (AT) MikeQ (US) Rhythmic Theory (UK) Ventil (AT) Tara Transitory aka One Man Nation (SG) Fontarrian & Jupiter Live (AT) DJ Ripley (US) Eartheater (US) Moony Me (AT) Pure (AT) Solo Premium (AT) Ash My Love (AT) SEDVS (AT) Fam. Geschrey (AT) Bitz & Bogdo (AT) Liik (HR) Simon/off (AT) A:lex & Florian Scheibein (AT) other worlds (AT) Inou Ki Endo (AT) Adriana Celentana & Columbush (AT) Hedonismus Hacienda (AT) RiHi DJ Heroines of the Universe (AT)
The Early Bird Tickets are entirely sold out, which launches our regular presale. The full festival ticket is available for 54€ (+ additional presale fee). The day passes for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are 20€ (+ additional presale fee). The ticket for the opening on Thursday is 10€, doors only.
Discourse & Activism
Elevate Creative Response!
Creative Response is not just the impulse that makes an artist create art, it is also alive within all of us, throughout history, embedded with compassion, our greatest human talent. It is the embrace of emotion and passion, bound together with thoughts and ideas, which operate in the free space between public and private, permitted and prohibited. Creative Response is about embracing imagination to see us connected as one people, which allows us to make everything possible.
The Elevate Festival aims to inspire people and engages in community-building for the growing social movements of our time. The program focuses on new forms of democracy, creative artistic support for migrants, convivial technology, ground-breaking innovations in agriculture and cutting-edge climate justice activism.
Collectively generated creativity, solidarity and courage are the quintessence of Creative Response. Elevate invites you to get active and to participate with the festival´s speakers and artists.
Vandana Shiva (IN) The Yes Men (US) Andrea Vetter (DE) Jacob Appelbaum (US) Antonino d'Ambrosio (US) Larisa Mann aka DJ Ripley (US) Charles Kriel (UK) !Mediengruppe Bitnik (CH) Marek Tuszynski (PL) Tadzio Müller (DE) Addie Wagenknecht (AT/US) Ulli & Scott Klein (AT/US) Farmhack (US) Haus Bartleby (DE) Chiara Badiali (UK) Daniela Gottschlich (DE) Essbare Gemeinde Andernach (DE) Christian Payne (UK) Sophie Magon (FR) Fabian Scheidler (DE) Magdalena Heuwieser (AT) Gabi Sobliye (UK) Fieke Jansen (NL) Bruno Tozzini (BR) Tamara Ehs (AT) Florian Sturm (AT) Jacqueline Cramer (US) David Steinwender (AT) Tamara Mona Ussner (AT) and many more...
Free admission to all talks, discussions, workshops and film screenings!
Bulbul (AT), Chra (AT), Demdike Stare / Test Pressings Set (UK), DJ Funk (US), Etienne Jaumet (FR), Heatsick (UK), Helm (UK), HHY & The Macumbas (PT), John Heckle (UK), Low Jack (FR), Osunlade (US), Paradox / early Reinforced Set (UK), Philip Quehenberger (AT), Prostitutes (US), RP Boo (US), Sigha (UK), Steve Hauschildt (US), Suuns & Jerusalem in my Heart (CA), Suzanne Kraft (US),
The Black Madonna (US), Venus X (US)
Tickets!
The first batch of early bird tickets is sold out. The second run is now available for 44€ (+ additional presale fee). Day passes will be made available at the beginning of September.