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Friday 29th of September 2006
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VALINA
(Austria)
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www.trost.at/valina www.myspace.com/valinamusic
Valina come from the Austrian city of Linz, a "provincial metropolis", known for its steel industry, but which has also been seeking success as a city of culture for years. Apart from the Ars Electronica media festival, however, Linz has long been known mainly only for its flourishing music scene, which – with protagonists in various genres like Attwenger or the hip-hop group Texta - is anything but provincial.
Since the release of their second album "Vagabond" (Trost, 2002), Valina have also succeeded in attracting international attention with their uniquely characteristic performance of modern (indie) rock music and their unpretentious approach. Valina have meanwhile played about 250 concerts throughout Europe and toured the USA twice for a month each time. The fact that there are still many people who are unfamiliar with this likable band probably has something to do with the way Valina couldn't care less about marketing, preferring instead to resist the "dictates of conformity" and do their own thing. With this Linz combo, the clocks, the beats and everything else tick differently.
They took ample time for their current EP "Epode" (2005) and consequently the results are once again outstanding. As on Vagabond, the album recorded by Steve Albini in Chicago, they have further expanded their expressive vocabulary and play the most multifaceted music to date. As the mama beat is heartily opened up by the drums, there is an unusually pulsating bass, a unique and unmistakable singing voice and unorthodox guitar work, all merging into luscious combinations and dream-like interchanges.
Encountering Valina is altogether a most pleasurable experience, especially in their intense live shows, where they make their complex music physically tangible
JULIE MITTENS
(nl)
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De muzikale invloeden van Julie Mittens zijn breed. Natuurlijk is er de free jazz van Coltrane, maar minstens zo belangrijk is een concert in Paradiso van Sonic Youth. Schakenbos: “Ik was jaren terug in een assertieve bui bij Sonic Youth in het voorprogramma beland met een vriend van mij die ooit in New York hun stomdronken gitarist Thurston Moore de trap op had geholpen. Een vrij improviserend powertrio, dat hadden we in Nederland nog niet. Liefhebbers van dit soort muziek denken wellicht eerder aan groepen uit tegendraadse stromingen uit Chicago, Berlijn of Trondheim dan aan Leiden. Julie Mittens heeft echter niet het gevoel dat zij eenlingen zijn in ons land. Van Dam: “We zitten wel degelijk in een scene, we opereren vanuit Leiden, waar we ook met andere mensen spelen. Muzikaal is het gewoon heel breed. Het kan gaan om een punkgroep of een singer-songwriter, waar het om gaat is dat er veel gebeurt.” Schakenbos: “Het gaat erom creativiteit los te maken... en het lukt! Of er nu publiek is of niet, we doen precies wat we willen en dat is waar het om gaat.”
SQUARTET
(italy)
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Squartet is a three-piece instrumental band based in Rome, Italy, formed in May 2004, from two experienced noisejazzcore bands from Rome (Demode and Neo). Born from punk, corrupted by funk, de-evolved into noise, with a taste for be-bop, Squartets music is better served live, at high volume, so that your nerves are tensed and relaxed alternately; sung parts are missing and replaced by schizophrenic,restless guitar lines.
Since the beginning Squartet has been touring in Italy and near European countries, spreading around its ironic and catching up live set, sharing the stage with bands like Mike Watt & Secondmen, Karate, Melt Banana, Ron Anderson's Pak, Zu. Influences can be found in the '90s, from Ruins, Mr. Bungle, Naked City, NoMeansNo, from the '80s, The Residents, Fred Frith's Massacre, Snakefinger, back to Zappa's experimental music.
Fabiano Marcucci - bass
Marco Di Gasbarro - drums
Manlio Maresca - guitar
Francesco Fazzi - live sound
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€ 5,- Doors open 21.30
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