Worldtronics 2010 - noch drei Tage Dach

After a well attended start and a typical sophomore slump the Worldtronics festival found it's motto „Electronica Surprise“ only at the third edition last year. This December it is time for round four of electronic music from beyond western europe and north america: Worldtronics neglects presenting either puristic art electronica or straightforward clubbing and thereby surprising just about everybody. On four nights Worldtronics features Nairobi (already yesterday), Barcelona (i.e. the „Rumba Catalan“), Russia and Mexico. Two movies and the family atmosphere workshop happening, the „Elektro-Fachmarkt“ complete the programme.
This years focus clearly is set on dance styles. For the opening this wednesday, Berlin-based Jahcoozi, Gebrüder Teichmann and Modeselektor introduce their Nairobi project BLNRB-NRBLN. The urban dance music artists work together with Kenyan capital's rap scene, e.g. Uuko Flani and Necessary Noize. As the surprising element, the „Radi“ percussion group and Michel O'ngaro blended into the programme. Tonight comes warm and easy, reviving gitano-cuban „Rumba catalan“ - a hybrid of hybrids, namely iberian gypsy and caribbean music. The only surprising project will probably be technoidous Asférico meets the latin groove of Reparto Caribe.
What in Western Europe often is reduced to „party music“ does play a whole different role in more restricted countries as Russia is one. Together with russian VJ-artists a highlight of the Festival will be the appearance of Pixelord on russian friday: Glitchy 8-bit sound that nevertheless bears rudiments of songwriting and the folokoric-electonic bricolages of Pixelords alias Gultskra Artikler. The russian evening is curated by Natasha Padabed of SKIF-Festival. The reader may compare her selection with a Felix Kubin radio featrue on „Eastern Electronics“ for MACBA radio. (see below)
The best festival atmosphere will certainly come up on Saturday, with biting next level beats from Mexico, selected by Matias Aguayo. 3Ball MTY are rebellious in consequence, Arturo Heras presents, what he usually does as an urban dance streetcorner roadshow. At the „Elektro-Fachmarkt“ on saturday afternoon, visitors can participate in sound production workshops, meet up with Berlin's labels of global electronics and let themselves be „zig-zagged“ by DIEM (danish conservatory of electronic sound) or gigs of DeWalta (Karaoke Kalk, Super!) and DJ Markus Detmer (Staubgold, Super too!).