11.09.2008 - 14.09.2008

4th Festival of World's Cultures “Window onto the World”

How to combine embroidery with belly dance? What connections are there between the world's reggae legend and an orchestra of punk mandolinists? Is it possible to put together an American pioneer of the ambient and a producer of impressive visualizations with Serbian avant-garde artists who create their art from discarded scrapes? What has cabaret country-punk in common with fairytale-like combinations of jazz and electronic music?

Or perhaps it doesn't make sense to search for fake links and tracks? Perhaps it’s not worth explaining and theorizing?

Clashes, surprises, bewilderment.

The festival of cultures is a great holiday of diversity – both cultural and artistic, a celebration of merging – of influences and forms, joy of encounters – with music, visual arts, artists from the whole world and social activists from Poland. Boundless and unlimited flow of multicolourfulness and variety.

We don't want to show intercultural dialogue as a concept that has the beginning and the end – we want to show it as a multiform of expressions, their fluctuation and boundlessness. And to prove that each of them is in fact a part of the same story, in which we all live.

The artists of the 4th Festival Window onto the World are the following : Baba Zula, DJ Spooky, Ijahman Levi, IQ 48, Škart, Municipale Balcanica, Hypnotix, Mitch&Mitch, Kammerflimmer Kollektief ...


PROGRAMM

BABA ZULA (Istanbul/Turkey)
concert – oriental dub/electro/roots

11.09 (Thursday), St. John’s Centre, 07.00 pm

Music, exotic dance, sophisticated costumes, poetry, theatre, live-drawing – Baba Zula’s concerts are everything but intimate. They are thrilling audiovisual feasts, rites in which many art disciplines are brought together.
Baba Zula’s music base are traditional Turkish instruments –the saz, the darbuka, wooden spoons, which combined by the band with elements of electro and very modern tones, create original sound of “oriental dub”.
Baby Zula’s performances are fiery mixtures of play, vigour, excitation, eccentricity and peculiarity, united with Turkish colourful music tradition.

 

THE LINE-UP: MURAT ERTEL (vocals, electronic saz, theremin), LEVENT AKMAN (spoons, percussion, macines), COSAR KAMCI (darbuka), CEREN OYKUT (visualisations, live drawing)
www.myspace.com/babazula


MITCH & MITCH (Warsaw/Poland)
concert – mitch style

11.09 (Thursday), Klub Parlament, 9.00 pm

A five-person duet – „aus Mitch Kingom”, which became known to wider public in 2003, after releasing an album “ Luv Yer Country”: legendary in a way. Publishing “12 Catchy tunes (We Wish We Had Composed)” three years later, Mitchez showed their craft in the eclectic tribute to their – sometimes forgotten, sometimes, ignored – masters. It was on this record that Mitchez’ inspirations: from giants of film music, to forgotten bards and Japanese masters of noise-blues, were revealed. The fans went mad and moved multitudinously towards a dance floor...
M&M music is a mix of cabaret-like country-punk and electro, with lots of auto-irony and hectic plays, „so watch out and beware. They WILL get you”.

THE LINE-UP: MITCH (vocals, guitars, keyboard, percussion instruments), MITCH (vocals, bass, percussion instruments), SERIOUS MITCH (vocals, percussion instruments, guitars, keyboard, melodica, charm), MR. BITCH (poor vocals, guitars, , percussion instruments sampler), JAMES BONED MITCH (vocals of some kind, percussion instruments, drums, sampler)
www.myspace.com/mitchandmitch


KAPAIKOS (Berlin/Germany)
concert – mandolin punk

11.09 (Thursday), Klub Parlament, 10.00 pm

An electric orchestra of mandolinists, with the addition of the unbridled bass and the beautifully sounding cajón – welcome Kapaikos in their frenetic nightmare!
The band’s newest album – “Teerwalzer” (pitchy waltz), released in autumn 2007, is a terrific music kit, in the stylistics of alternative rock-folk, with a dominating sound of the mandolin.
The crazy temper and amazing character of the band, creates incredibly energetic and joyful structure, in which we can hear echoes of reggae and ska.

THE LINE-UP: OLE WULFERS (mandolin), OLI KLESS (cajón), THORSTEN SCHWARZ (keyboard), BENNI STAUDE (mandolin), RONALD GONKO (bass), BEN RODENBERG (mandolin), BORIS JOENS (mandolin), HERMANN HALB (mandolin)
www.myspace.com/kapaikos


DJ SPOOKY (NY/USA)
audiovisual remix + meeting with the artist

12.09 (Friday), St. John’s Centre, 7.00 pm

Travel. Big picture small frame (…). Symbol and synecdoche, sign and signification, all at once, the digital codes become a reflection, a mirror permutation of the nation…. Where to go? What to do to get there?

DJ Spooky is an experimenter, pioneer of ambient music, who also creates dub, jazz, hip-hop and techno. He is a laureate of prestigious artistic prizes (e. g. Camera D’Or at The Cannes Festival, or Sundance Film Festival), author of audiovisual projects that comment some of the modern world’s problems (e. g. intercultural communication, globalisation, global warming), postmodernistic poet, author of texts published in such magazines as “The Village Voice”, “The Source”, “Rap Pages”, “ Paper Magazine”.
His production proves that being a DJ is a real art, that behind the use of electronics, digital codes and signs, lies a coherent philosophy and concrete message.
During the Festival, DJ Spooky will present one of his most famous works – an audiovisual remix, called by some a multimedial performance– “Rebirth of a Nation”, from the year 2004.
The project is based on one of the most popular silent movies, D. W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation”, from the year 1915, which is still controversial because of its content, where superiority of white race is preached and Ku Klux Klan’s actions are glorified. In „Rebirth of a Nation”, digitally modified scenes from the Griffith’s movie are combined with recorded performances of modern African artists – mostly musicians and dancers. “Rebirth of a Nation” is a contemporary comment to misunderstandings and conflicts on the basis of race that still take place.
www.myspace.com/djspooky


DEAD COMBO (Lisbon/Portugal)
concert – alternative/instrumental

12.09 (Friday), Cafe Szafa, 9.00 pm

A guitar duet, aided by the synthesizer and the contrabass, about which Portuguese people themselves say that it is the first band since long – fresh and amazing – that they are proud of.
When it comes to music, sometimes Dead Combo revolves around romantic works of Path Metheny, while at other times, they can bring about rockabilly-Hawaiian associations – very atmospheric, illustrating music for a sophisticated recipient...
The duet has already recorded several albums; it is working on its next project right now, as well as devotes itself to pleasure of musical journeys. Their concert in Gdańsk will be their first visit to Poland.

THE LINE-UP: TÓ TRIPS (guitar), PEDRO V. GONÇALVES (contrabass, guitar, melodica, kazoo)
www.myspace.com/deadcombo


GRUPA KAO TAKVA + FILIP TOYMAKER (Belgrad/Serbia)
concert – post-punk/indie

12.09 (Friday), Cafe Szafa, 11.00 pm

We try to combine emotions together with energy into one thick, condensed mass, so the packed content should be on the edge of explosion. In all of this there is also a dose of weirdness, honesty and our comments on everyday life.
The artistic genre of the band resists simple classification-musicians referring to different influences at the same time effectively resist mainstream, bringing in a breath of fresh air to Serbian musical scene.

THE LINE-UP: EX-MISHA a.k.a. Klein Robot (guitar, vocal), RUSSIA (bass guitar, vocal), TIHOMIR ZIVKOVIC (drums) + FILIP TOYMAKER
http://www.myspace.com/grupakaotakva


PROBA (Belgrad/Serbia)
musical performance

12.09 (Friday), Cafe Szafa, 00.00

PROBA gathers dispersed, hidden artistic intensity…
On the basis of earlier experiences of the founders of the collectivist group (Škart + Horkeškart), PROBA developed its own strategy of open participation: a performance turned into a public action and a public action became an act of awakening of inner artistic intensity in all the participants. And everything is in the fumes of absurd, play and music.

THE LINE-UP: GDAŃSK’S CHOIR “PROBA”, KAO TAKVA GROUP, FILIP TOYMAKER, ŠKART


IQ48 (Minsk/Belarus)
open air – hip-hop/alternative

13.09 (Saturday), Targ Węglowy, 7.00 pm

The band belongs to the absolute leaders of Belarusian rock – many claim that it is the closest successor of the legendary NRM.
The production of the collectivist group from Minsk is a combination of rock stylistics with elements of rap-core, which amaze with the characteristic sound of saxophone and mixture of guitar playing with rap vocals.
The lyrics of IQ48 comment Belarusian youngsters’ everyday life; they tell about the generation of modern 20-year old people – their inspirations, problems, anxieties. Although they are not directly related to politics, the crew got fast to the list of the bands forbidden by Lukaszenko’s regime. Nowadays, it is easier to hear them on concerts abroad than in their own country...

THE LINE-UP: ALAKSANDAR RAKAVIEC (vocals), JAŬHIEN BUZOŬSKI (guitar, back-vocals), KASTUŚ KALEŚNIKAŬ (bass, back-vocal), ANTON MACULEVIČ (percussion), DZIANIS DZIERAVIENKA (saxophone).
www.myspace.com/iq48


HYPNOTIX (Prague/Czech Republic)
open air – afro beat/dub/electronic

13.09 (Saturday), Targ Węglowy, 8.00 pm

The band began to be formed long before anything about “world music” could be heard in this part of the world. In the independent music community of Prague, a group of artists gathered – joined by their fascination with African, rhythmical sound. Years of profound studies and hard work on different music streams, came to fruition as a band Hypnotix – a mixture that pulses with rhythm, spirit of the sung words and the power of confronting eastern instruments with modern technology.
It can be said that their music is afro, or dub, or trans, or electro, but surely it is not in any way close to Karel Gott and Helena Vondráčkova…

THE LINE-UP: EGO L. DIN (vocals,West African drums), MILADA DITRICHOVÁ (percussion, kong, bong, tabla, darbuka), MICHAL DITRICH (bass, programming), PŘEMYSL URBAN (keyboard, samples), KEI (guitars).
www.myspace.com/hypnotixband


MUNICIPALE BALCANICA (Bari/Italy)
open air – folk rock/roots/folk

13.09 (Saturday), Targ Węglowy, 9.00 pm.

Even though, the band has existed for barely three years and released only one record, it is already recognised as one of the emerging giants of the world-fusion.
Early inspirations of Municiple Balcanica concentrated around Balkan music traditions – consisting of elements of bohemian and klezmer music and being a synthesis of the Eastern European sound and warmer tones of Southern Italy.
However, the young musicians very quickly began experimenting, reinterpretating and modernising, in order to give a new shape to traditional tones, to achieve a unique sound. In their music, jazz, rock and experiments are, unnoticeably, mingled with exotic melodies that sometimes even turn into crazy, atonal sounds.
Municipale Balcanica’s concerts are frenetic fusions of rhythms and incredibly rich mixes of sounds. During the performance in Gdańsk, we will have one of the first possibilities to hear tracks from the band’s newest record – “Road to Damascus”, which will have its official premiere in October.

THE LINE-UP: ARMANDO GIUSTI (alt and baritone saxophone), MICHELE DE LUCIA (clarinet), NICO MARZIALE (percussionals, effects), RAFFAELE PICCOLOMINI (tenor and soprano saxophone), GIORGIO RUTIGLIANO (bass), PAOLO SCAGLIOLA (trumpet, flugelhorn), LUIGI SGARAMELLA (percussion), RAFFAELE TEDESCHI (vocals, electric and acoustic guitar).
www.myspace.com/municipalebalcanica


IJAHMAN LEVI (Jamaica/Great Britain)
open air – raggae

13.09 (Saturday), Coal Market (Targ Węglowy), 10.00 p. m.

Ijahman Levi is an undisputed legend of reggae – he is an original, authentic and conscious artist, whose inexhaustible inspiration has been winning over for him in the last decades bigger and bigger crowds of fans all over the world.
For many years, critics have underlined that there is no place for half measures in his music. They admire him for the high quality of his albums, moving live shows and the unique style of behaving on stage, which is said to be encapsulated in three words: “space, softness and strength”.
Ijahman has recorded over 30 albums and 45 singles. The artist has performed in the whole Africa; he is known in Holland, Sweden, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, France, Italy, Caribbean, New Caledonia and Japan. He has cooperated with many fantastic musicians, inter alia: Chinna Smith, Sly & Robbie, Lloyd Parks, Ras Michael, Geoffrey Chang, or Eric Clapton.
www.myspace.com/ijahmanlevilive


KISS ME KICK ME KILL ME (Tczew/Poland)
after party mix

13.09 (Saturday), Café Szafa, 00.00

KIME is a collective consisting of : dj+guitar+image, which attacks dance floors with a mix of modern, dynamic tracks, combining styles such as nu rave, dance punk, synthpop, electro, 8bit, 80’s, indie, or glam. Together with a set, there is a live-act, performed on an electric guitar, and the final effect is even stronger thanks to visualisations synchronised with the music. Information for the growing community of California Stories Uncovered fans – KIME’s guitar is one of the guitars that belonged to CSU.

THE LINE-UP: PIOTR "Górzyk" GÓRZYŃSKI (DJ), MATEUSZ "Dyman" SZYMAŃSKI (guitar), MICHAŁ GÓRZYŃSKI (visuals).
www.myspace.com/kissmekickmekillme


MISSA FLORES/ FLORES MASS (Indonesia/Poland)
a mass with music, dance and singing

14.09 (Sunday), St. John’s Centre, midday

A Flores Mass is the liturgy of the word, richly complemented with music, singing and dance; it is an adoration of God and its form goes back to the oldest Christian traditions and tribal rites.
As the mass is concelebrated by missionaries from all over the world, with a combination of African music and Flores dance pageants, a message of peace and unity is clearly heard.
The mess will be attended by actors and jazz musicians from the Tricity, the Ikenga Drummers band, Winsenssius Adi Gunawan Meka – native Flores Man, dancers from the Sendratari Damai group and the youngest children from Jadwiga Możdżer’s “The Studio of Creative Initiatives”.


BARAKA – film with live music

14.09 (Sunday), St. John’s Centre, 7.00 pm

Ron Fricke’s “Baraka” (1992) is a film reflection which shows beauty of different places in the world, condition of human spirituality, the miracle of birth, life and death, pointing on human disposition for self-destruction. It is a journey – rediscovering the Earth – which the director leads by means of: “plunging into nature, history, human mind, till striving for infinity”.
The amazing, spiritual work of Fricke, will be given in the St. John’s church a new musical dimension, which – specially for the occasion – will be prepared by ones of the best jazz, electro and improvising musicians in Poland.
The concert will become a natural supplement to the film – both the number of the instruments and their configurations will be fluent, subordinated to the rhythm and character of particular scenes. The motive of the concert which was composed earlier, will be complemented with free improvisations.

The project was realized thanks to a support from the Marshall Office of Pomeranian Voivodeship.

THE LINE-UP: MARCIN DYMITR – emiter, Polish Improvisers Orchestra, voice_electronic duo (electronics, guitar), WOJCIECH JACHNA – Sing Sing Penelope, Contemporary Noise Quintet (trumpet), PAWEŁ NOWICKI – Kobiety (vibrafon, marimba), Tomasz Chołoniewski (percussion instruments)


KAMMERFLIMMER KOLLEKTIEF (Karlsruhe/Germany)
concert – grindcore/electro/jam

14. 09 (Sunday), Klub Parlament, 9.00 pm

It all began in a bright storage room of the Upper-Rhenish poet’s museum in Karlsruhe in the mid-nineties: With old-skool equipment and an overdose of FMP & Wu-Tang, the first sketches of what would later be released under the nom-de-guerre "Kammerflimmer Kollektief" were conceived
Such were the beginnings. Over the years to follow, the style and line-up of KK has changed, formed and stabilised… Their latest record – “Jinx” (2007), is a fabulous mix of jazz and electro, where intimate atmosphere is complemented with elements of ambient, folk, post-rock, improvisation, or even psychedelics.
Before the band comes to Gdańsk, it will play a concert at this year’s edition of Off Festival in Mysłowice.

THE LINE-UP: HEIKE AUMÜLLER (harmonica, vocals, synthesizer, percussion instruments), JOHANNES FRISCH (contrabass, percussion instruments), THOMAS WEBER (guitar, electronics, piano).
www.myspace.com/kammerflimmerkollektief


ŠKART (Belgrad/Serbia)
workshops – KUVARICE/embroidery
 

10-14.09, streets and cafes of Gdansk
from 14.09 embroideries will be exhibited in the Old Town’s cafes

The artistic collectivist group ŠKART (scraps) was established in 1990 by two (would-be) architecture graduates of Belgrade Technical University – Dragan Protic and Djordje Balzamovic and quickly became ones of the most recognizable in the world representatives of publicly engaged art that often relies on absurd humour.

One of the most famous and the longest operating projects of ŠKART is a project developed by the alternative group - HORKEŠKART - self – organised chorus acting outside any jurisdiction, which is governed by it's own rules and which tries to realize “the utopian idea about new form of a collectivist group”. From the very beginning the chorus has been engaged in social actions, and one of its goals has been strengthening Balkan civic and political consciousness.

Apart from Dragan and Djordje the composition of the group varies– during certain projects it includes musicians, writers, designers, and even members of different social groups (for example the society of single mothers) – the artists believe that this interaction, both with the audience, and within the group is something that gives the real image of art, opens, builds and allows for exploration.

The success of ŠKART rests on immense creativity and honesty, but also on the modesty of its founders, on the ability of creating bonds with people, moving their hearts, inspiring their curiosity, breaking invisible boundaries, which they also crack down in their art.

Within the frame of the Festival of World Cultures “Window on the World” for the first time in Poland ŠKART will inaugurate one of it's latest projects: Kuvarice (embroideries). The citizens of Tri-city will have a possibility to meet Serbians together with the workshops’ participants on the streets, in cafés and generally in public space and have a look at their work - and maybe even take part in their activities.

Members of ŠKART saw in this forgotten art of making embroideries, not only their charming beauty, but also a possibility of constructing personal manifests, describing important issues, and at the same time calmness and concentration on dealing with their own thoughts, laboriousness of wrapping them in short phrases and combining with appropriate illustrations.

The technique or artistic skills are not important here – what matters is the creativity and honesty. During earlier presentations of the project the artists of ŠKART worked, for example, with women from refugee camps in Sarajevo or with unemployed miners from the south Serbia. In Gdańsk two workshop groups will be created - one for children, and the other for unemployed women.

Apart from the embroideries made in Gdańsk the festival audience will have a chance to see also the works made by the project’s participants from Serbia, Bosnia, Albania or Hungary.

ŠKART: DRAGAN PROTIĆ, DJORDJE BALZAMOVIĆ + FILIP ŽARIĆ a.k.a. Filip Toymaker