- The reason I go to Poland's Unsound Festival? Because I can see artists doing things that they wouldn't otherwise. It seems like a simple premise, sure. But it makes all the difference. Whether it's A Winged Victory For The Sullen rearranging Arvo Part, Ricardo Villalobos working his modular in an improvised electroacoustic trio or Kode9 soundtracking an homage to La Jetée. All of the above weren't excellent, naturally. But they offered insights into these celebrated artists that rarely happen elsewhere—and never happen in one place over the course of a week.
This is one reason that Unsound has begun to attract a significant international following. Another is that Krakow—the Polish city where the event is held—is dead cheap. You can eat like a king and drink like a drunk for virtually no zlotys at all. That was helpful when you missed the free bus to Teatr Laznia Nowa, the night/club venue, and had to opt for a taxi instead. Nowa, because of its distance from the center of the city and its enormous size, was a big step for the event this year. It worked when Model 500 played, but the main hall often felt painfully empty otherwise.
The downstairs room was smaller and had a basement vibe perfect for the overwhelming rhythms of DJ Spinn and Rashad, who destroyed the room with ease on Saturday. Machinedrum did the same the next night at Pauza, a decent-sized club whose four rooms made it seem much smaller than it actually was. His jungle and juke-heavy set was met with bouncing, smiles and tired feet by its end, a perfect lead-in to Braille's sloppy, slower performance that was easily topped by RA contributor Philip Sherburne forgoing his usual fare to break out 2-step and garage classics.
Photo credit: Anna Spysz
Kijow Centrum, a movie theater by day, saw The Caretaker, Morton Subotnick and Kode9 feature on Friday, and while they were all good, it was the visuals that stole the show each time. The Caretaker's clouded memories often featured footage of himself on a road trip breaking through the murkiness. Lillevan expertly improvised along with Subotnick's modular synthesis, in a tour de force of modern VJing. MFO, meanwhile, utilized hyper-clear imagery that borrowed from La Jetée in ways, but expanded upon it in others.
Tempel Synagogue, the Engineering Museum and Manggha were just a few of the other venues employed by the organizers, each perfectly appropriate to the music on hand. It's both a testament to the diversity of the city and the imagination of the festival that such spaces are transformed into places for music. But that's exactly what keeps me coming back to the festival: There's a level of care undertaken by Unsound that is matched by only a few other events in the world. Even if you found Villalobos' noodling insufferable, you can't help but feel lucky that someone gave you the chance to be bored by it.