infnts

[infnts]

Banishing winter, part II: In the Club with Philip Glass

In the Club is a different kind of clubbing. It’s a mellow, more introspective experience. The concept is simple: organizers put unexpected music - interpreted works of contemporary composers - in an unexpected place - a nightclub renown for its Friday-night revelries.

To be completely honest, I’ve been quite sceptical. Some of the parties in the Club haven’t really impressed me and for a long time I kind of disliked the venue. But even in this aspect, In the Club helped change my mind. In some cases, the magic really works and this was one of them.

To give you an idea, In the Club has previously introduced Steve Reich. This time Fero Király played two works by Philip Glass - one from the 60s, when he was still making experimental minimalist music, and a second one from the 90s, showing Glass’ more contemporary “soundtrack” sound. Fero is a talented musician and a member of Cluster Ensemble, a group trying to make contemporary classical music more accessible to the general audience. The overall mood is hard to describe, due his skill and to the unique, laid-back atmosphere of the event. Try and feel it through a short video shot by one of the spectators that's published on the event’s Facebook page - or rather come and see it in person next time.

And next time is not far away, actually. Today is a good day to reminisce about this evening, because tomorrow, In the Club is happening again - this time bringing you Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt. See you there:) ______ Wednesday, 2013/02/20 @ Nuspirit Club Philip Glass In the Club with Fero Király & Stroon FB

[infnts]

Banishing winter: Cold nites & harder days.

I really don’t like recalling these particular couple of weeks at the end at the end of winter and beginneing of spring. Sad nights and worse days, but you probably can’t have the good ones without the bad ones. And so, in order not to lose them completely, I’m making a record about them, too. If for no other reason, then because of the feeling that we got through this cruel and too long winter together, with each other and with music. And although it was sometimes hard, the fight is over and we won.

Consider this a memorial to this year’s Siberia, to friends and to those evenings that had to be less than good, so that we can really appreciate the great ones to come.

I’ve got a couple more older articles stored somewhere that I’ve never published and I guess it’s time to get them out, clean the cupboards, before summer comes. So I’ll just put them here over the next couple of days, so that we can move to newer stuff with a clean slate.

______

Photos by me. 23/03/2013 - 28/03/2013 Saturday: Dobry trh na Panenskej - FB Wednesday: Blockhead @ Nuspirit Club - FB Thursday: Glen Porter + Second Class Citizen @ Fuga - FB

[infnts]

This is my 'hood

A must! These guys and one of their uberevenings, this time open for everyone. Weird place, a promise of great sound + this kind of atmosphere? It's my 'hood that you can see in the teaser. My 'hood, where so much of BWO's beauty comes from. See you next Saturday, no matter what!

2013/05/18: Spooky + Walton, BWO @ Nekapri InnArt

P.S. Been away for a while, haven't had that much time for blogging. But a lot has been going on, music-wise, in the last couple of weeks. And there's still some older stuff left unpublished, too. Better get ready.

[infnts]

That moment

That moment when you're listening to something completely incomprehensible, ready to dismiss it, when suddenly something changes in you and for the first time you see and hear the beauty of it all. Hasn't happened to me since Krakow, and I was kind of beginning to miss it.

So, the moment: Yesterday at about 11pm watching Zs live at a4. At a concert which I initially did not want to go to at all, because after all, I don't even try to listen to such things anymore. I don't understand them, you know. Gave up a long time ago.

Lucky me to still have a chance at continuing my music education at this age.

PS: I shook hands with Ben Frost's drummer! The one on the left at Unsound. Previously, he played in a black metal band and oh my god, it really shows. By the way, his web is called Infinitelimbs, haha, touché.

Below is a video from another one of their gigs. Maybe it's gonna sound too unfriendly - so it seemed to me, too, at first. But after seeing it live I have to admit that I was deeply wrong. It's true beauty.

------

Ten moment, kedy sa vám niečo úplne nepočúvateľné na stý raz odomkne a zrazu počujete tú krásu. Priceless. Toto som nemala od Krakowa a už veru chýbalo.

Včera o cca 23:00, na Zs v a4. Na koncerte, na ktorý som pôvodne vôbec nechcela ísť, lebo veď na takéto veci už ani neskúšam chodiť.

Ešte šťastie, že mám šancu na postupný reparát z hudobnej aj vo vyššom veku.

PS: Podala som si ruku s bubeníkom Bena Frosta. Toho, čo bol naľavo na Unsounde. Predtým hral v blackmetalovej kapele a boha jeho, je to počuť, fakt. Amen tma. Mimochodom, jeho web sa volá Infinitelimbs. Haha, trefné.

Dávam sem video z jedného z predchádzajúcich koncertov. Asi to bude znieť ako pizúkanie, aj mne sa tak zdalo. Ale so všetkou pokorou priznávam, mýlila som sa. Je to krása.

------

Wednesday, 2013/04/24 @ a4 Zero space Zs + DIY Laboratory Ensemble FB

[infnts]

The magic in black & white

I just came home from the Slovak Journalistic Award ceremony. Even after this seemingly unrelated event, I am left with so many impressions.

For one, it took place at KC Dunaj, a venue where I mostly meet with friends on Fridays and Saturdays - and it is a curious thing to see how so many unusual people can change a place you think you know so well. 

Another thing that caught my attention was this collection of pictures. They were taken by Gabriela Zigová, a young photographer from Trenčín, at Subclub. She entered them into the photographer's competition and although she didn't win, I think it's marvelous for such pictures to even make it into the category. A series of photographs that show very truthfully the beauty and atmosphere of Bratislava's night life, instead of making it seem threatening or dangerous. A rare thing among so many more traditional topics in the competition. I feel like I really want to share them.

You can find the whole series, as well as Gabriela's other works at her Tumblr.

------

Práve som sa vrátila z Novinárskej ceny. Aj po tomto zdanlivo nesúvisiacom evente som plná dojmov.

Napríklad preto, že sa konal v KC Dunaj, teda na mieste, kde sa v piatky a soboty zvyknem stretávať s kamarátmi. Je zaujímavé zledovať, ako dokáže toľko neobvyklých návštevníkov zmeniť priestor, o ktorom si mysíte, že ho poznáte.

Ale okrem toho ma upútala aj táto séria fotiek. Spravila ju v Subclube mladá fotografka z Trenčína Gabriela Zigová. Prihlásila ich do fotografickej kategórie a hoci nevyhrala, je skvelé, že sa v nej takéto snímky vôbec objavili - séria obrázkov, ktorá verne ukazuje krásu nočného života v tomto meste, miesto aby ho vykresľovala ako nebezpečný či hrozivý. Vzácnosť medzi toľkými "tradičnými" témami v súťaži. Chcela by som, aby ich videlo viac ľudí.

Celú sériu si môžete pozrieť tu spolu s Gabrielinými inými fotkami na jej Tumblri.

------

Photos by Gabriela Zigová - thnx:)

[infnts]

All that night air has to lend us

If I were a stranger in Bratislava, I’d love to get to one of these. Say, a friend from the internets could take me. Or I could just meet someone on the street, asking for directions to the nearest hostel, and end up here. That would be lovely.

BWO TV is something special. It’s a ticket behind the scenes of Bratislava, a testimony about what varied events take place here and how they actually come to be.

It’s a party without a club but with a camera instead. Every once in a while it happens at a different location, with different people attending, always filled with great music and with a different story each time. “For instance, when Teapot played, his parents called him to tell him they were watching,” Pe:, one of the creators of BWO, who often plays under his other pseudonym Detlef Dakar, recounts one of these stories. “Or the other night we were playing at a studio at Cvernovka when the door opened, models came in and suddenly there was a photoshoot happening right there in front of us.” Where do you get to experience something like this?

This time, the place to be was Biomat’s bedroom, an austere room with a small bed, turntables, a huge vinyl collection and someone’s collection of family heirloom glass in one of the most charming parts of the Old City. You take part for one night - in person or on the internet - it’s great, and then it’s gone. Only a memory remains and it’s powerful.

BWO is a group of people who have been building the atmosphere of this city after dark for years and they’ve always managed do it completely differently than everyone else. They brought us dubstep, streaming of parties more personal than Boiler Room’s and - most importantly - they brought us partying with a big heart. They realized that clubs and pubs are not decisive. A good party can happen anywhere and anyone can participate if someone does it carefully and makes it special. You just need to know how to join, which is not a big secret. Everything else is ready.

"When we were launching BWO TV, it was more thrilling than three chapters from a Neal Stephenson novel," Pe: told me in an attempt to describe the days when BWO guys were trying to figure out how to do the live streaming. I like the comparison, it captures the energy and the  adventure of these evenings. They are dark and happy and full of this strange joy.

Cycling home after dark through empty streets of Petržalka, I play the last track of the evening in my head over and over. It seems to be the only right tune for urban midnight. It is the mood of BWO. 

Next time join us here.

------

Keby som bola cudzinec v Bratislave, chcela by som sa náhodne dostať práve sem. Mohol by ma napríklad so sebou vziať nejaký kamarát z internetu. Alebo niekto z ulice, koho by som sa najprv iba spýtala na cestu do hostela a skončilo by to spoločným žúrovaním. 

BWO TV je večer, ktorého sa zúčastniť je ako lístok do zákulisia tohto mesta. Výpoveď o tom, čo všetko sa tu môže udiať a ako to vlastne celé vzniká.

Je to žúr bez klubu, zato s kamerou. Koná sa každý raz inde, vždy so skvelou hudbou, vždy s trochu inými ľuďmi a zakaždým s iným príbehom. “Keď hral Teapot, rodičia mu nadšení volali, že ho sledujú,” rozprával mi jeden z príbehov Pe:, jeden z tvorcov BWO, ktorý hráva ako Detlef Dakar. “Inokedy sme hrali z ateliéru v Cvernovke, zrazu sa otvorili dvere a prišli tam fotiť modelky.” Kde sa vám toto stane?

Tentoraz sa rozoznela Biomatova spálňa, strohá miestnosť s malou posteľou, gramcami, obrovskou zbierkou platní a s dávno zabudnutou vitrínkou plnou rodinného skla v jednom z najsympatickejších kútov Starého mesta. Na jednu noc sa toho zúčastníte - osobne alebo cez internet - a potom je to preč. Ale tá spomienka, čo ostáva, je sila.

BWO sú ľudia, ktorí roky budujú feeling tohto mesta po zotmení a vždy to robia úplne inak ako všetci ostatní. Priniesli sem dubstep, priniesli streamované večery osobnejšie ako tie boilerroomovské. A hlavne, priniesli sem žúrovanie s dušou. Uvedomili si, že kluby a krčmy nie sú určujúce. Že dobrú party si môžeme spraviť kdekoľvek a zúčastniť sa môže ktokoľvek. Stačí vedieť, kam prísť alebo sa pripojiť. Všetko ostatné je pripravené. 

“Keď sme BWO TV rozbiehali, bolo to napínavé ako tri kapitoly z Neala Stephensona,” povedal mi Pe: o dobách, kedy chalani pred rokmi vymýšľali, ako zmajstrovať live stream zo žúrov. Strašne sa mi to prirovnanie páči, lebo vystihuje energiu a dobrodružstvo sršiace z týchto večerov. Ich temnotu a radosť.

Bicyklujúc nočnými ulicami domov do Petržalky, prehrávam si v hlave posledný track večera. Toto je tá správna hudba pre mesto po polnoci. Toto je nálada BWO.

Nabudúce sa pridajte tu.

------

Photos by me & BWO crew Thursday, 2013/04/18 @ Biomatova izba BWO TV Luvly Spring: Stratasoul, Biomat, Pha, Detlef Dakar FB, bwlog

[infnts]

Exchange partying Brno - Bratislava

Remember when the German/French/Austrian kids came to your high school for a couple of days and then later on, your whole class travelled to theirs on an exchange visit? They were a bit strange and felt somehow cooler in their strangeness. You had one of them sleeping on the couch in your living room and took him/her to school every day... And it was like, wow, something out of the ordinary.

Felt a bit like that in Fuga on Saturday at Hertz/Trashold. A couple of kids came to Bratislava and showed us how it’s done in Brno. And well, it was great.

Musically, Trashold is one of the better parties happening in Bratislava. The same goes for Hertz in Brno, or so they say. So these two joining forces was an excellent move. It brought to town some of the best techno & house I’ve heard in Bratislava for weeks AND it had a different spirit than usually. Felt a bit more bohemian - the way only cities like Brno, shaped by students and defined by students, can feel. Refreshing, in the more grown-up night life of Bratislava.  

Great they came. The only reproach: Next time they do, Bratislava could pay a bit more attention. The previous night, this same party happened at Brno’s Kabinet múz and 300 people attended. At Fuga, there were about 50 of us. What a shame. Because this time, Bratislava, you really missed out.

Hertztellung n°1: Teapot | White Collars, Black Hearts by Hertz on Mixcloud

------

Pamätáte, keď na vašu strednú školu prišli na návštevu decká z Nemecka/Francúzska/Rakúska? A potom neskôr ste šli vy, celá trieda, na výmenný pobyt k nim? Boli trochu čudní, nie? A strašne cool tým, ako sa odlišovali. Jeden z nich spal pár dní na rozkladacom gauči vo vašej obývačke, každé ráno ste ho vodili do školy... A bolo to niečo úplne nové.

Čosi podobné bolo vo vzduchu minulú sobotu vo Fuge na Hertz/Trashold. Zopár deciek prišlo do Bratislavy, aby nám ukázali, ako sa žúruje v Brne. Odpoveď: fakt poctivo.

Po hudobnej stránke je Trashold jedna z najlepších akcií v tomto meste. To isté hovoria Brňáci o Hertzi. Spojiť ich do jednej bol výborný ťah. Hralo sa najlepšie techno a house, aké som v tomto meste počula za posledné týždne a vo Fuge sa navyše zhmotnil celkom nový spirit. Bohémskejší ako obvykle - taký, ktorý dokážu priniesť len študentské mestá ako Brno.  Osviežujúci závan v trošku dospeláckejšej nočnej Bratislave.

Super, že prišli. Akurát jediná výčitka: Nabudúce, keď sa tak stane, Bratislava by si to mala viac všímať. Predošlú noc sa tá istá akcia konala v brnenskom Kabinete múz, prišlo 300 ľudí. Vo Fuge nás nebolo viac než 50. Škoda, Bratislave tento raz ušla fakt dobrá vec.

------

Trash photos by me, flyer/gif by Stix

Saturday, 2013/04/20 @ Fuga Trashold/Hertz: Teapot, Peal, Stix, Nina Pixel, Mojave, Vlat, Krlshp, Matwa FB event

[infnts]

The Sleepless

This picture was taken by a friend, Tea, on a Saturday morning of a long-desired spring, after an endless night in Brno and a long drive home to Bratislava. Om Unit was playing that night at Fléda - something I wanted to experience, but couldn’t decide whether to go or not.

In the end, I didn’t go. A hard choice, having to pick between Om Unit and Naďa, playing techno for the first time at Bratislava’s A4 Zero Space that same evening (more on that another time, hopefully). I stayed in Bratislava, witnessed the birth of a really good techno DJ and went to bed with the feeling that I haven’t missed out.

I changed my mind first thing in the morning the next day.

Not because of Brno, not because of Fléda or even Om Unit. The reason is more poetic than that. Right after waking up I saw this picture on Tea’s Facebook and suddenly knew that this is the place, where I wanted to be.

Sometimes even the best nights have to end, and when they do, this is how we like them to go. A small group of friends at Slavin or at the castle, the city spread underneath, sleeping deeply, waiting for sunrise. The loneliest hour becomes the most intimate one.

This is how I like to party.

------

Túto fotku spravila kamarátka Tea v sobotné ráno jednej túžobne očakávanej jari, po nekonečnej noci v Brne a dlhej ceste domov do Bratislavy. Večer predtým hral vo Fléde Om Unit - niečo, čo som veľmi chcela zažiť, ale nevedela som sa rozhodnúť, či ísť alebo nie.

Nakoniec som nešla. Neľahká voľba, vybrať si medzi Om Unitom a kamarátkou Naďou, ktorá mala po prvý raz po mesiacoch odhodlávania vybaliť v A4ke svoje (podľa všetkých, kto ho počuli) znamenité techno. Zostala som v Bratislave, túžiac zažiť zrod hviezdy bratislavskej techno scény, a šla som spať s pocitom, že iba ťažko sa mohlo niekde udiať niečo príjemnejšie.

Názor som zmenila hneď na druhý deň ráno.

Nie kvôli Brnu, ani kvôli Fléde, ba ani kvôli Om Unitovi. Rovno po prebudení som našla na Facebooku túto fotku a vedela som - tam som chcela byť.

Dakedy musia skončiť aj tie najlepšie noci - a keď to príde, takto to máme najradšej. Hŕstka kamošov na Slavíne, prípadne na hrade, dole mesto, spí, čaká na východ slnka. Najosamelejšia hodina sa zmenila na najosobnejšiu.

Takéto párty mám fakt rada.

(Soundtrack?) Photo: Tea - thnx:)

[infnts]

Something coming our way: Andy Stott @ Fuga

This is an old one. It's the first text I ever wrote for this blog. This was the night when I decided that these impressions were too much to keep them to myself. The experience is a bit outdated, but it was an important one and it wouldn’t do not to publish this just because of my overall delay. So, remember that great night and enjoy the memories:)

------

These things do not happen often in Bratislava. Exitab, a small label housing some of the best Slovak artists in years, announced its next event on Facebook in mid-January. The headliner was TBA, marketing nonexistent. Only the accompanying event picture offered a clue - a clue that said everything. Within half an hour, 200 people were attending. Just before the event, the count climbed to 300. Andy Stott, the star of British label Modern Love, was set to play in Bratislava. Everyone held their breath.

They exhaled on the third Saturday in February at Fuga, former factory venue converted into a club. Továrenská, the street leading to the club, came alive with people. Normally mostly abandoned, poorly lit and a little scary, stretching out along the fence of one Bratislava’s less fortunate unfinished real estate projects, it suddenly turned into a parade. Crowds were coming in from all across Bratislava since 9pm. Those were the lucky few - the ones who managed to get their tickets early. Due to Fuga’s capacity the count of attendees was capped at 250. Tickets were gone within three days.

This really doesn’t happen often in Bratislava.

Two hours later, listening to dark beats of Bratislava-based Jacques Kustod and looking at colorful visuals by Chaosdroid, a wicked thought first occurred to me. Well, it feels a bit like Unsound here, doesn’t it? (But don’t kill me, if you disagree.)

Another hour later, in the middle of Stott’s performance, I somehow - magically - managed to get into the center of Fuga’s quadraphonic sound system and linger there for about  20 minutes. Pure bliss, a techno-cocoon enveloping me from all sides. And the thought returned. It had occurred to me a couple of times since returning from Krakow, the feeling that there’s something similar here to Unsound’s party-like-there’s-no-tomorrow hedonism, the striving for new horizons and a completely absorbed audience. But this time the feeling was stronger than ever before. Two hundred people hypnotized by a guy who was nearly invisible behind his laptop. "Honestly, one of the wildest gigs," he confessed later to Exitab. And above all this, Fuga’s mascot, a giant dummy insect made of cables, wires and scrap metal, was hanging from the ceiling, watching out for the partying crowd.

A strange force. Not the music itself, maybe, but definitely the atmosphere. It’s been flowing through clubs and pubs and internets here on and off for a couple of months now, but this time, you could really touch it.

(Now, here comes a part, which I’m not really sure about - how it happened or who was the guy. But this is what I think I remember:)

Shortly before leaving, at about half past three, I met a guy in front of the cloakroom. Turned out he was from Birmingham (or was it Manchester?) and lives in Vienna, so Fuga wasn’t really that far away for him. "How did you learn about the event?" I asked him. "I just know about these things," he said in response. Perfect, so the force is getting out.

Next day I talked about all this with Struna at lunch and with Faun drinking tea in the evening. We talked it all over - Andy Stott, Casi Cada Minuto and Jacques Kustod, the whole line-up and the sound. We talked about all that had materialized in Fuga for a couple of hours the night before. I wanted to explain to them that it seems to me that it is all becoming too much. Bratislava’s scene is turning into  a pressure cooker and inevitably the lid must come off soon. I did not even have to finish the first sentence. Something is in the air indeed, we agreed on that in two seconds. 

Well, hopefully, something good is coming our way.

------

Toto bol prvý text, ktorý som pre tento blog napísala. Je o noci, kedy som sa rozhodla, že tieto zážitky musím dávať von. Stihol už mierne zastarať, ale bol dôležitý a nebolo by správne, aby ostal nezverejnený len kvôli môjmu celkovému oneskoreniu. Enjoy:)

------

Takéto veci sa v Bratislave nestávajú často. Exitab, malé vydavateľstvo stojace za niektorými z najlepších slovenských releasov minulého roka, oznámilo v polovici januára na Facebooku svoj ďalší event. Headliner neznámy, marketing minimálny, iba sprievodná fotka k eventu prezradila všetko potrebné. Do pol hodiny bolo attending 200 ľudí, tesne pred akciou 300 a ďalšie takmer dve stovky v maybe. Andy Stott, hviezda britského vydavateľstva Modern Love, príde hrať live do Bratislavy. Bratislavská scéna zadržala dych.

Výdych prišiel tretiu februárovú sobotu vo Fuge, bývalej továreni prerobenej na klub.  Inokedy opustená Továrenská ulica vedúca ku klubu, zle osvetlená a trochu strašidelná, ťahajúca sa popri jednom z menej šťastných nedostavaných realitných projektov, zasvinená kilami neodhrabaného topiaceho sa snehu, sa v ten večer zmenila na korzo. Zástupy sa ťahali z celej Bratislavy na bránu už od deviatej večer. Tých šťastných pár, ktorí si stihli zohnať lístky. Kapacita Fugy obmedzila počet účastníkov na maximum 250 kusov a vstupy sa rozchytali behom troch dní.  

Toto sa v Bratislave na podobných akciách doteraz naozaj nestávalo.

O dve hodiny neskôr, počúvajúc temné beaty domáceho projektu Jacques Kustod a dívajúc sa na n-farebné vizuály od Chaosdroid, mi prvý raz napadla hriešna myšlienka. Hm, je to tu trochu ako Unsound. Nezabite ma.

O ďalšiu hodinu, už uprostred Stotta, som si ktovieakým zázrakom ukradla 20 minút v strede fugáckeho kvadra. Čistá krása, technokokón obaľujúci človeka zo všetkých strán. A tá myšlienka sa mi vrátila. Niekoľký raz od Krakowa je tu trocha toho, čo bolo aj tam, lenže tento raz silnejšie: nadoraz hedonizmus, úplne pohltené publikum, produkcia, akú tu nepočuť každý deň, párty presne na pulze doby. 

Dve stovky ľudí zhypnotizovaných týpkom, ktorého spoza laptopu takmer nevidno, ale nikomu to nevadilo. “Honestly, one of the wildest gigs,” vyznal sa neskôr Andy Exitabu. A nad tým všetkým zavesený maskot Fugy, atrapa obrieho hmyzu poskladaná z káblov a železného odpadu, bdejúca nad hlavami žúrujúcich.

Taká zvláštna sila. Možno nie priamo hudba, ale určite atmosféra. Prevaľuje sa tu po kluboch, krčmách a internetoch už pár mesiacov, no v tej chvíli sa prvý raz dala uchopiť.

(Nasledujúca časť popisuje udalosti, ktoré neviem isto, či sa stali, ako sa stali a kto bol v skutočnosti ten človek. Ale takto nejako si to pamätám:.)

Na odchode okolo pol štvrtej ráno som sa pred šatňou pustila do reči s okoloidúcim. Bol z Birminghamu (alebo Manchestru?), ale v skutočnosti to má do Fugy na skok, žije toť vo Viedni. “Ako si sa tu o tom dozvedel?” pýtam sa. “Proste o takýchto veciach viem.” Super, vravím si, takže tá sila ide občas aj von.

Ďalší deň sme potom so Strunom pri obede a s Faunom večer na čaji preberali Andyho, Casi Cada Minuto aj Jaquesa, a všetko to, čo sa večer predtým vo Fuge na pár hodín zhmotnilo. Chcela som im vysvetliť, že sa mi zdá, že toho začína byť veľa. Že bratislavská scéna sa mení na tlakový hrniec z ktorého čochvíľa zákonite odletí veko. Nemusela som ani dokončiť prvú vetu. Niečo je vo vzduchu, zhodli sme sa behom pár slov všetci traja. A je toho viac ako kedykoľvek predtým.

Držme si klobúky, niečo sa blíži. A hádam je to niečo dobré.

------

Photo by Gabriela Zigova - thnx:) Saturday, 2013/02/16 @ Fuga Exitab prsnts: Andy Stott (live/Modern Love) - FB event Andy Stott, Casi Cada Minuto, Jacques Kustod + Chaosdroid, Teapot, Break!fast, Jvris

[infnts]

When I grow up, I want to be a DJ

Just sayin'. Had a one-person party at home last night, prompted by this track. 

[infnts]

Feels like 2006

Well, this feels like 2006. Short summer nights, long weekends. Thursday ‘till Sunday spent in the Hole. Friday evening, 11pm, the road leading from under the bridge to Subclub crowded with people like a promenade.

I am not one of the elders, not one of those, who remember the early days of the club once called U-club. When I was 15, it was a goal, something to be achieved, a Place of Wonder and Mystery where only a few were allowed. Not us, kids. I only started spending nights there many years later.

To me, Subclub means the first breakcore and dubstep parties in Bratislava. House and techno events so crowded that the walls actually sweated in the heat. It is people hanging out in front of the club, often not even trying to get in, simply because there just wasn't enough room inside anymore. But there was no need - everything happened outside most of the time. I fondly remember walking home to Petržalka at dawn across the SNP bridge or simply wandering through town to get a snack at the only 24/7 burger joint in the city center after a good party.

These pictures were taken on a Friday night two weeks ago, but they could easily be 7 or 17 years old. Vzzzuuum, a time-machine. Such a one as to take everyone involved to the past moments of their own chooosing. To me, this would be 2006, for others it may be 1996 - to each their own, their best moments in the club under the Castle.

Subclub celebrated its 20th birthday two weeks ago. I wasn't there, couldn't go. This is just my attempt to say thank you. And to save a piece of the atmosphere. Here, have a few pics by Martin Haburaj and by Skank.

Or read another attempt at saying thank you and happy birthday, lovingly worded by a friend - and one of the most poetic clubbers in town - Faun. (But it's in Slovak:)

------

Toto je ako leto 2006. Krátke noci a dlhé víkendy, od štvrtka do nedele v Diere. Cesta spod mosta v piatok o jedenástej večer natrieskaná ako korzo.

Nepatrím medzi pamätníkov, nie som z ľudí, ktorí si pamätajú ranné dni U-clubu. Keď som mala 15, U-club bol méta, ktorú sme túžili dosiahnuť, záhadné a kúzelné miesto, kam smeli iba niektorí. Nie my, deti. Noci som tam začala tráviť až o veľa rokov neskôr.

Subclub sú pre mňa prvé bratislavské breakcory a dubstepy pre hŕstku fajnšmekrov. Housíky a techná, na ktorých sa potili steny. Ľudia, čo ani nechodievali do klubu, stačilo pred klub, lebo tam sa dialo všetko a dnu by sa beztak nedostali. Ráno potom za svetla domov cez Most SNP, prípadne pešo na richman do centra.

Tieto fotky sú z minulého piatku, ale mohli by mať 7 alebo 17 rokov. Vzzzuuum, stroj času. Navyše pre každého tam, kam sa zrovna potrebuje vrátiť. Mňa by preniesol späť do roku 2006, iných do 1996. Ale hlavne všetkých tam, kde to mali pod hradnou skalou najradšej.

Subclub cez víkend oslavoval 20. narodeniny. Nebola som, povinnosti nedovolili. Ale toto je môj pokus poďakovať sa za všetky tie noci a odložiť si tu kus atmosféry. Snáď mi v tom pomôžu fotky od Martina Haburaja a Skanka.

Alebo si prečítajte ešte inú gratulačku, láskyplne napísanú kamarátom a jedným z najpoetickejších žúrovníkov v meste, Faunom.

------

Photos by Martin Haburaj - thnx:) Friday, 2013/03/15 @ Subclub FB event

[infnts]

Supremely looking forward to this

(Just a quick one.)

Maybe because it feels like I'm gonna have my first time off in two weeks. (Which isn't true, last weekend was pretty intense:P But the whole week since was crazy, too.) Maybe because I'm gonna come straight from work after 48 hours of (nearly) pure focus. Maybe because I've been hearing about this particular evening sice... January? Start of Febraury? Maybe because I've missed Heatsick at Unsound last year. I just remember people coming around and urging me to go to Room 3 immediately – piece of advice I, for some reason, didn't heed. Maybe because of the Boiler Room set embedded below.

But it doesn't really matter why. I'm just looking forward to this.

------

Možno preto, že mám pocit, akoby som mala mať prvé osobné voľno po dvoch týždňoch. Čo nie je tak celkom pravda, minulý víkend bol dzivý:P Akurát že potom aj celý ďalší týždeň. Možno preto, že prídem rovno z práce po 48 hodinách takmer čistého sústredenia. Možno preto, že o tejto akcii počúvam od... januára? Začiatku februára? Možno preto, že som Heatsicka zmeškala vlani na Unsounde. Viem, že za mnou v sobotu chodili ľudia a hovorili mi, že určite musím ísť na Room 3. Ale z nejakého dôvodu som si nedala povedať. Možno kvôli setu z Boiler Roomu, čo je nižšie.

Ale vlastne je úplne jedno, prečo. Na toto sa proste teším.

------

Saturday, 2013/03/16 @ a4 FB event

[infnts]

One of these weekends

From time to time there comes a night when you look at your watch and you see it's midnight. Then you look at it again and suddenly it’s 4 am.

Once in a while these nights happen to come two or three in a row. At the end of them, at about 5:30 am on a Sunday morning, one is barely stumbling and is asking oneself where to find the strength to return home at all. Then you sleep until 4 pm, wake up and ask yourself the important question: When is this kind of weekend gonna happen again? Walking at dawn between blocks of flats in Petržalka, I recalled the strongest moments from the past 72 hours. Originally the long weekend was only meant to consist of a gig by Adam and the Czech guys WWW, whom I haven’t seen for a while, of a night out to support friends who played at KC Dunaj with the ungrateful task of bringing quality entertainment back to the club, and of a birthday party. But somewhere in the middle, it became so much more. It was Czech hip-hop at its best, supported by the most talented 19-year-old in Bratislava. It was the house party that I longed for since the last Muah in September. It was eclectic stuff so powerful it could induce a stroke. It was farewell to a former factory that has hosted unique parties and events for several years and that is about to be closed down in a couple of weeks. Goodbye, we’re done and about to turn into a Terribly Important Real Estate Project. (Well, good news, the building's allright after all for a couple more years. It's just the club that is being closed. Still, a pity, but there are many more dark corners there to be enjoyed:)

It was a farewell to common sense. It was cycling through factory halls after midnight, it was great music, dark corners and even darker intentions. This is the first time that I’m writing about how I see Bratislava by night. About what defines her and what makes her move. About the people, music, entertainment. From time to time I’ll publish my thoughts on this blog. Partly to remember them myself, partly so that others may read them, get to know this place and occasionally event come and take part. Because it would be a shame to miss the experience.

------

Sú noci, keď sa pozriete na hodinky a je polnoc. Potom sa pozriete na hodinky znova a sú štyri ráno.

Raz za čas idú takéto noci po sebe dve alebo tri. Na ich konci, o pol šiestej v nedeľu nadránom, už človek iba vlečie nohy za sebou a pýta sa sám seba, kde má nájsť silu na návrat domov. Potom sa vyspí do štvrtej poobede a pýta sa, kedy zažije taký víkend nabudúce. Motajúc sa na svitaní medzi panelákmi mi bežali hlavou momentky z posledných 72 hodín. Pôvodne to mal byť iba jeden koncert Adama a českých WWW, ktorých sme dlho nevideli, jeden support pre kamarátov, ktorí hrali v KC Dunaj v nevďačnej úlohe podporiť veľmi málo udržiavanú hudobnú kvalitu, a jedna narodeninová oslava. Niekde uprostred sa to zmenilo na vír zážitkov, ktorý vyššie popísané ani trochu nevystihuje. Najlepší český hip-hop a najtalentovanejšie 19-ročné chlapča v hlavnom meste. Housík, po akom som túžila snáď od septembrového Muahu a ťažko zaraditeľná eklektika, že šľak ma traf. Rozlúčka s rozumom a s bývalou továrňou, ktorá roky hostila výnimočné akcie a ktorá o pár týždňov končí. Dovidenia, zatvárame, teraz tu bude Strašne Dôležitý Developerský Projekt. (Tak nakoniec končí iba Galleria, budova si ešte pár rokov postojí. Škoda, ale aspoň že si ešte môžeme užiť ostatné temné zákutia Cvernovky.) 

Bolo to bicyklovanie vo výrobných halách, skvelá hudba, temné zákutia a ešte temnejšie úmysly.

Prvý raz píšem o tom, ako prežívam nočn�� Bratislavu a to, čo ňou hýbe. O ľuďoch, hudbe, zábave. Občas si to tu budem nechávať zavesené. Aby som nezabudla. A trochu aj preto, nech si to možno prečítajú iní a prídu sa občas pozrieť. Bola by škoda to nezažiť.

------

28/022013 - 03/03/2013 Thursday: Ink Midget (Last.fm, Soundcloud, Exitab label) + WWW (Last.fm) @ KC Dunaj Friday: Stroon (Bandcamp, Mixcloud, Exitab label) + Faun (Mixcloud) @ KC Dunaj Saturday: private birthday party @ Galleria Cvernovka

Photos by me.