Discipline May 2017
subbacultcha e v e n t s in May
28 Priests + The Courtneys Trefpunt (Democrazy), Ghent 29 Priests + Smäris + Lab Coast La Zone (PopKatari), Liège
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12 Endless Poetry (Poesía sin fin) Cinema Zuid, Antwerp 23 Daisies KASKcinema, Ghent
12 Crevette Records album release party: Vitesse
24 Purple Rain Cinematek, Brussels
Fuse, Brussels
theatre/dance
13 Kelly Lee Owens Botanique, Brussels 13 MIND OVER MTTR: Endgame + Hiele + Flora Yin-Wong + Trime + doro + Icy Fake Het Bos, Antwerp
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Lachrimae STUK, leuven
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Dança Doente Kaaitheater, Brussels
11 o.T. (the emotionality of the jaw) STUK, leuven
16 BANG!: Hiele + Lieven Martens + Miaux + Francesco Cavaliere 25 The only way is UP Campo, Ghent Begijnhofkerk (KultuurKaffee), Brussels 1.6 SLOW #02 KVS, Brussels 19 Alex Cameron Botanique, Brussels at the Princess Nokia show, shot by Iris Roell for Subbacultcha
subbacultcha.be
DOK (Democrazy), Ghent
12 FRoNTAL and VK present: Puur Belge VK, Brussels
New Music for New People Free access to the best concerts and events. Join us for €8 a month.
film
Homeshake + Aldous RH
expo
20 Bleib Modern + Duane Serah + Animal Youth Le Vecteur, Charleroi 20 Heaters
— 23.7 Marthe Wéry BPS22, Charleroi
Madame Moustache, Brussels
20 Le Prince Harry
16.5 — Evidence by Roy Villevoye & 16.7 Jan Dietvorst Argos, Brussels
21 Thee Oh Sees + La Jungle + The Glücks Botanique, Brussels
16.5 — STEP UP! Belgian Dance and 16.7 Performance on Camera — Chapter 3 Argos, Brussels
KulturA (JauneOrange), Liège
23 Xiu Xiu STUK, Leuven 27 Bitter 2: Jacques Greene + Dark Sky + Haring + DJ Sixsixsixties Trix, Antwerp
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All events are free for members. Join at subbacultcha.be
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• Last
Train fr 13.05 Kelly Lee
Owens gb • Monolithe Noir be 14.05 Gruppo Di Pawlowski be • Cocaine Piss be 14.05 La Jérôme be • Mario Batkovic ba 15.05 Magnus be • Agar Agar fr • Whispering Sons be 15.05 Témé Tan be • Le Motel be 16.05 Sleaford Mods gb • Powell gb • Shame gb • Mark Wynn gb 16.05 Communions dk • Ulrika Spacek gb • Froth us 17.05 Jacques fr • BRNS be • Robbing Millions be 17.05 Angel Olsen us • Ryley Walker us • Tim Darcy ca 18.05 Thor & Friends us • Le Ton Mité be 19.05 Alex Cameron au 20.05 Warhaus be • Mountain Bike release be • All We Are gb 20.05 Factory Floor gb invites Babyfather gb • Paula Temple de • Throwing Snow gb • Zebra Katz us 20.05 Frànçois and The Atlas Mountains fr 21.05 Thee Oh Sees us • La Jungle be • The Glücks be 21.05 Chassol «Indiamore» fr • Marc Melià be • Mandolin Sisters in ...
MORE @ WWW.BOTANIQUE.BE | 02 218 37 32
Discipline Maybe it was instilled from a young age, or maybe it’s a work in progress. Discipline, like most things we value, does not grow on trees.You can read books about it, go to seminars, try your hand at magic or conflate it with restraint and sacrifice and expect to reap whatever rewards you seek: wisdom, humility, growth — perhaps a metaphorical pot of gold. When it comes down to it, discipline is really about focus, keeping perspective and cutting out the superfluous in order to really stick to the things that count. Make it happen for yourself, or don’t. Either way, we’d like to help you out. 5
deSingel presenteert SWIM WITH THE CURRENT
content
subbacultcha events 9—21 Zwangere Guy 22—27 Xiu Xiu 28—33 Homeshake 34—37
SX BE Flat Earth Society & David Bovée BE BeraadGeslagen BE Salut C’est Cool FR The Germans BE Robbing Millions BE Kœnig AU Jo Goes hunting NL Few Bits BE Kikagaku Moyo JP Buvette CH Krankland BE NAH USA Elefant BE Venderstrooik NL DJ Title BE DJ The Return of Bobby from Bangladesh BE
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artists 38—43 style 44—47 book 48—49 recent finds 50—59 we visit you 60—61
© Grégoire Verbeke
early summer music
discipline
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DEMOCRAZY
subbacultcha events in May
All events are free for members. Join at subbacultcha.be
FRoNTAL and VK combine forces to bring you Puur Belge: an evening gathering all the cool hip hop kids from the home turf of Belgium. A share of the evening will be dedicated to the celebration Zwangere Guy and his recently released mixtape Zwangerschapsverlof Vol. 3. Many friends have already RSVP the party, including Le 77, Stikstof, Caballero and Jeanjass, Onze Zaak, Dvtch Norris, Crapulax, Brihang & D. Meeuws, Isha and Primero.
06.05
EPHEMERALS
11.05
KENJI MINOGUE + Live-at-De-Mansion
11.05
HOMESHAKE + Aldous RH
DOK
music
12.05
BIG NEXT: HAPPYNESS + Fazerdaze
DOK
14.05
MONOLORD
17.05
LE TON MITÉ
Homeshake + Aldous RH
17.05
ST GRANDON + Uncle Wellington’s Wives
18.05
THE BODY + Uniform
19.05
FADED: THEY. + Azizi Gibson
CHARLATAN
21.05
7DE POPQUIZMARATAHON
RONDOM CHARLATAN
21.05
BIG NEXT: HONNE
24.05
PSYCH OVER 9000 RONDOM CHARLATAN FÖLLAKZOID, THE COSMIC DEAD, RON GALLO, ...
25.05
ASPHALT: TRIPEO, JP ENFANT
28.05
OMAR SOULEYMAN
28.05
BIG NEXT: PRIESTS + THE COURTNEYS
TREFPUNT
31.05
BIG NEXT: MORGAN DELT + Alpha Whale
CHARLATAN
04.06
ANDY SHAUF
DOK
07.06
ROYAL TRUX
DOK
15.06
LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY, MAD PROFESSOR, PURA VIDA
15.06
BIG NEXT MANNEQUIN PUSSY + Public Psyche
18.06
VAPORS OF MORPHINE
DOK
20.06
WAND
DOK
FRoNTAL and VK present: Puur Belge
DEMOCRAZY.BE
12 May – VK, Brussels 19.30 – €12 – free for members
DOK VOORUIT
CHARLATAN DOK N.E.S .T. DE CENTRALE
CHARLATAN
GRINDBAKKEN VOORUIT
MUZIEKCLUB GENT
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VOORUIT CHARLATAN
11 May – DOK (Democrazy), Ghent 20.00 – €12 – free for members
Crevette Records album release party: Vitesse
Since he started Homeshake back in 2010, Peter Sagar, ex-Mac Demarco guitarist, has releasing tunes that often reminded us of the Pepperoni Playboy. However, in his latest effort Fresh Air, Sagar seems to take off and appropriate himself with his own style: a mix of R&B, synthpop and lo-fi rock. Also worth checking if you’re a fan of Infinite Bisous and Connan Mockasin is Manchester boy Aldous RH who makes sexy colourful psychedelic funk.
12 May – Fuse, Brussels 23:00 – €5 free for members until 1 am
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The Brussels-based guys from Vitesse are debuting on the brand new Crevette Records label. Dim the lights, pour yourself a Sex on the Beach and dial your stereos up to ten for this one. A-side ‘In de Lucht’ is an ode to the intoxicating pleasures of life while the dreamy synths and juicy bassline on ‘Sorry Adriaan’ encourage you to do nasty things … The dance floor pads and bells on B2 are guaranteed to ignite even the most
CONCERTS THU 04.05
VOORUIT
&
GOUVERNEMENT
PRESENT:
GNOD / ORPHAN SWORDS
Abrasive electronics from UK cult collective
in collaboration with / at: Gouvernement, Gouvernementstraat 7
FRI 12.05
CHURCH OF RA AMENRA (ACOUSTIC) / INNERWOUD
SAT 13.05
CHURCH OF RA AMENRA (ELECTRIC) / THE BLACK HEART REBELLION / TREHA SEKTORI
Legendary post-sludge / post-hardcore band acoustic
challenging dance floors. Whether you’re going to the Discoteca or cruising into the sunset this EP will do the trick. Also on the bill: Alfred Anders, Tele Talks and Aroh b2b Rhythm Mind.
other hand, Flora Yin-Wong will make her debut appearance on Belgian grounds with her Chinese traditional folk fused with dance music. Slagwerk founder Trime promises a DJ set mixing a bunch of different music styles, ranging from electronica and ambient to dubstep and jungle, to name a few. Finally, doro, who started Midlife together with Kassett and samuelspaniel, and Icy Fake, aka Hannes Rooms who has a regular column in the magazine, complete this intense lineup.
Kelly Lee Owens 13 May – Botanique, Brussels 19.30 – €14 – free for members
MIND OVER MTTR: Endgame BANG!: Hiele + Martens + Hiele + Flora Lieven + Miaux Yin-Wong + + Francesco Trime + doro + Cavaliere Icy Fake
16 May – Begijnhofkerk (KultuurKaffee), Brussels – 19.00 – €7 free for members
SOLD OUT!
WED 24.05 WED 31.05
PSYCHIC TV / SILVER APPLES
This year’s BANG! Festival, curated by Joris Van de Moortel, organises 12 events over a period of a month (6 May till 8 June). Joris is a multifaceted artist using all the creative tools at his disposal, from sculpture and paintings to musical experimentation — mostly all at the same time — to build his exhibitions. As his work is based on the specific architecture and context of a place, and the material used is destroyed and recycled in different exhibitions, this always results in new and unique installations.
Genesis P-Orridge’s ultimate cult band VOORUIT
&
GOUVERNEMENT
MARY OCHER / SUPPORT TBC
PRESENT:
The outsider queen of Berlin avant pop solo
in collaboration with / at: Gouvernement, Gouvernementstraat 7
INFO & TICKETS:
WWW.VOORUIT.BE - T. 09 267 28 28
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13 May – Het Bos, Antwerp 21.00 – €10 – free for members Antwerp producer Hiele and Bala Club co-founder Endgame shouldn’t need an introduction any more with multiple Subbashows under their belts. On the
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delta~wave festival
26-27-28
May
2017
~ a 3-day festival highlighting the trance-dimensional surface rubbings of new music, installation, sound sculpting, graphic and video art ~
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MSHR (us)
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PIYOJO (nl)
NILS QUAK (de)
VISIBLE CLOAKS (us)
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AVVENTUR (fr)
ROBERT
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LOTO RETINA (fr) DIETER JAN
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UMWURF (de)
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CAPELO (be)
NONLOCAL
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~
~
by
~
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INNER
TRIO ENSEMBLE (be)
~
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HANNAH GIESE
~ by
GENTA
PAKRADOONI
ROSELYNNE
environment
~
SOCIETY (cl/be)
VIRGINIA
JELLE CRAMA
GONZÁLEZ
POLYHEDRA
~
LAUREN
AMY
~
AUTISTIC ARGONAUTS (de)
KÖHN (be)
DURINCK
ANDERZÉN
videos
GABRIELA
~
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(nl)
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AYMERIC DE TAPOL (be)
&APOS (be)
UNCHAINED (fr)
ROBERT BEATTY
~
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RO (dk)
AQUA DENTATA (uk)
MAX EILBACHER / DUNCAN MOORE (us)
expo:
~
~ ~
BERGMAN
CITY (be)
~
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TOMUTONTTU (fin)
FLORIS
FAUST SIET VANHOOF
~ RAE
~
~ MICHEL GENTIL (Social Harmony) ~ OCH LEO (Jj Funhouse) ~ WINKHORST REISEN (Chinesische Wäscherei) ~ BENT VON BENT (Hare Akedod) ~ STOUTE MENEER (Ultra Eczema) ~ MAURICE RAVEL (Ediçoes Cn) ~ URUBÚ (Fu Tapes) ~ ZOOT RUF SKI (Snail Recordings) + more tba dj’s: McBAIN (Stroom.tv)
at
HET BOS, Ankerrui 5-7, Antwerp, Belgium tickets and info: www.deltawave.be
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Alex Cameron
Coast rock. Expansive, cosmic swells mixed with twangy, fuzzy guitars fill their Beyond Beyond is Beyond records debut, Holy Water Pool. Drop a tab, blink your eyes and you might wake up in Golden Gate Park in the ’60s. Catchy and kinetic according to Pitchfork; totally out there according to us.
19 May – Botanique, Brussels 20.00 – €18 – free for members
Bleib Modern + Duane Serah + Animal Youth Le Prince Harry 20 May – Le Vecteur, Charleroi 20.00 – €5 – free for members
20 May – KulturA (JauneOrange), Liège 20.00 – €6 – free for members
A psychedelic evening that will make you remember the first skateboard you bought followed by the first cigarette you smoked, when all was innocent and pretty. Bleib Modern sounds like Paul Banks, Nick Cave and Stuart Braithwaite making out in a cab on the way back from a Joy Division concert. Next is Duane Serah, or Hugues Daro from the Scrap Dealers, who writes dreamy shoegaze in a creepy flat while the sun starts turning purple and red outside. The evening ends with Animal Youth, a love affair between ’90s shoegaze and post-punk à la The Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine.
Le Prince Harry is a garage electro punk band from Liège, who sound (and look) like they took a pound of speed. Heavy bass combined with distorted voices and barbed guitar sounds will make sure your beer ends up on the floor before the intro of the second song kicks in. If Gruppo Di Pawlowski and Enter Shikari’d had a love child in London, it would have been Le Prince Harry.
Heaters
Thee Oh Sees + La Jungle + The Glücks
20 May – Madame Moustache, Brussels 20.00 – €5 – free for members Grand Rapids, Michigan natives Heaters are the kind of band that seems to be made for the stage of Madame Moustache. They revel in just the right kind of catchy and psychotic West
21 May – Botanique, Brussels 19.00 – €23 – free for members
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Xiu Xiu 23 May – STUK, Leuven 20.00 – €14 – free for members Xiu Xiu, the musical outlet for singer-songwriter James Stewart, is a long-time darling of fans of edgy indie music. Named after the movie Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl in which a Chinese girl loses all hope in life after repeatedly being raped, it’s no wonder the band sprinkles their sonic experimentations with lyrics about disturbing themes. Their latest album, named Forget and released on Polyvinyl records, riffs further on this well-known template and blends stellar production with cacophony.
2.06 KALAHA — JAN SCHULTE — NOSEDRIP BMOM — POLDOORE — MANY MORE ALSO AT STUK
Bitter 2 : Jacques Greene + Dark Sky + Haring + DJ Sixsixsixties 27 May – Trix, Antwerp 20.00 – €18 – free for members
17.05
ISBELLS + EYEMÈR
23.05
XIU XIU + EL YUNQUE
WWW.STUK.BE / STUKLEUVEN
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Bitter is an event dedicated to shine a light on the most innovative, exciting and experimental acts from the contemporary electronic music scene, ranging from atmospheric minimal techno and dark electronics to abstract rhythms and glowing synths. After a successful first edition, Trix is hosting a second round featuring two high-class
international acts: young Montreal house producer Jacques Greene and UK house-techno duo Dark Sky. Finally, fans of Tycho or Gold Panda will be happy to discover homegrown and Brusselsbased Haring.
Priests + The Courtneys
28 May – Trefpunt (Democrazy), Ghent 20.00 – €11 – free for members Alice Greer and her post-punk outfit Priests have always had a good eye for fakery and bullshit, and are never afraid of expressing their thoughts towards the current political and social situation. Their latest effort, Nothing Feels Natural, is once again a good example of their protest-minded mission, in which of course the newly elected can recognise himself. The Courtneys are a lo-fi pop rock female trio that is the first non-New Zealand band to sign to Flying Nun Records. The band blends garage punk with sincere lyrics and good old-fashioned fun.
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This publication was printed by
GEWA DRUPO
Priests + Smäris + Lab Coast
wisdom that in no way detracts from the trickster nature of the visionary behind El Topo and Holy Mountain.
Daisies
29 May – La Zone (PopKatari), Liège 20.00 – €7 – free for members Washington-based quartet Priests have banged the rock scene with a handful of yammering punk albums since their debut in 2012. Since musical activism and shaking up consciences are the essence of their band, Priests aren’t scared of jumping around different sonorities — from post-punk to indie-pop and jazz — to accomplish a transcending criticism of the messed-up society that brought Donald Trump into power. To sum it up: there’s no time to fuck around! This is punk, baby!
film
Endless Poetry (Poesía sin fin)
23 May – KASKcinema, Ghent 22.30 – €5 – free for members Věra Chytilová’s 1966 masterpiece is always good for a revisit. An undisputed cornerstone of Czech New Wave cinema, Daisies follows two girls who share a name and a passion for elaborate nihilistic pranks. A celebration of all things weird, joyous and intrinsically feminine, this psychedelic gem will get you into full-blown spring mode and have you answer to nothing and no one except your own sense of mischief.
12 May – Cinema Zuid, Antwerp 18.00 – €5 – free for members
Drukkerij GEWADRUPO Hoge Mauw 130 — gewa.be 16 16
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s latest effort follows The Dance of Reality in his five-part free autobiographical series. This time we delve deep into his past as a young artist in Santiago breaking with convention and fulfilling his destiny as an artist and a poet. A demented journey with all the benchmarks of a Jodorowskian trip: colourful characters, ethereal imagery and surrealist associations — with a touch of retrospective
Purple Rain 24 May – Cinematek, Brussels 21.00 – €6 – free for members Dead, but never forgotten. Cinematek brings back Prince from beyond the grave in one of his most capitulating and singular visions. The ’80s hit grooves along to a story of a young musician on the rise, focusing on his struggles with his family, a rival musician and his own dissatisfied/
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FARMPROD
envious band. The semi-autobiographical story is riveting, but the real show stealers are the musical sequences themselves, which comprise some of the most iconic songs the Purple One made in his fledgling career. So come on down and catch a slice of some of the catchiest tunes this side of the ’80s.
NEW SEASON ONLINE
theatre/dance
Lachrimae
©
WWW.KVS.BE #WEAREHERE #WHEREAREYOU 18
Sukina Douglas
Danny Willems
4 May – STUK, leuven 20.30 – €14 – free for members Belgian ensemble Hathor Consort’s repertoire specialises in consort music, a popular genre at court and households back in the Elizabethan Era. The era when theatre and poetry flourished — amongst which John Dowland’s LACHRIMAE, or Seaven Tears Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans: an iconic piece expressing the Elizabethan fascination for obsession and melancholy. Now, the Hathor Consort will perform their own contemporary interpretation of this classic piece at STUK, which includes, besides Dowland’s Pavans, also Annelies Van Parys’ Interludes. A new reading further fortified by the movements of dancer Femke Gyselinck, offering a visual interpretation of this dark oeuvre.
Dança Doente 8 May – Kaaitheater, Brussels 20.00 – €18 – free for members We usually associate dance with strong healthy bodies, but what does it mean to the tired, fragile and suffering? Inspired by the dark universe of the Japanese choreographer Hijikata Tatsumi (the pioneer of butoh, ‘dance of darkness’), Marcelo Evelin focuses on the declined body, infected by the world and forces that emptied it and dismissed it. Hijikata’s ambiguous ideas like ‘dance is like a corpse standing up’ are incorporated by the Brazilian choreographer into a piece that ultimately organises itself as a ‘danced pathology’: viral, contagious and an omen of death, wielded to reaffirm life in all its power.
o.T. (the emotionality of the jaw) 11 May – STUK, leuven 20.30 – €14 – free for members Ian Kaler aims to broaden our understanding of physicality through his artistic confrontation with social norms and power relations. With o.T (ohne titel), he offers a series of works exploring different physical and mental states. Working with musicians Aquarian Jugs (aka Planningtorock’s Jam Rostron) and Houeida Hedfi, Kaler creates a space
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WWW.GENT-MATINEES.BE
GENT SOIREE2 VRIJDAG 09.06.2017 OPEN18-22U GALLERIE2 & OFF-SPACE2
where bodies and figures liquify, melting into each other and the music.
expo
Marthe Wéry
The only way is UP
until 23 Jul – BPS22, Charleroi 11.00-18.00 – €6 – free for members
25 May – Campo, Ghent 20.30 – €13 – free for members In their new production, The only way is UP, Boris Van Severen and Jonas Vermeulen portray four main characters at various key moments in their lives: as a child, an adolescent, a young adult, and then in their thirties, forties and fifties. They do not lead especially spectacular lives, but do quite ordinary things that can nevertheless be comical, exciting or moving. Head over to page 38 for more info.
SLOW #02 — Quinsy Gario 1 June – KVS, Brussels 20.30 – €17 – free for members SLOW (Slam Our World) puts urban word art and theatre together. After a first successful first edition, a new international artist is invited to take residency in Brussels for a couple of weeks and share the stage with local artists. This time it’s Quinsy Gario, who will attempt to portray the colourful and multifaceted soul of the city. Born in Curaçao but raised in St Maarten and the Netherlands, Gario studied film, theatre and television — but always with a focus on gender and postcolonialism.
Evidence by Roy Villevoye & Jan Dietvorst 14 May-16 July – Argos, Brussels 11.00-18.00 – €6 – free for members Dutch artists Villevoye and Dietvorst make videos that explicitly distance themselves from the purposeful aspect of documentaries. Evidence is their first major solo exhibition featuring ‘Evidence and Showcase’: a double projection that consists of scenes from existing movies and new fragments. The fragments are shown in no particular order and without narrative or causality, to create a feeling of instantaneousness. The projection focuses on two major themes: the memory of World War I and the encounter with the Asmat people in the Papua province of Indonesia.
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STEP UP! — Chapter 3 14 May-16 July – Argos, Brussels 11.00-18.00 – €6 – free for members
music
Zwangere Guy Brussels badass rapper Zwangere Guy already earned his spot in the Belgian hiphop scene as Omar G with Stikstof. In April he released his debut mixtape Zwangerschapsverlof Vol. 3 — and there still is plenty of material in the pipeline. We invited ourselves to Guy’s cosy apartment to talk about the scene, staying real and staying disciplined.
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Interview by Denis Wouters Photos by Tina Herbots shot in Brussels
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‘I like tight, good shit. A joint has to be rolled perfectly. A chicken avocado sandwich has to be crunchy, and the chicken has to be juicy. My music has to be just like that’
So first tell me, what kind of baby is it you’re carrying? Actually it’s not a baby. Zwanger just sounds really nice in my ears, to me it never meant pregnant. It’s just a name. We weren’t using the word swag. We used to say die shit is zwanger. Everything that is nice was zwanger. This is where I took my name from. So there is no baby. Do you find it tough to sing in Dutch in a bilingual city? I actually think it’s quite nice, but at the same I realise it’s not the most common language that is spoken in the city. I like to use English, French, Spanish and Polish words in my lyrics. You have to show off your knowledge of other languages. When I’m freestyling and there are only French MCs around me I’ll try to use words that they can understand. Also if I would rap in English I would be a copy of a copy. For me shit sounds real in Dutch. I don’t want to make a copy; there is only one Zwangere Guy. But I would like to imagine that 10 years from now there would be this scene of new rappers that would call themselves ‘Zwanger’ — like all those rappers that put a ‘Lil’’, a ‘Big’, or a ‘Yung’ in front of their name. Zwangere Gucci, Zwangere Guy Guy … who knows!
What’s the difference between working with Stikstof and making your own stuff? Stikstof has only one beatmaker: Paulo. I had this feeling that I needed to do other shit. The difference between the two is Stikstof has a sound and Zwangere Guy is looking for a sound. I like to make loads of music with other people, without needing a whole group to make the decisions. I’m working on an EP together with Kassett. I know he’s crazy and he can put that into his sound. That’s what I like about him. We can chat for hours and dream, and all of a sudden I wake up and he has a new beat at 6AM. Bang! How do you find the discipline to finish tracks and get things done? I dealt with a lot of unstructured shit when I was young. When I was 15 years old I started to work in constructions. If you have to put ten bricks on top of each other and every layer you
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miss out 1mm, you’ve got 1cm of difference after ten layers. I like tight, good shit. A joint has to be rolled perfectly. A chicken avocado sandwich has to be crunchy, and the chicken has to be juicy. My music has to be just like that. This mixtape is only a beginning. I’d like to have a record out in 2019. You seem to plan ahead quite a bit! Yeah man, I like timelines. I need to make sure that when we release a record with Stikstof I don’t release my own mixtape at the same time. You got to prepare stuff 3–4 months ahead. Shit has to be right: Zwangere Guy, Stikstof, my lady. It all has to fit. Any advice for the readers, to work on their discipline? You should do shit the way you’d like someone else to do them for you. Don’t sell any crap that you wouldn’t buy yourself. And stay real. Then there’s not much you can do wrong.
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FRoNTAL and VK present: Puur Belge with Zwangere Guy 12 May – VK, Brussels free for members
music
Xiu Xiu Experimental band Xiu Xiu stand for highly informed and deeply influenced contemporary pop music. Their substantial body of work is often overtly political and pays explicit homage to their many influences. We talked to Jamie Stewart, the band’s founder and constant member, about the channelling of influences, the writing and production process behind a Xiu Xiu record and — of course — discipline.
Interview by Rafael Severi/Sensu Photos by Elizabeth Weinberg shot in LA
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Since the theme of this magazine is discipline, I’d like to ask you two questions about it — a concrete one and a far-fetched one. So, first: is there discipline to Xiu Xiu’s music? I cannot exist as a working musician without it. I have to put a lot of work into something to yield any kind of result. I do not consider myself much of a natural musician. Before being a musician I am a music fan. It requires discipline although it is far from a begrudging discipline. Most things require discipline in order to be true.
The far-fetched question is linked to the fact that Xiu Xiu makes a lot of cover versions of other people’s music. How would you cover ‘Discipline’ by Throbbing Gristle? I am vaguely acquainted with Genesis P-Orridge so that acquaintance would put a different spin on things. We are far from close but anyone Xiu Xiu has ever covered were people we have never met. Throbbing Gristle created a genre so it would be pointless to try and sound like they sound because what they did was so distinct, trying to broaden
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‘Most things require discipline in order to be true’ the possibilities of music. I guess there would be two possible routes to take. Either make something completely unintelligible, fully distorted and loud — so loud it seems like nothing. Or possibly mould the track into something very beautiful and slow, a bit like William Basinski. Those would be my considerations if I was going to do it, taking into account that I always consider the artist’s philosophy of music or what I perceive that philosophy to be.
How do you choose who you cover? In almost every case it is someone who has been a direct and deep influence on the band. It is our way of saying thank you.
That is exactly what it is. We learned so much from that soundtrack so just copying it would be like doing the exact opposite of what we learned from that music.
Are you nostalgic about your influences? Nostalgia requires someone to look back at something one is no longer really involved in. My influences remain current. They are present in my everyday life.
Your work has a sense of the explicit — the bombastic, even — not only content-wise but also musically. The history of pop music since rock’n’roll has always been perceived as explicit. In retrospect someone like Little Richard seems adorable now, but in the past people would lose their minds to his music. An evolving perspective on direct sexuality also plays a part. It is nothing new. Also, there is a natural kind of progression like this in any kind of media. Perhaps that progression was even always a bit slower in pop music because of the money involved. Human beings seem to be geared to take things up a notch.
Your version of the Twin Peaks soundtrack sounds like an industrial take on the original.
The production of your music feels very worked, like a mix between intuition and hard work. How do you start? We have a little home studio so writing and recording almost always happens at the same time. There is a lot of improvisation. We essentially hone and edit that improvisation. The writing process
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depends largely on the song and on the record. On rare occasions I will do everything myself. Most of the time I will get things 60% of the way there and then the other members will start coming in to do overdubs. Our producers will become involved at some point as well. Your father was probably a big musical influence, him being a successful producer himself? Through him, from a very young age, I got a sense of what was quality music and what was not. His influence was never really technical. He was always talking about the importance of ways of feeling about music. He would give me really good records or a piece of equipment to show me that there are all these big ideas around and there are tools with which you can explore them.
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Xiu Xiu 23 May – STUK, Leuven free for members
music
Home shake Peter Sagar births music that highlights elements of droney ambient and classic R&B to create smooth pop laced with moody introspection. His latest album, Fresh Air, is more upbeat in both tempo and subject matter, but Sagar hasn’t lost his propensity for melancholy. We visited him in his hometown of Montreal and went for a stroll down memory lane, to reminisce about those times when things seemed a lot more simple, filled with school and toys.
Photos by Fatine-Violette Sabiri shot in Montreal, Canada
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Homeshake 11 May – DOK (Democrazy), Ghent free for members
artists
Boris Van Severen & Jonas Vermeulen Interview by Blanche Didier Photos by Tiny Geeroms
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For their upcoming new play, The Only Way is UP, Boris Van Severen and Jonas Vermeulen created an ode to normality, highlighting the casual and relatable things of life in a filmic way. As we follow the ups and downs of the characters’ lives, electronic music pops in, acting as a vital element of this dreamy and most certainly aspiring production. How did you guys get to work together, was it love at first sight? Boris: You could say that. We met each other in school. When we started talking about music and our favourite artists, we ended up mentioning the exact same bands. It clicked immediately. Jonas: The first performance we did together was our graduation project. After that, we felt the necessity to keep working with the mixture of theatre and music because it was something we both wanted to explore more thoroughly. It’s also what we’re still doing today: investigating how theatre crosses over with music, without entering the fields of musical or opera. Creating an art form that is nor music nor theatre, that’s the goal. Let’s say I have no idea what your play is about. How would you describe it to me?
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J: The play questions the fun we have in growing up and getting older — an idea that sprouted from the lives we’re leading at this very moment. We follow four characters growing up from being a child, teenager, young adult, to the final three adult versions of him/herself. The play is about what changes in their lives, what they achieve and don’t achieve, how they look at certain things, subjects, and which choices they ultimately make. It’s very important that it’s about very ordinary people. We didn’t want to depict a hero, we wanted to stage normal experience to then transfer them into a filmic atmosphere. We want to look for and make people see the beauty and poetry of daily life. How do you relate personally? B: I think there are zillions of things I’ve changed my point of view on over the years. It’s the biggest part about growing up. We once took the example of seeing
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a setting sun: when you’re seven it doesn’t mean anything to you, you just think it’s a waste of time to stare at it. Yet when you get older, even for myself now … I’m 28 and at times I’m still like ‘Shit, this is beautiful!’. Maybe in twenty years I’ll be saying ‘Fuck this, I’m gonna put my sunglasses on!’. It’s something you can’t foresee.
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The only way is UP 25 May – Campo, Ghent free for members
style
by RenĂŠe Verhoeven Hair and make-up: Jennifer Vlieghe Model: Polina Godunov
Mi
ry
lline
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book Psychomagic: The Transformative Power of Shamanic Psychotherapy Alejandro Jodorowsky
text and artwork by Gabriela González
As Alejandro Jodorowsky’s latest film, Poesía sin fin, lands in our collective sphere, it seemed appropriate to visit this book which has been neglected on my nightstand for weeks. Stemming from a series of interviews on the topic, Psychomagic outlines an alternative to psychotherapy which mixes art, psychoanalysis and various currents of mysticism that purport to heal everything from emotional distress to eczema. At the core of the practice is the idea that symbols are to be taken literally: our relationship to objects represents our relationship to the world and to ourselves, as the convulsing student discovered after Jodorowsky removed his wedding ring, thus liberating him from his emotional prison. Ever the consummate trickster, Jodorowsky spins the traditions of primitive medicine and witchcraft on their heads to give them the quintessential Jodorowskian twist. Faced with a consultant’s plight, the healer must use the concept of the ‘sacred trap’: miracles can only happen if they are believed in, and for this to happen the healer uses artifices that lead the patient to admit their existence, allowing them to capture the world through intuition instead of through reason. This may all sound like obnoxious mumbo-jumbo; indeed, the tone is often adulatory, and Jodorowsky’s tendency to make vaguely universal statements can come off as pretentious and frustrating – especially when he immediately contradicts himself on the following page. Yet such is the nature of the trickster, and it’s difficult to think of a person living his particular reality this adamantly. Nothing is to be taken at face value; after all, the line between being a sage and a charlatan is nothing but tenuous. Luckily for us, whatever his schtick is, Jodorowsky’s saving grace is, and always has been, his relentless sense of humour, towards the world and towards himself.
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recent finds Bozar Electronic Series: KTL
recent finds Ice Cream
bozar.be icecreamband.com
As previously stated on these pages, we are staunch followers of Bozar’s Electronic Series; the third edition in February had Croatian Amor and Gazelle Twin creating an indulgent chillspace for night owl cosmonauts. Next up is Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O))), Khanate) and Peter Rehberg’s latest project, KTL. Rehberg, whose audio works under the pseudonym Pita have garnered him widespread acclaim in the electronic music community, teamed up with O’Malley to create the music for Gisèle Vienne and Dennis Cooper’s theater production Kindertotenlieder. What came out can only be described as a living piece of music, boundless in its breadth and open to all sorts of explorations into the depth and character of sound itself. Drawing from early American minimalism and going deep into extended drones, the duo’s fascination with the intensity of sound proves to be as challenging as it is mesmerizing. Their performances are rare and sporadic, so chances are slim that you’ll get to catch these guys again any time soon. It’s happening on 18 June at Bozar — don’t miss out!
There’s a very special treat coming our way in May: Ice Cream, the Canadian band who came to our attention via their noteworthy association (yeah, we’re looking at you U.S. Girls!) will be snake-charming their way through northern Europe. Carlyn Bezic and Amanda Crist make for a compelling duo; beneath the cool surface of their laidback beats and mellow vocals looms the potential for biting guitar licks and reverberating oscillations that stir you out of your daily doldrums. They’ll be playing at the Bonnefooi in Brussels on 31 May and In De Ruimte in Ghent on 26 May, so keep your eyes peeled for this most unusual taste test.
Brute000
Apex Coffee
instagram.com/brute000
apex.coffee
As part of our unofficially ongoing series of Ultimate Instagram Followables, check out this enigma. We don’t know who’s behind it nor what the concept is — heck, we’re not even sure what we’re looking at. Obscene drawings, freakish finds and uncomfortable associations make for addictive scrolling possibilities. It’s that strange feeling you get from stumbling upon a disturbing message on a lamppost or a crumpled photograph in the street, the feeling that comes from all the dark, voyeuristic tendencies we’d rather suppress. Let them run free for a moment — we won’t tell on you.
Schaarbeek has long been Brussels’ quiet haven of cool, and it’s only getting better. Case in point: Apex Coffee, which opened in March, is sure to be an unmissable destination for those of us who take our caffeine fix seriously. At just a stone’s throw from Botanique and started by one of our very own Subbafam members, Apex is not your ordinary coffee spot: part warehouse, part tasting room, it’s a place where not only can you find an excellent cuppa joe but also stock up on the finest products out there. Locally roasted and consciously sourced, the coffee you’ll find at Apex goes far beyond a simple cure for bleary eyes.
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recent finds 019 Museum of Moving Practice 019-ghent.org
From 18 May until 29 September, Ghent will be upping its design game in a wholly unprecedented way. The wicked geniuses behind 019 — that incredible space on the dock that hosts some of the most interesting art and music happenings in town (and Different Class, no less) — will be temporarily invading the Design Museum for a summer-long exploration into the limits of design as we know it. With a series of exhibitions, lectures, performances and more, the Museum of Moving Practice promises to be the ultimate space for challenging canons and enforcing a fresh vocabulary for your visual sensibilities. Opening night will have Moritz Kung’s travelling Selección Natural — This is the Cover of the Book, which highlights the visual and tautological correspondences between different art publications, as well as architectural mind-bender Filip Dujardin’s first instalment of his Accumulation d’époque cycle and the Post Brothers’ seminal lecture on the portable hole in cartoon physics, The Whole Idea. We’re also scheming with them for a surprise in the summer, so stay tuned!
Camping Penrose
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Museum of Moving Practice, © Olivier Goethals
facebook.com/campingpenrose
Located in Ghent, Camping Penrose is an artist-run screen-print studio that mainly focuses on prints, publications and hand-printed clothing. A collaboration between three artists/designers (including Liselotte Van Daele, whose mind-bending XOX designs have already graced these pages), the focus is not only on label-specific output but also on different artistic third-party commissions, keeping a characteristically discerning eye for quality throughout the entire process. Camping Penrose works closely with In De Ruimte for events and open ateliers, including an open studio day on 6 May where you can stock up on tapes, XOX goodies and much more, from 2pm to 7pm at Fransevaart 28.
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recent finds Naruse Mikio, three films
by Sabzian
L’Atalante (Jean Vigo, 1934)
8, 13 & 20 May Flagey, Brussels 17.30 or 21.30 – €7
Sabzian is a collection of online reflections on cinema, and maps cinephile events in Belgium and its surroundings. Articles are written in Dutch, English and French. sabzian.be
5 May Cinema Zuid, Antwerp 18.00 – €5
Lovers of Japanese classical cinema should rally to Antwerp’s Cinema Zuid this month. Less well-known than Mizoguchi or Ozu — but equally well versed in the universal vernacular that is the mise-en-scene — Naruse Mikio’s dramas concern the lives of lower middle class families, a genre known as shomin-geki. Like Mizoguchi he often focused on the position of women in postwar Japan, especially concerning the power relations within the nuclear family. Three of his postwar films are being screened throughout May. ‘Given his predilection for women’s stories, the utopian sense of the possible is grounded in real changes in gender roles that postwar democracy made possible. However, Naruse’s ambivalent and ambiguous endings, in which his female character are posed on the brink of history, confirm the ideological entrapment of women within social structures that continue to restrict their roles as agents of history.’ (Catherine Russell, The Cinema of Naruse Mikio — Women and Japanese Modernity, p. 233)
Jean Vigo only lived to be 29 years old, but in his short life he created some of the most wonderful films in the history of cinema. L’Atalante is often described as the mythical portrayal of two lovers on a cat-infested barge; a passage on the Seine, taking us through Paris while shedding light on the inexplicable coincidences that form the assemblage of instants often described as life. In L’Atalante, Jean Vigo is alive. ‘I’m trying to arouse your latent need to more often see good films dealing with society and its relationships with individuals and things. Because, you see, the cinema suffers more from flawed thinking than from a total absence of thought. At the cinema we treat our minds with a refinement that the Chinese usually reserve for their feet. On the pretext that the cinema was born yesterday, we speak baby talk, like a daddy who babbles to his darling so that his little babe-in-arms can better understand him.’ (Jean Vigo)
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recent finds Bad Gyal
by Hannes Rooms
soundcloud.com/badgyalsc
© Koen Keppens
KRATERFRONT EEN ARTISTIEKE BEELD- EN GELUIDSHAPPENING LANGS 11 KRATERS IN HET LANDSCHAP
ZA 10_06_2017 / 22U GRATIS TOEGANG / HEUVELLAND Beeld: Shelbatra Jashari Live muziek: Godspeed You! Black Emperor! 19U: Concerten Zero Hour www.gonewest.be
Alba Farelo, aka Bad Gyal, is a 20-year-old artist from Barcelona operating in the Spanish trap scene together with other female singers such as La Zowie, Blondie or Mss Nina. Her work could be described as new dancehall, heavily influenced by trap and Latin rhythms underneath Spanish — not Catalan — autotune vocals, which distinguish her trademark style. No need for Google translate to grasp the sensual or emotional atmosphere but lyrical themes about makin’ paper, dirty dancing and sex definitely pay tribute to dancehall and reggaeton’s cultural heritance. Another recurring key message is empowering girls and women: ‘Twerking does not make you an object, it empowers you.’ Just one year after her first online appearance, Bad Gyal is making waves with her seven-track mixtape, Slow Wine. Numerous young producers such as King Dou Dou and Fake Guido make every Bad Gyal song a unique one.
Doro soundcloud.com/dorrrrrro
Brussels kid Doro uploaded her first productions on Soundcloud recently. ‘Evasion’ is a haunting raw track which reminds us of that one time we got lost in that dim maze seemingly without an exit, while the guitar lead perfectly mimics our adrenaline flow back then. Sophomore track ‘Shrug’ turns its focus to the club, shattering beer bottles included. Expect more music from Doro sooner or later on Midlife, the label she founded together with Kassett and Samuelspaniel. At the moment the label is claiming its place in the scene with a monthly radio show on Internet Public Radio and an exciting upcoming release from Bean. Keep an eye on their blog — mmidlife.com — for more.
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recent finds Johann Kauth
by Isaline Raes
13 (opening), 19 & 20 May Social Harmony, Ghent free entrance facebook.com/socialsocialharmony
Antwerp-based artist Johann Kauth feels himself at home in many scenes: he’s a sound performer, visual artist, the owner of Stenze Quo tape label and a notorious discjockey. This month Ghentian art space Social Harmony organizes an expo and publication release of this Renaissance man’s graphic work. Using a range of print mediums (screen printing, risography, …) Kauth creates hypnotic posters, zines, cassette covers, … shimmering in vibrant colors and dwelled by kooky creatures. Letting your eyes wander through this psychotropic ink jungle feels like a mesmerizing trip. Better than any drug!
Remco Torenbosch: Integration until 7 May SALOON, Brussels free entrance s-a-l-o-o-n.com
In December last year, Belgo-German couple Judith Van Eeckhout and Felix Kindermann became the proud parents of SALOON, a petite art space located in Saint Gilles, Brussels. As a non-profit exhibition platform that offers an alternative to the major institutions and galleries, it gives emerging as well as renowned artists carte blanche to present their work. Until 7 May Dutch artist Remco Torenbosch (b. 1982) will fill the walls of SALOON with his socioeconomically charged work Integration. The displayed pieces are the result of a deep dive into the local and global impact of a tin mining and rubber production company that is rooted in the former Dutch East Indies.
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we visit you
Name: Bokele Junior Age: 24 Zodiac sign: taurus Website: soundcloud.com/node-room-studio Subbacultcha member since: 2016
Tell us, what do you do in life? I’m working in a bar at Ixelles.
Last time you broke the law? I break the law every day!!! Joking. From time to time I’ll not pay for my bus ticket so I can feel a bit thuggy. It isn’t frequent though.
What projects are you working on? I’m running a studio with my mates Antoine and David. On the side, we’re trying to create a non-profit to promote culture in Belgium. I also have a musical project called Saudade, which will go ‘public’ in the next few months.
What makes you dance? Trap music like Damso, UK garage like DJ EZ and grime like AJ Tracy.
What inspires you? I’d have to say feelings — like, strong feelings! Music has always been a kind of relief to me; it helps me to get things up and running when I feel a bit down.
Which future Subbacultcha show are you looking forward to? Princess Nokia. I heard a few songs lately and I loved it, so I’m looking forward to seeing her live.
What do you like best about your place? Its recording room, which can be musically intense at times! What kind of music are you listening to at the moment? At the moment I’m really into jazz and soul and also grime music. I really like artists like FKJ, Tom Misch, Jazzy Sport and Yussef Kamaal. What’s the first record you bought? Baduism by Erykha Badu. She’s the best. What’s your favourite pastime? Making beats, spendin’ time with friends and in studios. Any guilty pleasures? None, trying not to overdo good things!
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Photo by Margaux Nieto shot in Faux
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front cover: Tina Herbots
thank you: Isaac Barbé, Mattias Baertsoen, Koi Persyn, Niloufar Nematollahi, Hannes Rooms, Vicky Derweduwen, Lindsey De Laet, Mert Sen, Jules Labath, Junior Bokele, Paulina De Vleesschouwer, Margaux Fabris, Emma George, Kris Vanslambrouck, Kellan Smith, Lynn Cailliau, Naoki Karathanassis, Eva Menga, Virginie Van de Casteele, Nelson Henry, Lara Decrae, Eduardo Garcia, Gilles Vanesse, Eline De Vos, Axelle Vertommen, Gert Van Dijck, Lisa Alemán Arévalo, Sofia Van Laer, Amaury Wilkin and friends, Hanne Konings, Lies Hermans, Frederic Busscher, Sofie Steenhaut & Mika Lebbe
editors in chief: Herlinde Raeman & Kasper-Jan Raeman magazine editors: Julien Van de Casteele & Gabriela González copy editor: Megan Roberts design: Chloé D’hauwe website editors: Valerie Steenhaut & Thomas Vanoosthuyse
partners: Botanique, Beursschouwburg, Het Bos, GEWADRUPO, Vooruit, Democrazy, KVS, Dunk, STUK, Campo, GoneWest, Circa, deSingel, KultuurKaffee, Madame Moustache, VK, FRoNTAL, Crevette Records, MIND OVER MTTR, Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Le Vecteur, Rockerill, BPS22, Eden, Amer, Jauneorange, PopKatari, KASK Cinema, Argos, Cinema Zuid & Cinematek
social media editor: Lisa Wallyn advertising & partnerships: Kasper-Jan Raeman (kasper-jan@subbacultcha.be) distribution: Herlinde Raeman (herlinde@subbacultcha.be)
office: Subbacultcha Belgium, Dendermondsesteenweg 80A, 9000 Belgium
printer: Drukkerij GEWADRUPO, Arendonk, Belgium
contact: magazine@subbacultcha.be
contributing writers: Sabzian, Gabriela González, Julien Van de Casteele, Anaïs Violet Vaneldere, Blanche Didier, Bart Bruneel, Denis Wouters, Valerie Steenhaut, Hannes Rooms, Isaline Raes, Laura Bonne, Laura Ramos, & Alexander Ermakov contributing photographers: Tina Herbots, Fatine-Violette Sabiri, Margaux Nieto, Renée Verhoeven, Elizabeth Weinberg & Tiny Geeroms contributing artists: Gabriela González, Boris Vanseveren & Jonas Vermeulen
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New Music for New People Free Access to the best concerts and events. Join us for €8 a month. subbacultcha.be
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11 „ 24.05 WWW.BOTANIQUE.BE
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