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Unsound Dislocation

NIVHEK (Liz Harris/Grouper) & MFO + The Caretaker

Still from NIVHEK's visuals

Unsound – one of the world’s most adventurous music festivals – comes to the Barbican with three commissions and premieres, all exploring themes of dislocation.

Dislocation. Whether it’s artists ‘dislocated’ from their homes or music dislocated from the very fabric of reality. NIVHEK (Liz Harris/Grouper) & MFO present After its own death, a paradoxically minimalist work – equal parts harsh and dreamlike – created in the isolated landscape of Murmansk, deep in the Russian Arctic. Halfway through his six-album project exploring dementia, The Caretaker (Leyland Kirby of V/VM), draws on his mysterious collection of 78s to create music searching through memory and time, with visuals from Aphex Twin collaborator WeirdcoreIvan Seal, the artist behind his iconic album covers, will also be involved in the show.

Then there’s Soft Power, London-based electronic musician felicita working with traditional dancers from Poland’s Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble. Folk dances, paired with mournful piano melodies, ambient noise and wild synthetic pop – ‘a stirring affirmation of how cultures can coexist while retaining their own voices’ (The Guardian).

Curated by Mat Schulz, Artistic Director of Unsound

Produced by the Barbican in association with Unsound 

After its own death is commissioned by Unsound, the Barbican and Goethe-Institut

Soft Power is organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of its Polska Music programme promoting Polish music worldwide. Its presentation has been produced as part of the international cultural programme accompanying Poland’s centenary of regaining independence. 
 

Post show DJ

And topping it all off is a post-show DJ set from the Lebanese-born and Berlin-based Rabih Beaini, whose intense sets incorporate music from the Middle East, Techno, Jazz and Noise.

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black and white photo of the barbican tower

Listen: Barbican Recommends - Unsound takeover

For one month only, we've given our Recommends playlist over to the team behind Unsound Festival - one of the most important experimental music festivals in the world - and it's pretty damn good.... Take a listen.

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