Hungarian artists at CTM.07
A collaboration project of DISK – Sound & Image e.V / CTM and Ultrahang festival, Budapest.
 
Funded by the project initiative BIPOLAR of the Federal Cultural Foundation of Germany.
 
Joint projects are not simply a pastime for culture vultures at a loose end, nor do they serve only to fill the gaps in the knowledge of an ill-informed populace, or to yield synergetic effects to strengthen cultural infrastructures. Rather, they are an expression of the challenge to know one's own self, for it is in mirroring one another that two partners come to see themselves more clearly. Joint projects are therefore equally a means of identifying the blind spots in one's own perception and viewpoints. For what do we in Berlin and Germany actually know about the contemporary music scene in Hungary? And to what extent might one presume that German music is known in Hungary? Probably to a greater degree than the reverse is true, one would like to suppose and, at least regarding individual artists of world renown, one would be right. Yet what about those other questions, about infrastructure, the wish to arrange performances in Germany, or sell recordings here? Hungarian and German music fans know extremely little about one another, indeed, have not yet even noticed that they might develop an interest in one another.
 
"The Blind Spot" is a project jointly conceived by the Ultrahang Festival in Budapest, organized by the Ultrasound Foundation, and DISK/ club transmediale in Berlin, represented by the DISK – Initiative Bild und Ton e.V. Their common intent is to throw some light on their respective "blind spots."
 
"The Blind Spot" was conceived by both initiatives as a means of promoting contacts between their respective country's contemporary, independent and experimental music scenes. Initially this entails building networks and exchanging info – between the two festivals, first of all, and subsequently, it is hoped, between many more players: labels, artists and initiatives. For a project such as "The Blind Spot" will be able to survive in the long-term, only if many autonomous players network and cooperate with one another.
 
As a first step in this endeavor, the two organisations jointly selected a number of Hungarian artists in various disciplines, and invited them to contribute on various dates to the CTM.07 festival. All festival participants are thus assured optimal opportunities to meet, discuss their work and mutually benefit. "The Blind Spot" will offer both German and international audiences insight into today's independent Hungarian music scene.
 
This program received funding from the Federal Cultural Foundation's project initiative, BIPOLAR and will be supplemented in May 2007 by further actions in Budapest, during the Ultrahang Festival, and Berlin. Since creating the program, "Go East" for the CTM Festival in 2003, CTM has taken it upon itself to create an international platform for electronic music from eastern and southeastern Europe. "The Blind Spot" at CTM.07 is evidence of this on-going commitment.
 
Hungarian participants at CTM.07:
 
SAT 27/1 > ELECTRIC BOOMBOX > electronic Hip Hop with the nine-headed formation, Ludditák.
 
SUN 28/1 > CODE BLACK Metal-Extreme vocalist, Attila Csihar together with Oren Ambarchi und Greg Anderson.
 
MON 29/1 > BUIDLING SPACE: PROFESSIONAL MEETING> Andras Nun of Ultrasound Foundation.
 
MON 29/1 & TUE 30/1 > SHARE > Péter Szabó and Alexandra Szeleznyeva at the Share open AV-jam.
 
SAT 3/2 > TIMESHIFT, CHIP NOISE & MOLECULE FUNK> IDM and experimental dance music with Tigrics, Mike Rosoft, DJ Mesterházy and Coby Lens.