Two weeks have passed since the first wave of CTM.12 artists were announced, and we are already feeling the anticipation and seeing some great feedback.
Fuelled by the positive response, the CTM team has been hard at work confirming a second batch of artists for its 13th edition, which runs January 30 to February 5, 2012. You'll recall that this year's theme - SPECTRAL - explores all things dark, mysterious and ghostly in experimental and electronic music. Indeed, with the following new batch of acts, CTM.12 takes the plunge straight into the heart of darkness.
First up, CTM is pleased to confirm a special program venture with Berghain in curating the second instalment of its brand new Not Equal series that is dedicated to exploring the line between listening and dance music. The CTM Not Equal lineup takes the listener through many stages of intensely gritty and physical sonic explorations. Previously-announced artists include a rare appearance by the Ben Frost trio, a premiere of Mika Vainio's new, guitar-driven live show, the world premiere A/V show by UK's Roly Porter (of Vex'd fame) with video artists MFO (Lucy Benson and Marcel Weber), and the gritty techno of Morphosis.
New announcements to round out this exceptional night are the solo debut of G.H. (Gaz Howell), a member of Pendle Coven and mainstay of Modern Love since the label was still in its fledgling stages, and German duo Ancient Methods, described by Boomkat as "pitch black techno war funk", after they sent waves through the techno community last year with the release of a 3-EP series - First Method, Second Method, and Third Method.
Earlier on in the week festivalgoers will be treated to another markedly physical experience at Berghain, featuring the world premiere of Sendai, the new collaboration between Belgian techno mainstays Peter van Hoesen and Yves de Mey, who are slated to release their first album in February 2012 on van Hoesen's Time to Express label. Raster-Noton co-founder Olaf Bender aka Byetone will also be making a DJ appearance in support of the night, for which we have already announced label-mate Kangding Ray and a solo live performance by SND's Mark Fell.
Debuting on Modeselektor's Fifty Weapons imprint, Anstam have managed to remain mysterious despite gathering an increasing fan base for their dystopian blend of dubstep, grime, junglism and techno. They will be joined in Gretchen's main room by the glistering hyper-real cyber R&B of Warp Records' Hudson Mohawke and a DJ set by Hotflush's Lando Kal (of Lazer Sword fame) in a lineup that already includes a nod to LA's Low End Theory scene (think Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, Daedalus) via performances by newcomers Shlohmo and Salva, and a freaky disco-edits party with diskJokke, Cosmo Vitelli, Anton Maiovvi and Loud-E in Gretchen's room 2.
A new addition to CTM.12's revisitation of the Zodiak Free Arts Lab is Koehn, a new improvisational analog synth project that will be opening for Hans-Joachim Roedelius' Qluster performance. While the Zodiak revisitation has been generating a nice buzz, we are equally excited about the latter part of the project, which presents other contemporary artists sharing a similarly rigorous experimental spirit. Adding to the Pre-Cert Home Entertainment showcase (a label founded by Demdike Stare and Finders Keepers and that features Anworth Kirk, Applehead, Slant Azimuth), and the collaborative, 7-hour audio hypnosis by US guitar-loop artist Grouper and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, is a special appearance by Catherine Christer Hennix, a Swedish-American composer, mathematician and philosopher respected for the transcendental power of her drone pieces and schooled by luminaries such as La Monte Young and Hindustani raga master Pandit Pran Nath. For the performance, a computer-generated video and drone installation by Christer Hennix will serve as the starting point for explorations by the 7-piece Chora(s)san Time-Court Mirage ensemble that includes a stunning array of microtonal instruments (trumpets, trombone, tuba), voice, and electronics.
Closing the festival program at HAU with a sonic ritual will be Moscovites Phurpa, a throat singing choir deeply-steepend in the ancient magical traditions of the pre-buddhist Bon religion. Active since the 1990s, Phurpa, recently released a critically acclaimed album on Stephen O'Malley's Ideologic Organ label. Taking the polyphonic singing style of Tibetan ritual music to a lower key and a slower pace, Phurpa's meditative music "unveils many spectral illusions and invigorating evolutions in sonic possibilities" (O'Malley).
This arsenal of new acts and project premieres reinforce what is turning out to be a thrillingly deep and dark edition for CTM, whose lineup already includes the likes of Mouse on Mars, Tim Hecker, Eliane Radigue, Eleh, Balam Acab, and many more.
As if this wasn't enough, we've made available a special 20 € Saturday Night Pass that grants access to the Grouper & Cantu-Ledesma performance and Gretchen program described above, plus the Horst Krzbrg night with Pole, Harmonious Thelonious, Hieroglyphic Being and Kassem Mosse! Check the tickets & accreditation section for more information.
Stay tuned as we announce the detailed Discourse (conference) and Exhibition programs right before Christmas. In the meantime, we invite you to keep checking the CTM.12 Program Preview on the CTM website for updates and additions.
If you haven't signed up already, be sure to join us on Facebook and Twitter for a steady selection of music, videos and articles that will give you a more concrete taste of this year's program. And don't forget to confirm your presence and invite your friends!