Dance. The movement of the body in rhythm with music. Or against it. It can be formalized, orderly, or completely frenetic, originating from the gut, almost primal. Because – like melody – rhythm is the oldest component of music and it is to this that we dance. Dance is ingrained in us, in our bodies and minds. So, should it be excluded from music described by terms such as “serious”, “contemporary”, or “Neuemusik”?

Electronic music is the form of music that has not easily succumbed to the primacy of patriarchy or capitalism and has always served everyone who was interested in it. It is the music of freedom and knows no concepts such as gender, cultural affiliation, or origin, as discussed in the remarkable documentary “Sisters with Transistors.” Importantly, despite growing in experimental studios, it is electronic music that has freed itself from all labels, developing into various genres, including dance genres. However, dance and electronics are not synonymous. They are not equivalent sets but intersecting ones. Dance music can be electronic music, and vice versa, but there are also cases where one has nothing to do with the other. What is important for us is to focus on a very particular example of the common elements of both phenomena, which are exemplified in rave culture. Although today rave culture is distorted by the process of commercialization, its true face is not so easily limited or subordinated – ultimately, it is a space for manifesting our primal needs. Since electronics intersect with the sacred and the profane, it is not surprising that all its varieties are used by people composing contemporary music. Older generations often discriminate against the enormous potential that electronic dance music has, although they really do not know its history or cultural significance. To quote Jeff Mills, the father of techno, “techno was not created as dance music but as a futuristic manifesto.” And it is in this spirit that we create “Dance Modern” – as a manifesto, a metaphorical covenant between “Neuemusik” and electronic dance music.

“Dance Modern” is a communal event, created by two major Warsaw festivals, in the space of Komuna Warszawa, which has (co-)organized many concerts. It is a celebration of dance and electronic music, focused on significant figures creating art across genres and fields, including Polish representatives of artists. FOQL (Justyna Banaszczyk) will present material that is much more contemplative and drone-like, which she herself described as “the experience of a party in the head of an introvert.” Loufr (Piotr Bednarczyk) will play material from all his albums. RYTERSKI plans to focus on his recent genre explorations, touching on jungle, noise, and techno.

The duo H31R speaks a completely different language than the previous three, exploring experimental electronics in their music with a hip-hop origin. – the duo will present material from last year’s album. Coming from Uganda, Authentically Plastic is a producer mixing genres, simultaneously dark and cheerful, using styles and genres such as Gqom, Vogue, and techno. Their music is inspired by everything from the quasi-electronic rhythms of northern Uganda to early experiments and live performances in the noise/industrial style. Finally, the duo Elvin Brandhi and Sara Persico, who combine improvised texts and deconstructed beats of the former with the analog, abstract sounds of the latter.

With this event, we want to show that at contemporary or avant-garde music festivals, the achievements of rave culture can be reached.

We also want to show the brotherhood-sisterhood of two major Warsaw festivals. Because we believe that in the community there is a creative force capable of co-creating and commenting on culture. Therefore, we want to invite you to this process and join in a wild dance.

Rafał Ryterski

Dance Modern a joint project of the Warsaw Autumn and Avant Art Festival

Friday / September 27 / 9:00 PM Teatr Komuna Warszawa

featuring: Elvin Brandhi and Sara Persico (UK/IT) FOQL (Justyna Banaszczyk) (PL) H31R (US) LOUFR (Piotr Bednarczyk) (PL) RYTERSKI (PL) AUTHENTICALLY PLASTIC (UG)

Rafał Ryterski / main project curator, Warsaw Autumn

Kostas Georgakopulos / project curator, director of Avant Art Festival

Przemysław Kunda / sound projection

Przemysław Zych Another Side of Light / lighting

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