State-X New Forms Festival: Highlighting the Scandinavian Scene
In just under two weeks, The Hague in the Netherlands will host the State-X New Forms Festival. Recognised as a daring and truly individual approach to programming, the 2007 edition of the State-X New Forms Festival again boasts a line-up which will have open-minded music fans baiting and battling for tickets. With styles ranging from Jazz to Rock, from the Avantgarde to Atmospherics and from Electronic to Acoustic, the roster is eclectic in the original sense of the word. The organisors have also invited as many big names (involving giants such as Aphex Twin and Motorpsycho) as complete unknowns, serving a highly stimulating cocktail. Bearing this in mind, the State-X New Forms Festival easily lives up to its own motto of “X-Plore, X-Plain and X- Pect”. As in previous editions, there will be a seasonal focal point. This year, special attention will go out to the contribution Scandinavian countries have made to the experimental scene. Expect to be surprised as we’ll bring you full coverage of both days at the State-X New Forms Festival on December 14th and 15th here on tokafi.
Scandinavian bands have always had a place in the heart of Dutch audiences and the organising committee of the State-X New Forms Festival have gladly taken that into consideration. Last year already saw Finnish hippie community Circle decamp at the club. This year, however, things are even more oriented towards the northern hemisphere, with groups from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland fighting for the audience’s attention. Next to Motorpsycho, whose back catalogue ranges from psychedelic rock to spacey instrumental jam sessions and sweet three minute pop excursions, the State-X New Forms Festival is proud to present Killl, yet another Norwegian insider tip. Said to incorporate elements from the genres of Metal, Electronica and Jazz, this fourpiece has stated it will never release a single album in their career – another reason to come to The Hague to see them perform live.
Next to the Scandinavian scene, the State-X New Forms Festival 2007 also features a rare performance by electronic mystery Aphex Twin, a DJ set by Mogwai as well as an onstage collaboration by noise mongers Jesu and tokafi favourite Fear Falls Burning. Dirk Serries of Fear Falls Burning has already spoken out about his excitement to be able to be a part of the festival in The Hague, but also mentioned his audience might be up for a confrontation: “I just love how a drone evolves out of scratch/on the spot and this is how I'll approach the concerts during this tour. I'm sure it will definitely provoke the usual and unavoidable clash with a larger part of the audience because of its 'crawling through the eye of the needle' approach.”, Dirk Serries said, “A method of slowly building a soundscape with sparse chords and tonalities that demands a lot of energy and dedication from the listener. But one with which I hope to confirm/establish my own style of droning admits an ever expanding subculture of drone artists.”
The State-X New Forms Festival in The Hague will take place at the Paard van Troje, one of the country’s first and legendary event locations. Tickets for the first day have already sold out, but there are still some to be had for the Saturday, so be quick or face the danger of loosing out on one of the year’s finest live events.
Homepage: State-X New Forms Festival at MySpace
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