Prague’s premier festival for newest trends in electronic music merged with new media visual artists is evolving as the years go on. Each Autumn, Lunchmeat opens in the last week of September, and so this year it begins on the 23rd – 29th at the usual multiple venues. Lunchmeat is now in its 15th edition, with a devoted following for its openness to raw and the most experimental electronic music and digital artists for collaborations in performances, and there are a few noticeable changes due to the times.
But there is no need to worry, as the changes are all for the better; first of all, women are dominant in the overall programming and with a greater diversity of artists’ geographical origins, which also brings a wider spectrum of new approaches, not just a rehash of electronica sounds of the bigger cities nearby.
As an exceptional highlight, Oklou, from France, is a young and shining star on the European scene with a preference for most personal or intimate performances, like the late Arthur Russell, almost out-of-sync with Lunchmeat’s harder programming schedule. Oklou debuted in 2018, as a singer (using Auto-Tune), producer, keyboardist, and songwriter, but she soon retreated from the circuit for a too long gap. On her return, Oklou (Marylou Mayniel) brings a most authentic approach to experimental acoustic and electronic pop, as a soft rebuke to the overload of so many celebrity pop star anthems.
The convergence of the musician with an artist projecting immersive visuals is the basic concept of The convergence of the musician with an artist projecting immersive visuals is the basic concept of Lunchmeat, and they invite many internationally-known artists for these, so at least a few should be noted: object blue, who is a producer and DJ, with her wife and creative partner, visual artist Natalia Podgorska aspire to balance this overall, so the visual interpretation does not make the music seem secondary, which can sometimes be the case in performances at Lunchmeat. Born in Tokyo, raised in Bejing, and now based in London, for object blue, the music should not be a subtitle to any visuals.
For a newer electronic sound, with a cutting-edge visual attraction, 33MYBW is a Shanghai-based musician and artist active, or on the radar since 2013, and a product of Shanghai’s most-progressive electronic underground. Ancient Chinese folk and odd Sci-Fi beings can be deciphered in her heavy beats and hard rhythms, a percussive mélange of old and future music cultures from a new East Asia. Among her most popular songs on Youtube, there is “Golem” (an ode to Prague’s Jewish legend). 33MYBW will be joined by the esteemed British digital artist Joey Holder, who is based in Helsinki.
The most elaborate conjunction of technology and new media art will be Louis-Phillippe Demers & Bill Vorn presenting Dante’s “Inferno.” For this performance, at Archa+, fusing cybernetic research and robotics, the audience is not a mere observer, but plays a part in the unification of sound and image by wearing robotic prostheses that influence the performance, and trigger reflection of how it feels to be in Dante’s circles of the underworld, where mortal sins are punished for eternity in hell.
For a purely eclectic old-school journey by a DJ as the artist, alone, DJ Lil Mofo, from Tokyo, sets a sound trip that is a nostalgic, jazzy, reggae, indie or psych-rock-charged, drummers’ bang wrapped in a twisted Japanese minimalist folk; she is like an ethereal ethno-musicologist transpired from DJ heaven.
A vastly different though still related DJ soul-sister and producer is RAMZi from Montreal,Canada. Phoebe Guillemot is a music composer, sound designer, music curator and visual artist. Her music is described as sonic quests but also romps through nature or the skies, as “flickering balls of light dancing in the shadows,” and what this means most of all is, it’s a helpful release from the doldrums.
This also complements the theme for this year’s Lunchmeat Festival – “Dark Times Need More Light.” As a response to the rising costs of living, this year’s ticket prices are lowered to make the new audio and visual projects on the program more accessible than ever, and get more people dancing in the halls.
The late-night dance floor will be most packed undoubtedly for Machinedrum, American electronic music producer Travis Stewart from North Carolina, who will be joined by visual artist Strangeloop. Rick Farin and Actual Objects will be a notch up in a futuristic turn for their live A/V show and sounds. Then KAVARI (from the UK) is a dirty, glitchy, sleazy, low-down, hard to stop from your dancing fever.
Noteworthy local acts (Prague-based artists) this year include Gb Clifford, a sound collage music project that harks back to 80s and 90s alt-rock meets demented TV or radio broadcasts from far off. And then there is Théo, from Paris, France, but she is based in Prague – all sonic explorers to catch.
The festival includes a symposium, and it is spread out in venues around Prague, including Archa, CAMP, Ankali, and the main shows at the Trade Fair Palace of Prague’s National Gallery, underground.
For more information about this year’s 40+ artists and collaborations see: Lunchmeat Festival 2024
