The 41st edition of Film Fest Gent has kicked off on Tuesday evening. The world premiere of Erik Van Looy's 'The Loft', a Hollywood remake of the most successful Belgian film ever, opened the festival. The film was introduced in the presence of Erik Van Looy (director) and Bart De Pauw (creator), as well as the Australian actresses Rachael Taylor and Isabel Lucas, who came to Ghent to attend the premiere. The screening of the film was preceded by 'The Education', a short by Klaartje Schrijvers.
A lot of famous faces appeared on the red carpet. Among the 2300 invited guest were jury president Bret Easton Ellis and jury members Héloïse Godet and Patrice Toye. Other distinguished attendees were short film jury member Kim Hertogs and Valentijn Dhaenens. His Royal Highness, Belgian Prince Laurent also attended the opening of this 41st edition. Furthermore, the opening ceremony was attended by Flemish Minister of Culture Sven Gatz and the mayor of Ghent, Daniël Termont.
In the days to come, many directors and actors will be presenting their film at Film Fest Gent. Pieter Van Hees ('Waste Land'), Bas Devos ('Violet') and Gust Van den Berghe ('Lucifer'), as well as Canadian director Atom Egoyan who will present his two feature films 'The Captive' and 'Devil’s Knot'. French director François Ozon will also be introducing his sixteenth feature film 'Une nouvelle amie' at Film Fest Gent.
Xarah Dion releases a mind-bending video for L'asphalte chaude from her upcoming LP Le mal nécessaire. An abstract summer stroll with an elliptical narrative, hinting towards concealment and introspection in broad daylight.
The video was produced and filmed in Super 8 by Guillaume Vallée, with added scenes recorded on a mobile device. The film underwent a process of decaying in Guillaume's backyard soil, making L'asphalte chaude not only a music video but also a stand-alone work of film-art where the media is the message.
Le mal nécessaire (A Necessary Evil) is Xarah Dion's debut full lenght album. Xarah is a singer-songwriter and producer from Montreal. Rooted in the knowledge of electronic, period and world music, Le mal nécessaire explores a renewed world of electronic pop. This self-produced sophomore album displays a comprehension of different styles ranging from synthpop to disco and ambient amongst others. With poetic lyrics, precise and cryptic, Xarah uses her voice in versatile ways, from spoken word to lyrical chant. The tracklisting unfolds its contrasting ambiances from sensual to dark, dramatic to delicate, taking the listener to private depths of desire and longing, contemplation and metaphysical reflection.
The first in a series of concept split albums, LEVEL brings together two artistic audio projects on one unique vinyl-only release.
Side one features MERZBOW, one of the most prolific and respected artists in the world of experimental noise.
Side two features ASKEW, a collective of artists, musicians and producers from the Rustblade label headed by Justin Bennett (Skinny Puppy, Bahntier) and Jeff "Squigg" Smith (Ohgr).
Both projects embrace a sonic philosophy based on free experimentation and improvisation utilizing analog instruments such as modular synthesizers, as well as environmental audio samples and unique noise producing objects. The results are a wall of sound and noise that move the listener through emotional and cathartic sonic waves.
A real treat for lovers of free and structured noise, and those in search of sonic extremes. 40 minutes of Pure Noise.
TRACKLISTING:
Side A - MERZBOW
Karasuuri
Side B - ASKEW
Muv
Ohyh
Beyond the Darkness is an anthology of the second half of the career of the composers Goblin, perhaps best known for the propulsive, labyrinthic scores which illuminate the horror masterpieces of Italian film director Dario Argento.
Goblin's genius lies in skilfully combining elements of progressive psychedelia with jazz-rock, Eastern European folk music and the Baroque. Their music often displays an eerie fairy tale quality that underscores tensions within a film to great effect.
If Bella Casa's 2012 box set, The Awakening (CASA12BOX) documented Goblin's formative years, this edition comprises selections from ten films scored by the group across a twenty-five year period from 1977, culminating in Non Ho Sonno the Argento thriller for which this remarkable aggregation reformed to help create.
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TRACK LIST:
LA VIA DELLA DROGA (The Heroin Busters) (1977)
1. LA VIA DELLA DROGA (sequence 10)
2. LA VIA DELLA DROGA (sequence 2)
3. LA VIA DELLA DROGA (sequence 4)
BUIO OMEGA (Beyond the Darkness) (1979)
4. BUIO OMEGA (Main Title)
5. QUIET DROPS (Film version)
6. BIKINI ISLAND
7. GHOST VEST
PATRICK (1979)
8. TRANSMUTE
9. FOLLIE
10. METAMORFOSI
SQUADRA ANTIGANGSTERS (Little Italy) (1979)
11. TRUMPET'S FLIGHT (Alternate version)
12. SQUADRA ANTIGANGSTERS (Movie take 1)
AMO NON AMO (I Love You, I Love You Not). (1979)
13. BOTH-TWO (Alternate version)
14. FUNKY TOP
15. AMO NON AMO
CONTAMINATION (1980)
16. THE CARVER
17. TIME IS ON
18. WITHY
NOTTURNO (Spy Connection) (1983)
19. NOCTURNE
20. HELYCOPTER
21. BASS THEME
22. LANDING STRIP
PHENOMENA (1985)
23. JENNIFER
24. PHENOMENA
LA CHIESA (The Church) (1988)
25. LOTTE
NON HO SONNO (Sleepless) (2001)
26. ARPEGGIO – END TITLE
The concept of the "human zoo" has existed in art and literature for centuries, thus Electric Six recognizes and accepts it is not breaking new conceptual ground by naming its tenth studio album Human Zoo. It recognizes and accepts that old ground is being broken. Like teeth.
The first known reference to a human zoo is believed to be from the mid-to-middle 12th century, when the famous Flemish monk Wenslaus De Trappe wrote of his base desires to cage human beings and charge money to display them in humiliating fashion in his classic 14 Trappist Monk Tales. From there, the human zoo concept snowballed and could be found everywhere from Restoration literature (Lord Percy Nutton's Northumberland Abbey), to Nazi propaganda (Die Mensch Zooiedieschennel) to 20th Century American counterculture (Tal Rosenberg's 20 Days on Acid - I Am a Pinhole Camera), the last of which where the author famously imprisons his lawyer/traveling companion in a cage and places him at the corner of Haight and Ashbury to stand trial for helping contribute to a bad trip.
Electric Six recognizes the legacy of the human zoo concept and throws its hat into the conceptual milieu with a great deal of respect and humility. We do not seek to define the human zoo, nor do we seek to deconstruct it. We seek to explore it. We seek to expand it. And most of all, we seek to sell it to you.
Electric Six recognizes that when men and women are placed in cages and displayed like animals, a power dynamic is being constructed. The human in the cage has his basic rights discarded, his dignity stripped from him, whereas the human who pays to observe other humans establishes his superiority just by casually standing and watching, choosing to leave whenever he likes. In this same way, Electric Six seeks to put itself on display in such a manner that empowers the listener and debases the band all while making everyone feel like partying.
From the opening track "Karate Lips", Human Zoo takes the listener immediately into a teenage karate tournament for girls as refereed by Def Leppard. The crunchy guitars hit you in the face like a teenage foot and you immediately remember why you purchased or illegally downloaded this latest Electric Six album.
Like many E6 albums, Human Zoo does not have one defining sound, rather it is a sampler's plate of the entire history of rock and roll music. Like Motown...now we are doing Motown. "Alone With Your Body" is the feel good necrophilia anthem of the summer and it sees the band embracing this oft overlooked section of our hometown's musical history.
From there we ramble into the spaghetti-western marching band good times of "Gun Rights", the triumphant Disnification of "I've Seen Rio in Flames", and into the absurd hip hop of "(Who The Hell Just) Call My Phone". Thrown in a few classic rockers in "I Need A Restaurant" and "Worst Movie Ever" and you've got an E6 album, son!
But it's not an E6 album until the closer is better than the rest of the record combined. The gorgeous, haunting pop of "The Afterlife" might be the greatest thing the band has ever done. Ever.
Okay we said some stuff, told you some song titles, and threw you a few bones. Come on now, buy the record! Who cares about all that other stuff? Have a go, see what happens! Give it a shot! Human Zoo is available on Oct. 14 on Metropolis Records. Come see Electric Six play in your town this fall on the Some Girls Do It for Love tour.
01. Karate Lips
02. It's Horseshit!
03. Alone With Your Body
04. Satanic Wheels
05. Gun Rights
06. I've Seen Rio In Flames
07. (Who The Hell Just) Call My Phone?
08. I Need A Resteraunt
09. Worst Movie Ever
10. I'm The Devil
11. Good View Of The Violence
12. The Afterlife
