In the midst of the Seeyousound week comes one of the most anticipated events: the A/V live set by Kode9, the stage name of Steve Goodman and founder of the celebrated label Hyperdub. For one of the most important names in the electronic and contemporary music scene, Screen 1 Cabiria was full. The Scottish artist brought to the festival, in collaboration with Almare, his project, which is Escapology: not exactly a traditional musical journey, but the soundtrack of a “sonic fiction”, Astro-Darien, which through sound and visuals immerses the listener/viewer in an imaginary dystopian sci-fi video game. Among first-person game screens, animations and fragments generated by artificial intelligence, the audience found itself in a hypnotic graphic adventure – halfway between a music video and a video essay – that also draws heavily on contemporary art. Alternating dubstep, dark ambient soundscapes and syncopated rhythms, the atmosphere quickly heated up, making it hard to stay still in the seats.
While Kode9 made Screen 1 resound, in Screen 2 Rondolino Any Other Way – The Jackie Shane Story was being screened, directed by Michael Mabbott & Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, a film celebrating a pioneering icon who lived her own truth, even at the cost of great personal sacrifices. The film recounts the rise, fame, sudden disappearance and rebirth of Jackie Shane, a central figure in the fight for transgender rights and a pioneer of soul music. Shane, with her unique talent and magnetic stage presence, left an indelible mark in the 1960s. The documentary explores her life through never-before-heard telephone conversations and rotoscoped animations, showing her family’s journey to discover her legacy.
With ears still sensitive to Kode9’s frequencies, we then moved on to the following day, when the final of Frequencies took centre stage, the contest dedicated to musicians, producers and sound designers. Screen 1 resounded to the finalists who played the soundtrack to a silent film. The winner was the composer Maggie Zobel, who took home the award for her ability to give character to the film and create a parallel journey that amplifies its narrative.
Meanwhile Screen 2 Rondolino was packed thanks to the film about the Scottish band Mogwai. Mogwai – If the Stars Had a Sound diretto dal fotografo Antony Crook is enchanting in capturing live a band that matters from a generational point of view, able to bring together fans of many musical genres. Starting from when Mogwai are on the threshold of an unlikely first place in the UK charts thanks to their previous album, “As the Love Continues”, released in 2021, the film leaps backward, taking us to the late ’90s, where we find the group busy from the start drawing landscapes with their guitars. The music speaks over the images. This film is a sort of musical manifesto of a band that has remained fiercely independent. It strives to be pure, taking its cue from the Scottish band’s anti-wordy approach and offers a biography without any elaborate outside analysis. All the better to let their majestic instrumental gusts fill the space, unhindered by too much guiding commentary.
