Bologna is more than a city it is a symbol, a state of mind, full of culture and especially counterculture. That something was coming back to life, it was already clear from the beginning of ROBOT 11; after all, we are talking about one of the electronic music festivals in Italy that have set a new standard. After a few editions on the quiet, finally, the festival has returned to be the protagonist of the electronic music scene and clubbers.
My journey begins with the opportunity to visit the historic recording studio Fonoprint, which from 1976 until today has seen artists like Vasco Rossi and Lucio Dalla cross the threshold; we have heard a very special version of Caruso. I decided to go to The Black Box_ Talk held by Andrea Zanni and Daniele Gambetta, authors of the ROBOT #11 manifesto since the themes are fully part of my personal interests; it was an important opportunity for collective reflection that touches us all a bit from close up.
Ex Gam is more beautiful than ever, cut in two by an acid green laser beam, minimal and impactful. While last year this space was dispersive, the 2019 organization of the location proved to be successful and incisive. I find myself in front of the main stage, this time closed at the sides and tidy, on which opens the dances Corgiat, winner of the JägerMusic Lab 2019. I find his sound very interesting and I think that this young artist from Turin is destined to grow.
The undisputed protagonists of the evening, we must say, were, however, the Red Axes, who made the party come alive. The Israeli duo of electronic music and indie, formed in 2010 by Dori Sadovnik and Niv Arzi, played for three and a half hours, without missing a beat! Their eclectic and versatile sound gave them the verve they needed to make the atmosphere explosive. It was enough to look at the audience: nobody stood still, there were no dead or boring moments.
After having danced myself, I decided to take a break in the Opium Room, an extremely pleasant space where you could relax with other people on sofas in front of video projections accompanied by an ambient sound. I found Sonic Visual Diving a really winning idea. Back on track, the Catalan DJ-icon of clubbing, John Talabot, waits for me. He confirms himself as an artist able to move the masses with his sounds, able to conquer all kinds of audiences. Finally, I go to the Indigo Hall where Badsista is playing. I loved his sound that does not betray his Brazilian origins but enhances them through techno rhythms, remixes of pop songs and classics of early 2000.
Night has become dawn, but for ROBOT it is a new day, a new era.
Text and photo by © Claudia Fuggetti
