MF07
Let me be the first to post his self-centered Maschinenfest review online:)
Mfest still is one of the best festivals out there. It's well organized, attracts the perfect mix between lesser-known and well-known bands and above all has no over-sponsored attitude. (No popular radio stations or anything that want to be in the spotlight.
Which results in a nice atmosphere: no "jettons" or foodstamps to get drinks and food (they actually use what was meant to be used to buy something: money), no security goons that bother you whenever you're trying to do something that's not in-line with whatever policy - in short: no hassle.
I's still an indoor festival that has almost no downsides (except from being in Germany :).
The 2007 edition in short:
Musical high-lights were 5F-X , dj hidden, detritus, ambassador 21 and Twinkle.
Musical lows: ordo rosarius equilibrio (cartoon frog like singing voice meets crappy synths), catholic boys in heavy leather (I still don't understand why this musical crap is on stage here...no words for how bad this is).
Best act was certainly 5F-X. Not only for the act itself (it was an entertaining show) but also for their musical excellence.
When I went to MF for the first time in 2003 I remember them opening the festival at some point. With all kinds of props and gadgets. I liked it back then, wrote some nice comments about it even. But after that performance I hardly heard anything about the band.
So here I was, in 2007, seeing them again at the main stage. The show was funny and bone-chillingly hard at the same time (the new soundsystems and boxes were doing their job).
Their show basically evolves around two aliens (one fluffy creature and one in a sort of purple robe with a giant head) while the music builds up (I like that). It builds up to a point where literally everyone jumped around. Getting the whole MF-crowd swinging and jumping is an amazing accomplishment by itself and for me is a good indication to see if a band can perform or not.)
If you have the chance to see them live: do it!
dj hidden, did the same when it came to letting people dance around like fools. He had the perfect combination between turntable-style jump-music and breakbeats, noise, electro. No words to describe how hard you can hurt yourself while dancing, at the point dj hidden played it was Sunday, my legs and feet were a mess and still I jumped around because you simply can't stay put on this typ of music.
This is a guy that can give any party a kick-hard nodge upwards!
Detritus: Don't know why but this music really was cool live. Not much to say about the style, listen for yourself here.
Ambassador 21's music is one of the main reasons you visit festivals like MF: because sometimes you just want to hear songs that have this smashing-skulls-with-baseball-bats effect. Certainly when you're in the front rows you certainly get a fair piece of beating.
The music is everything that music should be in my opinion: well-made, fast, hard, beating, aggressive. They always put up a good show, entertaining and true to their slogan 'fuck all systems'.
(They must have been close to blowing up some PA-fuse or something while improvising, seen the reactions from the technicians :)
Twinkle was also building up to a big momentum. Very nice music, although a bit too calm at times, ... the CD sucks balls but live he's really good and danceable.
Random things:
The guy from (I think) Detritus spilling a full pint of beer over his apple laptop while playing on stage (in the old days people used to smash their guitar, set them on fire or even electrocute themselves with a microphone, nowadays people spill beer on their iBook. Somehow it lacked the same grandeur :).
The girl in the extremely short skirt picking up her backpack so slowly that every one with a camera must have taken a picture of her ass. The afterparty crowd jumping on Scooter songs (it's becoming classic).
And some UK-people playing Frank Sinatra's 'New York' at 6am at full volume in their hotel room while yelling "I know, I don't care".
And finally:
Sonar testing the limits of the sound-system. (see vid)
Mfest still is one of the best festivals out there. It's well organized, attracts the perfect mix between lesser-known and well-known bands and above all has no over-sponsored attitude. (No popular radio stations or anything that want to be in the spotlight.
Which results in a nice atmosphere: no "jettons" or foodstamps to get drinks and food (they actually use what was meant to be used to buy something: money), no security goons that bother you whenever you're trying to do something that's not in-line with whatever policy - in short: no hassle.
I's still an indoor festival that has almost no downsides (except from being in Germany :).
The 2007 edition in short:
Musical high-lights were 5F-X , dj hidden, detritus, ambassador 21 and Twinkle.
Musical lows: ordo rosarius equilibrio (cartoon frog like singing voice meets crappy synths), catholic boys in heavy leather (I still don't understand why this musical crap is on stage here...no words for how bad this is).
Best act was certainly 5F-X. Not only for the act itself (it was an entertaining show) but also for their musical excellence.
When I went to MF for the first time in 2003 I remember them opening the festival at some point. With all kinds of props and gadgets. I liked it back then, wrote some nice comments about it even. But after that performance I hardly heard anything about the band.
So here I was, in 2007, seeing them again at the main stage. The show was funny and bone-chillingly hard at the same time (the new soundsystems and boxes were doing their job).
Their show basically evolves around two aliens (one fluffy creature and one in a sort of purple robe with a giant head) while the music builds up (I like that). It builds up to a point where literally everyone jumped around. Getting the whole MF-crowd swinging and jumping is an amazing accomplishment by itself and for me is a good indication to see if a band can perform or not.)
If you have the chance to see them live: do it!
dj hidden, did the same when it came to letting people dance around like fools. He had the perfect combination between turntable-style jump-music and breakbeats, noise, electro. No words to describe how hard you can hurt yourself while dancing, at the point dj hidden played it was Sunday, my legs and feet were a mess and still I jumped around because you simply can't stay put on this typ of music.
This is a guy that can give any party a kick-hard nodge upwards!
Detritus: Don't know why but this music really was cool live. Not much to say about the style, listen for yourself here.
Ambassador 21's music is one of the main reasons you visit festivals like MF: because sometimes you just want to hear songs that have this smashing-skulls-with-baseball-bats effect. Certainly when you're in the front rows you certainly get a fair piece of beating.
The music is everything that music should be in my opinion: well-made, fast, hard, beating, aggressive. They always put up a good show, entertaining and true to their slogan 'fuck all systems'.
(They must have been close to blowing up some PA-fuse or something while improvising, seen the reactions from the technicians :)
Twinkle was also building up to a big momentum. Very nice music, although a bit too calm at times, ... the CD sucks balls but live he's really good and danceable.
Random things:
The guy from (I think) Detritus spilling a full pint of beer over his apple laptop while playing on stage (in the old days people used to smash their guitar, set them on fire or even electrocute themselves with a microphone, nowadays people spill beer on their iBook. Somehow it lacked the same grandeur :).
The girl in the extremely short skirt picking up her backpack so slowly that every one with a camera must have taken a picture of her ass. The afterparty crowd jumping on Scooter songs (it's becoming classic).
And some UK-people playing Frank Sinatra's 'New York' at 6am at full volume in their hotel room while yelling "I know, I don't care".
And finally:
Sonar testing the limits of the sound-system. (see vid)
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