Note: I’ve been looking forward to this event since I heard
about it first last year when Virginia told me that they had plans to organize
a festival in Stuttgart together with the guys from Metabolismus. Last weekend
the festival took place and left a lasting impression on me: the music, the
people, the way it was done etc. – a rare and splendid experience. I’m afraid
no Stuttgart newspaper will write about it – so here’s how I remember it
(pardon my English, but since this is written for fb and a lot of
overseas-friends who couldn’t attend Troglobatem might want to read this,…).
After a horrible (traffic jams) drive down south we arrived
just in time for a first beer and a warm hello to friends who had already
arrived. Immediately I felt at home. I was buzzing with excitement and didn’t
have to wait long for the first of the many great performances during those two
days!
Mineralwässer Stuttgarts started the festival with an
adventurous and funny set using table waters from Stuttgart as a source for
sound: they spilled it, poured it, boiled it live on stage and amplified the
sound of water by using contact microphones. Luckily they didn’t execute all
this in a totally serious manner but with a lot of humor. This Dadaist
electro-acoustic duo was a great start for the festival and representative of
its spirit: cool people making awesome music with an amazing lack of vanity in
an all over relaxed atmosphere! Beer soaked atmosphere I should add, because in
hindsight I don’t recall much of the two following sets by Buson Hicks and
Solaterapia – both improvising duos, the first consisting of trombone and
electronics, the second one a guitar instead of the trombone. I remember
enjoying both sets – but I also remember saying Hello to a lot of familiar
faces during those sets… therefore my lack of attention to detail. My fault!
After another short break (another beer) it was time for Yürgen Karle Spasm Duo
(official stage name) that was extended to at least five (or six?, it was dark)
people on stage plus Virginia (Jooklo Duo) sitting in for an encore. They
delivered some glorious Nihilist Spasm Band like skronk completed by some AMM
like radio-transmissions to the end of their set. After that it was time for
Hartmut Geerken & Jooklo Duo. The trio played one of the festivals greatest
sets: Virginia on reeds and flute, David on percussion (mostly) and Geerken on
keys – AND EVERYONE AT EVERYTHING! The wagon they played in turned into a
space-ship, the crowd listening in front got teleported to Saturn, the spirit
of Sun Ra was present and after their set ended we all fell back to earth.
Exhausted but enlightened! After the trio’s stellar performance it was a bit
difficult for me to follow Chadbourne & Schröder especially since I’m not
familiar with Chadbourne’s diverse discography (again, my fault). But there
were plenty of enthusiastic acolytes in the audience since Chadbourne’s a local
hero having played and recorded a lot in Stuttgart during the years past. All I
remember is a cheerful Chadbourne talking and making music with his fellow
drummer. Good times, but I was still on Saturn, so to speak. It was late
already when Head Of Wantastiquet ripped through a solo set of heavy guitar
jams and electronic freak-outs. Mind-melting music for the midnight-hour
(actually I have no idea about what time Paul Labreque got on stage – and there
might be a chance that the running order got changed and Paul played last?).
Anyway, Paul delivered a joyful dose of psychedelic music. And as if that
wasn’t enough yet Amanita Vulva made everyone trip! Acid-soaked notes and tones
hanging in the air! Perfect!
I have
absolutely no recollection of a Ginsberg & Schneider-Hollek set if there
was one at all? The running order says there was one, but don’t ask me. I
crashed on a couch outside by the fire. I fell asleep for a bit, got up with my
beer still in one hand, had another sip, felt refreshed for a bit but not for
too long,… it was an exhausting but excellent first day at Troglobatem and
around 4 in the morning we got a cab to Günter’s apartment where we crashed
around 5:30 after a last beer surrounded by his synthesizers.
Day two started with a late breakfast and a walk down to one
of the best record shops you can visit (at least in Germany): Second Hand
Records! What’s better than diggin’ up some records until the live music starts
again!?
Back at the festival I got very sleepy. Apparently I wasn’t
the only one with a serious hangover – and the (mostly) dreamy guitar-duo
Kopfende didn’t help for recovery. I entered the room, listened for about 15
minutes and my eyelids got heavier with every note they dropped, so I decided
to get out and get some fresh air! I’m getting old. I liked what I had heard
but it worsened my condition. Next up was Jauche – the trio’s electronic
meditations reminded me of Starving Weirdos and the likes. Solid electronic experiments,
but I was still tired so I listened to most of their set from the outside,
sitting on a couch in the sun with a Konterbier, aaaaaahhhh! By the time
Fifty-Fifty got on the open-air stage I was refreshed ( = 3 beers) and enjoyed
their drums & reeds set a lot: melodic, precise and playful. A highlight!
And the next highlight was just about to follow: Fuchs Flamingo (also known as
the trio of Limpe Fuchs, Ruth-Maria Adam and Ronnie Oliveras). I’m biased here,
but ask everyone: their fearless improvisations caught everyone’s attention and
were a lot of fun to watch and listen to! After having enjoyed their set I
couldn’t help but tell them how much I liked it, so I missed most of what Sho
Shin Duo did. The brief bits I caught sounded like a duo playing a wild mix of
electronic noise and free-jazz-drumming? Hmm,… whatever. Next up was another
personal highlight: Günter Schlienz. The man in front of his machines produces
some of the best ambient music in history, period. Schlienz is the shit! I
could have listened for hours, but it didn’t last that long. Cavaliere &
Vanzan didn’t last long either. In fact their set was super short. a very brief
performance of tape-recorder music. Mostly quiet, detailed and very, very nice
– but too short! After that it was time for another super-session by the
magnificent Sinergia Elettronica (Jooklo Duo plus Metabolismus). A splendid set
– sort of Musica Elettronica Viva with a special taste of Spätzle! Bear Bones
Lay Low played the last set and he decided to kick out the jams! His straight
forward set helped not to fall asleep even though it was already past 2 o’clock
in the morning, wasn’t it? Everybody loved Ernesto’s set: a powerful closing
note after two days full of great live sets.
Apart from the music on stage both days had some excellent
DJ-sets (one by Werner, one by Pauki) consisting of a lot of stuff I’d
immediately love to buy. Luckily I was too tired and lazy to ask what’s playing
when and just listened until I left again for Günter’s flat. No last beer this time,
just sleep.
Next morning we got up and left soon after. Günter had to
work and we hit the road and it didn’t take long until the next traffic jam,…
All in all Troglobatem was one of the best experiences ever:
music and people wise. And it didn’t rain a single drop! I had a lot of
interesting conversations in between the sets, met a lot of friends an d cool
people in general, enjoyed the hospitaliy of Günter and I am very thankful that
Virginia, Moritz and all the others took the effort to set up this beautiful
event that will hopefully return in 2016 and 2017 and 2018 and so on... So,
bottom line is: The Underground is alive and well, eat this David Keenan! ;-)
Wiesbaden, 28.09.2015
P.S.: I might edit this note when finding mistakes or
whatever, maybe I’ll expand on the descriptions of the music, for now I just
wanted to document the moment and say THANK YOU for making Troglobatem happen!
P.P.S.: I think they didn't sell all the copies of the
festival compilation (2-CD-r or 2-tape-edition). Get in contact with
Metabolismus for a copy!
