I don’t listen to such kind of music under usual circumstances. But my answer to the question whether to go to “Nordic Audio Modern” was prepared long before. Some quite uncommon experience is usually healthy both for physical and mental or emotional perception, especially when the product labeled “made in Sweden” almost naturally connects with quality, and having in mind the fact, that the nationals and the closest ethnic relatives are also sufficiently valuable in this sphere.

Although I don’t regard electronic music as my “own” style, I find some of its’ features very acceptable. First of all, electronic music is essentially non-literal – even anti-literal. Not due to the fact, that usually there are no texts for it, but because it almost resists any literal and lyric interpretations. This impression may be reinforced with my incompetence in this sphere that does not allow me to meditate on it sophistically, but the effect of such music seems very direct, I might say – even physical, and it can be reflected relying onto associative images rather than expressed in precise phrases. So forth in most cases “live” implication of such music is grounded on improvisation, when one motive might take the shape of many variations. On the one hand, this makes our music discovery mechanism operate differently, on the other hand – therefore this music starts to seem infinite and undiscoverable. The last mentioned feature pertains to this writing well enough, as it is one of the many possible variations on this theme…

Even before taking place, “Nordic Audio Modern” was a special event. A comrade of mine, whose competence in this field is beyond reasonable doubt, told me that he had read a commentary in one of the popular Internet portals where the event was described ‘so forth the peak of Lithuanian underground’ – and he agrees with this anonymous opinion. Even taking it moderately, it was an exclusive opportunity to see and get acquainted with the best Swedish electronic music performers, representing various Swedish music schools at one shot. And of course – to measure out and compare the level of the ‘local’ performers.

But now, let’s take a look at all of them more or less in some order:

Due to some human factors, the first and the last positions in the order of performers lack any sublimity of Alpha & Omega. This time the position of the prosaic Alpha was shared to Girnų Giesmės, which performance, I do acknowledge, I heard very episodically because all my limited attention was reserved for the research of the surroundings and maintaining social contacts :) However, even without direct and conscious perception, Liukas’ music helped to come into some special condition that kept up for the whole evening and even more..

I was prepared to hear Donis. I’m grateful to this artist for some special (perhaps even extraordinary) music experiences, besides, the amplitude of his music differs from the moderately adapted for the masses neofolk to the suffocating electronic beats, and that is the best defense from boredom, as it always leaves the effect of unexpectedness. This time Donis’ performance was based on some years old program „Viršuje dangus, apačioje mes“ (which means - ‘The sky’s above, and we’re below’). Then it was an hour long meditation of the abandoned, suggestive with torturing slowness and paralyzing minimalism of action. This time the slowly closing sky remained in it’s place like a declaration of absolute independence of the above. But at the meantime, here below where we are, the powerful and wavy music flow gushed out. Sometimes it looked like clearly expressed and sometimes – broken rhythm that pulsated through my eyelids with bright sparkling light. It might be quite interesting to research how individual are musically based mental images.. :)

One of the main Latvian Claustrum merits was deep and expressive combination of visualization and music. From that moment on the individual flow of personal visions was subordinated and oriented to the stream foreseen by an artist. Everything was performed ensure and in Baltic moderation. Without any Swedish excesses. Dark and deep music draws the listener nearly insensibly naturally, but it lets go so naturally too. Moving downstream..? There was no need of a direct declaration – the audience expressed its’ opinion with long (perhaps the longest) applause, and according to one friend of mine it was the best performance of the whole evening.

“Boredom”, – the same friend of mine said coming out of the hall. After a check out who might be torturing the audience in such a refined way, I instantly lost myself in a vision – hypnotizing water, flashing like in the dizzy summer-day sun. What was before, besides and after – I don’t remember at all.. The single image is left from the whole performance of Raison D’etre… Perhaps we might discuss about perception, memory and generally about inventive ‘jokes’ of human mind, but that evening the meditative ambient perhaps was not the music that could become a part of myself. But the reaction of those, who have heard the music of Raison D’etre for the first time, once again confirmed the indisputability of the theory, that ambient is the most painless acquaintance with electronic music.

The unquestionable axis of the whole festival was Deutsh Nepal. I had heard quite a lot about this artist, and strangely – all the comments were positive, even from those people who usually don’t listen to such kind of music. I realized, that it is ok to begin talking about this project from a long meaningful ‘oooo’.., and that his visit to the country somehow reflects (or perhaps influences) the level of its’ civilization ;) And having in mind all the legends about Lina Baby Doll as a person – there was no ground left to argue most of them – the performance must have been exclusive. And it was.

The first grip of the show was on the screen. Some freaky fantasy inspired porno movie. The music emerged later, surprisingly naturally creating, maintaining and boosting the effect – purely physical, ostentatiously sensual almost to sickness. Meanwhile intellectual perception is given a trial of kitsch, cynically refined details and perversive situations. The postmodernism without sophistication – straight and careless. Perhaps it is alcohol that lets all the mixantrophic and unarticulated energy flow, or it is a mean to reach and express the casuality in respect of someone’s own activity and the surroundings. Anyway, the result is the same – deeply intristic, spontaneous, hardly foreseen and controllable action. That is to say, authentic. And authentic is valuable and even enjoyable nearly a priori, even if you can make yourself forget that it is a world of someone else, absolutely neutral and indifferent to an addressee – everyone of us. In this context the declaration of Peter Andesson after the show to some listener “I don’t remember I did it “ could be interpreted like a part of the program..

Institut – another Swedish project – was strict and firm. Sharp black’n’white music outburst. Some colleagues cheerfully discussed that only insane can listen to such kind of music in sober state – thanks for the diagnosis ;) Who knows, perhaps they knew what they were talking about, but actually I wasn’t in need of any outside help to listen to savage stream of sound and feel, nearly observe, my body reacting to the rather openly expressed rhythm. By the way, the Swedish guys inspired an unexpected idea – so unexpected as it occurred to me only now – that experiments with voice are almost uninwaded marshlands in Lithuanian electronic music sphere…

Another interesting moment for intellectual perception is social background of the music created by Institut and two other projects after him – Swedish and Latvian. Surely, the ideological basis of this 'sociality' is protest. But different musical and visual expression of rebellion results in different effect. Although Institut’s power electronics is supposed to provoke and shock the listener, it operates so delicately and neutrally that the ideology of rebellion can only be predicted as suitable to this kind of music on principle.

The position of Bockholm artists towards their native town could be understood only from the verbal declaration in the presentation of the project. Hatred to this antiecological though Swedish :) town is not the only thing, that can be expressed and is expected to be expressed in industrial style. The way of expressing one’s hostile feelings through the combination of oppressive industrial sounds and ideologically unmotivated (at least at the first sight) Swedish show itself becomes an intriguing experiment of perception.

The social engagement of Latvian project Error is different on principle. Noise music is orientated at the uncompromising and the slogans changing in the background of the stage are stating our civilization’s status quo – “failure of civilization..” But statements in black on white (to be more precise – in white on black) perhaps are the most primitive way to express ones’ ideas and somehow reminds of tapping a kitten’s nose into a puddle. At some intellectual level it’s absolutely ineffective, especially if you cannot identify that social puddle as your own :) Because of this the whole situation gets distorted, and straightforward sincerity (but even here there is always a possibility of an illusion) leads to the experience of absurdity…

I didn’t see the prosaic Omega – Shnare.sys and I will not cite any comments towards him ;) Well, the last experience of this festival happened to be so primitively straightforward and delicately refined like the whole electronic music. Generally I do not like such irresponsible and universal conclusions but – what the hell! – I still have that nearly fixed idea that electronic music, instead of polyphonic fugue, is suitable enough to represent symbolically the Dionistic origin of the modern civilization in its’ own (post)modern sense…

p.s. All the comments of the participants are being cited without permission :)