August 29, 2013 at 17:25
22-25 of August became a new period in Vladivostok music life because of the international showcase festival/conference Vladivostok Rocks. Thanks to the support of festival’s partner S7 Airlines, Primorsky Region’s capital hosted over 250 artists, music industry professionals and journalists from central Russia, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and USA. All the participants were accommodated at the Far East Federal University campus which is considered to be one of the best in Russia and in the world.
There were over 70 concerts in four days in different locations from Sports Embankment (Sportivnaya Naberezhnaya) and central square to bars and night clubs of Vladivostok. Vladivostok has never been filled with so much of different music.
Headliners of the festival were No Brain (South Korea), Ego Wrappin’ (Japan), P.K.14 (China), Julien-K (USA) and Mumiy Troll which presented a concert version of their new album “SOS Matrosu”. Thanks to the internet broadcasting done by Rostelecom, the big concert held on the 24th of August could be seen worldwide. During the gala concert more that 30 000 people felt the whole range of seaside climate starting with heavy rain and finishing with double rainbow above the main stage of the festival. Music celebration ended up with a favorite song of Vladivostok people. “Vladivostok-2000″ by Mumiy Trol has truly become an unofficial anthem of Vladivostok.
Igor Pushkaryev, Vladivostok’s head greeted everyone from the stage of V-ROX: “Vladivostok is a city of new achievements and records. We are ready to realize great and unique projects such as international festival Vladivostok Rocks. Rock is a loud sound, drive and energy! I believe that festival like this will become a good tradition. Thanks to all the participants for this feast of rock and for the attention to Vladivostok and for you positive emotions!”
V-ROX hasn’t forget about electro artists – russian and asian dj’s and producers performed in Street Bar at the Red Bull Music Academy Stage. A curator of the electro stage was a local person Sasha Kholenko, founder of how2make records indie label.
For four days there were educational events going on i.e. lectures, workshops and panel discussions. World experts were explaining to regional artists about how to make their own label, how to promote it and what is going on with music festivals around the world, what is the music critics’ task what crowdfunding is.
In the frames of V-Rox there was an exhibition in Art-etage museum and gallery held by belgian artists Leroy Brothers whose art project became a basis for the cover of the new album “SOS Matrosu” by Mumiy Troll. Vladivostok people can see top 10 art objects till the 5th of September. Paintings will be donated to Vladivostok after that.
Federal and world media made reports about Vladivostok Rocks i.e. Filter Magazine (USA), The New York Times (USA), First Chanel, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Afisha Magazine, Russkiy Reporter, Rolling Stone, Kommersant newspaper, Bloomberg TV (USA), Friday TV, Colta.ru project and Kroogi.com project etc. Active support was done by international project Russia Beyond the Headlines, Europe Plus radio, Asia to Go agency, Magagazeta and Geometria.ru. Regional press was watching V-Rox attentively – major news agencies and federal TV channels made their reports on what was going on, as well as Novaya Gazeta, Komsomolskaya Pravda, OTV, PTR and NHK (Japan) TV channels.
Ilya Lagutenko, curator and founder of V-ROX:
“Hurray! The first of V-ROX is done! We’ve come to realize that the aim was to present Vladivostok as an international center of music culture and we could work it out just fine. I want to give thanks to all the participants, city authorities and city’s head, Far Eastern Federal University, festival organizers, all of our partners and volunteers. We weren’t many but trusted to the idea of the festival and our empathy help us to feel the moment of creation. We’ve came up with a new cultural layer of Vladivostok and there are lots of interesting happenings and meetings and victories ahead. I’m almost over with my speech and i’m getting ready to V-ROX 2014!”
August 26, 2013 at 20:51
Thank you for being with us for four days of the festival! There were over 70 live performances which were attended by thousands of people. Locations were Sports Embankment (Sportivnaya Naberezhnaya), central square, clubs and bars of Vladivostok. In Admiralsky Square and Art-etage museum and gallery there were workshops and panel discussions. Over 250 artists and music industry professionals came all the way down to the festival. The days which changed music history of Vladivostok were great but we aren’t saying farewell here. We’ll see you in 2014 at Vladivostok Rocks!
August 24, 2013 at 11:50
Vladivostok will be the first russian city which will hear live performance of the new Mumiy Troll album – “SOS Matrosu”. The fist time the band will perform at the gala concert of the international music festival and conference Vladivostok Rocks on the central square of the city. Live broadcast will be available from 5 p.m. (Vladivostok time) at http://zabava.ru/tv_online/v-rox.
A new album of Mumiy Troll is filled with love towards Vladivostok – a city where the style of the band was formed.
Ilya Lagutenko, Mumiy Troll’s leader:
“I got overwhelmed with lots of events which eventually lead to Vladivostok. Shooting of the “Chetvyerty Trolleybus”(Fourth Trolley)” and opening of the “Mumiy Troll Music Bar” and Sedov’s take off and V-Rocks preparation. It seemed that we recorded this album in a way that I wanted the very first MT’s album to be recorded in 1980s when it was still long way to go to the current Mumiy Troll.
“SOS Matrosu” (“S.O.S. To A Seaman”) was recorded in a-round-the-globe trip on the board of bark Sedov starting in May of 2012 and finishing in July of 2013 (14 months). In May of 2012 Mumiy Troll set off to a sailing on the world biggest sailing bark of Rosrybolovstvo (Russian Fishing Ministry) called Sedov in order to record their new album and shoot a documentary. It was a real music/diplomatic adventure for a band. The-round-the-globe trip became an act of mission, almost preaching music. Mumiy Troll introduced russian rock music to local people in every port of call during their concerts. The band would perform right on board and in local clubs with local bands. Ilya Lagutenko and his friends talked not only about themselves but also about all russian contemporary music, they gave talks about russian rock on the radio from China to Africa. The first listeners and critics of the album were cadets and the sail boat crew.
“SOS To A Seaman” is dedicated to russian rock music. Some vintage soviet instruments were used for the recording of the album. So, the album pays respect to music of rock labs and rock clubs which affected Ilya Lagutenko.
Ilya Lagutenko, Mumiy Troll’s leader:
“15 years ago our russian rock colleges called us a “one day band” but what is funny all our songs live at present times and all our albums may seem like they are recorded today, not yesterday. I can’t say the same of some other russian works. Russian rock has got its own legend and the best thing happened to it during 1980s. It’s a real treasure which must be taken care of and studied hard, one should be nourished with it. That’s better than to be boing in music of few today’s artists. Without even realizing it, Mumiy Troll became unseparable part of russian rock and its iconic representative. It managed to become the most influential team for artists of 2000s. It has still got its own unique vision of the russian music. It’s some kind of far eastern micro/tele scope”
“SOS To A Seaman” CD cover is a common project of Mumiy Troll and belgian artists Leroy Brothers with their interactive service Witness Your World which gives any user almost unlimited opportunities for creativity. In order to take part in cover creation, one has to sign in on www.leroybrothers.com and upload their pictures to the website (photos and pictures) and short text messages. Once in 100 hours all pictures and texts are mixed up according to a special algorithm. As a result of this mash up about 10 art objects were made , some of which became variants of a new album cover and some others got to the inside part of the CD cover. These works are now presented in Art-etage museum and gallery in Vladivostok.
August 23, 2013 at 15:37
Gala concert of the international V-Rox festival will take place at the central square on the 24th of August. Thanks to the internet broadcasting provided by ROSTELECOM this concert can be seen around the globe. Broadcasting will start at 5 p.m. (Vladivostok time) at http://zabava.ru/tv_online/v-rox.
Gala concert will be started by “Strannye Igry” (Saint Petersburg). The first and the only russian ska band was founded in 1982 in Lenigrad Rock Club by two brothers Victor and Grigory Sologub. Grigory Sologub died in 2009. No one could ever imagine that Strannye Igry would get together again. The Mumiy Troll band have recorded a song called Strannye Igry on their new album as a dedication to this legendary band from Saint Petersburg. Strannye Igry will perform their only concert in Vladivostok at the V-ROX festival. Phillip, Victor Sologub’s son will play the guitar.
The first of the festival headliners of the big stage of V-Rox will be No Brain (South Korea). Formed in 1996 in a small club in Hongdae. They started to criticize society’s current state of affairs and inequality with their raw punk sound in the mid-2000s. No Brain introduces many Korean people to rock.
Right after the korean rockers there will be P.K.14 (China). P.K. occupies a space in Chinese music that might be analogous to that of Talking Heads or Television in the New York of the 1970s. They are almost unanimously cited as the band that has most influenced the young Beijing music scene. P.K.14 have performed extensively in China and abroad, both headlining and sharing the stage with many notable bands, including The (International) Noise Conspiracy, These Are Powers, Ex-Models and The Soundtrack of Our Lives.
Guests from the USA at the big stage – Julien-K. Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck have been musical partners for 13+ years. In the late 90′s they were responsible for massive radio and sales hits such as Blind (Korn), Blue Monday, Stitches, and Fiction (Orgy), and recently Crawl Back In and Let Down (Dead By Sunrise with their pal Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington). The duo have spent the last 6 years methodically moving away from the mainstream success that put them on the map towards their new independent alternative electro rock project Julien-K — which sounds more at home with the likes of modern acts such as M83, The Kills, LCD Soundsystem, The Naked and Famous, Empire of the Sun, and even the Black Keys.
One more headliner of the festival is jazz duo Ego-Wrappin’ (Japan). Ego-Wrappin’ is a unit formed in 1996 in Osaka. Members include YoshieNakano and Masaki Mori. Persistent sales of their exceptional debut “Blues of Colors” built nationwide recognition, representing their unique artistry through cabaret music. They’ve got 8 studio albums. The latest is Steal a Person’s Heart was released on the 10th of April 2013.
The “Mumiy Troll” band will perform a concert version of their new album “SOS MATROSU” (“SOS to a sailor”) on the 24th of August. It was recorded during the round-the-globe trip on the “Sedov” bark. The musicians used new compact recording equipment which had been bought in different ports around the world and also some original soviet music instruments. “SOS MATROSU” is a dedication to the “golden age of russian rock” when the enthusiasm and passion prevailed technical abilities. The new album is filled with love towards Vladivostok, a city which still defines the band’s style.
August 23, 2013 at 11:35
Official photo partner of the festival is Geometria.ru project in Vladivostok! All the reports from V-ROX events can be looked up on a special web page geometry.ru/vrox.