German label Denovali have announced that they will again be returning to London in 2014 for a UK edition of their long-running Swingfest festival. Originally founded in 2007 and running since then in Essen, last year it expanded to take in events in both London and Berlin. This year’s London edition will take place over the Easter weekend, on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th April, and features an array of artists, some involved with the label, and others drawn from the wider world of electronic experimental music and contemporary composition. For full information and tickets, click here to visit the Swingfest website.
On Friday 18th April it will take place at the Village Underground in Shoreditch, and is headlined by two heavyweight names. Heading the bill are Porter Ricks, the duo of Andy Mellwig and Thomas Köner who were responsible for one of the Chain Reaction label’s best and most acclaimed albums, 1996’s Biokinetics. After that album was reissued in 2012, the duo reformed for a performance at Unsound Festival last year, and this will mark their first London show since then. Also playing is The Haxan Cloak, whose releases of exploratory drone and hard-edged electronics have been Quietus favourites over the last few years, and his upcoming collaborative album with The Body on heavy rotation in tQHQ. They’ll be joined by Anna von Hausswolff, Hidden Orchestra & Lumen, Ulrich Schnauss, Witxes and John Lemke.
The following day, Saturday 19th April, takes place at Cafe Oto. It’s headlined by Thomas Köner doing a solo performance of his stark, frostbitten electronic music, returning after last year’s show at London Swingfest. (Click here to read our interview with him from last year.) He’s joined by Piano Interrupted, Origamibiro and Petrels.
