The avant-garde electronic music festival Black! Factory returns after a forced break due to the coronavirus epidemic and quarantine. Its team decided to go on a larger scale and moved to the space of the «Metrobud» factory in 2019. And this year, the festival will be held in its native walls of the Weaving Factory on December 3. There are 20 artists from 8 countries in the line-up, who will perform on three stages. But the number of live performances and variety of genres is the main thing the organizers pay attention to.
In a blitz interview with DTF Magazine the Black! Factory tells why they decided to return to 31 Nyzhnoyurkivska Street, what’s special about this year’s festival and which names of the line-up they are especially proud of
— What is the difference between this Black! Factory from the previous ones?
Alisa Mullen: There’s no point in comparing this Black! to Metrobud (where it was held the last time in 2019. — DTF Magazine). It is two different scales. It will return to its roots and take place at the native Weaving Factory this year. Three dance floors will be involved, namely 3rd Floor, the Closer and Mezzanine dance floors. Previously Black!Factory in the Closer took two dancefloors, so we got bigger this time. We expanded the genre range all the way up to hip-hop. Also, Closer and Worn Pop are doing Black!Factory together as opposed to how it was in 2019.
— What will be Black! Factory this year? Will it be a party or a festiva?
Alisa Mullen: It’s definitely a festival..
— You’re going back to Closer, although the festival has taken a course toward a format in large factory spaces in 2019. What was the reason for your choice of location this year?
Sergiy Yatsenko: Because such music has few listeners and admirers nowadays in Kyiv. There’s techno music everywhere, but not many people really understand it, and people have stopped going to concerts of electronic music in our country. Difficulties with booking big artists and constantly changing coronavirus situation influenced it as well.
— How has the return to Closer affected the Black! Factory?
Nikita Netrebko: I think there is one big advantage. It’s really cool to remember how it was in the beginning, when Brave! Factory was still a monthly party; it’s really cool to walk a couple of times down the familiar route from Closer to the Third Floor (3rd Floor is the dance floor at the Weaving Factory. — DTF Magazine), drink at all the bars, hang out in the smoking rooms, in the chill, at Savage Food.
We’re adding a stage in the Mezzanine, so there’s plenty of room for such an event this year. It’s still cozier to be in our own walls when it’s cold.
However, this does not preclude the possibility of holding the festival elsewhere. The current version at the Weaving Factory is a classic, and we should return to it from time to time. Well, it’s another great reason to visit the club considering it’s not open every weekend, but does one party a month at the moment.
— What genres are you focusing on this time?
Nikita Netrebko: We didn’t set ourselves any rigid genre boundaries, our main task is to create an atmosphere. That’s why we have techno, EBM and hip-hop on the same stage, but there’s a great combination of artists. «Third Floor» is hard and loud and the darkest. Closer is diverse and dynamic and gives free rein to experimentation. Mezzanine is warm, danceable, but also with its surprises.
We’re definitely going to have a special experience in one event with this lineup of artists in terms of toughness and power.
— Who are you particularly proud of as a member?
Nikita Netrebko: There are 20 artists in the line-up, this line-up was formed meticulously, so we’re proud of everyone. We even timed it so that there were no overlaps in the stages, and the guests were able to see as many performances as possible.
You need to see the live shows of Paranoid London, Samuel Kerridge: their live shows are always an event, basically. Broken English Club, Not Waving are very peculiar electronic artists with incredibly powerful energy.
Not Waving is performing at Closer for the second time and has drastically changed his style in that time, so I think he’s one of those who will surprise.
You should also definitely check out the Italian avant-garde duo Holiday Inn, they will be doing a live show at Mezzanine.
Charlie is coming in with a live show this time around. She’s got a cool italo and a newbeat. We already know her very well from Worn Pop parties and her DJ sets
