Return of the Repressive (RoTr) is a weekend of industrialized culture presented by I.C.R.N. (Industrialised Culture Research Network) in collaboration with Capsule, Cold Spring and the Custard Factory. Over the first weekend of September the Custard Factory in Birmingham (UK) will host a unique event exploring the past, present and future of industrial music and culture.
Press statement:
Often ignored, industrial is a style that won’t go away, and keeps re-surfacing in new contexts. Return of the Repressive will trace the industrial undercurrents that seethe beneath the surface of our culture.
The centrepiece will be the opening of the LAIBACH KUNST inhibition “Instrumentality of the State Machine”. This large-scale sound and visual installation recreates the industrial ambience of Trbovlje, the Slovene industrial city which gave birth to Laibach 26 years ago. The exhibition will be open daily 11-8 until September 5th.
The exhibition will open on September 1st, and members of Laibach plus guests will perform a special “Concerto for magnetophone, gramophone, radiophone and megaphone” at 8pm.
The Laibach opening will be followed by an evening of DJ’s and live acts, featuring PCM, Shit and Shine, Schloss Tegal and a specially commissioned audiovisual set by Birmingham techno pioneer Surgeon.
On Saturday 2nd there will be screenings of rare industrial video material plus a Mutefilm screening, including Laibach videos and the British premiere of Saso Podgorsek’s Laibach U.S. tour documentary Divided States of America.
On Sunday 3rd industrial will be explored in an ICRN seminar featuring guest speakers and a presentation of Interrogation Machine, Alexei Monroe’s book on Laibach and NSK.
