Friction Fest – the name says it all: our mission is to create friction between different genres and styles of music, mainly within the rock realm, but open in any possible direction. We aim to establish an international forum for bands and artists who are committed to exploring new sounds and taking things one step further. In doing so, we intend to set a counterpoint to the prevalent festival routines which perpetuate musical boredom and mediocrity by offering only artists from a very narrow musical spectrum.
Friction Fest, instead, is a festival for music lovers with a broad-ranged taste. A spirit of daringness and willingness to experiment and push boundaries is the leitmotif that unites all artists performing at Friction Fest and ourselves, the promoters. However, we never want to forget where we come from: the glorious land of rock n’ roll, home of the riff!
Friction Fest is taking place in Berlin, and there is a reason why. Berlin has long been appreciated as the alternative capital of Europe, by Berliners as much as by visitors from all over the world. It is a city with a thriving underground music scene, not only as for what electronic music is concerned, but also in terms of punk, hardcore, metal, post-rock, ambient, drone and experimental guitar music of any kind.
The second edition of Friction Fest will take place at Berghain, Berlin’s most famous electronic music club! Praised as the “best club in the world” by the New York Times, Berghain has long been a Berliner’s favorite, as well as a tourist magnet. The club boasts a unique surround sound system in a very special location; a former cogeneration plant that was rebuilt into a techno club.
Friction Fest 2011 will take place on April 21st through 23rd 2011. We had to make Thursday and Friday the main days this time around, as Berghain hosts a permanent event series on Saturdays that cannot be intermitted. Friday is a public holiday in Germany though (Karfreitag). There will be 2 stages at the Berghain premises, with capacities of 800 and 300 people. The first 200 people who buy a ticket will get a free extra ticket for an exclusive special gig on Saturday at the Berghain Kantine. All other tickets will be 2-day tickets for Thursday and Friday.
There will be a music market, food stalls, an art exhibition with artists from the music scene exposing their works and a limited edition of silk screen poster prints. We are also working on a visual art project.