MEDIMEX has built up energy and returns to live events. The wave rises and breaks over the city of the two seas.
The 2021 edition of MEDIMEX takes place in Taranto. The programme is spread across 7 physical venues in the city: the University of Bari – Ionian Department, Teatro Fusco, the Castello Aragonese and its Municipal Gallery, the “G. Paisiello” Higher Institute of Musical Studies, MArTA (National Archaeological Museum of Taranto), Caffè Letterario and Spazioporto. And one intangible venue: online. All from 15 to 19 September, postponed because of safety protocols.
As many as 11 Incontri d’Autore (Meet the Author) spread across the Teatro Fusco, the University and MArTA, some of them streamed only, welcome Psicologi, Speranza, Ligabue, Aiello, Willie Peyote, Fast Animals & Slow Kids, Gemello, Coma_Cose, Malika Ayane, Gaia and Kevin Cummins. They are joined by a special Rock Lesson on Battiato by Ernesto Assante and Gino Castaldo.
27 Conference events at the University and online. 9 workshops and 3 listening sessions (including the Sync Lab sessions); 11 talks: the restart of live music; digitisation and innovation; the music market and streaming; the future of copyright in the digital revolution; Brexit; management in the digital age; New Wave in Italy; the relationship between music and cinema, and between music and comics (with Mahmood joining remotely); Negramaro’s experience with streaming. 2 presentations and 2 keynotes.
At the Teatro Fusco, 3 films: “Sisters with Transistors” by Lisa Rovner, with Laurie Anderson joining via live stream; “Don’t Go Gentle. A film about Idles” by Mark Archer; “Creation Stories” by Nick Moran.
26 bands play showcases in 3 live streams divided by genre: rock, pop and indie; world music; jazz. Playing are Larocca, Gaia Gentile, Marmo, Chromophobia, Underworld Vampires, Erica Mou, Carolina Bubbico, Muriki, Stain, Ninfea; Radicanto, Terraross, I Tamburellisti di Torre Paduli, Tarantula Garganica, Claudio Prima & Progetto SE.ME, Maria Moramarco, Mascarimirì, Mimmo Epifani & José Barros; Vince Abbracciante, Michele Fazio, Kekko Fornarelli, Soul Hunters, Roberto Ottaviano, Gaetano Partipilo & Boom Collective, Armstrong And The Moonwalkers, Guido di Leone and Francesca Leone feat. Trio Corrente.
Watch the showcases again on YouTube
Rock, Pop, Indie with Larocca, Gaia Gentile, Marmo, Chromophobia, Underworld Vampires, Erica Mou, Carolina Bubbico, Muriki, Stain, Ninfea
World music with Radicanto, Terraross, I Tamburrellisti di Torre Paduli, Tarantula Garganica, Claudio Prima & Progetto Se. Me., Maria Moramarco, Mascarimirì, Mimmo Epifani & Josè Barros.
Jazz with Vince Abbracciante, Michele Fazio, Kekko Fornarelli, Soul Hunters, Roberto Ottaviano, Gaetano Partipilo & Boom Collective, Armstrong and the Moonwalkers, Guido Di Leone and Francesca Leone feat Trio Corrente
At MArTA, the photo exhibition “Kevin Cummins. Joy Division and beyond” traces the extraordinary adventure of Joy Division through 58 silver gelatin prints. Beyond them, Cummins documents the birth and evolution of New Order, the Smiths, the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays, all the way to Oasis. And he tells the story of Manchester and its revolutionary community.
At the Municipal Gallery of the Castello Aragonese, the exhibition “Pictures of You”, curated by the Circolo Fotografico Il Castello, shows how Puglia was the stage of New Wave in Southern Italy: among others, Simple Minds, New Order, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Style Council, the Sound, Nina Hagen, Christian Death, the Cure, Julian Cope, Ultravox, Everything But The Girl, Tuxedomoon, Virgin Prunes, the Residents, David Byrne, Lou Reed, Jimmy Sommerville, Peter Murphy, Robert Fripp, Caetano Veloso and David Sylvian all played there.
The University hosts the exclusive exhibition “Musica di carta. 60 anni di giornali musicali” (Paper Music: 60 years of music magazines), curated by Ernesto Assante, with magazines from his collection. The exhibition starts from the idea that reading about music matters as much as listening to it, because reading makes listening richer, more nuanced and more surprising.
The façade of the Castello Aragonese lights up with “3D Waves”, the three-dimensional work by Hermes Mangialardo.
The Paisiello institute hosts the lessons of the new edition of the Songwriting Camp, now called Medimex Music Factory, run in collaboration with Sugar Music Publishing with the advice of Serpenti. The tutors are Stabber, Federico Secondomè, Piero Romitelli, Silvia Tofani, Alessandra Flora, Valeria Palmitessa, Vincenzo Colella, Gianni Pollex and Leo Pari. Puglia Sounds Musicarium, basic and advanced, takes place at the University and is also available online. The basic courses cover the record business (Marco Valente and Emiliano Colasanti); photography (Fabrizio Pastore, Cosimo Calabrese and Maurizio Greco); production (Populous); self-promotion (Giovanni Bordieri & Gian Mario Bachetti, Carla Armogida and Andrea Favale, Giulia Lizzoli and Alfa); contracts (Nico Regina) and collecting (Davide d’Atri). The advanced courses cover sound engineering (Marc Urselli and John Ryan); photography (Giovanni Canitano); communication and promotion (Cristiano Maggi, Jessica Gaibotti and Helio Di Nardo).
The Caffè Letterario hosts 4 book presentations, in a series called Medimex Book Stories. MEDIMEX radio broadcasts every day from Spazioporto.