Co-curated scene at Monument City Festival ’23
Monument x Pogotowie collaborative music project at the Monument City Festival 2023 – Summary
Monument City Festival, a captivating electronic music event, enthralled over 2,000 attendees over the course of four exhilarating days of April 2023. The festival featured a dynamic fusion of music events, complemented by an insightful music sector conference that drew 13 artists and experts as well as an engaged audience of 350 participants. Among the festival highlights was the collaboration with the renowned Polish Up To Date Festival, resulting in a co-curation of the festival’s line-up in the project titled “Co-curating Electronic Music for the Polish and Norwegian Music Market“.
This collaborative endeavour aimed to cultivate a mutually beneficial artistic exchange program between cultural initiatives in Poland and Norway, operating within the electronic music landscape. Embedded within Monument City Festival, the project facilitated a dynamic co-curation process, seamlessly integrating the best of both Polish and Norwegian electronic music scenes. The project’s success resonated with the festival’s diverse audience, as Monument City Festival welcomed enthusiastic viewers during the performances of its esteemed artists. From an opening performance by the renowned Jeff Mill on Thursday, to the Live Concert Night on Friday and the Rave Day on Saturday, the festival offered an immersive and unforgettable experience for all electronic music enthusiasts.
20.04.2023: RAVE REVOLUTION – CONFERENCE
The Rave Revolution conference featured a range of topics and expert speakers addressing the various issues of the international electronic music scene. The program covered important discussions such as the potential and appreciation of the rave culture in Oslo compared to other cities like Berlin, Amsterdam, and New York. Experts explored ways to tap into the immense potential of the club and rave scene. In the conversation with the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Miss Anette Trettebergstuen, they pondered on how collaboration between the state and the industry could be improved. They also delved into the reasons behind the explosive growth of the rave scene, featuring insights from both experienced and emerging individuals. The conference further highlighted the role of the rave scene in creating safer dance floors for diverse groups, offering lessons for the rest of the nightlife industry.
Additionally, an international perspective was provided, with discussions on the importance of cross-border collaborations and their impact on strengthening the local and international rave scenes. Notable experts from Norway, Poland, Ukraine, and Sweden included renowned artists, promoters, and representatives from such organizations as Monument, Up To Date Festival, Jæger, Ghost Community, Gøyal, and CC TV Stavanger. Watch the video from the conference.
The conference has reached 350 of physical attendees and additional 650+ online viewers (recording).
As part of the project “Co-curating Electronic Music for the Polish and Norwegian Music Market“, the conference featured Dtekk (PL), Vera Logdanidi (UA), Ola Smith-Simonsen (NO) and Mevlana St James (NO).
Photos: Johannes Zuidhoek Sundby
21.04: LIVE PERFORMANCE DAY & 22.04: RAVE DAY RESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UP TO DATE FESTVIAL
The Monument City Festival spanned four days of fantastic music events, including the innovative “Co-curating Electronic Music for the Polish and Norwegian Music Market” project. The project’s line-up featured live performances and DJ sets from five talented artists from Norway, Poland, and Ukraine.
On April 21st, Milena Głowacka (PL), Poly Chain (UA) and Na Nich (UA) captivated the audience with deep, vibrant live performances. The following days featured enchanting sets by Lara Palmer (NO), Erik Mowinckel (NO), and Dtekk (PL), all accompanied by stunning visuals created by the Polish artist Emiko.
Photos: Filip Kolber (1-8), Grzegorz Jasina (9-12); Johannes Zuidhoek Sundby (13-14)
ABOUT THE GRANT
The project entitled “Co-curating Electronic Music for the Polish and Norwegian Music Market” benefits from a € 29,800 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants. The aim of the project is to support and provide new opportunities to Polish, Norwegian and Ukrainian electronic music artists, and music initiatives operating at the periphery of bigger cultural hubs. The initiative aims at setting a networking and co-curated artistic exchange scheme between Poland- and Norway-based cultural initiatives operating in the electronic music environment.