- I must admit I'm always a bit skeptical when a festival aims to combine electronic music with digital art. It's hard to focus on both when the crowds kick in and the music rumbles. Or you can take Sonar's example and keep them largely separate, with amazing art installations displayed far away from the action and the public's attention. Neither is an ideal scenario, so when I learned that Kernel aimed "to be a new multi-disciplinary link between electronic sound and music, digital and interactive art, audiovisual mapping and temporary architecture," I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
When we arrived at Desio by 7 PM the stage in the park behind Tittoni Traversi—undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and monumental villas around Milan—was all geared up. Workshops on digital art were well under way, one of which featured DJ Spooky who had spun records the previous night. The atmosphere in the park was extremely relaxed; families and early groups of clubbers were busy drinking Prosecco or playing with Frisbees waiting for sundown and the first visual mappings on the villa's façade.
The promoters made an interesting selection of young talent to project temporary architectural installations during the night and between the music acts on stage. Unfortunately, with the stage a hundred meters away from the villa, this meant going back and forth to watch the visuals or hear the music. Plus, with the first bridge from the video show to the stage unannounced, we all missed when Moritz Von Oswald started his set.
Later, Shed gathered a good number of club-goers nodding their heads to his dark, throbbing live set. Starting with low, dubby keys and then throwing in some heavy bass, he got almost everybody in the mood for dancing. Around 1 AM we all sat down on the lawn for the last shot of visual mapping. This time it was really impressive, with twisted windows and columns, trees slowly expanding their branches, 3D animations of different architectural styles.
By 2 AM the park was crowded. Obviously many had come to Desio to dance to some techno, ignoring the rest of the line-up. Troy Pierce was up to the challenge, using multiple laptops to control some heavy Minus-esque basslines and minimal beats. The mix of people was surprising. Artsy mature couples mingled with local promoters/DJs. There were girls with Prada handbags and guys with "I love techno" t-shirts. But everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Some even took off their shoes and danced enthusiastically until the morning dew materialized on their feet. "There is nothing better than dancing barefoot in a park," a friend of mine assured me. They were right. Kernel may still be working on the perfect way to link different artforms, but the location was perfect for the experiment.