Durán Vázquez’s highlights of 2009

In the bad side:

1. Great lies from media manipulation increases once again:
-Economic Crisis instead of Monopolistic concentration of wealth; -War on Terror instead of False Flag Attacks; -Improvement of Security instead of Control on population; -Sanitary Alarm instead of Pharmaceutical business; -Anthropogenic Climate Change instead of Further carbon taxes; -Genetic Property Rights instead of Conquest of the seeds and food of the world; etc., etc.

2. Global pre-war atmosphere with the effective start of Colombia Plan in south-America, Africom in Africa, conflicts around the Caucasus and middle east, Afghan war enlargement towards Pakistan and tensions raising between India and China.

3. Still alive the greatest of all lies: food scarcity due to lack of production, but the truth is that agriculture produces two times alimony needed. Third World’s food crisis of 2007-2008 continues and begins to hit First World’s population, while food and agronomic mega-companies reaches record earnings. Only in Spain, 1500000 people can not afford their food.

4. Sonic weapons as means of social control becomes public (at last) in Pittsburgh, but with no outstanding reply.

In the good side:

5. It seems to come winds of change for the electronic/sound-art/experimental music in the Spanish radio stations, with several radio programs which seems to left behind obsolete categories: ‘Sismógrafo’ by Jordi Giráldez, new stage of the classic ‘Ars Sonora’ by Miguel Álvarez-Fernández, ‘Vía Límite’ by José Manuel Costa,…

6. Galician composer Carlos Suárez play live at Sonar2009 and Xesús Valle aka Xe at Staalplaat in Berlin.

7. Galician artist Chiu Longina creates controversy in the Spanish media with his workshop about Sonic Weapons and Mosquito device.

8. First “Galician Experimental and Sound-artists Meeting” (nov. 2009 in Vigo [galicia,spain]) and the second ArtEx Sonora sound-art show (may 2009 in A Coruña [galicia,spain]).

9. Once again, this year Zeppelin Festival call for sound pieces Sounds of Power / Listenings of Fear, proposes to work with a focus onto social cares rather than formal implementation of technology.

10. I fond of this year releases: äNACRUSä’s “Noitebra” and Carlos Suárez’s “Alegorías del Poder”, both released on Larraskito netlabel; “Vórtice” by Jazznoize & Trio Antimanierista, released on the excellent Ruidemos netlabel; “Estrellas Transcompactas” by Mika Martini + Edén Carrasco, released on Exp_net, the netlabel of the Experimentaclub Festival from Madrid.