Image courtesy of Club to Club
Club to Club, the annual 5 day dance music festival that takes place in Turin, Italy, returns again this November for its 15th year, maintaining its status as one of the most thriving and significant electronic music festivals in Europe. Club to Club’s ambience and vibe differs from many other electronic music festivals as it is not held in one large event space, instead the musicians and DJs play across a variety of venues within Turin, taking full advantage of the unique and differing spaces that the city has to offer. These venues include the Concert Hall of the Conservatory, the renowned Teatro Carignano, post-industrial pavilions and the creative district of Turin, San Salvario. The line-up this year boasts headliners such as Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Jamie XX, Apparat, Jeff Mills and Oneohtrix Point Never among many other pop and electronic artists pushing boundaries and making waves in music. The diverse and dynamic line-up was created by the festival director Sergio Ricciardone. Schön! caught up with him to learn more about Club to Club and what festival goers can expect from the festival this year.
When did you decide you wanted to get into music festival directing?
It’s something that occurred rather than being planned. In the late ’90s, Xplosiva was a weekly club night that attracted electronic music fans from all over Italy. The transition to cultural association (and cultural enterprise) and the subsequent birth of the festival represent the natural evolution of our vision and of the relationship established with Turin.
Tell us a bit about the work you do with Xplosiva
In addition to Club To Club, leading Italian festival of music & arts, Xplosiva devises projects and collaborates with both brands and prestigious cultural institutions, maximising relationships amongst different languages and styles.
Why are music festivals important?
They represent the opportunity for fans to see many acts, often at their debut, that they wouldn’t be able to catch otherwise, especially in Italy; at the same time, they create a sense of identity and belonging that unites the fan base.
In your opinion, what makes a musical festival a success?
Coherence, experience and credibility (though ticket sales matter).
What kind of evolution are we seeing in the electronic dance genre?
The past few years have seen the convergence of pop and electronic music as well as the emergence of local sounds on global scale, thus making the “electronic” label inadequate.
This year marks the 15 year anniversary of the Club to Club Festival in Turin. Tell us a little bit about your process and criteria when selecting acts for Club to Club.
We want to read trends while they’re still underground and intercept them before they become mass phenomena, keeping an eye out for the most adventurous and surprising sounds.
How important is the setting of Turin to the success of Club to Club?
A real festival cannot prescind from the ground on which it’s built and the same goes for us. One of Italy’s best kept secrets, Turin has contributed profoundly in shaping Club To Club, whose spirit embodies the three souls of the city: royal, industrial and contemporary.
Image courtesy of Club to Club
In our every increasingly technological world we see people turning away from traditional methods for consuming art and culture, why do you think music festivals and live music still have such enduring appeal for young people?
When the support ceases to be relevant and the offer grows exponentially, experience becomes the key.
Club to Club coincides with the contemporary art festival, Artissima in Turin, how has that impacted the festival?
In its early years Club To Club has benefited from Artissima’s more international audience. Nowadays, the fair and the festival represent two complementary parts of Turin’s attitude towards the contemporary, transforming the city in the cultural capital city of Europe for a week.
The line-up is very international, why do you think dance music as a genre is less saturated by the US market as other music genres?
Techno don Jeff Mills recently said in an interview “America isn’t interested in what I’m doing and never has been”; seminal electronic genres may have been born in the U.S., but clubs never developed enough to foster the growth of a complex scene like in Europe.
Club to Club is held across multiple venues rather than in one large space, how has this impacted the atmosphere of the festival?
It’s always been a prominent feature of the festival: as the name suggests, Club To Club was born as a one-night circuit of clubs scattered around the city. Today’s diverse venues (including a theatre, a hotels, a post-industrial pavilion and an entire neighbourhood) allow the audience to truly experience the richness of Turin’s heritage.
What sets Club to Club apart from other European dance festivals?
Embracing the concept of avant-pop: the festival lineup spans from niche artists to mainstream heroes, seeking the perfect balance between the worlds of avant-garde and pop.
What would you describe as your greatest achievement to date?
That would be this year’s lineup as a whole, although I’m very proud of the latest artist to be confirmed: Thom Yorke.
Club to Club runs from 4-8 November in Turin Italy.
Tickets + hotel packages are still available through Festicket.
Words / Caitlin Donaldson
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