KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE APRIL 2019

KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE

Rave

Illustration by Paulius Petrauskas

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This frequent visitor of Trestas club was nicknamed Idol, because, well, he was a fan of Billy Idol.

More on him and Trestas on pages 4 and 10. Photo by Edvardas Vrubliauskas.

Two years ago, in April, Kaunas Full of Culture talked with the people from the Big beat epoch. Last year we explored the explosion of rock and punk rock thirty years ago. Then, at the end of the interview with a member from the band Mountainside we stopped by the canteen PakalnÄ— (mountainside). It inspired the name of the band and was one of the first electronic music hotspots in Kaunas.

DJ, save my life!

So, this April is about dancing. Dancing to techno, house, and perhaps to metal a bit. Dances in canteens, cinemas, the building of the archdiocese, shopping center, and culture house. It is also about DJs who saved - well, if not lives, like in the song, then, at least from boredom.

It was not easy to collect the faded or purposefully erased memories of contemporaries. Most people who danced during the time explored in this issue are 40 or over and none of them have anything to do with nightlife and electronic music. But we are very grateful to those who shared their memories after discussing it with their old buddies, rummaging through their drawers and having a laugh as a result. Even to that one person who promised to

give an interview and then went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Thank you, and we hope that someone at some point will collect everything into a monograph because the photographs will continue to fade and, as you will see browsing through the magazine, the physical traces of the epoch are virtually gone.

A completely unintentional but symbolic coincidence - this April marks the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Vytautas Magnus University.

Many people interviewed for this issue and those, who remained between the lines, were some of the first students of the restored VMU. So we created this atypical - 130 beats per second - but very cultured greeting card.

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Edvardas Vrubliauskas, currently living in Chicago, is better known to the people of Kaunas as Rouble. This phonetic nickname was given to him at school. Some 30 years ago, Rouble would frequent Trestas, a famous spot in the centre of Kaunas, that is covered more broadly in this issue, because “there was nothing better. It was an anti-pop music place. All the friends and breakdancing group was there.”

The dissertation of Rouble Gunars Bakšejevs Photos by Edvardas Vrubliauskas

During the epoch of Trestas, Rouble studied photography, so these pictures were a part of his dissertation.

“A photographer is like a sniper. You choose an angle, get glued to the

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camera and wait. Of course, you can also improvise,” Rouble sends his regards from Chicago to his crowd from Trestas. Do you recognize yourself in the photos?

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A place to communicate Kotryna Lingienė and Kęstutis Lingys

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Senasis trestas was opened on A. Mickevičiaus Street some 40 years ago. It was a cinema that also included a space for music and dances, and because of that it soon became one of the hottest places to be in Kaunas.

Today, there's no longer a trace of it.

The last film screenings there took place in 2006, and after a while, Kaunas Regional Courthouse emerged on the foundations of the building.

“Oh, it was quite a blow. It could have been anything – a shop, a market, just not a courthouse. We, the free spirits, who were against any type of order, took it the hardest. However, all the Trestas’ people already had more serious things to do back then.

We worked 18 hours a day, and we became politicians, businessmen, and media people. Some had emigrated,

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so there was no one to fight for Trestas,” Kaunas resident Liutauras Varanavičius remembers the last days of the hotspot. We started our conversation from the year 1985 when Liutauras, who was still a minor but also a very active kid back then, opened the doors of Trestas for the first time.

Trestas in its late years. Author unknown.

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H T N O M E H T F O C I P O T

The alternative youth of Kaunas would go to Trestas in crowds from the Laumė cafe in Laisvės alėja and the first pizzeria in Kaunas that operated near the garden of Vytautas the Great War Museum in the premises that are currently for sale. Pizza with onions would cost 54 kopecks and “was very good”. So, pizza, beer (brought from the factory in a 3-litre jar) conversations and – on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – visiting Trestas!

People of different musical tastes and views would choose discos at the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute (now Kaunas University of Technology) behind St. Michael the Archangel Church. The crowd going to A. Mickevičiaus Street had to pass face control by body-builder bouncers. Therefore, if you were not too young, too intoxicated and too aggressive, you would find yourself in a very trustworthy and friendly company. “A tiny group of 300 people,” Liutauras laughs. He believes that the charm of live communication is less relevant today, that is why such places like Trestas no longer exist.

“We would truly communicate, we knew all the current events and trusted each other. After all, we would sit on the same bench for six hours or more. And now, if you’re afraid to talk on the phone and prefer writing e-mails, you’ll probably be afraid to go to a club.” Or you will open Facebook on your phone as soon as you get there.

If you wanted to simply have a chat in Trestas, you did it in the first-floor lobby of the cafe. Noisy dances took place on the second floor, and since the styles of music were changing all the time, people with specific tastes had opportunities to relax and talk. “Metalotheques, special

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days dedicated to metal, were my favourite but, essentially, you could hear everything in Trestas, from rock to electronic music. DJs had their own priorities, but they were also tolerant, and not stubborn at all.” For example, there was this Billy Idol fan, for whom, the hosts of the party would play at least a couple of songs by his favourite artist. For Liutauras, “Jump” by Van Halen is that song that represents Trestas best. Imagine 400 people jumping to this tune at the same time.

One of the most impressive DJs of Trestas was Saulius Čemolonskas who passed away a few years back (we wrote about him in last year’s April issue). He was particularly interested in electronic music, so it was always on Trestas’ playlists. At a later stage of the club, there were even Sundays dedicated to techno music.

For a while, parties at Trestas used to end at 11 pm. The crowd would then follow Saulius to his hometown Kulautuva, a small resort near Kaunas, for afterparties. “200 of us would go there with a simple 50-seat bus, and we would party at least until the first bus back to the city.”

Image. Was it important to follow trends, develop a style? “We all had chains attached to our belts,” Liutauras says. When breakdancing became popular, there was a need for brighter clothes. In 1989 he went to Poland with a thrash metal band Dykuma that he was producing and brought back black shorts with a green stripe, and wore them next to a shirt with palm trees. He also wore that to the consultation on entering the newly restored Vytautas Magnus University. “It was fantastic when you walked in the city centre dressed like that and kids would run after you and scream that you're wearing underwear. The older

A tiny group of 300 people.

women on a trolleybus would even offer money to buy new clothes...

Immediately before the restoration of Independence, in Kaunas, and thus amongst the people of Trestas, it was popular to do breakdance and martial arts, especially karate.

Remigijus Daškevičius who came from the mafia world was one of the best break-dancers in Lithuania, who had won many competitions.

He would also come to dance with his buddies, and, as Liutauras remembers, would always behave honestly and correctly. According to Liutauras, around 1990, the so-called ‘nonsense’ started, when Daškevičius stopped coming, but his younger colleagues started visiting the place.

They could just grab a girl from her boyfriend’s arms and take her away.

The situation didn’t improve in 19931994 but, on the other hand, it was bad in the whole city.”I think that's why Trestas slowly became unpopular – not because of the economic reasons, but the criminal one: fewer people were coming to the club.”

If you find Joel Sarakula’s “Matchstick Girl” on YouTube, edited from the archives of Čemolonskas,

according to Liutauras, you will see the flight, courage, and community of the Trestas people of the time.

During the period when Trestas belonged to everyone and at the same time to no one, the community maintained and restored the club with their own hands. “We wanted to enjoy our time there, so we took care of the place as if it was our own.” However, no one offered the community that wasn’t legally defined to rent the premises, and a private operator began doing events in Trestas.

Another short but extremely telling moment in Kaunas nightlife was the Gesta cafe, which operated near the restored VMU. “All the students moved there. A small cafe would accommodate several hundred people, who, of course, danced on the tables.

So, there were even fewer reasons to go to Trestas. By the way, there is a real story related to the place.

Currently, a girl is living in Kaunas with a rare name of Gesta – that is precisely where her parents met.

“In terms of discos, it was probably the best place,” says Liutauras and has no doubt that all the VMU graduates of his generation would agree. The music fit everyone's taste, “You could hear everything, even Lithuanian pop schlagers.” Although for Liutauras, “Balls to the Wall” by Accept is the song that best defines the Gesta period.

The 30th anniversary of Trestas took place in 2012 in Siena club.

“Some 100 people came! Almost all of the DJs... I think we will soon repeat this event, although it is getting harder and harder to get a hold of everyone,” Liutauras says. We would also like to visit it, but for now, we pause Van Halen’s tape and move to V. Putvinskis Street.

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H T N OA M M E ET H TO I FS OE N

Something did happen

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To feel better the atmosphere surrounding this text, find and put on some Happy Mondays, Green Velvet, Terry Francis, Etienne de Crécy or even LTJ Bukem’s stuff from the 90s. Best if these are one-piece mixes from their club performances. If nightlife is what you cultivate each Friday, it's possible that the music will sound familiar. Music trends come in cycles, just like fashion.

That is why in Lizdas, the only currently operating club of this kind, you can sometimes feel like you time-travelled to the 90s. After all, they even hold VHS glorification rituals.

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Daina Dubauskaitė

"Electronic music, rave movement was something very different, new and unfamiliar. It was a breath of fresh air from the west. Just like the youthful rebellion and new worldview, with all its good and bad sides," graphic designer Marius Kneipferavičius says when asked about why he joined the ranks of party people almost 30 years ago. We also talked about Pakalnė (Mountainside), a spot that shortly flashed in the city's nightlife in the mid-1990s,

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with architect Mantas Mickevičius and photographer Teodoras Biliūnas.

A few stories have been heard from other people. Often, they were several versions of the same event. For example, the employees of the canteen who would turn into rave barmaids at night. One of our interviewees in this issue, Erichas Juozaitis, said some kind words about them. And in another conversation, I heard that the nickname of one one of the ladies was 'Sex'.

DJs Marius Kneipferavičius and Povilas Pauplys.

Picture from the archives of Marius Kneipferavičius.

“In 1990 an annex (of an office building) was built on V. Putvinskio Street with a cafe/restaurant Pakalnė. Its architect and first interior designer was Algimantas Sprindys. For some of us, this place had become a second home. Near the entrance, on the right was the cloakroom, which, I doubt had ever served its purpose.

Because, as I remember, it mostly accommodated students sitting on the ground, smoking and having discussions,” the researcher of Kaunas history Marija Oniščik tells in her blog.1 The elongated room, covered in wood panels, was soon discovered

by VMU students as well as people from other universities. For example,

Mantas studied architecture at the Vilnius Academy of Arts Kaunas Faculty at the time, which he chose after he didn't get into design. Despite that, he was one of the designers making flyers and posters for Pakalnė’s events (which he made in the computer class at the academy; he had even ‘borrowed’ some motifs from Stasys Eidrigevičius, famous Lithuanian artist) and also created a logo for Kaunas alternative music club RyRalio. The name of it, constructed from old Lithuanian herdingcall, implies that a DJ is like a shepherd herding the sheep on the dancefloor. When talking about the

1 In Lithuanian: http://marijosblogas.blogspot.com/2017/09/kaunas-nykstantis-ir-isnykes-vienybes.html

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Marius Kneipferavičius saved his RyRalio club ID. You can see the logo discussed in the article.

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logo, we got into a debate whether the girl wearing clogs is looking at a vinyl record or a lake. In any case, Lithuanianness was essential to the young people back then. More important than worrying whether the posters would be understood by foreigners coming to Kaunas.

The RyRalio club was completely official and had a statute and a stamp. So it wasn’t that difficult to agree with the canteen manager on renting the place. Mantas remembers that the woman visited the first party and after seeing that nothing crazy is happening, left home to relax. The members of the club – just over 20 – worked responsibly. Some cleaned up the dining room spaces, others pushed the tables around and maintained the order while DJs played. After all, the canteen would open again after the parties, so the trust had to be kept.

Since the premises were never given to the club for more than a night, there were no radical changes to the interior, although Marius remembers that the hall was decorated and the canteen windows were sealed.

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“The most important thing was light and smoke,” Mantas laughs.

He had also played there. At first, the DJs sort of played in rotation.

One of the party goers of the time, Martynas Kunigėlis, who later also became a DJ, reveals one story related to the equipment, “I remember that Povilas Pauplys and Teodoras Biliūnas would play with a five-CD changer borrowed from me, which I brought from the US when I was still a student at school. They had it for almost a year and returned it slightly broken, but I wasn't upset because they would play Plastikman during the parties.”

Although Pakalnė is quoted as a place for electronic music parties in the memories of Kaunas residents, in reality, dance music was only one of the genres liked by the organisers and visitors. “We listened to everything: from punk rock to house music. It was more interesting, you could choose based on your mood. It was never like, hey, I'm a Depeche Mode fan and you're all listening to shit,” Mantas says. He only adds that at least in his brain

Lithuanian pop music was blocked.

Probably the central musical unit of Pakalnė was the Žvėriukai DJ team.

In it was the already mentioned Povilas Pauplys and Šarūnas Karalius who had tasted the western electronic dance music culture – often illegal, and that’s why so tasty – in London. Musical exchange with the world, ensuring that the trends will keep the pace, was also supported by the help of DIY zines.

Lithuanians would receive records which they would review, play to the people at the parties and give it to friends for a rip. In addition to that, club members would travel to concerts and music festivals abroad together. Frugal Lithuanians would not rush into buying the expensive tickets. Some testimonies mention that there were quite a few representatives from the national media at the events, even such publications like Valstiečių laikraštis (a newspaper focusing on agriculture news – ed.) or Top Girl (a teenage girl magazine – ed.).

Let’s go back to Kaunas. Members of RyRalio club, as I mentioned before, did everything in their parties, including standing by the door and selling tickets that cost about 5 Litas (1,5 Euro – ed.). The hired security guys infiltrated the crowd of dancers, overseeing the order. The improvised dancefloor – pool tables sometimes functioning as a second floor – would fit around 300 people from Kaunas and other cities. And that happened every other weekend.

There was a lot of work, as Mantas remembers, “It seemed like the party had just finished and you already had to start thinking about the next one.” There was barely any profit made, after all, the money came only from the entrance fee, as the bar was operated by the canteen employees.

Whatever was left after paying for

the premises, the sound equipment, and security, was shared between the organisers. After the party and cleaning up, they would go to Laisvės alėja, sit down in a café, eat, have some coffee and leave around noon.

Such enthusiasm, of course, could not last forever. So, even though club members did dream about an actual club and later applied their experience in other events that took place in various spaces in Kaunas from time to time, this era was over. Šarūnas Karalius together with DJ Lauris Lee used the RyRalio brand for another project, but these were different – deep house – times, a new millennium and new dance trends.

After the music died down in Pakalnė, it operated for some more time as a canteen-cafe. Later, an Armenian restaurant Akhtamar was opened in there. In May 2012 the so-called “most luxurious club in Lithuania” Macao was opened there, famous for its impressive interior. And in 2017 there was a literal collapse. The place was demolished, and new structures have already emerged in its place – they will complement the renovated space of Vienybės Square.

Architect Mantas Mickevičius says that the news related to one of the most important places of his student years did not make him feel sentimental. And indeed, this generation of Kaunas residents who recently entered their 40s seems to be looking forward to the future rather than romanticising the past.

They are looking for new sounds, design fresh spaces, create new products, upgrade technology, and take new unpaved paths and often don’t have time to remember how things were. However, no one can deny that something special did happen back then.

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It is Saturday morning, and we meet our interviewee for coffee. Our colleague informs us that Vaidas Jasinskas, as usual, will come by bicycle – he doesn’t care that it’s raining. We see a man with huge headphones emerging from a grey Lithuanian background.

You will barely find any information about Vaidas Jasinskas online, he also doesn’t have any social media accounts.

During the conversation, he admits that he is currently ‘underground’ and has previously refused to give interviews to others. Nonetheless, most music lovers and musicians, who started their activities during the first years of independence know him very well.

Mostly, as Vaidas from Bomba, the legendary record store. But the story is much bigger than one record store.

The record discoverer Algirdas Šapoka and Kęstutis Lingys Photo by Teodoras Biliūnas

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When did you get into music?

I was about 12 or 13. It was a very long time ago because now I am 60. My dad had gone to Riga and returned with a radio. On top of it was a turntable and my father, as well as my older sister, would play records on it a lot. After some time, it broke down, but I found a way to continue listening to the records, I would simply spin them with my finger. Yes, that did happen.

Once I was looking for radio stations, and at the very end, I found Radio Luxembourg (there was this cool radio station in the 1970s). On it, I heard this very long drum solo. It lasted for like 3 minutes, maybe even 10, and just wouldn’t stop. That was a live recording of Deep Purple. I have never

heard anything like that. I could not believe it, and so, I got hooked.

And how was that passion shaped?

It was mostly shaped by my trip to the UK, that London scene where it seems that everything is born out of nowhere or pubs.

I got there at an exciting moment.

The raves, acid house and techno music had just begun. Sometimes we would accidentally go to an interesting club. Once we stood in line for ages, the ticket cost 10 pounds,

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and the event featured Eat Static, Transglobal Underground, Andrew Weatherall, and even Paul Oakenfold played in a very ordinary place, somewhere in the corridor.

I was also really impressed by small and independent record companies.

For example, there was one called Too Pure. There was some concert going on somewhere, and suddenly we see their new project Seefeel is playing there, and their supporting act is Autechre. The bar was smaller than this cafe. Imagine, you see some supporting act, and after a couple of years, they are already world-class stars.

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The Prodigy had just released one of their first singles. I remember going somewhere in the centre and seeing a small poster. There’s a flying saucer on it and only a writing ‘Out of Space’, no name of the band. Only later the radio started playing it. So, yeah, I was able to see all that in real time, how it all started.

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How did things go when you returned to Lithuania?

We came back to Kaunas, and my girlfriend suggested to go to Trestas, it was around 1993-1994. It was the 1st of September, and I met a guy called Orestas Minderis. He told me that he was launching a radio station called Ultra Vires, and asked whether I wanted to join the team, because, previously, I had worked in Titanika, another radio station Orestas worked in. It was the very beginning of independent radio. The studio was located in some flat on Gedimino Street, where the communist youth committee used to operate from.

There was a microphone, a few reelto-reel players. You had to do it on your own, record the show, hopefully making it right the first time.

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I brought a lot of recordings from the UK, a lot of promos, there was nothing like that here. So, we decided to present this niche music from all these small companies on the radio. And they agreed, gave us some air time. I stayed there for about 2 years. This is how Indie & Trance show was born on Ultra Vires. In the first part of the show, I would play more indie music and the second one was dedicated to the new British sound: house, techno and other electronic music.

My show was on Sunday evening. I was very interested in the nocturnal listeners who lived during the night. Two girls from Garliava would call, ask questions. Listeners would sometimes send me blank tapes so I could record them something. I would send them records for free, en masse. I still have a bunch of letters.

I would get mixes too. I would send out at least 5 tapes per week. The things I discovered and continued to discover where entirely unfamiliar for others.

Many people know you simply as Vaidas from Bomba. Tell us about it.

Yes, that was around the time I appeared in Muzikos bomba shop. I started around 1996. My friend was a manager of Bomba, he was about to emigrate to the United States and suggested taking over his job. So, I ended up working there for 10 years.

For a while, I worked in both Bomba and the radio.

I was shocked when I returned to Lithuania. The music here cost 3 times more, the recordings had just started. A CD by Vytautas Šiškauskas, a local pop singer, would cost 60 Litas, just as much as Public Enemy. The revolution in the local market was made by either Dinamika or Balius,

cannot remember which one of the 90s pop acts. They sold their albums for 10-12 Litas. After that, everybody had to lower their prices.

Throughout the 10 years in Bomba, we had raised our customer. There were even regular clients from Kaunas criminal structures. They would come with bodyguards, guns, and we’d be listening to Underworld.

I remember one of them got hooked and bought all releases by the Underworld, then Orbital and eventually all possible electronic music acts. They would come with an expensive Mercedes-Benz, would invite us in, we would put some music and listen to it.

Later on, the owners of Bomba changed, and I wanted to open my own record store, but it was complicated with the rent so now I am selling online.

Was all the music in Bomba original and licensed?

All the records we sold were original.

I was even appointed as an expert to determine whether the record was original. One of the local copyright law organisations invited me to examine the confiscated records.

Police would raid gateways in Laisvės alėja, where people would sell records. They would take a bunch of CDs, cassette tapes and I had to distinguish between real and fake. At first, it was very easy, but later the copies became very good quality.

We were one of the first to start ordering licensed music. Bomba became a representative of major record companies: EMI, Warner etc.

In the long run, I gained the autonomy to make orders: I knew what was needed here, people in Vilnius would buy different stuff.

To what extent were local DJs shaped by Bomba?

Quite a bit. I remember Marijus Adomaitis, also known as Mario Basanov and Ten Walls when he was still a school kid. He would always ask for something new, Deep Forest was his favourite. And look at him now. His brother Linas Adomaitis would also drop by. Later on, Šarūnas Karalius (RyRalio) started working with me. Ignas from Exit club would visit us too. Another local DJ Kastis Torrau would buy everything that Armand Van Helden would release, he was even nicknamed Helden. DJs Genys and Povilas Nevermind where frequent guests too. In the long run, we started ordering music for them.

They would come with a list. Some stuff on it we had and the rest we would order.

Were you DJing too?

I did not play much publicly. I started after getting a job in Bomba. Sometimes we would play in Antis bar. We asked them to let us DJ, and we’d play techno. It did not really sound right; the premises were weird, but we’d carry on. I was more into collecting music.

Are you still actively buying and selling records?

I still buy them. I love vinyl. Vinyl records require mood, preparation, you put it on a turntable and wait. Currently, on Discogs, I sell over 3000 records. In total, I have 12-13 thousand.

My username on Discogs is vėjuo.

The selling of the records remained.

I like that it is being revived among the youth. Sometimes we sell in the flea market at shopping town Urmas.

Young people come, and they know Joy Division, David Bowie, they are interested and actively buy records.

It is beautiful, and it does not seem that the situation is getting worse.

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Each epoch has its own observers and participants, and if we talk about the golden age of rave in Kaunas – its listeners and DJs. One of them is Erichas Juozaitis (DJ Erichas) who told us about the places, people and music in Kaunas more than 20 years ago. Today, on the weekends you can find him and his music in such spots in Kaunas as Kamerinis, Movido or Galerija Urbana.

Marked by movement Julija Račiūnaitė Photos by Donatas Stankevičius

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Many articles or event announcements call you the first or one of the first Lithuanian DJs. I highly doubt that. I definitely wasn’t the first, unless people writing like that have in mind DJs who are still active today. I would not even attribute myself to the pioneers or representatives of Kaunas rave scene. I still don’t really enjoy playing to big crowds in large spaces, although, of course, I have done it. I prefer a more chamber-like environment where I can see the person I am playing for and rave, after all, is a phenomenon for the masses. In our city, rave was started by Šarūnas Karalius (DJ Karalius) and Povilas Pauplys (Paul Nevermind).

The two DJs, called Žvėriukai at the time, in my opinion, started the whole rave wave in Kaunas.

I have heard that the first official rave in Vilnius took place in 1992. When did it start in Kaunas?

Perhaps a bit later. It is hard to say precisely. To be frank, we used to party so much back then, dancing and all, that those days remain in a bit of a fog.

What inspired you to DJ? I would DJ a bit at school and later when I was a student at university.

Later on, it became more and more interesting – the number of those who were playing or got interested in that stuff increased. Of course, it all started from cassettes, reelto-reel tapes, and I have also begun collecting vinyl a while ago.

What technical nuances would you encounter when preparing for the parties?

Those technical nuances were called “who has what.” Once in 1997, a large group of us were organising

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a quite big progressive electronic dance music festival Technoline.

We had an idea to put a DJ in each gateway of one specific street in Kaunas. But at the time there were maybe 8 sets necessary for playing in the whole of Lithuania. People who had them would send them from all over the country via buses, and some of us would go collect the equipment. It was expensive, and not everyone could afford to buy it. In those times, only one person had it in our company so we would share it.

You mentioned that rave as such wasn’t that close to your heart.

Back then as well as now, I liked good quality, exciting and unique music. And it’s not really important what the format or rendering is. In essence, the DJ’s work is to put together the pieces in such a way that it would say something to the public. If its rave then the aim is to lift up, enliven, and make people lose their minds, but if the audience listens, finds something new, we have a different goal.

Where would you buy records in Kaunas?

In a famous place called Muzikos bomba next to Kaunas Municipality, where you would always meet a friend. People would hang out there on the stairs. Šarūnas Karalius worked there as well, and the manager was Vaidas Jasinskas, a real collector who would get all the latest records. You could get anything there. Both purchasing and exchange would take place there, and after hours we would even listen to music. Many people would also get records by post or buy them while travelling abroad. The principle has remained the same today – after having a record for some time you

Centrinis Vekšės parkas.

Mats Samuelsson nuotr.

In terms of music, nothing has changed.

exchange it or sell it, and this flow continues to circulate among the same people.

Did you have a close-knit community of music fans?

Yes! There were not that many events and the wish to show what you have was so crazy that you would agree to play in any pub if only the owner took you in.

A pub or a canteen?

Exactly. Talking about the beginning of rave in Kaunas, in my opinion, it was started in the Pakalnė canteen.

The dining room covered a large area, and before the party, we would move the tables around... But the craziest thing was a little bar at the end of the hall, where the waitresses of the canteen worked, wearing those small white caps. At the very beginning of these raves, they would continue working during parties!

Even being far from sober you could get a sandwich with herring there.

That’s how the rave was!

So, they would work overnight?

Yes! True ravers. And how did the management of the canteen view that?

It's no secret that there were plenty of intoxicated people at the parties and the fact that the beginning of the rave trend was connected to new synthetic drugs. It was so unexpected that for some time, nobody – neither the management nor the police – understood why all these kids are so happy, dancing, drinking a lot of water and no one is drunk. Interestingly, in the beginning, there was no security at the parties but despite that things would go smoothly and peacefully.

What kind of subcultures could be found in Kaunas at the time?

In my opinion, rave appeared at the time, when almost all informal

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Medinis daugiabutis. Mats Samuelsson nuotr.

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movements in the city had subsided.

If we went ten years back, it was clear who hangs out and where in Kaunas.

For example, pixies, metalheads and punks would gather next to Kaunas Artists’ House. As they say, the right place doesn’t stay empty for long.

Let's go back to these exciting locations. A canteen, gateways, what else?

Some interesting raves would take place in Šilelis, a cultural house on the hill in Žaliakalnis. More serious performers from abroad were brought there as well. Šilelis regularly changed names and promoters, and it all took place in certain waves – there was never a set schedule of events. The last wave was the Terra X club, a place marked by a serious movement.

By the way, I can reveal that the photo studio I had, also featured underground parties. I would photograph a lot back in the day, and I had quite a large studio in the Professional Unions House (currently Kaunas Cultural House). We used to hold closed events for people related to Bomba record store.

Also, many people think that it all started at the Trestas cinema and cultural house, where we would go to the so-called dances since school.

It was the first place where people looking like members of The Prodigy appeared. And before that, Trestas would host metalotheques where you were able to hear interesting bands that would be difficult to hear anywhere else. At that time Kaunas was mostly full of pop music. But in my opinion, the rave actually started in Pakalnė.

And how do you perceive the term rave?

Well, in Trestas there were some dance elements left, in short, it was a discotheque. And rave, well, everyone knows why they go there, everyone knows how it ends, and that there will be an afterparty.

When would the usual rave party in Pakalnė end?

It would last until dawn, and after that, it can continue for a day or two.

People were starving for parties, there were very few of them. It was something else when Pakalnė hosted two partiesa month. We would mark the date in red on the calendar and wait.

Was there a huge crowd gathering outside Pakalnė’s door, trying to get in?

Well, no. Briefly, when something new comes up, a new niche is formed that contains a very few but very fascinating people. The first events were visited by fascinating characters. People who would drop by accidentally were usually confused. After all, any person who likes pop artists would leave if he accidentally ended up in a metal concert. It was an extraordinary time – there were many artists, young people; Muzikos bomba record store had attracted a very interesting crowd of people too. I believe that to this day, a large part of that crowd remained loyal to music. The aforementioned Povilas Pauplys has a great radio show Liūdesys radio, and also works with music, creates compositions.

How did you change over time?

In terms of music, nothing has changed. The desire to discover, hear and give something new to the public stayed the same, maybe even increased. Perhaps only the gained experience allows me to do it better and have a much broader outlook on everything.

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After touching upon Trestas and Pakalnė in this very edition of our magazine, I would like to look for traces of other clubs that have seized to exist in Kaunas. Last June, this magazine published a conversation of architecture historian Paulius Tautvydas Laurinaitis and architect Loreta Janušaitienė about Andrei Tarkovsky-inspired club City Metro which operated shortly in the basement of Metropolis. This text, with the permission of my colleague P. T. Laurinaitis, could be considered the continuation of the first article.

Disappeared without a trace Daina Dubauskaitė

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Sostinė, just before its demolition. Picture by R. Tenys for Kas Vyksta Kaune

Exit At the beginning of the year, the Sostinė shopping centre was demolished. One of the largest hotels in Kaunas will be built in its place, right next to the Bank of Lithuania, on Maironis Street. Recently, a few articles – positively assessing the architecture of the building – were published, explaining why the shopping centre built in 2003 failed to survive under the conditions of modern capitalism.

The dominant figures of the building were ‘quotes’ of the curved shapes common in the interwar architecture of Kaunas. The object itself, as a reference, was divided into bulks of the buildings that stood there earlier.

Quite a coincidence – both Sostinė and the future Moxy hotel belonging to the Marriott chain were designed by the office of the same architect, Gintautas Natkevičius. In 2009 the office had also prepared a building conversion project, but it was not implemented.

However, no one in the media talked about one of the most successful Lithuanian clubs of all time that operated in Sostinė – Exit. The club moved from the building in the Old Town, A. Jakšto Street, belonging to the Kaunas Archdiocese to the centre in 2005. During its golden era – around 2009 – the entry to this progressive house mecca cost 50 Litas. Forget that 50. In the summer of 2004, Deep Dish – the cult American DJs of Iranian descent played at the ‘old’ location of the club on Jakšto Street. The first tickets cost 100 Litas and the ones at the door went for 200. For comparison, the minimum wage in Lithuania at the time was 500 Litas and in 2009 – 800.

However, Exit has never been a club exclusively for rich kids, although a fancy interior had a similar claim.

Here’s the club’s press release from 2005, “Exit, famous for its high-quality

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sound system, has been equipped with new powerful sound, laser, and lighting systems as well as air conditioning system the size of 60 square meters. 12 widescreen plasma TVs were installed at the club. Exit’s interior is dominated by warm and cosy details, black and red colours.” After a few years, the club was equipped with cold air cannons, which, in addition to refreshing the dancers sweating in the first row would occasionally blow their glasses off.

Of course, wealthy people liked Exit (there were no VIP rooms here, but you could find some hidden spaces in the club) but unemployed students, as well as a wide variety of professionals with different incomes, managed to save up 50 Litas and dance ten hours straight staring at the DJ. The club accommodated 1500 people and most Saturdays – yes, Saturdays, although Lithuanian nightlife tradition has been created on Fridays – it was packed. There were a few reasons behind such loyalty. The main one would be that Exit actually raised its audience and it started it in 1997. That year, the premises of the building on Jakšto Street were opened exclusively for schoolchildren. A new club for minors called Nirvana was opened. You couldn't buy alcohol there, and during the launch of the club, Skamp, one of the most popular bands at that time, gave a concert. The club became so popular that Kaunas residents, who were already university students, would make fake schoolchildren’s IDs to look younger and get into the club. A few years later, a progressive house virus reached the club (new music trends had influenced the interior. Metal bars were installed in the spacious two-storey premises and sometimes, go-go dancers would sway on the swings that hung from the ceiling). The parties – now for the adults – would last until late

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morning. However, the tradition to provide clubbing space for those who otherwise can’t visit the clubs because of the age limit remained even after the new club was opened on Maironio Street. On Saturdays, before the main action, the club would host Exit Junior dance.

The last Exit event in the shopping centre Sostinė took place in 2011. After a while, the third version of the club opened its doors in Vilnius, the actual Lithuanian capital. Unfortunately, the concept of grandiose events resembling Ibiza trends proved to be short-lived – currently, the club in Vilnius is closed. However, the club organises parties in the summer and during New Year’s Eve in Palanga, a seaside resort in West Lithuania. But it has nothing in common with what it all started from on Jakšto Street.

Combo This spring was Combo’s last. The club opened its doors in 1997 at the cinema Laisvė (which continues to perish in one of the courtyards of Laisvės alėja) and then moved to the banks of Nemunas in Vilijampolė in 2006. The club used to host Kaunas Jazz festival concerts and the company managing it was also engaged in renting audio equipment, so live shows were its speciality. However, several DJs have also appeared here, attracting hundreds of ravers to a very remote and, frankly, uninspiring building on the banks of Nemunas. In terms of late-night events, remoteness is a significant advantage. There have also been semi-legal daytime events at the Combo marina where people would come with a barge. Surely not all of them would have liked to party like that in the old marina of the Kaunas Old Town.

Finally, no one will party here anymore, perhaps only the employees of a business centre which is being built

The Kaunas passenger dock in 1981. Picture by Edmundas Katinas

on the carcass of Combo. By the way, events stopped taking place here entirely in 2017.

ing from all over the USSR would be staying at the marina hotel, but the city did not get their attention."1

Combo did not emerge out of nowhere. In 1980, a new Kaunas passenger dock was built there, and it was the predecessor of the club. Historian Gediminas Kasparavičius tells the story of this ambitious move in his book Nemunas Lietuvos gyvenime (Nemunas in Lithuanian Life):

The book also mentions the luxurious restaurant Nemunas that operated in the marina and the fact that passenger water travel was extremely unprofitable. The hair of the current organisers of seasonal entertainment would turn grey if they thought about the fact that employees – despite the season lasting for only five months – had to be taken care of financially throughout the year. Anyway, it is time to move to 2006 and see how the new club was presented to the public by the management.

"We could say that one of the biggest mistakes done in the Soviet period when organising passenger travel was the transfer of Kaunas passenger dock from the city centre to Vilijampolė. Although then it was thought that the new building would raise the passenger water travel to the new heights, it went the other way around. The new modern three-storey marina complex was characterised by modern design (the building was designed by architect Aldona Pusvaškytė). The building had a hotel, restaurant, buffet, two lounges (150 seats) and an observation tower. Kaunas passenger dock was supposed to become the pride of the city because it was larger than the bus station. It was expected that the tourists com-

Combo’s owner “According to Rimantas Kišonas, the old Nemunas dock was chosen for the club four years ago. It was attractive due to Nemunas and Neris confluence, the beautiful panorama of the Old Town and the small distance from the city centre. The new place meets the needs of the club perfectly: during the summer there will be water entertainment, outdoor concerts, and outdoor bars.

1 In Lithuanian: KASPARAVIČIUS, Gediminas. Nemunas Lietuvos gyvenime 1918-1990 metais.

Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras, 2018. ISBN 9785420018033

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Kauno Kristaus prisikėlimo bazilika ir Radijo gamyklos kompleksas iš paukščio skrydžio, XX a. 9 deš. Ričardo Šaknio nuotr.

The aim of the new club-restaurant open both during the day and night will be to provide the visitor with the highest quality entertainment and leisure opportunities. During the day you will be able to have dinner here, and in the near future, children will be able to play in the playgrounds.

Well thought out spaces, interior, and private banquet halls will allow to organise higher level events and offer better service, while the old Combo club was more focused on the young audience, mass events, and the club interior was not suitable for more portly events. Some Kaunas residents and guests had the opportunity to evaluate the new club during Kaunas Jazz 2006 events. The visitors gave many compliments to the cosy and spacious club’s interior and layout.

There are two main spaces on the second floor of the club. The first is a VIP room accommodating up to 100 people for private events, anniversaries or small celebrations. The second is the main club hall for the main events, but with the help of sliding walls, it can be divided into two parts:

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the southern zone on the shaded glass veranda with a beautiful view of the Nemunas and the conference area near the stage.”

Terra X The red-brick annex of Kaunas Radio Factory is still standing, but it’s likely to be counting its last months. The factory was established in the unfinished Christ’s Resurrection Church during the Soviet occupation, after a decree signed by Stalin in 1952. Later on, in 1956–1959, the factory was expanded with the new production and administrative blocks. Our object of interest contrasts with the complex because of its forms, colour and size.

The now empty (a few years ago it housed an artist club Largo) building can be reached easily from the centre of Kaunas by climbing the stairs called Banga, Šilelis or Venera. The latter name was given to the stairs because of a strip club Venera that operated in the annex for quite some time. And the first two names (there are more because no one ever gave the stairs an official name) were given because in 1985 the object was built as Šilelis

cultural house. Portable TV Šilelis was produced by radio factory in 1973, which, in 1980 was renamed to Banga.

After the restoration of independence, Christ’s Resurrection Basilica was finally completed and returned to the faithful. This process that endured occupation is considered one of the most beautiful and inspiring architectural-urban events of the last century. The factory buildings that emerged during the Soviet occupation were less lucky – in 1993 they fell in the hands of EBSW concern which contributed to the collapse and dismantling of many large industrial companies in Lithuania.

It is difficult to trace all the selling, buying and leasing contracts but the surviving sources show that in 1993 at the culture house – at the time already the centre for culture, entertainment, and commerce – a heavy music festival Extreme Power was held. It’s known that in 1998 the cultural house had a small bar that was later turned into a pizzeria and in one of the larger spaces – the total area of the building amounts to over 5000 square meters – music club Terra X was opened sometime before 1999. According to the people who frequented the place at the time, Terra X would play a variety of music genres – from gothic rock to rave, and the events were irregular. People also mention the owner of the club who had quite a threatening look and at the same time opened a yoga centre in Žaliakalnis.

The first Terra X epoch did not last long – during the New Year’s Eve (greeting the year 2000) a semi-private dance event took place after it had stopped all activities. Large-scale electronic music events bearing the word Terra in their titles were organised in the club’s premises and

newly discovered spaces of the building from 2005. The people behind it also organised Tundra, a legendary Lithuanian electronic music festival.

Kaunas residents who partied in Žaliakalnis ten or more years ago will confirm that at the turn of the millennium not that much attention or funds were allocated to the new interior solutions. Maybe only for brightly coloured decorations testifying to the fact that trance music is above all and closer to the sky. Until recently, it was possible to find films, chairs, signboards and other property dating back to Šilelis times in the abandoned spaces. Some things were even used to domesticate the areas of aforementioned Largo club.

There’s yet another short-lived initiative worth mentioning when talking about Kaunas Radio Factory as a point on the map of Kaunas nightlife. It was called Insait. Armantas Gečiauskas, an opponent of popular music genres (known by the stage name of Arma Agharta) opened the club in August 2010 in the small administrative premises. Now, it seems that the holiday season, when cities are usually empty, was not the most logical solution for such a place. However, more obstacles thwarted commercially successful activities. Later on, other people organised more or less successful parties in these premises, but this could not be considered a club activity.

Ambitious plans for a conversion of the radio factory were announced a decade ago. So far, it hasn’t happened.

Tens of small businesses operate in the vast premises of the main complex. The cultural annex, however, was sold2 in an auction last year. Who knows what – and when – awaits the building?

2 In Lithuanian: https://www.alfa.lt/straipsnis/50289688/kodel-buvusioje-kauno-radijo-gamykloje-vis-dar-karaliauja-sovietmetis

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Industrial culture for post-industrial people

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Cyborgs, robots, cybernetics, monsters, and techno-bodies. These keywords are probably, first and foremost, associated with the science fiction genre. However, in Matters, a platform for industrial culture of Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022, they encourage people to look at the phenomena surrounding us today. We discussed with Daina Pupkevičiūtė and Gabrielė Gervickaitė – the curators of the symposium which will be the highlight of 2019 for Matters – how unusual terms can help us reflect the issues of ecology, accessibility or power balance and how it is all related to the industrial culture.

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How is the industrial culture relevant to Kaunas right now?

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Daina: For me, industrial culture seems to be important not just in the context of Kaunas, but rather in the context of a city in general.

Not much of industry is left in cities these days – everything is cleaned up and moved to the periphery or the outskirts. But the industrial – or shall I say post-industrial – culture is as important as other countercultures. Although, I often ask myself how much of that ‘counter’ is possible in today's context when everything is being lent out and traded, and black metal is turned into fashion.

Looking at the origins of industrial culture in the 1980s, I think it was an important empowering medium.

In the past, many industrial artists were political and would articulate their stance clearly. Now, both in visual arts and music, politics is being avoided. It seems to me that everything in the world is political; therefore the apolitical position of the artists or their alleged neutrality is not a positive phenomenon.

Back in the day, industrial artists discussed the topics of power structures, control and surveillance, action and resistance. The field of industrial culture was characterised by a great deal of dialogue – the creators of sound, performance artists and poets worked together to find radical ways to talk about important things, like freedom.

I see the birth of industrial music in the first half of the last century, in the musique concrète and avant-garde scene, when together with technological change and the appearance of synthesisers, music production became available to a broader group of people. There

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was no need for music education to create something exciting and original. This inspired the birth of new genres. Industrial music emerged in the same field. Thus, accessibility has always been important for industrial culture. It is still relevant today, and industrial art can become one of the ways to talk about accessibility. Much of it is to do with do it yourself and do it together mentality. In industrial culture, it takes the shape of people creating their own record companies, publishing, concert organising, learning music technology and sound processing. It seems to me that the opportunity to do it yourself is one of the fundamental preconditions for human freedom, which we lack.

So, it seems to me that a medium that encourages critical being and seeks for a dialogue in a very monologue-like world of social media and cosy ego-bubbles, empowers and reminds us that freedom lies in the creation and not consumption, should be relevant in every city.

What issues are Matters program methods are used?

tackled by and what

Daina: This is a platform where people from various fields are able to meet. I like to think about Matters as an open field of dialogue and creativity. People or non-humans meet, part, and share here, asking various questions, which could be attributed to industrial and post-industrial culture.

In recent years, there has been a severe lack of dialogue in the industrial culture. Post-industrial musical culture is branched, encompassing a variety of genres from dark ambient to techno, but it often does not transcend the limits of sound, and

Environmental problems and the emergence of the radical right in the political arena are breathing down our necks. for me, personally, it lacks multidimensional contexts. On the Matters platform, I would like to start the interdisciplinary dialogue or to refine the existing one.

Matters was launched a little less than a year ago, in May 2018.

What have you already done and what can be expected in 2019?

Daina: Three sound residences took place last year. I invited artists whose approach to the art of sound I found interesting. William ‘Bilwa’ Costa used the method of musique concrète and Brigitta Bödenauer studied the synthesis of sounds. We discovered Donia Jourabchi, who is working with resonances and feedbacks, during an open call. She explored all Kaunas forts. Each of the artists worked with the sounds of the city. They collected, processed, and synthesised them and early this year we released an album. It shows how sounds and understanding of the space surrounding us change based on human perception.

In 2019, we will not have any sound residences because each year I want to find new forms of dialogue. The plans include a couple of workshops and a symposium. One workshop will be dedicated to music programming, so we do not plan to abandon the sound, and the symposium should bring people from different fields for dialogue and experimentation.

What will the dialogue be and how it should take place during the symposium?

Daina: The first wave of industrial culture examined the human role in a fragmented and lonely society.

Here, the focus is often on nihilism, which continues throughout the history of industrial culture until now. I like to ask why we see our culture as destructive and unattractive. Such questions bring me to the notions of ecology, posthumanism and capitalocene. The latter encourages us to think about how capitalist thinking is related to destruction and that everything we do has destructive power.

For this reason, we have added concrete to our keywords because it is a durable material and cannot be recycled. At best, concrete is used in other constructions, but some of it is simply discarded. In one form or another, this material remains, and human imprint on earth gets deeper.

At the symposium, we want to explore topics that question people and their role in the world. However, this research should take place without raising a person as the most important being, but asking why and how we do things, what is happening around us and in what forms we can

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be here. In this way, posthumanism, cyborgs, robots, monsters, and techno-bodies appear next to other symposium topics.

to participate. It is essential for us to create an environment where we can actually have a conversation, and everyone would be able to have a say.

The dialogue should take an open, non-conference shape. I think there is too much expertise in our education when you get to hear one opinion without the opportunity to discuss. Our plans include an open fishbowl-type discussion with several scheduled presenters, but there is always one free spot. This place can be taken by anyone from the audience. When a new person joins the conversation, the other gets up from his/her seat, thus providing an opportunity for anyone else willing

You both became the curators of Matters symposium, but you come from different art fields. Daina is a sound, video and performance artist as well as an organiser of Creature Live Art and GabrielÄ— is known as an interdisciplinary artist. How did GabrielÄ— become a curator of the symposium? How are both of your different artistic experiences useful to this work?

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Daina: It seems to me that everything we do with others is

Daina: Our different experiences are useful in bringing different people from different disciplines and attracting different audiences.

Gabrielė is more familiar with the field of visual art, and I am more aware of the sound art field and people working in it. Of course, the analysing of these topics would be impossible without anthropologists and philosophers. I believe that art, to be worthy of anything, should be dialogical. My and Gabrielė’s qualifications allow us to include more than one branch of art in this project. In this way, the themes of the symposium are discussed in several disciplines.

Daina: I would like for industrial discourse to gain new impulses. It is crucial for me to try out and present the industrial potential in different forms: workshops, residences, concerts or discussion panels.

So far, we’ve talked about you as curators, but you're both actively working artists. Is your current creative activity related to topics covered by the Matters platform?

Gabrielė: Of course. Now, in my works, I deal with the connection between body and various foreign bodies, relationship with technology, political phenomena, and control mechanisms. This is closely related to the topics of techno-bodies, cyborgs, and posthumanism that are analysed in the symposium.

Daina: Currently I focus on the topics of sustainability, ecology, power, and community. I try to explore them in the fields of performance and sound art as well as anthropological studies. We live in times of crisis. Environmental problems and the emergence of the radical right in the political arena are breathing down our necks. I care about how people are able to start and maintain a dialogue in these times. I seek to explore ways to coexist, get together and maintain the power balance. I see this as an alternative to a scattered society that is frightened and helpless. These discourses are important in my personal work as well as in the Matters platform, which must become an open exchange space for researching these problems.

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Gabrielė: Yes, the topics of the symposium were very close and important to me, so I decided to become a co-curator. I am delighted that people in Lithuania are increasingly talking about biopolitics and posthumanism, but very little attention is paid to phenomena like ecology. In the international context, universities have separate programs to study this field, and in Lithuania, you can expect individual lectures by visiting professors at best. I wanted to contribute to this symposium because it is a small step towards solving, discussing and publicising the problem.

The event will invite international artists who know this topic well and find it important. Perhaps they will encourage Lithuanian society to look more closely at this issue.

The Matters platform will live for five years. What do you plan to achieve in this time frame?

kaunas2022.eu

much richer and more exciting and provides more food for thought. I like how Gabrielė creates and thinks.

I saw her works for the first time when we participated in exhibition suniro in Leipzig in 2015. At first, I expected Gabrielė to join the symposium as a participant, but there were so many contact points in our field of interest that we decided to curate it together.

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Calendar THEATRE Thursday, 04 04, 3 pm

Dance performance “Nailed it” and discussion

Sunday, 04 07, 6 pm

Performance “Gentis” [The Tribe]

National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 71

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Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

In this youth-oriented dance performance, the dancers - Ema Senkuvienė and Adrian Carlo Bibiano, will share some of their experiences with failure.

Sometimes it is personal, other times it is general. They do not expose actual stories about what or how they have failed or are still failing. It just happens. In this performance, you can relax. After all, it is not you who is on the stage. The performance will be followed by a discussion with the choreographer Paulius Prievelis, the dancers and professionals, who engage with the subject of failure from a practical and psychological perspective. The majority of the discussion will be held in Lithuanian.

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“The Tribe” is based on the novel Aukštujų Šimonių Likimas (Fate of Aukštieji Šimoniai) by Ieva Simonaitytė. It is a one-act play about Rose, the last surviving member of the Šimoniai family, which tells a story about her tribe and family. The play includes many of the author’s autobiographical texts as well as her journalistic articles. Director Agnius Jankevičius chose the famous novel out of curiosity. Can a novel that was written in 1935 live in the present?

“I would like to know if this kind of an old-fashioned material, as well as

April the lexis, would reflect the text by I. Simonaitytė or the story itself in these modern times without serious post-modern interventions,” the director says. The performance is simultaneously interpreted into English.

Friday, 04 12, 6 pm Saturday, 04 13, 5 pm

Performance “Getas” [Ghetto]

National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 71

Wednesday, 04 10, 6 pm

Performance “Aš – Moljeras” [“I – Molière”]

National Kaunas Drama Theatre, Laisvės al. 81

Director Inesa Paliulytė has rewritten Molière’s “The Imaginary Invalid”; she gave the leading role to the comedic author himself. It’s a play full of clownery, French farce, elements of pastorals and even operettas. The performance is simultaneously interpreted into English.

The premiere of “Nathan the Wise” was the highlight of the previous season at the National Kaunas Drama Theatre. This year, the spotlight’s on “Ghetto”, directed by Gintaras Varnas and based on a play by Joshua Sobol.

The play focuses on the experiences of the Jews of the Vilna Ghetto during Nazi occupation in World War II, as well as the story of the Jewish theatre inside the ghetto. The theatre became the source of strength and resistance.

It’s a story about a collective fight for survival, both physical and spiritual.

Varnas added a lot of documentary material to the work of Sobol. The performance is simultaneously interpreted into English.

More events pilnas.kaunas.lt

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Calendar Saturday, 04 27, 7 pm

Musical “Lituanica” “Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

MUSIC 04 10 – 04 18

International chamber music festival AVANTI

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Various locations

Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas are the iconic heroes of Lithuanian aviation and the whole Lithuanian nation. In 1933, they crossed the Atlantic, but their plane crashed just before reaching Kaunas. Their story is finally being brought to the big stage by director Mantas Verbiejus. The musical focuses on both the flight and the personalities of their heroes. Fifty actors and dancers dressed in 1930s style, swing and lindy hop and many other fascinating details will make sure even those attendees that do not speak Lithuanian will be fascinated by the story.

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The chamber music festival is back for the eighth year. In 2019, it aims to become Lithuania’s major chamber orchestras festival. This ambitious aim will allow the audience to listen to various chamber orchestras from all over Lithuania. For example, Klaipėda chamber orchestra will perform Eduardas Balsys pieces – as it is going to be 100 years since the composer was born; The Vilnius City Municipality St. Christopher chamber orchestra will present the music of the great composers who were born in the capital city; Kaunas Vytautas Magnus university chamber orchestra will perform music of famous composers who lived in Kaunas (commemorating 150 years since Juozas Naujalis was born and to celebrate 75th birthday for composer Giedrius Kuprevičius).

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April Friday, 04 12, 5 pm

Red Light Radio broadcast and party

Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery and club “Lizdas”, Nepriklausomybės a. 12

Maestro Julius Vilnonis will perform an eclectic program for carillon, dedicated to the Universal Day Of Culture.

Thursday, 04 18, 7 pm

Live: Freaks on Floor with a string quartet “Žalgirio” arena amphitheatre, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

Red Light Radio is one of the bestknown online radios broadcasting from – you got it right – Red Light District in Amsterdam. They’re coming over to Kaunas to check out the temperature of our electronic music climate. Check out the afternoon broadcast at the art gallery and come down to “Lizdas” club later that night.

04 14 – 04 22

Resurrection Festival Various locations

The organisers of the festival aim to create a memorable Easter event for the residents and guests of Kaunas. The programme of the festival includes Christian music concerts, poetry readings, a pop-up cinema of Christian films etc.

Monday, 04 15, 12 pm

Carillon concert for The Universal Day of Culture

Vytautas the Great War Museum garden, K. Donelaičio g. 64

Freaks on Floor are a well-known Lithuanian indie rock music band. Recently, they reinvented some of their most-loved tracks and rearranged them for a performance with a string quartet. Pure magic!

Friday, 04 19, 9 pm

Live: Manzana, Dorothy Polonium, The Factor Club “Lemmy”, Girstupio g. 1

The Tampere-based Manzana is an alpha-female-fronted pop-metal band that has been going on for 15 years now. They’re coming to Kaunas with a Finnish alt-rock band Dorothy Polonium. The Factor, a rock band from Latvia, will join them on the way.

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Calendar Friday, 04 19, 8 pm

DJ night: Konkordski & Jelisejev Bar “Godo”, Laisvės al. 89

tale. “Tarp Dviejų Aušrų” parties never saw the sunrise, because the sun here never set. Like a shiny mica to Kaunas from Australia comes CC:DISCO!, the prima donna of shiny music. She’s been feeling well behind the radio mic since she was 15 years old, but the world was conquered by her well-maintained disco, house and boogie sounds. Find some bell-bottoms and glossy shirts. Let the life riot in a sunny dance, because that’s the happiness, light and freedom.

Saturday, 04 20, 8 pm

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Live: Golden Parazyth

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“Žalgirio” arena amphitheatre, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50 The DJ of Hao Dao Radio, forecaster of bright minds, Konkordski is coming to the DJ corner of the bar by subsonic speed. While travelling over Lithuania, he snatches a thinker and a word-man, author of Calypso Magazine and pen pal of Europe's selectors elite Jelisejev.

Target is a small city in the centre of both Lithuania and Europe, a little bar cosier than your home. USB sticks drown in the pockets, filled with experimental-leaning, but always warm and exotic music. Right in front of them – a story worth a movie scenario with no sins and fatigue.

Indie electronica, electronic pop, fantasy rock – you name it. Golden Parazyth was once a solo artist, then a duo, and now they’re back in Kaunas with pockets full of new music and an 8-piece band.

Friday, 04 19, 11 pm

Wednesday, 04 24, 7 pm

“Tarp dviejų aušrų“: CC:DISCO! Club “Lizdas”, Nepriklausomybės a. 12

The world of “Tarp Dviejų Aušrų” (en.

“Between Two Dawns”) is like a fairy-

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“Kaunas Jazz” : Jazzway Kaunas Bus Station, Vytauto pr. 24

Kaunas Jazz is a 29-year old festival, the biggest and most significant of its kind in Lithuania. This year, the

April international festival takes place not only in Kaunas but also all around Lithuania. To warm up before the main concerts, we recommend not to miss the free-for-all gig by Jazzway, a Klaipėda-based quintet consisting of experienced legends and musicians of the younger generation.

04 24 – 05 11

Sound art event cycle “Corpi Sonori” POST gallery, Laisvės al. 51A

The extended sound art event will be kicked off by an exhibition of sound objects designed by Moscow-based artist ::vtol:: on April 24. Live sound performances in the contemporary art gallery space will be held on April 27, May 4 and May 11.

Thursday, 04 25, 6 pm

Concert “Martynas Levickis: Other Planets“ Kaunas State Philharmonic Hall, L. Sapiegos g. 5

Martynas Levickis is a leading exponent of the accordion. With his

talent and charisma, he has led the audiences to rediscover the passionate, emotional and expressive sound and the immense versatility of this instrument. The artist has gained international acclaim, too. The British press praises him for mastery of the instrument and a fresh approach to accordion music. After graduation from the Royal Academy of Music in London, Levickis went on to study for a Master's degree at Musikene, the Higher School of Music of the Basque Country, Spain. He is the recipient of over 30 awards internationally whereas his 2013 album went straight to the top of the UK Official Classical Album Chart.

In the concert, Martynas Levickis will join the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius to present Concerto Classico, a work for the accordion and orchestra, by the contemporary Polish composer Mikołaj Majkusiak (b. 1983) and the Suite Punta del Este by the legendary Argentinian composer Astor Piazolla (1921–1992). The second part of the concert will feature an ouvre by the British composer Gustav Holst, the orchestral suite The Planets. The concept of the work is rather astrological than astronomical (which is why Earth is not included). The suite is made of seven movements: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Each of them is intended to convey ideas and emotions associated with the influence of the planets on our earthly existence.

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Calendar Friday, 04 26, 7 pm

“Kaunas Jazz”: Ąžuolas Paulauskas and Joshua Redman Trio VMU Main Hall, S. Daukanto g. 28

Saturday, 04 27, all day long

“Kaunas Jazz” street events Various locations

A significant tradition of Kaunas Jazz festival is the daytime pop-up concerts in the Old Town, namely Vilniaus street. After dark, the action will be moved to the main open-air stage at the Nepriklausomybės square.

Saturday, 04 27, 7 pm

Live: Saulius Petreikis

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Kaunas Cultural Centre, Kęstučio g. 1 A venue the Kaunas Jazz festival would not exist without is the main hall of Vytautas Magnus University. We recommend heading there on April 26 and catching Ąžuolas Paulauskas with his band and a new album and Joshua Redman trio from the US. The latter will be back in Kaunas after a 14-year break.

About time!

Friday, 04 26, 10 pm

Rave “First Gate”

“Parakas”, corner of L. Ivinskio and Prancūzų g.

As this issue of “Kaunas Full of Culture“ is basically dedicated to rave, we decided to recommend you a 2019 version of the phenomenon. This one will be held in a former gunpowder warehouse built in the 19th century.

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Saulius Petreikis has a unique collection of musical instruments from all over the world and is using them to create and perform his music.

The multi-instrumentalist also one of the most expressive performers in the country. His gig is usually a colourful journey up the world music tree.

Saturday, 04 27, 11 pm

“Kaunas Jazz”: “Jayus Jazz” Club “Sandėlis”, Muziejaus g. 8

April

Not enough jazz? No worries. Night owls should check out the Sandėlis live music venue located in a historic warehouse a stone’s throw from the Town Hall. On April 27, a Serbian band Jayus Jazz will play there.

Sunday, 04 28, 2 pm

“Kaunas Jazz”: “Selah Collective” Kaunas Choral Synagogue, E. Ožeškienės g. 13

History buffs shouldn’t miss the chance to attend the Kaunas Jazz festival concert in the Kaunas Choral Synagogue, the only functioning synagogue in the city which had a significant Jewish population before WW2. On April 28, Selah Collective, an Israeli band with a Lithuanian singer, will perform there.

Sunday, 04 28, 6 pm

“GM Gyvai”: Big Daddy Wilson Kauno kultūros centras, Kęstučio g. 1

Big Daddy Wilson’s work combines blues, gospel, roots, soul, funk and reggae, giving an impeccable form of music that you want to listen to more and more. By incorporating his favourite instruments, conga, cajon and other percussion, the artist creates a cohesive mix of genres that can be called world music. In search of ways to integrate different styles into blues, Big Daddy Wilson played with a wide variety of groups and formats.

He has worked together and learned a lot from the blues performer Eric Bibb and Stafan Astner.

Thanks to its unique vocal style, Big Daddy Wilson sounds different than any other artist. His strong and at the same time smooth voice is classic, refreshing, authentic and very magical.

Always a charming smiley, sensual performer brings the most enjoyable moments to listeners. Extremely close contact with listeners, natural charisma and extraordinary voice power, help you feel the artist and travel through what is right and what is gloomy, but always with the light heart.

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Calendar Sunday, 04 28, 7 pm

“Kaunas Jazz”: Bobby McFerrin “Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

would suit perfectly for a late night in a tiny bar. You know, when the last customers are gone, and the bartender decides to stay open for one last track.

Kabloonak’s newest album will be presented in a unique converted space of a historic synagogue in Žaliakalnis district.

CINEMA Tuesday, 04 09, 6:20 pm R

“Kino Pavasaris”: “Chef Flynn”

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“Forum Cinemas Kaunas”, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

The biggest star of this year’s Kaunas Jazz festival is, of course, Bobby McFerrin. The multiple Grammy award winner and performer of one of the most iconic songs ever will perform in Kaunas for the second time.

In 2011, he was also part of the Kaunas Jazz festival and played in Kaunas Sports Hall. This time, it’s the largest multifunctional space in the Baltics.

Grab your tickets for April 28 before they’re sold out!

Thursday, 05 02, 7 pm

Live: Kabloonak “Sinagoga Studio”, Vaisių g. 30

Kabloonak is an artistic alias of a Vilnius-based musician. His sounds are a haven for those tired from the banging urban beats of a contemporary city. Poetic yet sarcastic, his songs

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A prodigy chef, Justin Bieber of food, young version of Jamie Oliver – that's how the media is presenting wunderkind chef Flynn McGarry. He opened a supper club in the living room of his California home at ten years old. By 12, he was serving full tasting menus to paying customers in his mother’s dining room. At 15, McGarry landed on the cover of The New York Times magazine. Today he is twenty and leads one of the most popular restaurants

April in New York. It's an unbelievable and incredible story of success.

Wednesday, 04 10, 5:15 pm

“Kino pavasaris“: “Matangi/ Maya/M.I.A” “Romuva” cinema, Kęstučio g. 62

The Vilnius international film festival invites you to watch an intimate yet dynamic portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician known as M.I.A. This is a collage of never-before-seen footage which traces her way to success, cultural background, political stance and activism. Born in Sri Lanka to the founder of Tamil independence movement, Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam fled to London with her family at the age of nine. Her original plan to become a documentary filmmaker turned into a worldwide

famous music career, merging pop, hip-hop and street art aesthetics to fight inequality.

Sunday, 04 14, 2 pm

“Acid Forest”

“Romuva” cinema, Kęstučio g. 62

Can you imagine a tourist attraction where people come to see a dead forest? Where they are not only observers but also the ones being observed and heard by the blackbirds? There used to be an ancient pine forest, but then several cormorants landed there. Now there are thousands of the birds, and they kill the pine trees by… shitting. The human observations and responses to this environment are as multi-layered and bizarre as the history of the forest itself. The director of the documentary Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė is one of the three artists who will represent Lithuania for the Venice Biennale of Art in 2019.

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Calendar Monday, 04 15, 5:40 pm

“The S Word”

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VDU, V. Putvinskio g. 23 (classroom #106) A suicide attempt survivor is on a mission to find fellow survivors and document their stories of unguarded courage, insight, pain and humour.

Along the way, she discovers a national community rising to transform personal struggles into action. Directed by Lisa Klein, the film chronicles her journey and these survivors in a compelling feature documentary that puts a human face to a topic that has long been stigmatised and buried with the lives it has claimed. Suicide affects people of all ages, races, faiths, ethnicities, gender presentations, sexual orientations, professions, and so much more.

The film skillfully weaves stories of survivors from a cross-section of America including LGBT, African American and Asian American communities, who candidly share their profoundly emotional stories of trauma, mental health challenges, survival and advocacy. The film’s narrative flows organically from one account to the next, starting with personal moments and building emotional momentum before widening out to show how their journeys are driving the national movement to take the “S” word from unthinkable to preventable.

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EXHIBITIONS 03 14 – 05 05

The 6th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennial Exhibition “Identity” M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Nepriklausomybės a. 12

The Baltic States – Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania – were celebrating their centenary in 2018; therefore their art pieces are displayed together featuring the collective identity of the art of the Baltic States, based on history, traditions and mentality. You can trace the universal values of the Baltic textile and fibre art school – stability of traditional professional values, mastership of technical execution, searching of innovations in expressions.

03 22 – 04 28

Exhibition of Japanese fiber art “Basketry” M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Nepriklausomybės a. 12

April

This exhibition is representing Japanese basketry as Fiber work of art that lets the material and the technique of the basket unfold creatively. Through 1980, the curator Kakuko Ishii explored basketmaking, primarily focusing on the interplay of the material and structural mechanism. Ishii then started a class to introduce a conceptual approach to basketmaking in Japan, and later, in 1986, an annual basketry show. The objective was then and still is now, to generate mutual learning and promotion. In Japan, compared with the government-supported field for traditional art bamboo basketry and mingei folk basketry, the area for the contemporary basketry remains small and still not well known. The group avoided forming a so-called art/craft association or exclusive school of a core artist. It is shared regard that binds our group and the conviction that each should be a leader to oneself and the group, besides being a creative basketmaker.

04 02 – 04 16

Exhibition “Changing Mindsets. Jan Gehl’s Life of Work” Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

The classic of modern urbanism Danish architect Jan Gehl has been working for decades to improve the quality of city spaces both in Copenhagen and around the world. The exhibition presents Jan Gehl's main theoretical and research works on peoples’ behaviour in urban contexts. Gehl’s methods are humanistic: he emphasises that cities need to be designed for people and not for logistical purposes. Good architecture distinguishes not only in form but also in the interaction between shape and life.

Jan Gehl says: “I have always been more concerned about changing the mindset of people – and then someone else will be able to change cities.”

Jan Gehl’s ideas and texts are included in the interdisciplinary courses of urban studies that have been taught in Lithuanian universities since 2007.

Although urban planning, orientated towards humanism, is not yet widely used in Lithuania, its principles are well-known to urban activists. Recent hot debates on the public spaces in Lithuanian cities revealed the need to involve sensitive analysis of public spaces in the planning processes. It is expected that acquaintance with Gehl’s works and methods will make a productive turn in the discussions about urban planning principle.

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Calendar 04 18 – 05 18

Exhibition “Marko Mäetamm. THE WORLD AROUND ME (is moving faster and faster)”

Kaunas Gallery, Vilniaus g. 2

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Gallery “Meno Parkas“, Rotušės a. 27

04 18 – 05 12

Exhibition “1979– 2019 inventorizacija” [Inventorisation 1979–2019]

Marko Mäetamm is an Estonian multimedia artist, working within the mediums of video, drawing and the internet. The title of his project is taken from the title of his video installation of 16 short animations which will be the centrepiece of his installation in Kaunas. There’ll be 16 tablets on the wall in the exposition, on each of them a pair of hands tapping text on computer screen to somebody. Just like most of us all do every day by sending emails or chatting in Messenger. We all have so much to say because so much is happening around us. Also inside our souls. It’s another question if it matters to anyone.

The exhibition is part of the project “Genomics of The Artwork” curated by Aušra Vaitkūnienė.

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The only professional photography gallery in Kaunas is celebrating its 40th birthday with an exhibition. Visit it to discover the four decades of the gallery, including its daily routine, reactions and changing political climate. In the picture by Romualdas Požerskis, you can see the renovation of the gallery in 2009.

SPORTS Saturday, 04 06, 12 pm

“Kaunas Rides 2019“

Nemunas Island – Town Hall Square

April those who still haven’t chosen sides!

We hope you go green-and-white, though…

Saturday, 04 27, 5 pm

A league: FC Žalgiris Kaunas – FC Atlantas Klaipėda

Join the riding season opening in Kaunas! Everyone’s and everything’s welcome, including bicycles, skates, rollerblades etc. The opening march will start near “Žalgirio” arena and will wrap up with a live performance

by Vidas Bareikis. A crazy helmet competition will be held, so do your best!

Saturday, 04 20, 5 pm

LKL: BC Žalgiris Kaunas – BC Rytas Vilnius “Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

The Lithuanian El Clasico is always super-emotional for die-hard fans of two most awarded teams in the country. It’s always fun to watch for

NFA stadium, Aukštaičių g. 51

Two teams represent Kaunas in the Lithuanian football A league. The Žalgiris squad has had a promising start of the season so far – let’s support them in a match with the Klaipėda team!

OTHER EVENTS 04 01 – 04 07

Scandinavian days

Various locations

Coming from the fields of politics, culture, education and business, the partners of Kaunas in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland have a lot to share. Expect exhibitions, movie screenings, debates and beyond.

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Calendar 04 01 – 04 11

Festival “Primavera en español 2019”

Folk dance festival “Kai prabyla žemė” [When Land Talks] Kaunas Cultural Centre, Kęstučio g. 1

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Various locations

Saturday, 04 13, 2 pm

The Miguel de Cervantes club at Vytautas Magnus University is back with the annual spring festival open for everyone speaking Spanish and interested in the culture – music, cinema, gastronomy, sports, politics and beyond – of Spanish-speaking countries. This year, the slogan of the event is “El mundo hispanohablante… ¡sin filtros!” and is inviting you to break all the stereotypes you might have about the Hispanic world.

Friday, 04 05, 6 pm

Audiovisual performance

by Aleksander Haugen and Paul Takahashi

Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

Norwegian sound artist Aleksander Haugen (Lahestan) will merge his soundscapes with Paul Takahashi’s (FR) performative drawings. This event is part of the Scandinavian days' programme in Kaunas.

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The first folk dance festival organised

by Džigūnas, an ensemble representing the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, was attended by three dance collectives. It took five years for the event to mature into a spectacle bursting with joy and energy – and attracting people beyond the immediate circle of folk dancing.

Tuesday, 04 16, 7 pm

Slemas #21

Kaunas Artists’ House, V. Putvinskio g. 56

April One of the key events of vintage fashion lovers and memorabilia hunters in Kaunas is this flea market. Come over if you’re looking for undiscovered treasures or just like window shopping.

You’re welcome to become a seller, too.

Sunday, April 28

Free museums in Kaunas Various locations

The 21st poetry slam at the Kaunas Artists’ House might become a starting point in your slamming career.

You can slam in English (or any other language). Register at menas@kmn.lt.

Sunday, April 28, 10 am

Flea market “Vintage Bazaar” “Žalgirio” arena, Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 50

Starting January 2019, every last Sunday of the month means free entrance for everyone to a long list of museums all around Lithuania, administered by the Ministry of Culture. In Kaunas, the list includes the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art and its departments, the Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum (in picture) and its departments, the Kaunas 9th Fort Museum, the Lithuanian Aviation Museum and the Lithuanian Education History Museum. The Open-Air Museum of Lithuania in Rumšiškės, located not far from Kaunas, is also taking part in the programme.

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pilnas.kaunas.lt

"Now you should hear my voice from the left speaker.

Now you should hear my voice from the right speaker.

Now you should hear my voice in the middle."

Jingle of Ultra Vires, a Kaunas-born radio station that was operating from 1994 till 1999. Its shows, including Vargo vakarienė, Ultra rap, and Indie & Trance, were important sources of alternative sounds for young kids in Lithuania.

KAUNAS FULL OF CULTURE Monthly magazine about personalities and events in Kaunas (free of charge)

Laisvės alėja 59, third floor

Editorial office:

Authors: Algirdas Šapoka, Andrejus Bykovas, Artūras Bulota, Austėja Banytė, Bernadeta Buzaitė, Daina Dubauskaitė, Donatas Stankevičius, Edvardas Rublis, Eglė Šertvyčūtė, Emilija Visockaitė, Julija Račiūnaitė, Justė Vyšniauskaitė, Kotryna Lingienė, Kęstutis Lingys, Teodoras Biliūnas.

Patrons:

KAUNO MIESTO SAVIVALDYBĖ

RUN 100010COPIES. TIRAŽAS 000 EGZ.

ISSN 2424-4481 2424-4465

Leidžia: Publisher

2019 2017No. Nr. 42 (44) (18)