Graham St John: “Is raving now merely a simulation of the original?” – Easterndaze

Graham St John is an intellectual adventurer on the borderline between anthropology and digital spirituality who has devoted his career to mapping the “invisible landscapes” of modern counterculture. As a world-renowned expert on rave culture and psychedelics, he explores dance floors not only as places of entertainment, but also as modern ritual spaces where technology meets mysticism. His work, culminating in detailed studies on DMT and a biography of Terence McKenna, reveals how contemporary tribes seek transcendence through rhythm and visionary experiences. Together with other technomads and seekers who are redefining sacredness and human community in the global age, he […]

Tuning into the Earth’s frequencies: Wouter Jaspers on DIY instruments, radio waves and electromagnetic fields – Easterndaze

Wouter Jaspers seamlessly navigates his daily life as a sound artist, instrument designer, researcher and experimenter. He creates tools to explore both the audible and inaudible frequencies of our planet, focusing on the upper atmosphere, electromagnetic fields, the Earth’s natural radio frequencies and even our own body radiation. His curiosity led him to build various DIY antennas to listen to natural phenomena such as lightning, aurora borealis and the everyday electromagnetic smog present in urban environments. This passion for sound led him to found KOMA Elektronik, where he developed the now legendary Field Kit mixer or Sonic Artefacts, whose finely tuned […]

ESTROGUN: Unapologetically c*nt in the face of the complex socio-political maelstrom – Easterndaze

In the first of a series of articles exploring the cultural and social diversity of Prague and Czechia, music journalist Freddie Hudson interviews the Prague-based transfemme collective ESTROGUN. 

Film Programme | WOMEX 25 Festival

“Recordings Belong to the People” — An Interview with Sound Archivist Ketevan Davitashvili   – Easterndaze

Archives elicit an aura of discovery, secrecy, and age. The potential to unearth forgotten manuscripts, to “dig” through dust-covered boxes and emerge with something unexpected—these are often over-romanticized expectations we have before delving into a collection for the first time. But given the comparatively recent invention of recording technology and its rapid progression through different formats, sound archives in particular present a set of material problems: issues with practical preservation and the fragility of older, audibly aging media.  Ketevan Davitashvili, a performer and sound artist from Tbilisi, Georgia, works as an archivist at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire and specializes in […]

Through Acoustic Aperture: Jauna Muzika’s Amateur Spirit – Easterndaze

There’s a certain looseness to the way sound moves through Vilnius during Jauna Muzika, which happened in April this year. It’s not just the acoustics—though they certainly matter—but the feeling of being let in on something that doesn’t need to be polished to be affecting. Now in its third decade, this year’s edition was curated by Sholto Dobie and themed around the amateur, not as a lack of skill, but as one who loves. Tuned into the quieter frequencies of collaboration, intuition, and risk, the festival unfolded across galleries, artist-run spaces, and informal venues. It felt less like a linear […]

Easterndaze

Easterndaze is a project that explores and highlights the best new music from Central and Eastern Europe through a variety of channels, including radio shows, concerts, music releases and this blog.

Bluesky

Easterndaze

Easterndaze is a project that explores and highlights the best new music from Central and Eastern Europe through a variety of channels, including radio shows, concerts, music releases and this blog.

Famalay, Temple Of, Nūr: How Prague’s Diaspora Club Community Supports Itself – Easterndaze

In the second of a series on Prague’s social and cultural diversity and its role in club culture (read here the first part), locally-based journalist Freddie Hudson takes a look at racial and ethnic diversity in the city through the eyes of three entities active in it’s nightlife: Famalay, Temple Of, and Egyptian DJ and event producer takaDumm.