[Craig]

Out on the Slovenian label Dallas Records by the end of August 2008 is "Kunst der Fuge", the brand new studio release from the Slovenian industrial band Laibach.

"Kunst der Fuge" is the laibachian interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's work "The Art of Fugue" (Die Kunst der Fuge). The majority of the material was created in 2006 and premiered the same year live at Bachfest in Leipzig.

Bach himself lived and worked in Leipzig from 1723 till the end of his life in 1750. In this period he also wrote "The Art of Fugue", a collection of fugues and canons that display the full gamut of fugal transformational techniques, such as augmentation and diminution. The theory that the work was intended as an intellectual exercise rather than for performance is borne out by the fact that no instruments are specified in the score.

Laibach here provide an electronic interpretation showing that J.S. Bach with his work could as well be understood as the pioneer of electronic, techno, computer music.

Video of the band performing their "Kunst der Fuge" at the Paard van Troje, The Hague, The Netherlands on may 24th 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DaoULPztHc
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After all there's no after all

[Craig]

http://www.side-line.com/ teatab, et: Following the release and the UK premiere of "LaiBachKunstDerFuge", inspired by Bach's "Art of Fugue", Laibach announce a new project: Volkswagner.

Volkswagner will premiere in Ljubljana on the 18th of April 2009, at the Gallus Hall, Cankarjev Dom in a collaboration with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, composed and conducted by Izidor Leitinger.

It is a 70-minute sonic suite in three acts based on Richard Wagner's "Overture To The Tannhäuser And The Singers' Contest At The Wartburg, Siegfried-Idyll" and "The Ride Of The Valkyries". With Volkswagner, Laibach and Izidor Leitinger will interpret some of Wagner's better known musical motifs, using the jazz form as a starting point and combine them into a unified symphonic electronic suite.

With this project Laibach will attempt to prove that understanding and interpretation are important components of the aesthetic and content-based definitions of the world and that Hitler (kelle sünnipäev teatavasti on saabuval esmaspäeval) was greatly mistaken regarding Wagner - except with regard to the conception of the beetle automobile, which, with its Beatnik soul and humorous form, became his largest art work and indirectly his greatest economic achievement.

In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler's obsession with Wagner inspired him to initiate a formal prohibition and destruction of all degenerate art ('Entartete Kunst') which was not in accordance with the Wagnerian aesthetics and canon, as Hitler understood it.

In addition to Jewish authors and others who were not in favour of the regime, the prohibition affected the whole avant-garde and modernism, and in music ('Entartete Musik') all of jazz, primarily due to its 'primitive' African-American roots.

During this time, Hitler sketched the first outline of the automobile that would become known as the 'people's car', the Volks-Wagen or Käfer (beetle) and, in an effort to modernise Germany and reduce unemployment, began work on the construction of the world’s first super roads, the Autobahn.

After the Second World War the Beetle became the most popular people’s car in the world; a cult object, a pop icon and a symbol of freedom and modernity. Similarly, 'degenerate' jazz music became another symbol of freedom and modernity.

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In more related band news, the band released details of a major exhibition in Lodz, Poland opening on 26 May 2009 (veebilehe andmeil küll 27. mail).

The museum Sztuki in Lodz will host a Laibach exhibition from 16 May – 23 August 2009.

Spanning the different time periods of Laibach, the exhibition will run over 10 rooms with Laibach presenting the 10 Items of Covenant, 10 statements, 10 different installations.

Laibach created some significant exhibitions between 1980 - 1985 and subsequently stepped out of the galleries, exhibiting only sporadically at different occasions, so this will be a great opportunity to draw a line and examine the other, less known, side of Laibach.

The day after the opening of exhibition Laibach will also perform LaiBachKunstDerFuge at the Filharmonia Lódzka im. Artura Rubinsteina.
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After all there's no after all