Future Music Magazine offers a quite interesting insight into Benga’s production-chain in their May-issue: quite amazing how he creates a groove just with a set of hi-heads, how synth-presets can as well be used in a really creative way or how sound can be shaped with EQs.

In last month’s election campaign, the right-wing, post(?)-fascist coalition lead by Silvio Berlusconi had already advertised several measures against Roma-people as well as against illegalized migration on the other. Now, only two weeks after their landslide-victory in Italy’s general elections, things are taking shape as several decrees were enacted earlier this week. For instance, “illegal” migration is from now on considered a crime, and therefore in itself justifying a detention of between a minimum of six months and four years. Italy’s new stance also seems to prevail as EU’s migration-policy as the newly introduced 18-months-limit for custody pending deportation (dt. “Abschiebehaft”) also found it’s way into the European council’s directive on the Return of illegally staying third-country nationals on May 22nd.

Besides, a stricter stance is being proclaimed against fictitious mairrages and people renting apartments to sans papiers can be imprisoned for up to three years, alongside the confiscation of the flat and a fee of 50.000 Euros.

Other decrees aim directly at the minority of Roma-people living in Italy. Last weeks racist excesses by fascist mobs all across the country were not only accompanied by open support of governmental representatives, but also assisted with a new legislation: all foreigners, wether EU-citizens or not, can now be expelled if they fail to prove a regular income within three months after their arrival or in case of committing a crime.

In fact, the “spontaneous” actions against Roma witnessed in the past couple of weeks, follows classical fascist schemes – after diffuse rumors following racist stereotypes, a seemingly uncontrollable mob assaults citizens of certain a ethnic or political attitude, whereas fascist politicians and the police remain mostly apathetic. Afterwards the actions are justified by the introduction of new laws, satisfying a proclaimed “will of the people”.

A precise goal: save cites
A concrete goal: less taxes for everybody
A concrete goal: a good job for You too
A moral duty: dignified pensions
(scenes from Berlusconi’s election campaigns in the mid-90s)

More information can be found at the websites of EveryOne, no-racism.net and Telepolis:
– 68 percent of Italians want Roma expelled - poll
– Anti-gypsy sentiments out of control in Italy. The truth about the kidnapping in Naples
– Hate Crimes - The Italian way to create security?
– Racism Alert. Football fans threaten Gypsy champions Pirlo Ibrahimovic and Mihajlovic
– Romanian citizen dies in a carabinieri barracks at Fontana Liri
– Humanitarian emergency at the Casilino 900 camp in Rome
– Abschiebehaft: Italien prescht vor
– Jagd auf Zigeuner
– Rom: Bürgermeister mit brauner Vergangenheit
– Carta d’Italia: project on fascism in Italy (in German language)

members of the fascist organisation squadre after squatting a union-building in the 1920s

On Wednesday, May 21 police raided more than twenty apartments in a nation-wide crackdown against the country’s animal rights movement. Ten persons were arrested due to accusations of forming a criminal organization. During the operation, special forces broke doors of several appartments and woke up the people with their guns drawn - measures that were condemned by the legal defense team and by several NGOs alike. All detainees were brought to a prison in Wr. Neustadt, a city located 50km south of Vienna.

In the past couple of months animal-rights-activists held frequent rallies against the local chain-store Kleider Bauer because of its pro-fur policy. Thereby, police and the activists had engaged in an neverending legal contest on wether protests directly in front of the chain-stores were legal or not. This weeks crackdown seems to mark a new strategy by police on how to get rid of those protests.

More details on the issue as well as updates on the situation can be found at no-racism.net, including a press release by the legal defense team. The next solidarity-protest will take place on Sunday, May 25th at 2:30pm in front of the prison in Wr. Neustadt, people travelling from Vienna will be meeting in the train leaving at Südbahnhof at 1:30pm.

Two hours of dubstep pressure including unreleased material by the likes of Ca.tter, Daega Sound System, Metalbox, Price, Robbing Hood, Stereotyp, myself & others. Plus dates & politrix as per usual.

Friday, May 30, 2008
10-12pm CET | 9-11pm GMT
fm: 94.0 MHz (Vienna, Austria)
stream: http://o94.at/live

Dates

May 30: Sweet w/ Deekay, Luvin’lou, Empee, Jay Dan, Motive (mc) @ Roxy/Vienna
May 30: ~temp w/ Wipeout (live), Kushima/Tell/Eisenmann (live), Odd & Iroy, Evirgen, Martin Stepanek @ Rhiz/Vienna
May 30: World Security Days w/ PsyOps Soundsystem f/ Z’EV, Tronstoner & Ennoson (live), Assimilatah, Kopfnikaragua, Mess.u, Plak @ Fluc_wanne/Vienna
May 31: Stadterforschung #6 - mit dem Fahrrad, Thema Antirassismus @ Marcus Omufuma Denkmal (Ecke Mariahilferstrasse/Museumsquartier)/Vienna (12:30am)
May 31: Aber Labelnight w/ Kid606 (live), Fyrd (live), Evirgen (live), Synthax, Odd @ Planetarium/Vienna
May 31: Electro-nix w/ Maurice Fulton, Marni, Marflow, Felix @ Fluc_wanne/Wien
Jun 1: Garage Sessions w/ Jay-S, IZC @ Play FM
Jun 6: Dubsquare Special w/ IZC @ La Boom Deluxe/Radio FM4
Jun 6: Wilsonice w/ 2562, Neil Landstrumm (live), TRG, Skream @ Bratislava
Jun 7: Wilsonice w/ Flying Lotus (live), Various Production @ Bratislava
Jun 10: iSueYou w/ Staubsauger (live), The Sci-fi Trackers (live), Erdem Tunakan @ Rhiz/Vienna

I met Disrupt for a lil chat in Vienna’s legendary coffeehouse “Weidinger” last week, catch the interview plus an exclusive mix by Jahtari’s Rootah in the second half of the show. Before that, we’ve got a bunch of yet unheard tunes by the likes of Ca.tter, D1, DST, El Rakkas, Metalbox, T2R and myself, alongside new releases by Ramadanman and Peverelist. Plus dates and a lil politrix-special on Vienna’s squatting scene.

Dates

May 9: Sonic Warfare w/ Appleblim, Martyn, Peverelist, Gatekeeper, Forsaken, Wedge, Aardvarck, U Dub @ Meltweg/Amsterdam
May 10: Flohmarkt @ Fluc/Wien (12am)
May 10/11: Underdog Filmfest I/08 @ EKH+i:da/Wien
May 13: 10 years Rhiz w/ Tumido (live), Philipp Quehenberger (live), Raumschiff Engelmayr @ Rhiz/Vienna
May 15: 10 years Rhiz w/ Nitro Mahalia f/ Didi Bruckmayr (live), Bernhard Fleischmann @ Rhiz/Vienna
May 16: Ring Straßen Fest Ring/Wien (3pm)
May 16: Critical Mass Vienna Margaretenplatz/Wien (4:30pm)
May 16: COTN w/ TRG, Slack Hippy, Tobi-Wan Kenobi, Feelipa, El Rakkas @ Forum Keller/Graz
May 17: Flughafensozialdienstsoli @ Flex/Vienna
May 17: Sub.Island w/ Pinch, 2562, Vinylizer, Porpoise, Instruktah D (mc) @ Conne Island/Leipzig
May 21: 10 years Rhiz w/ NSA (live), Fuckhead (live), Ca.tter, M-Step @ Rhiz/Vienna
May 22: 10 years Rhiz w/ Dieb13 (live), Fennesz (live), Erdem Tunakan @ Rhiz/Vienna
May 23: Bounce w/ Rusko, Silent.wolf, Se.vero, Atomique, Plak, daBvox (mc) @ Fluc_wanne/Wien
May 26: 10 years Rhiz w/ Tetuzi Akiyama (live), Toshi Nakamura (live), Silly (live), Herbert Molin @ Rhiz/Vienna
May 26: 10 years Rhiz w/ Bullbull & surprise guest (live) @ Rhiz/Vienna
May 28: Tüwi Festival 2008 @ Türkenschanzpark/Vienna
May 30: Dubsquare Radio @ Orange 94.0

Tracklist

D1 - Sorrow Remix (unreleased)
Ramadanman - Kablammo Eleven (Souljazz)
Metalbox - Flying Arrows (unreleased)
The Bug f/ Killa P & Flow Dan - Skeng/Kode 9 Remix (Hyperdub)
IZC - Off-axis (unreleased)
IZC - Deep Sea Osc (unreleased)
Ca.tter - Salsa Rebel (unreleased)
Ca.tter - Panorama Symphony (unreleased)
RSD - Kingfisher (Earwax)
T2R - Fatherpopcorn (unreleased)
Bass Clef - Unknown (White)
IZC - Oil (unreleased)
Peverelist - Junktion (Tectonic)
El Rakkas - The Lizard Skin Ladies Of Oro Valley (unreleased)
TRG - Broken Heart/Martyn Remix (Hessle)
DST - Resonance (unreleased)
*** Disrupt interview & Jahtari-mix by Rootah ***
*** IZC’ funk-meets-techno-90s-excursion ***
CJ Bolland - Neutral Paradox (R&S)
Sluts’n'Strings & 909 - Past The Gates (Cheap)
Grand Theft Audio - Side Kick (City Of Angels)
Ian Pooley - Phoenix (Force Inc)
Thomas Brinkmann - That’s Wild (Unknown)
Super Collider - It Won’t Be Long (Loaded)
Hi-lo - Untitled (Central)

Download the show (mp3 w/ 111mb / 128kbps)

In the past two years or so, Vienna has seen the formation of a new generation of initiatives contributing to the city’s alternative scene. This year’s Mayday Parade was a good opportunity to get an overview on the clutter :)

In front of Museumsquartier, the starting-point of the parade, You could find stands mostly by ‘older’ projects, such as Infoladen, Rosa Antifa Wien, Deserteurs- und Flüchtlingsberatung, EKH and several of K-groups. Interestingly the ‘newer’ initiatives seem to be a lot more mobile, represented by a rather odd Wagenburg-vehicle, a mobile Cocktail-Bar (by Ladyfest?), the fabulous Axid Soundsystem or a van by the slightly hippiesc KuKuMA project just to name a few. Leaflets by Freiraum, Indymedia Austria, No-racism.net and a couple of Kost-nix-projects were all around, as well as media-projects such as Malmoe, Grundrisse and kanalB. During its way through the 15th district, the parade stopped over at bikekitchen (opening on May 17th) and the hard-fought Pankahyttn. i:da, Kostnixladen/Vekks, Einbaumöbel, Tüwi and the networking-platform unkompliziert.org weren’t visited, but are worth mentioning here too. In the very end of the parade, there was actually a little incident in front of Pankahyttn, where two participants were beaten up and arrested seemingly out of the blue by riot-police.

It’s hard to estimate how many people exactly participated, more that I had expected is how I would probably put it. However, even more important was the relaxed atmosphere in combination with a very focused political agenda. Apart from the main theme of precarious working-conditions, several local issues were picked up as well, such as the 9th anniversary of the death of Marcus Omofuma, the struggle for autonomous spaces in Vienna (Freiraum, Rosa Lila Villa, Bikekitchen, Pankahyttn,…) and the counter-protests to the christan-fundamentalist actions against abortion by Human Life International.

Forthcoming events:
– May 10: Flohmarkt @ Fluc/Wien (12am)
– May 10/11: Underdog Filmfest I/08 @ EKH+i:da/Wien
– May 16: Ring Straßen Fest Ring/Wien (3pm)
– May 16: Critical Mass Vienna Margaretenplatz/Wien (4:30pm)
– Jul 5: Free Parade 2008 @ Wien (2pm)
– Jul 12: Rainbow Parade 2008 @ Stadtpark/Wien (2pm)
– Jul 18-27: Anarchist Summercamp @ Niederösterreich/Austria