This seasons XLAIR show is an impression of the Flemish ‘HAPPY NEW FESTIVAL VAN VLAANDEREN KORTRIJK’ and more precise an impression of the sound walk ‘Klinkende Stad / Sounding City’ (The Finest in Flemish sound art). The HNF festival is the successor of the renowned Happy New Ears festival that started in 1996 and came to an end last year. It has grown into one of the most prestigious sound art festivals around. In 2008 The Wire magazine called it: “one of Europe’s premier sound art festivals.” This year the festival took place from the 24th of April until the 9th of May. Klinkende Stad is best described as a sound walk and consists out of 12 different sound related works by Flemish artists, listed below. Since the works are very dependent on specific locations and are very difficult to record or grasp for radiophonic purposes, we tried to make a mix of information, description and sound suggestion. For those who want more information, listen to the 25 minutes interview with the HNF artistic director Joost Fonteyne following the radia show at 15:30.

http://www.happynewfestival.be/Klinkende_Stad.html.

WORKS & ARTISTS & time codes in the broadcast

“A40 Ruhr” Maria Blondeel (01’00” – 01’10”)

“De Egelantier in de Nachtegaal” Leo Copers (02’00” – 02’15”)

“Staalhemel” Christophe De Boeck (20’30” – 22’30”)

“Shadow Grounds” Pauwel De Buck

“Reflections” Boris Debackere & Steven Devleminck (09’40” – 12’25”)

“Permafrost” Aernoudt Jacobs (22’30” – 25’00”)

“Mahila” Annemie Maes & Bill Bultheel (25’00” – 28’00”)

“Not with a bang but a whimper” Stefaan Quix (12’30” – 15’30”)

“Circuit02” Jeroen Vandesande (15’30” – 20’00”)

“Shifting Grounds” Esther Venrooy & Hans Demeulenaere (07’00” – 09’40”)

“Into the Light of the Night” Els Viaene en Plan B Performance (03’00” – 07’00”)

“Mortuos Plango Vivos Voco” Visual Kitchen (09’40” – 10’30”)