The amazing side effect Distortion has is that, even though it is noisy like a nightclub, it shuts down before midnight and it goes somewhat quiet, except for the clubs that continues throughout the night.

This is not usually the case when people set up their P.A. bikes from Wednesday to Saturday all through the summer on the bridge close to my apartment, when the weather allows it.  When Distortion is at it, the noise is somewhat regulated and even better – tomorrow the festival will be in another part of town, and Nørrebro where I live, will be very quiet.

That music

Do I sound like an old angry man right now? Well, let me explain. I’m a musician as well as a photographer. I made a living as a professional musician many years ago. I’m deeply in love with music. I love Soul, Jazz, Rock, Classical, Metal, Pop and everything that inspires me. But I have a blank in my musical taste. I really love Drum’n Bass, because of its complex rhythms and its energy, but what I really dislike, is when you replace the drummer or the complex rhythms with a pounding bass drum on every single beat, banging away like a hammer, with no complexity what so ever. Just BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM….. The Distortion Festival is, apart from very few exceptions, just that. Among danish musicians it is referred to as the German Stomp. Because it sounds like marching Nazis.

You can tell that a lot of the music that are played from the different stages, are assembled by DJ’s and many without much musical training. It is not as horrible as it once was, but you regularly hear a song with a vocal hookline that are out of key with the bass and harmonies, if you can call it harmonies… To a musician, that is like dragging your nails across a blackboard.

I know that it is common to explain my dislike towards this techno / electro music, with the generation gap, where every new generation manages to make music that the older generation thinks is shit.

But think of it in another way – where can we possibly go from here? We’ve reached the tribal stage with electronic music. The great electronic musicians have already made incredibly beautiful music, with the likes of Brian Eno and the Godfather of it all: Jean Michelle Jarre.

It started out on another level, but sunk into tribal pounding gimmicks. There is the heavy metal of electronic music with the Skrillex genre, if you can call it that and then there is the clubmusic, with its enormous amount of genres. But even as a trained musician I have a hard time, telling them apart. But again, what can possibly come next? What will make the hardcore EDM lover in some years go: “Damn that young generation makes really shitty music!”? Will it be young DJ’s playing something that resembles a grinder? I don’t know. But I can’t imagine music to go to a simpler stage, because I have a hard time imagining music in a simpler form.

Deconstruction

To me the laptop music at the Distortion festival goes a bit like this: You sort of set the pace with a super short intro, then introduce the pounding bass drum, shift between a handful of samples, and mixes it up a bit.

Then there is the part where you omit the bass drum, then later reintroduces it after a rally up. It is sort of the climax of the tune, called “dropping the bass”. In the most basic version, a really cheap sounding snare drum sample leads up to the reignited bass drum with a quantised snare roll. Some DJ’s let that roll continue for a while to heighten the tension amongst their audience and then drops the bass, meaning reintroducing it, with a couple of more layers on top of it.

So the electro sort of lives off a bit of dynamic tension, and a few samples. I’m sure every person who loves this kind of music or makes it, hates me by now. But hey, I don’t drink alcohol either, so that might be another reason. Play some Meshuggah and I will lighten up like a christmas tree with sheer delight. But a pounding bass drum on all 4 beats, brings me down immediately.

Crowded crowds

Walking about the streets of Distortion can be challenging. There are some bottlenecks around, where you get more or less squashed. Most people don’t stand in the same place for long. There is a steady stream of people wandering about. I’d say 75% of the people are on their way to somewhere else, except for the big stage at Sankt Hans Square, that seemed to be one of the few places, that were actually able to keep a large crowd for more than one 15 minute mix.

The pissing contest

The festival have put up a lot of booths where you can relieve yourself. But they do not seem to attract young guys under 30. For some reason a dude have to piss on something. The ground just doesn’t cut it as a legitimate target. A dude needs a target. So everything you can imagine are used as pissing targets. Fences, doors, doorknobs, staircases or whatever is at groin height or slightly higher. If you are a bit sensitive, you cannot ignore the same people shaking hands, hugging and eating just after they made someone elses property wet, and never got near any sort of disinfection fluid.

The ground is sticky

For some reason people at festivals throw their shit around like a chimpanzee. For some other reason the last quarter of a beer seems undrinkable and therefore are emptied out on the ground, and soon after becomes sticky goo, that everyone else needs to step in. Same goes with trash. I’m aware that it doesn’t take long before trashcans and containers are full. But festival goers do not seem to have even the slightest intention of throwing their litter even near a garbage container. It is as if that they live their daily lives as a moral citizen, and then goes completely bonkers, when they attend a festival, with a strong “fuck everything” attitude.

I have a hard time coping with people who throw their garbage around. At a festival, well okay, people are letting off steam, and needs to make some sort of whimsy rebellious statement, by throwing garbage around. But it isn’t much better when the festival is over. Apart from smokers carpeting the grass areas with cigarette buds, it is unbelievable what people throw into the lake where I live. Swans, ducks and all sorts of animals live in that lake, and still these dirtbags throw all kinds of shit into the lake. I just can’t imagine why?! Why is it so hard to throw your shit into a garbage bin? There are plenty of them all around, and yet the beer bottle and the odd bike, gets thrown into the lake…

I hope that one day the animals collect all the garbage and just throws it into one of the littering douche bags living room, with the words: “Here, we think some of this is yours!” and then just leaves the guy with a livingroom full of garbage. That would be awesome. Reality unfortunately is, that no-one even gets a fine.

The folks

I do not consider myself as a street photographer. I’m too shy. But for some reason, some people jump in front of your camera and want’s you to take their picture. They don’t ask were it ends up, they just pose. I’m really happy that they do so, or else I wouldn’t get pictures like these.

Distortion have been really lucky with the weather this year. Sunny and hot, which is quite unusual, even at this time of the year. It might have caused some people to dehydrate. But all in all, the festival seemed peaceful and the crowd were in a good mood. Drunk, with leaky bladders and throwing garbage around. But at least happy it seemed. Good for them, good for everybody. Tomorrow they have left for Vesterbro, while their garbage will remain for the municipality to clean up, and they will. They are quite effective when it comes to cleaning up the city. Except for the lake… The lake is the largest trashcan in town, and it seldom gets emptied.

It’s been 19 years for a reason

Traveling to New York is something I do not do very often. It’s a long flight, 6 – 7 hours crammed into an airplane seat in monkey class is not good for your blood cirkulation. It feels like getting locked in a phone booth for a whole day. You can’t do much, and if you try, your movement is so restricted to a degree where you become claustrophobic.

If a single passenger chooses to recline his seat, everybody has to do the same, unless the domino effect is interrupted by that single passenger who likes to rest his teeth on the inflight entertainment system. In theory I could have folded down the table and set up my laptop and started writing. I’m not the biggest guy in the world – and not really fat or anything, so I probably would have been able to put it there, but the display would be tilted towards me, and the trackpad would be pushing against my stomach… It just seemed to much of a hassle and it would be like trying to unfold a collapsable baby stroller in the before mentioned phone booth. So I just surrendered to the entertainment system and passed the time by watching four movies in a row.

Last time I was in New York was in 1997. Apart from the inflight entertainment system upgrade, the flight seemed equally long. When you pass Greenland, you think: “We are almost there!”, until you realise that you are only half way there. That transporter thing from Star Trek would be appreciated if it worked. But… Would you really be you and not just a mindless clone, when you come out on the other side?

Airport Security

The airport security personel aren’t as uptight as they were a few years back. Last time I went to the US, travellers were treated like cattle. I were literally expecting to get poked with a taser while getting screamed at by the incredible rude personel in Florida. The questioning were equally weird and would go like: “Where are you going?” “Naples”, “Why not Miami?”, “Because we booked a hotel in Naples?!”, “What’s wrong with Miami?”, “I don’t know, we decided on Naples?!”, “What are you going to do in Naples?”, “Relax, it’s a vacation!?”, “You could relax in Miami!”… And so it would continue, after answering what your occupation was, if you had enough money, how long you’d stay, if you were there for business or pleasure, what color your underwear was…

Newark was way more relaxed. although you’d still go through the interrogation, it was not as lengthy and much less condescending than in Florida. But nothing compares to 1997, where you could small talk and joke around with the security guys, while waiting in line for passport check. Those days are over.

China Town

Chinatown has outgrown Little Italy quite a bit. I stumbled on to quite a few “welcome to Chinatown” signs, stretched out across the road. Maybe they put them up as the area grew and forgot all about them later. It seems weird to welcome visitors in the midst of an area.

We had a day with rain, and went into a couple of Chinese stores to buy umbrellas. We had to visit a few before we had any luck spotting something that resembled an umbrella.

The Chinese stores are weird. It seems that everything on the shelves have the same color scheme which is mostly deep red and gold. But I couldn’t figure out what any of the items were. Everything seemed to maybe have some sort of an ornamental purpose, but I wouldn’t know what it was. It was as if an Alien from outer space visited a toaster shop. He could possibly tell the shape and that it was a mechanical device of sorts, but wouldn’t know what it was for. Same thing in the Chinese Hardware Store or Gift Shop or whatever it was.

We could pick between a smaller umbrella that cost “faa dallar!” or a bigger more sturdy version that cost “faa dollar!”. Maybe it was a “faa dollar!” store – I don’t know. But when we had payed, the woman, who spoke very poorly english, she gesticulated, said something completely incomprehensible and pointed towards the back of the store. So I went there and investigated more red and gold stuff that I couldn’t figure out what was.

A few minutes went by, and a Chinese gentleman appeared as out of nothing – from the basement, right back where we were standing before, holding our umbrellas. The only thing in that shop, that had a purpose was hidden away in the basement, where all the useless red and gold shit were on display, on shelves from floor to ceiling with only narrow passages between them.

The Chinese commanders

Chinatown was also the only place in New York where seemingly normal chinese men, would approach you in the middle of the street and tell you something. I for one didn’t understand one bit. It did not sound like mandarin, but more as some sort of intended english with a very heavy chinese accent. I usually have a good ear for language, but this was completely incomprehensible. It happened a few times. I’m not sure if they were dissatisfied with my camera – I can only guess. But looking at these guys, expecting them to try to communicate otherwise, didn’t lead to anything, they just carried on with the same tone and language, utterly uninterested to have a two way communication. so I just went on my way a bit puzzled.

On the street, they sell what you need

Down town, we found out that the street vendors sell stuff according to the weather. If it rains, they walk around chanting: “Umblellah, Umblellah”, and if it’s sunny, cold and windy, it is scarves and sunglasses that is on sale that day.

Stuff is flimsy

We had rented an apartment in Chinatown. It looked like it did in the pictures. It was a nice place in the midst of noisy Chinatown. But what striked me, was the flimsiness of the decor, doors, locks, doorknobs and what have you. American homes feels quite cardboardish…

It doesn’t give you much confidence to lock yourself inside a restroom behind a cardboard like door, and that tiny little flimsy lock in the center of the doorknob, that unlocks itself when you turn it from the inside. You are not really ever sure, that it is actually locked. This doesn’t really give you the peace of mind and calmness you need for your business in there. I don’t know if I’m particular private in that manner, but I’d like a solid door and a lock that is able to keep a SWAT team from entering the bathroom.

There is also the electrical wall sockets. The european version are two or three cylindrical holes, that can hold any charger you connect. But the american version is two tiny blades, that fall out as easily as you put them in. That is some flimsy stuff right there.

On the other hand, the refrigerators are always a homerun. The americans know how to make refrigerators. They can cool, and there are plenty of space for your 5 ltr water bottles or whatever you like to be cold. European fridges are so environmentally designed, that there isn’t much cooling power and there is not a lot of room for larger containers. A european fridge looks like a minibar compared to its american sibling, much like the cars.

The bad combination of food and incense

Our apartment was located on the 3. floor. The building housed a Chinese restaurant at floor level. So when you entered the building, you were met by a strong odeur of Chinese food, on the first floor, there was a strong smell of incense. And when those mixed at the second floor level, it literally smelled like urine to a degree that made your eyes water. Luckily the smell didn’t climb to the 3. floor, so we only had to hold our breath while climbing 2 stories.

To be continued…

There is a lot going on in China Town. It seems to undergo quite a renovation with road work everywhere. China Town really is China… There is not surprisingly a lot of chinese people here, most signs are in mandarin and those I’ve spoken to so far, hardly speak any english. Yesterday was a day with rain, so we bought a couple of umbrellas in a chinese store that had all kinds of weird chinese bling bling. They had to go to the basement to fetch the only thing that seemed of any use at all in that store, the big “umblerra”…

This gallery is from the day that we arrived. A sunny day at 3° Celcius. 

Touch down New York

Eight and a half hours flight, and a very turbulent landing that got people on the brink of vomiting and then some figuring out what trains to take and how to figure out the direction of the subway. But now we are here, right in the heart of China Town.

Sunday the 3. April

Airport Tax free ain’t cheap

The check in from a computer back home have shown itself to be quite beneficial. It is much less a hassle than it once was.

After the dress and undress rehearsal through the airport security, the tax free stores reveal themselves as Aladdins Cage – so shiny and expensive looking.

The tax free concept puzzles me. Only booze seems cheaper compared to the outside world – and I don’t drink alcohol. Liquor really isn’t my choice of drug.

Rest of the goods for sale in the airport are tax free as well and expensive. I don’t need anything anyways, but it seems weird to advertise goods as tax free, when they are actually more expensive than anywhere else.

We had the opportunity to stay in a SAS lounge. It is sort of luxury with a breakfast buffet, that is as good as in a fairly cheap hotel.

I might sound grumpy, but I’m not. I’m observant and it’s early… Ok, I might be a little bit grumpy.

Lets board that plane.

Saturday the 2. April

Packing light is an art in itself

Well, I have now packed a couple of bags. I wanted to pack light, but fell into the trap and packed more than I planned for. Not much though. I just couldn’t help bringing a couple of vintage lenses. Two Voigtländers to be precise. And old 15mm wide angle and the remake of an old 50 mm. I chose to bring the huge Fujinon 50-140mm as well. If we decide to take a tour on a boat, it will come in handy for an Epic N.Y. Skyline pic. I know it’s a picture every soul who ever visited N.Y. photographs, but hey… If it’s there right in front of you, you better frame it and bring it back home.

I’m getting pretty exited by now. A whole week disconnected from daily issues experiencing New York City all over again.

There might also be a bit of anxiety to add to the tension. I’m not too pleased with flying. Hurling through the atmosphere in an aluminum cigar is something I have to come to terms with every time I do it. I usually let go whenever I’m seated on the plane. When I sit there, nothing is in my control anymore. If we crash, we crash and that’s it. I can’t add or subtract from that – although the statistics are in my favour, I’m still nervous. Until the pilot sets the airplane safely to the ground, it is fate if we live or die – as everything is if we choose to live a normal life.

One thing that really bothers me, is that my ears hurt badly. Although I use every compression and decompression advice I ever got, It just doesn’t help much. It hurts like a mofo. After we have settled on the ground it will take hours or even days, before my ears pop back to normal. Another thing is the many hours of being stuck in a small space on an airplane. I’m not a big guy, but still it is like getting stuck in a wardrobe closet. Where is the Startrek teleportation device when you need it?

I’ll stop complaining for now. I’ll get back to you, when we are on the plane, if they have WiFi. If not, I’ll just spend time cloud gazing.

Friday the 1. April

19 Years later

It has been 19 years since I visited New York. Back then Mayor Rudy Juliani had “cleaned up” the city and it felt pretty safe to walk around by oneself back then. The Twin Towers were still standing and were a sight one doesn’t forget. The size were just unbelievable for a dane who were used to 5 story buildings at the most. Since then, the ambitions for tall buildings has literally grown everywhere.

I’m not sure if I will have accessible wifi where we will stay, but if we will, I will update this post with pictures and write ups about the trip.

I will bring a very compact setup, that totally blows the analog film Pentax I brought with me in 1997 out of the water. I’ve packed the Fujifilm X-Pro2, a 35mm F/2, the 16-55mm F/2.8 and the 14mm f/2.8. If there are any space left, I might bring the 50-140mm F/2.8 But I’m not sure I’ll bring that one. It’s pretty damn heavy and attracts attention.

Bookmark this page if you want to follow me on this trip to the Big Apple.

In my honest opinion, todays digital cameras blows the socks of film. But there is a certain something about analog film…

Maybe that is why every digital phototograph or at least most of those that comes out of your run of the mill smartphone, tries to emulate film and all the flaws and charms.

The Minolta CLE is a pretty neat camera. It was made in collaboration with Leica, who needed Minolta to build them a better light meter. So in a joint collaboration the Leica CL was born, busted the sales of the Leica M5 and was discontinued. Minolta continued to make their own version, and it led to this fine little camera.

I don’t know how long my flirt with analog film will last…

If I get better at scanning, it might be long. Or I might grow tired of the laborious and tedious scanning proces.

I shot a little with a 6×6 Rollei Flex…. and there is absolutely no contest between the 6×6 and the 35mm. The 6×6 is by a thousand miles superior to 35mm. But the 35 is small and practical..

Anyways… Here is a couple of shots done with my Minolta CLE. I needed to see if the lightmeter was reliable and I could trust it. It seems to work just fine.