Report from Bologna – Raum

The first days of november I met my friend Antonio Mainenti in
Bologna. The idea was to do some recording sessions with Manuela
Barile. Which we did for two days.
Being hosted gave me the opportunity to witness how students have to
live in this city with the oldest university of Italy: Five persons
were stored in an apartment where a family with a growing up kid would
get attacks of claustrofobia.

One evening we went out to have a drink.
Apart from not liking Bologna particularly, because every street gives
the impression to be a dead end street, also local politicians do
their best to make you dislike the city.
Local politicians tend to take in serious consideration the complaints
of people they need most. One of the results is that after midnight it
is not allowed to find yourself outside a bar with something
containing alcohol. Also the few small restaurants that are still open
are not allowed to sell a bottle of beer (taps closed) to take away.

The recordings went fine. Antonio provided for some imaginary
geographic movements. When on the phone he was connected to his
friends in the very south of Sicily. They were trying to offer help to
a boat full of economical refugees from Africa, who had just landed
there and were welcomed by the police.
His dreams sent us to Berlin where he wanted to try himself as a singing cook.
The reality sent him to Milan, and to Napels the day after that, to do
some concerts that would hardly pay him the trainfares.

While in Bologna I thought I could meet Valerio from Raum, introduce
myself, give him a cd and ask him if I could perform there at the end
of january/start of february. I sent him a mail, and got a mail back.
He told me he was not in Bologna at the moment, and that Raum wouldn't
organise concerts for a long period next year.
I watched the program. It was the 1st of november. The 3rd of november
they had two concerts scheduled. Two solo-concerts by Bolognabased
soundicians. Part as a provocation and part out of curiousity I
proposed myself as a last minute-act.
I had all my gear with me, and I was willing to play for some food and
a place to sleep.

Maybe those two conditions couldn't be covered. Valerio never answered
that mail, which was his good right, because he was not obliged to
react to my provocation.
But one thing remained unsolved. Why did Raum close their activity?
And what was exactly their part of such a well-organised enterprise as
Xing? Were there any plans to continue organising concerts with
soundicians coming from the ultramargins of experimantral music?
I asked Valerio.
















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valerio?




















manuela: www.manuelabarile.com
antonio: www.mainenti.net
friends of antonio: www.sicilialibertaria.it
raum is part of xing: www.xing.it