Addictive TV Launch Optronica av Festival

Addictive TV and the bfi National Film Theatre (NFT) join forces to present Optronica, the World's first ever festival dedicated to exploring the convergence of visuals & music.  A hybrid of film festival and music festival, Optronica will take place July 20-24, 2005 at the NFT and at the bfi London IMAX Cinema - the biggest screen in Britain. The exquisite alchemy which takes place when music and vision fuse has long been an underground phenomenon, inspired by early experimental film and developed through the club and alternative art worlds.  Now the NFT and Addictive TV are taking visual music to a new dimension with live performances, cinema screenings and talks with leading international artists in the scene.
 
Confirmed headline performances at the bfi London IMAX Cinema are:
 
· Stunning audiovisual show from electronic music pioneer and Kraftwerk star Karl Bartos, who also gives a lecture at the festival.
 
· The World premiere of Warp Records act Plaid and video artist Bob Jaroc's new surround-sound audiovisual project "Greedy Baby".  Plus support from The Mellowtrons: AV duo of Lee Walker and former Orbital animator Giles Thacker.
 
· UK premiere of DJ Spooky's 'Rebirth of a Nation'  - a live solo film remix by noted New York turntablist, adding new music and meaning to DW Griffith's controversial masterpiece "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) - in association with the bfi's Blackworld initiative.  Plus support from audiovisual cut-up maestros and Diesel-U-Music award winners Exceeda.
 
· A one-off club night at The Spitz on Saturday 23 July with synergistic DJ:VJ sets from French DJ Joakim (Versatile Records), Dutch electro-meister Legowelt (Bunker Records),  Si Begg (Mute) meshing with visual sets from an international pool of VJs including eMovie (France), VJ Milosh (Poland), TomoGrapher (Japan) and Stanzacrew (Holland).
 
· Special live AV performance from Addictive TV on the flytower of the National Theatre (NT), with spectacular projections visible across the Thames.
 
Addictive TV, the people behind Optronica, have been championing this artform for over a decade. They were voted No 1 VJs in the World 2004 by DJ Mag, they produce shows like cult late night ITV1 DJ:VJ music series Mixmasters (which has now run for 5 years) and they set up the world's first visuals-oriented DVD label in 1999 under their own name, releasing titles such as Mixmasters, Audiovisualize and Transambient. They have also worked closely with R & D departments including Pioneer and Roland/Edirol, testing and helping to launch equipment such as the DVJ -X1 DVD turntables and CG-8 visual synthesiser. Addictive TV are also partners with Diesel U-Music and will be judging the VJ entrants for this years' final.

Optronica's blend of cutting-edge audiovisual art and technology is designed to create a new kind of cinematic experience, showcasing both emerging and established talent, bringing new audiences to a blossoming artistic genre that until now has not had its own dedicated festival.
 
Please visit www.optronica.org  for more detailed information

Optronica takes place at the National Film Theatre on London's Southbank, with the headline performances a short walk away at the bfi London IMAX Cinema, which has the largest screen in Europe.  The club night is at The Spitz in East London's Shoreditch area.