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The iconic 33 1/3 series, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, is dedicated to short books that explore influential albums across a wide range of musical genres.Giacomo Bottà and Brigitta Davidjants will present their 33 1/3 Europe books about CCCP - Fedeli Alla Linea’s Affinità - Divergenze Fra Il Compagno Togliatti e Noi and
J.M.K.E.'s To the Cold Land.
This event focuses on these two recently published volumes from the series, each devoted to what can be considered a definitive punk album in its national context—one Estonian, the other Italian. The authors will introduce the albums and reflect on broader themes such as Soviet and post-Soviet imaginaries and nostalgias, as well as the development of punk, post-punk, and hardcore scenes in Estonia, Italy, and Europe more generally.
Expect interesting stories, punk music and some history.
This event is in English, but feel free to ask questions in Finnish, Italian and Estonian
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J.M.K.E.'s To the Cold Land
This book explores the album 'Külmale maale' (To The Cold Land, 1989) by J.M.K.E. – the most legendary punk rock band in Estonia – concentrating on the meaning of the album in different sociocultural contexts from its release until today. In 35 years, the album has not lost its relevance: It was selected by 102 music critics as the best Estonian album of all time in 2014 and is listened to by all generations of punks.
The story of J.M.K.E. illustrates the subcultural organization not only in Estonia but in the Soviet Union in general, where pop music and the existence of subculture was more or less censored for 50 years. Broadly, it presents the influential role of pop culture in the transition from a totalitarian society to early capitalism and from subcultural to post-subcultural society.
Brigitta Davidjants is a journalist and researcher at Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonia. She has published countless articles in various Estonian media outlets. In her academic research, she looks at Armenian national identity constructions but now focuses on the marginalities of subcultures. Davidjants has also written fiction and worked for human rights organizations (such as Estonian LGBT Association, Estonian Refugee Council).
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CCCP - Fedeli Alla Linea’s Affinità - Divergenze Fra Il Compagno Togliatti e Noi
A squat in West Berlin, a farmhouse in Fellegara, a garret in Reggio Emilia, a cellar in Bologna - where is Affinità - Divergenze Fra Il Compagno Togliatti e Noi really from? This book traces the tangled geographies behind one of Italy's most enigmatic records asking: how do places shape music, and how does music make space?
Giacomo Bottà explores the groundbreaking album by Italian band CCCP – Fedeli alla Linea, arguing that their aesthetic, musical and ideological approach embodies an 'imaginary and affective territorialization' caught between maximalism and minimalism.
Through chapters that analyze the band's origins, the album as an artifact and its deeper theoretical implications, the book explores CCCP's ambiguous position, their unique sound and their lasting influence on Italian alternative music. Ultimately, this study reveals the band's out-of-time and out-of-place nature, capturing their controversial yet pioneering role in shaping creative identities across Europe.
Giacomo Bottà is an adjunct professor and researcher specializing in cultural urban studies. Currently based at the University of Turku, Finland, he has also taught at the University of the Arts Helsinki and the University of Helsinki, both in Finland. He is the author of Deindustrialisation and Popular Music (2022) and has published widely on musical geographies, nightlife, industrial cities, intangible cultural heritage, and urban culture.
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Event Venue
Punkmuseo, Jaakonkatu 3,Helsinki, Finland
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
