CMKY Festival April 15-18 2010 www.communikey.us

Summer is here!

2009-06-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! It's summer in Boulder and it feels like paradise. What a great place to be!

We just had our summer solstice Gemini party over the weekend and it was a beautiful inspiring heart-opening gratifying crazy adventurous time. Thanks to everyone that came and made it an unforgettable party! I think my friend Michael said it best: "We gosh darn wove ourselves thick between those branches and across that clearing."

Last month I was lucky enough to attend the 10th anniversary of the Mutek festival in Montreal, along with a crew of other Communikey friends. Whew! I'm still processing that one! I got to see so many brilliant pioneers and veterans of the electronic music and visual art world. Only a month after the CMKY festival, I think I speak for everyone who was there when I say that we are moving forward to next year's festival with a great amount of creativity and inspiration.

One of the best features of Mutek was the ICAS panel (International Cities for Advanced Sound & Related Arts), aptly named 'The New World Order: Re-Deploying Digital Culture in North America." It featured our very own Kate Lesta, representing Communikey, alongside Alain Mongeau (director of Mutek), Malcolm Levy (New Forms Festival, Vancouver), Bryan Kasenic (Beyond Booking, NYC), Sean Horton (Decibel Festival, Seattle), and Susan Langan (Grey Area Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco). From the Mutek website: "[T]here’s a new network slowly forming that shows promise and could be a signpost of change. This panel assembles North America's new decision-makers to discuss the issues and possibilities for electronic music and digital culture in the New World, emphasizing the power of collectivity, networks and imagination." The massive turnout for this panel was a great indicator of what the panel was actually about: we're building a whole community of people who have similar visions of what we can do with electronic art in North (and South) America. Communikey is just one group among many who are moving in the same direction. Wow!! It's an exciting time to be a part of this!!

But back to the present... Communikey is having a yard sale fundraiser this weekend! It's gonna be a hootenany, with music from our friendly CMKY djs, food & drinks, and of course lots of neat treasures: records & CDs, books, furniture, clothes, electronics, knick knacks and more. Come hang out with us on a beautiful Saturday and support Communikey! Dance a little, bring something to BBQ, and take some new treasures home with you. <3

Where: 1055 8th Street (intersection of 8th & College)
When: Saturday, June 27, 9am-3pm
Why: Because CMKY needs your support!

Cheers, folks, and I'll be back with more news soon... Hope everyone's having a lovely kickoff to summer 2009!

the program guide!

2009-04-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More techno

the festival gets some press

2009-03-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

So this is cool.... Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts 2009 has landed the #5 spot on Resident Advisor's Top 10 April Festivals! Check out the link here. They have some really nice stuff to say about CMKY festival and we're stoked that they've included us among some of the bigger festivals happening this April like Time Warp in Germany, and Coachella in California. Yeah, baby!

There's another write up in XLR8R to check out, as well as a mention of Communikey's loyal presence at the B.Side Lounge in Denver's Westword, where they give the Boulder club/restaurant a shout-out for best new venue. The B.Side is gonna be hopping on the first night of the festival with the Unsung Heroes showcase in the back room and the Blackbridge showcase up in the front. Total CMKY takeover!

Don't forget to get your pass! At $60 for access to 3 days of events, it's a great deal when you add up the cost of each event individually. You can buy your pass online at Brown Paper Tickets, or if you're local to Boulder, head on down to Espresso Roma Cafe (1101 13th Street) or Buffalo Exchange (1717 Walnut Street) and the friendly staff will be happy to sell you a ticket!

Cheers, folks... we can't wait to dance with y'all! Less than three weeks to go...

Calling all Volunteer Bunnies!

2009-03-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

As many of you are aware, the Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts is just a month away. Held over Earth Day weekend [April 17th to 19th], the festival will showcase over 35 artists in 5 different venues. Supporters, collaborators and artists will be pouring into Boulder from distant lands (and not-so-distant-but-just-as-

exotic places as well). As with many community organized creative endeavors, nothing really rad gets done without a hearty dose volunteerism. So clear your schedules of all other obligations and volunteer for the second edition of the Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts. Some of the solid reasoning behind why it's such a fab idea:

A free festival pass for the entire weekend. Work two entire shifts, which will total no more than 12 hours, and find yourself the proud owner of your very own pass... with your picture on it!
You will be fed excellent food during the shifts that you work. Add the cost of those babies up and that's half the pass right there.
Getting involved with the Communikey community is dreamy! It's an excellent opportunity to connect with a whole slew of intelligent, fun-loving, good looking techno bunnies whom you might not otherwise get to meet, as they are always working their tails off to produce amazing shows, art installations, tracks, entire lines of clothing, etc.

Volunteer opportunities include being a live presence at every show, handling all pass sales, set up and break down for each show, sound and video technical support, merchandise, security and door and general runners.

If you are interested, please fill out the information from the attached volunteer form and email it to volunteer@communikey.us. In this form you will provide us with important information to help Communikey fit you into the perfect volunteering opportunity. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to also contact us at volunteer@communikey.us.

Thanks!

Last chance to get your discounted festival pass!

2009-03-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Passes for the Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts 2009 are currently on sale at Brown Paper Tickets for the discounted price of $50. This offer is only available until 11:59pm on Wednesday, March 11. That's tomorrow night!

This is a really good deal, and money from the pre-sales will go directly towards bringing the artists out to Boulder...

For the lineup and more info, visit the website: www.communikey.us/festival

Then go on and click the link below to buy your awesomely discounted pass now!
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/58128

the website is UP and RUNNING!

2009-02-25T17:53:00.000-08:00

...cmky festival 2009...

The second edition of the Communikey festival hosts a variety of adventures and surprises, including a Dirtybird Records Afterhours, a special sneak preview screening of long awaited techno documentary “Speaking in Code”, a children’s program utilizing Nintendo music, interactive installations, free park party on Sunday afternoon, and a Modern Love Records Finale.

And even better news... presale passes are currently on sale at brown paper tickets for the discounted price of $50. Get one now, 'cause this offer is only available until next Wednesday, March 4!

Resident Advisor writeup of CMKY 2009

2009-02-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

Nice review of the festival & lineup on Resident Advisor's website. Check it!

XLR8R Releases Lineup for CMKY 2009

2009-02-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

Check it out!
XLR8R.com has just released the confirmed lineup for the Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts 2009. Below is the article:

"Multi-day electronic-music gatherings are to be expected in places like Miami, Barcelona, Montreal, and Detroit. Boulder, CO is a less likely destination for artists like Thomas Fehlmann and Christopher Willits to wind up, but that’s exactly where they—along with 50 or so other artists from around the world—will perform come April, for the second annual Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts (CMKY).

The three-day event is set to coincide with Earth Day 2009, and that's no coincidence, since CMKY's credo is all about showcasing artists in a "green" environment. “If the dancefloor builds the strongest community we know, I feel the issue of sustainability needs to be breathed into the industry,” Kate Lesta explained in a 2008 interview with XLR8R.

Ergo, this is a "zero waste" festival we’re dealing with, one that implements recycling and compost bins, bio-fuel generators and carbon offsetting, and "how-to" workshops about creating environmentally friendly events.

Not to be forgotten of course is the music, which will take place in six different venues around Boulder and feature a hefty roundup of electronic artists showcasing their tunes from April 17 – 19. Check the festival's site for updates.

Confirmed Lineup

+ Claro Intelecto – Modern Love – Manchester

+ Christopher Willits - Ghostly – San Francisco

+ Kilowatts – Native State - Philadelphia

+ Morgan Packard – Anticipate – New York City

+ Gudrun Gut – Monika Enterprise – Berlin

+ Thomas Fehlmann – Kompakt - Berlin

+ Mr. Projectile –Semi Sexual – Santa Cruz

+ Future Simple Project – Family Moons - Boulder

+ Cacheflowe – Plastic Sound Supply - Denver

+ D Numbers – Team Everything – Santa Fe

+ Christian Martin – Dirtybird – San Francisco

+ Frivolous – ~Scape – Galiano Island

+ Nicolas Jaar - Wolf+Lamb - Providence

+ The New Denver Orchestra – Long Spoon -Denver

+ Lukatoyboy – Dis-Patch – Belgrade

Check back soon, because the official CMKY festival website will be launching on February 23!

Touching Sound and Image Kids Workshop at ClubTransmediale

2009-02-07T16:04:00.001-08:00

Touching Sound and Music from Tag:Structures on Vimeo.

Remembering Gemini

2008-12-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

http://theasideway.blogspot.com/2008/08/remembering-gemini.html

The Lovely Sam Campbell posted this back in August from our Gemini party in June 2008. His Photos are amazing - have a peek.

"In celebration of the astrological sign Communikey, an organization based out of Denver, hosts a twelve hour all-night, electronic dance party in the woods. Featuring all local artists and those "in-the-know" from the Denver greater metropolitan area, Communikey surfaces like-minded souls of the local underground to exchange ideas and dance moves in the depths of the continental divide."

The First CMKY 09 Promo

2008-12-13T00:08:00.000-08:00

Planning for 2009

2008-11-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

Planning for the 2009 festivities is well underway. H Dot documented our curating meetings quite well. You can see more on her flickr page too!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hdotpopo/sets/72157604793403858/

Communikey Festival 2008 review in XLR8R

2008-10-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

Boulder Goes Techno

Buddhist universities, clean tap water from nearby glaciers, people riding their bikes to work, smiling folks walking the streets, happy dogs flanked by their proud owners, fresh air filling your lungs, and the sound of techno pumping hard at a downtown park. When locals say, “Boulder is 25 square miles surrounded by reality,” they’ve pretty much nailed it.

The idyllic Colorado town was the setting of this year’s first Communikey Festival (abbreviated CMKY), held April 18-20. Hosted by an enthusiastic crew of DJs, producers, promoters, and multimedia artists from Boulder and Denver, Communikey takes cue from famed techno festivals like Mutek, DEMF, and Decibel, but gives its own special spin to the proceedings.

“Communikey was born out of a history of electronic music culture in Colorado,” explains Kate Lesta, one of the creative directors of the event. “It started with renegade mountain parties, where we would haul our soundsystem into the woods and dance around a bonfire under the full moon. The community bond is very strong. We know we’re taking our local scene to the next level, but everyone here is quite seasoned for it, and we know the community was ready for this.”

And ready they were. Showcases from locals–Denver’s Rope Swing Cities label, CacheFlowe, Brandon Brown, Ivy, Multicast, Dave Fodel, and Beatport’s Tom Hoch–were on par with stellar performances by international techno and experimental artists Pole, Kalabrese, Bruno Pronsato, Skoltz_Kolgen, and Vincent Lemieux.

Aside from partying, Communikey’s other agenda was to explore ways to offset the effects of a festival of this magnitude on the environment. “If the dancefloor builds the strongest community we know, I feel the issue of sustainability needs to be breathed into the industry,” says Lesta. “I believe the people who make up our industry have the capacity to take these problems and create some truly excellent working solutions for electronic music and digital art culture.”

FLATIRONS LASER NIGHT!!!!!

2008-02-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

CMKY's Sustainable Media Lab is gonna put on a lil'l laser graffiti show this Friday night, February 29th. Look to the Flatirons come nightfall. Special thanks to everyone for making our test run a success as can be seen above. We're taking suggestions on what to display too!

CMKY presenting at the March 4 New Technology Meetup

2008-02-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

CMKY steups up to the spotlight to do a show-and-tell about the festival at the Boulder, Denver New Technology Meetup! Format is: 5 companies take the stage for 10 minutes each, 5 minutes to demo and 5 minutes to answer questions.

When?
Tuesday, Mar 4, 2008, 6:00 PM

Where?
Wolf Law Building CU Campus, Wittemeyer Courtroom (1st Floor)

Double Bonus!
Come for the free food and drinks - stay for the theactrics.

Event info:
http://newtech.meetup.com/27/

2008-02-07T23:53:00.001-08:00

post modern techno cowboys.

sustainable electronic music

2008-02-04T21:22:00.001-08:00

communikey festival is green.

there will be bicycles.

and a bag for compost and recycling.

you can even make your own clothes, DIY,
with one of our interactive installations,
exchange/alteration intervention.

our outdoor party will be run on solar power.

what we want to know:

how can we do this, for the rest of our lives, and have happy and healthy planet that thanks us for it.

Communikey Chart on Beatport

2008-01-31T15:21:00.000-08:00

this one brought to you by alala.one

https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/chart/detail/5577/communikey

it begins.

2008-01-15T11:58:00.000-08:00