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about Sabotage Projects:

SABOTAGE EVENTS (Since 1994)

Bored by the conventional forms of music presentation of events, clubs and performances, Sabotage Comm. started to create new forms of performances that always stand under a special slogan. E.g. the presentation of "Lens cleaner" took place in a 24 hours laundromat. Dj`s played their records on battery-operated players, the auditory washed their clothes and listened. A series of 8 events with the title "Séparée" took place in a former red-light bar. With the participation of Laton Records an infra-sound installation took place on the Ars Electronica 96, consisting of a 24 meter long pipeline that produced a sound of 7 MHz on the auditory. Infra-sound with less than 10 MHz is a sound weapon that only can be perceived by the body and until then only has been used for military purposes. During the soundcheck 3 persons lost balance and several attendants got sick. In co-operation with the traffic and electricity enterprise ESG an event was organised in a tram depot to present the CD/LP compilation "Electro Juice". Amongst the participants were all musicians of the compilation, such as Ectomorph, Ultradyne and Le Car, all originating from Detroit. The enterprise made a tramway available that was irradiated acoustically by Dj`s and that transported the visitors to the depot all night long. As recompensation the enterprise was given 500 CD, that only should be given to fare dodgers. Another event took place in a former coffin making factory that had been made into a performance centre equipped with a sauna and a swimming pool. Dj`s played their music in front of a naked auditorium in the steam bath at a temperature of 46 degrees. The sound equipment and the video projectors were completely destructed.

In another event, organised in Graz following an invitation, mostly "art auditorium" took part. As the bourgeois cultural scene obsessively seeks to quote and imitate the subculture and treats the subculture like an aspect of itself, a zoo-like situation was presented. Auditorium and musicians were separated by a fence reaching up to the ceiling beginning at the entrance. Musicians, sound, dancing floor, toilets and the bar were on the other side of the fence for the auditorium. During the "Sabotage European Tour `97" the dancing floor of the clubs was enclosed with a electric fence for cows. The fence was activated. The inner pockets from men’s jackets were filled with fresh urine balls. During the whole tour 62 records were burned by the Dj`s.

SABOTAGE PROJECTS (Since 1992)

In 1995 the example "Free Party 95" showed that Sabotage Comm. not only interferes subtly with public systems and structures. The Free Party originated in the year 1994 out of the necessity of the Viennese musical scene (Dj`s, musicians and organisers) in a period when police raids and bureaucratic obstacles had caused the closure of nearly all clubs of Vienna and city life died at 10 p.m. The Viennese scene unionised and protested for the first time in form of a sound demonstration on the Viennese Ring. One year later, as the Viennese night-life was already reanimated by a number of clubs and events, 3 organisers of mega-raves realised ravers as a gap in the market and - together with industry and the township - they organised a second Free Party. A dozen sponsored trucks with sold demo places moved through the streets, demonstrating against the township that had shared in the financing of the event. Sabotage Comm. participated in the fun column with a truck loaded with 300 transport boxes for chicken and equipped with a sound system looping tape playing the cackling of chicken all the time. The sabotage truck was accompanied by 8 persons who distributed more than 4000 flyers. The flyers referred to the sell-out of youth culture, exploitation by cultural politics and economy and the commercialisation of subcultural strategies. The organisers tried in vain to ban the truck from the street and to take away the flyers from the Sabotage crew.

Further projects are the "Sabotage Publications" which are published biennially (Sabotage 1992-93, authors edition, Sabotage 1992-95 published by Brandstätter Verlag). The latest publication that was produced in author’s edition was a magazine with the title "FIVE" on occasion of the 5th anniversary of Sabotage. "FIVE" was a collection of contributions of related groups, formations and labels that co-operated with Sabotage Comm. and of reports on "DJ Battles, Hong Kong Special, Label fashion, Skaters knock-out, friendly bastards" etc.

In August 1997 the contours of a reticule were mounted on the sidewalk between the tower blocks of the Rennbahnsiedlung in Vienna. The installation was called " Attribute for Vienna". In Austria the rate of ghost drivers, weapon owners and acts of violence in families is very high and it also ranges on the second place (after Finland) in the rate of suicides. The highest rate of suicides is to be found in the 22nd district of Vienna in the Rennbahnsiedlung. The artificially constructed settlement with 8000 inhabitants has the form of a fort and consists of high riser blocks that surround lawns. Attention has been attracted by numerous TV reports and even a movie. The inhabitants, mostly of the working class, live together on a minimum space with a view form the 10th floor on the construction and industry area. Each year 12 to 14 inhabitants commit suicide by jumping from the roof or the balcony or out of the window. The cause for that final step often stays unknown to the remaining members of the families, the neighbours and the officials. It also stays a mystery why inhabitants of this settlement come to this final decision sin such a high rate, us the conditions of living and housing are similar or even worse in many other apartments, settlements and villages.

Long-time effects and continuity are only to be found in the Label Subetage/Craft Records and CASH.