Ministry are the first headliners for East of Culture - Different Sounds 2019!

The band, established in 1981 in Chicago, are considered the pioneers of industrial metal and one of the most important bands in the history of the American indie scene. Ministry, from the beginning fronted by the charismatic Al Jourgensen, will come to Lublin to give the only concert in Poland.

Jourgensen is a fascinating character, a man of many talents and one of the most acclaimed icons of the global alternative music scene. He is in the same league as, for instance, Jello Biafra who co-formed Lard with him, Trent Reznor (their joint project is 1000 Homo Djs), Henry Rollins or Ian MacKaye. He has also celebrated successes with the band Revolting Clocks, but the first and most important ?child? of the artist is Ministry. Today, after over 30 years of activity, it is practically a band-institution which has significantly influenced metal, punk or, in a broader sense, heavy guitar music as well as contemporary avant-garde electronic music ? inspirations or references to Ministry can be found in the work of such masters of the genre as Aphex Twin, Biosphere or The Orb.

At the turn of the 1990s, Ministry became famous, among other things, for fusing samples with live guitar sounds and drum sounds generated by the band?s signature drum machine. This was also the time when the band?s breakthrough albums: ?The Land of Rape and Honey ?, ?The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste?, and most of all the famous ?Psalm 69?, which has remained the band?s bestseller until today, entered into the canon of their genre. Aside from the unique sound and artistic concept, Ministry have also become known for expressing their views in bold, loud and uncompromising statements.

Al Jourgensen is an artist who is not afraid to speak about the fundamental matters of the world. His lyrics feature criticism, or rather a bitter diagnosis of contemporary America. They call for the rights of women and minority groups, expose the absurdities and incompetence of the White House administration or the gradual social regress and the decline of independent thinking. Ministry?s front runner, known for his wide interests (including politics, history, modern science) strives to keep abreast with news and be an active, involved commentator of reality. Such was also the point of departure for the band?s most recent album ? ?AmeriKKKant?, which was released in 2018 and this material, among other things, will be what the band brings to Lublin. In the words of Jourgesen himself, ?It?s not an anti-Trump album, it?s like a- ?did you pay attention in school? Does anybody have any intellectual curiosity anymore?? ? album. [It?s] basically just holding up a mirror to ourselves and saying: ?Look at this, is this what you really want to be??.?

This year?s edition of East of Culture ? Different Sounds will take place in Lublin between 27-30 June 2019. Once again, music will become an inspiration and a point of departure for a free exchange of ideas, discussions on the dynamically changing world and a search for

what?s shared in it, perceptually sensed at the level of natural human sensitivity. Different Sounds is a meeting of different genres, styles and harmonies that come together in the universal need for self-expression. It is here at Different Sounds that world-class stars of alternative music share the stage with rising stars from the East, and the masters and pioneers of genres vital to the development of music meet pioneers of new niches and seekers of original sounds. All this shapes the unique character of the event and its one-of-a-kind atmosphere.

More announcements of the many artists to perform in Lublin at the end of June are coming soon.

East of Culture is a project carried out by the National Centre of Culture with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in cooperation with the local governments of Rzeszów, Lublin and Bia?ystok. The aim of the project is to integrate creative groups from Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries.

More information: www.differentsounds.eu and https://nck.pl/en/activities/the-rise-of-eastern-culture

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