#dnk18 - The earliest preview ever?

The flag has left the area, the last symbol of the magic that happened there. Now, the Dunk festival area is a quiet meadow again, surrounded by the forest. Now, it is as if nothing has happened there. But we know. We remember those three days in May when Dunk! festival became the highlight of the festival season, again, already. Why? Because Dunk! is different. Dunk! is not about the money, unlike 99% of their colleagues. Dunk! is more. It's a record shop, a vinyl press, a label, a duo-festival with an American edition coming up. Dunk! is a brand. A trustworthy brand, one that looks forward and dares to experiment. We have seen that with the booking of Swans, And So I Watch You From Afar and Earth. Experiments which almost divided the audience in pros and cons.  

Once started as a post rock festival, anno 2017 Dunk Festival is some much more, something I can only applaud. There was ambient, drones, jazz and doom metal. There were electronic sounds and if you think about it, some parts by Ashtoreth were a-capella tunes. So there is diversity, but the questions is, how far can you take diversity into a festival like Dunk!? What's next? Who will be the next headliners or the next surprises? Will Spoiwo, Cecilia::Eyes or AmenRa return?

For this article, I started browsing through my music collection, which goes from Brahms over Russian Circles to Tiamat, Iron Maiden, The Levellers, Pink Floyd and all the way to Excrementory Grindfuckers and Oranssi Pazuzu. And that's only the non-electronic section. I looked at the records and wondered "would the Dunk! audience appreciate this?". You'd be surprised by some of the bands that made the cut.

Slowdive

Along with bands like Jesus and The Mary Chain or Cocteau Twins, Slowdive have been one of the major influences for all your post rock favorites. Their sound, which was amusingly named 'shoegaze' became the foundation for bands like Explosions In The Sky, Mogwai and Godspeed! You Black Emperor, or at least to Cecilia::Eyes, who delivered one of the greatest Dunk! gigs ever. So yes, why not Slowdive? They are back with a new album and haven't lost their touch. I've seen them on Rock Herk a few years ago and they still sound as magical as ever.

Kong

Come on. It's time. It's time for these Dutch progressive rock pioneers to climb their four stages on Dunk! festival. They have been making this kind of instrumental rock music for over twenty years. With the sound and light engineering Dunk! festival is known for, a concert by this quartet with be unforgettable for everybody. This website, Merchants Of Air, is named after one of their albums. It's time people. It's definitely time...

Sunn O)))

Perhaps it might surprise you that I throw in another extremely loud act, but if you can add Swans, you can definitely add Sunn O))). They too are legends, perhaps even more so than Swans or Earth. Of course, people might complain about it but people always will. I'm just sure that Sunn O))) would make an epic headliner.

Radare

Thanks to stunning concerts from The Void Of Expansion and Yodok III, Dirk Serries has opened the door for more jazz related experiments on Dunk! In that aspect, and because their resemblance to the Twin Peaks music, I think Radare would make an excellent addition. I have heard that they are working on a new album which should be a good reason to book these guys in the Stargazer and have it headlined by Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore or Dale Cooper, perhaps?

Telepathy

Last year, Telepathy blew me away with a breathtaking gig at Antwerp Music City. Their instrumental sludge metal is perfect for Dunk!. In fact, I was surprised that they weren't on the bill this year. Anyway, these guys are guaranteed highlights, I'm damn sure about that.

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard

This year, Malämmar destroyed the forest with their crushing doom metal sounds. Well, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard would make an excellent exorcist for the forest, especially with those vocals. 

Stratosphere

Another one in the category "It's about time", is Belgian solo act Stratosphere. I mean, We've seen Dirk Serries, CHVE, Syndrome, Ashtoreth, Monnik and Barst, all highly regarded acts in the Belgian scene. Stratosphere is still very active today, recently having finished a mini-tour with Ashtoreth, which was an excellent learning experience for the artist. So, it really is time to give him his place on the bill.

Deafheaven

Post black metal, maybe not something everybody likes it but Deafheaven had been named a few times on Dunk 17. Perhaps they would indeed fit in there ànd bring a decent dose of blackened intensity to the whole thing. Bands like Alcest or Lantlôs also fit in that area, or maybe Belgium's own Drawn Into Descent?

Orbital

This one may come as the biggest surprise of the entire list, but think about it. Orbital headlining on day two, turning the big blue tent into an atmospheric party zone for a few hours. There have been electronic acts on Dunk! festival before, so why not have one headline it. This surely is one I'd like to see. The Orb might also work

Master Musicians Of Bukkake

Psychedelic strangeness from a mesmerizing level and a weird but immersive live show, that is something I'd like to see on an open minded festival like Dunk! I'm sure that ​Master Musicians Of Bukkake will enchant a large part of the audience. Imagine this in the forest. What an experience that must be!

See, I easily managed to find ten non post-rock bands that would make great additions to this festival. I can add more too, Biosphere maybe, Converge or Monkey3. Or how about some strange folk with Wardruna? But in the end, of course, the good people at Dunk! always succeed in creating an awesome and diverse line-up, regardless of genres. I'm sure that they will come up with some musical delicacies for their next festival. It will be wonderful anyhow...


Serge