“Bill is working on the 423 site, it’s going to be nuts. Feel free to recruit ppl to the ZINE. At a minimum it’ll be a 12 page thing. BUT if we somehow make it a hundred pages———”
—steve mehallo, 9 april 2020
FlomZINEm Nº1 ended up over 200 pages.
Total Emigre vibe.
On 23 April 2020. Last month. I saw 423 zerø launch.
And delved deeper later in the day.
The nature of play could be found in the content this year.
Steve Mehallo, Bill Mead and Milk Surface made a good team – they were the core – with a lot of flommists helping with sound, music, images, history and programmed animations.
I downloaded FlomZINEm and delighted in it. There was the usual 423 print component with the ZINE, but this time the web became a huge part.
The experience was about using the web as the web instead of just another news, social or shopping experience.
Once totally involved, one could play and layer music of different genres on top of each other. And words could be uploaded to the pulsing background.
When all one can do is read a layout or interact with a screen, the type of content one consumes really matters.
Mehallo’s charm, Bill’s ingenuity and Milk’s humor really showed through. All reminded me of that odd tunnel scene from Willy Wonka,
“There’s no earthly way of knowing
Which direction we are going.
There’s no knowing where we’re rowing
Or which way the river’s flowing.”
Soviet and a few Polish avant garde films were in a playlist to sync with the html/CSS-animated visuals to the sounds.
AND the sounds!
RADíO FLoMM’s BRITISH VOICE was reading newly-generated written DER TUNG content developed thru an Ai written by ADAM KING all ON TOP OF the experimental music + sound art of LUCIDBEAMING.
Below the fold was EVEN MOR to mix from DJ Lady Grey, Graaves, SeventhSwami and Diego Valle.
And real screaming. Totally screaming.
And – why not? – if you are unfamiliar with flomm’s 423, here’s an aperçu thus far:
4.23
april 2016 stockton [LINEUP] [RECAP] [FOTOS]
countdown to 4.23
april 2017 stockton [LINEUP] [RECAP] [FOTOS]
423 yellow
april 2018 sacramento [LINEUP] [RECAP] [FOTOS]
salty : 423 red
june 2018 paris + sacramento [LINEUP] [RECAP] [FOTOS]
423 blue
april 2019 sacramento + antwerp [LINEUP] [RECAP] [FOTOS]
423 zerø
april 2020 world wide [LINEUP] [RECAP] [FOTOS]
It was built in about week – and after a bit, it was gone.
It was fun but I didn’t play with as long as I wanted.
It had felt like a digital fidget spinner. Calmed me a bit.
Centered me.
It was all designed to get us out of our heads for a bit.
Hopefully to inspire others to do wat they’re good at.
Despite the world we are in right now.
—louis hernandez
Flommist Louis Herdandez is obsessed with going Bauhaus and becoming The Machine. Preferably a drill press. Copyright © 2020 Louis Hernandez. Screen caps by mehallo.
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