Présences Electroniques Geneva is celebrating this year its first half decade, as it has now five years on the musical meter. An age that normally marks the history of an event and leads to a certain stocktaking. The opportunity is taken to revisit the genesis of an event that, while taking up the concept of the eponymous Parisian festival from which it originates - « PRESENCES électronique »-, yet differs from it with its two-fold formula: the first, more academic one, offers at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices a deep dive into the history of electronic music, from electroacoustic pioneers to the latest producers, around the Acousmonium, an amazing loudspeaker orchestra, whose primary purpose is the spatialization of sound; the second one more dance floor-oriented, transposes the idea of expanding sound to the clubbing format, with an optimized quadraphonic system at the Zoo.

Symbol of the attachment to the mother festival and to its instigator Groupe de Recherches Musicales INA, PEG will present two movements of a work by François Bayle, creator of the Acousmonium and composer of many acousmatic works.

The opportunity is also taken to highlight the interesting enfranchisement of the Geneva festival, which this year throws its musical and artistic net over three days - in place of the usual two - and four venues. Besides the BFM and Zoo, the Museum of Art and History, which will host an octophonic sound & light installation, “Niches” by Mimetic and Sigmasix of Geneva, and the Centre des arts, which will be the stage of an overview of the history of sound spatialization through a conference given by Ina GRM, also participate. Symbol of this expansion, the performance by John Paul Jones’, a founding member of the legendary Led Zeppelin, who will glorify the anniversary edition of the Geneva’s festival with his mythical aura. A very nice gift, you will agree…

Let’s celebrate as it should be this fifth edition and that the festival’s five stars will glow forever in the sky of sound…