Despite all of the adversities, Truth-Magazin returns to print

More than a decade since the last issue went to press, the underground music platform Fact has returned to its roots with the introduction of a biannual print magazine – together with a revised image. Launching its first issue in 12 years for A / W20, the magazine features four cover stories – cellist and singer Kelsey Lu, visual and sound artist Ryoji Ikeda, composer Pan Daijing, and filmmaker Kahlil Joseph – and takes an elongated approach on who's in the spotlight with meaty, visually enticing traits.

The move comes after it was revealed that Fact had cut its online spending earlier this year to focus on video content, mixes, and shorter news, which some people in music circles have viewed as the death knell for their written journalism. The reintroduction of the print magazine is therefore an unprecedented step that seems remarkable given the challenges facing the media landscape and the music industry (especially in 2020). Fighting in both sectors has been disastrous in recent years, suspending printing operations on heritage titles such as Q and NME in the past two years alone.

"Last year has been a difficult time for many in the creative industry as elsewhere, and the aftermath of Covid will have many unpredictable consequences," says Facts Editor Sean Bidder, "but it is encouraging to see so many artists producing incredible work in response to and independent of the events of the past 12 months. In our opinion, nothing more than the new wave of artists, producers and performers who advocate the convergence of electronic music and audiovisual art – they are the inspiration for the relaunch of the magazine. "

The title has rebuilt itself with longevity in mind, taking into account the art direction and renewed visual language under the direction of Zak Group. “Sean Bidder, the editor, came to us with the perfect concept and opportunity: a feature-only magazine,” explains Zak Kyes, director of the studio. “With the Art Direction of Fact we have created an elastic visual language that reacts to the diverse results of its artists through generous functions. In the absence of fixed and quick style guidelines, we have created typographic systems and rule-based layouts that can run their course and create collisions between text and image. However, this is only the first problem and we are only just getting started. "

Kyes wanted to leverage the "inherent limitations of print to create friction, surprise and joy" and present screen-based media in "densely layered and visually saturated pages" or physical performance pieces across page sequences. "In other sections, artists like Kahlil Joseph are given complete autonomy in creating 'page works' – a term coined by curator Hamza Walker to describe works of art made for reproduction and distribution in books and magazines" adds Kyes. "Magazines, at their best, have always been experimental multimedia objects that go in directions that the content they represent cannot."

The Zak Group has also redesigned the visual identity in both print and digital. A new word mark contains “expanded letter forms and contrasting spaces that are merged into a single graphic element,” explains Kyes.

The team was inspired by the early transitions between analog and digital and concentrated on the work of Aldo Novarese, who designed the pioneering Eurostile typeface at the Nebiolo foundry in the early 1960s. Another point of reference was the graphic and type designer Wim Crouwel, who, according to Kyes, “defined the zeitgeist exactly as he captured it with his work for the Stedelijk Museum” and whose work has been taken up in the past by creatives in the music industry – before especially in the use of Crouwel's conceptual font New Alphabet on Joy Division's 1988 album Substance.

In the past, Fact tended to take a more holistic approach to electronic and underground music culture. The relaunch of the print edition, however, has led to an ongoing erosion of the boundaries between art and music. “In the early years, Fact focused very much on the intersection of music and art. Our name was inspired by both the Saville-era Factory Records and our parent company, Vinyl Factory, ”says Bidder.

“Our first covers were original orders from artists, graphic designers and musicians. In many ways it comes full circle, albeit in a very modern sense, ”he adds. "As much as we have advocated both producers and multimedia artists, the perceived distinction between immersive art and the audiovisual experiences of electronic musicians is primarily their presentation context – whether they take place in Turbine Hall or Berghain."

The magazine, with headquarters in London and further outposts in the US, is part of the Vinyl Factory group, which includes the record label, vinyl pressing plant and Soho record store Phonica. The company was also involved in curating a rolling list of event programs at 180 The Strand.

The space will host two new exhibitions, both of which are slated to open in the New Year: a staggering AV show by Ikeda and the UK premiere of Joseph's BLKNWS before the magazine's venue, Fact Space, opens at 180 later in The Strand Bidder hopes to be "London's focal point for showcasing audiovisual art and electronic music – bringing together famous artists and emerging talent".

Fact A / W 2020 is now available. factmag.com

Despite all of the adversities, Truth-Magazin returns to print

COMMENTS