The beauty if finality: vale ABSORB(ED)

In a world increasingly dominated by rehashes, returns, revivals and remasters, it can be difficult to believe that anything ever truly dies.

Any farewell tour, venue closure or final festival can be undone in an instant, the moment circumstances shift, money changes hands, or the market demands it.

This weekend, the final edition of one of Naarm/Melbourne’s most iconically experimental, supportive and strange weekend-long festivals, ABSORB(ED), is aiming to provide its left-field lovers and fans with the closure that many events can never deliver upon.

ABSORB(ED) V, the 5th edition of the multi-day club extravaganza which takes over inner Naarm’s equally iconic venue Miscellania, has for half a decade provided its founders, collaborators and associated artists with an avenue to explore the unapologetically experimental side of music, art, programming and social norms.

Started originally by Kavil Patel as Absorb, a pre-COVID label, ABSORB(ED) would first take form as a one-off event at the now-closed Fitzroy venue, Crazy Arms. A precursor to Miscellania, booked by Misc’s own Sasha Logan, Kavil booked the likes of Third Space, Bridget Chappell and Artemis for its first edition.

“When starting the label, my very 'big brain’ idea was to combine electronic music with acoustic instrumentation. It doesn’t sound particularly revelatory now (and it probably wasn’t in 2019 either), but at the time, the Melbourne I knew was locked into deep techno and house,” Patel shared. “I liked those styles a lot, but was also cutting my teeth into Xenakis and loving stuff by Ryoji Ikeda or Jan Jelinek, so having a label suddenly afforded me new creative freedoms and a way to channel years of digging and the impression of certain musical experiences since moving to Melbourne in 2015.”

After that first event, Sasha and Kavil would develop a deep friendship and begin the next iteration of the event, a Saturday - Monday long weekend takeover of the brand-new Miscellania.

What has emerged in ABSORB(ED)’s comparatively small life cycle is a thirst for difference amongst its crowd, artists and organisers, regularly and comfortably poking fun at the more tried and tested conventions that make up events “like it”.

Garishly designed ABSORB(ED) t-shirts have become a regular and enduring uniform for any gig, festival or social occasion, even remotely parallel to the yearly event. Crudely edited and self-aware memes about its lineups and design have extended its legacy too, all while providing a place for people who may not see themselves reflected in more commercial, glitzy or glamorous musical environments.

In truth, there is little like ABSORB(ED) on so-called-Australian shores.

“I think that the label’s activities, including the records, radio show and festival, all encompass left-of-centre sounds and approaches but I don’t necessarily feel that these voices are ‘pushed’ out of mainstream spaces.

A lot of it simply wouldn’t make sense or couldn’t be felt in a larger context, and that’s fine. Via ABSORB(ED), we’re platforming what is around us and capturing our attention, and that is in conversation with a wider network of experimental music in Australia that the label and venue belong to.”

To program the final edition of anything is no easy feat. The life of a brand, an event and a festival is often spent better refining, understanding and executing a growing artistic vision. How can one possibly distil a legacy, no matter how short it may be?

For the final ABSORB(ED), Kavil touts it as “the most absurd, immersive and playful edition yet.” That includes over 100 artists set to perform at Miscellania, as well as an opening concert featuring new works by Lisa Lerkenfeldt and Marcus Whale, and a 37-person choir “joining bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit.”

Across the Saturday-to-Monday celebration, a series of artists are set to return, alongside a series of bucket-list bookings, including James K, Lucas Abela and Noise In My Head (of Efficient Space).

While ABSORB(ED), like Miscellania more broadly, asks for trust of its guests, Kavil acknowledges that, in truth, “ABSORB(ED) has always been as much about being together in a space as it has about the music, and experiencing it collectively, without distractions.”

But how is one meant to approach an event like this?

To celebrate ABSORB(ED)’s looming finale, we spoke with a series of alumni, artists featuring this weekend, and longtime punters, to better understand:

“tbh it doesn't change the way I would interact with the space that much, as I generally always try to make the most of any event and see everything. I definitely am wondering how I will manage to do it all, though.

I'm making sure I get a few earlyish nights this week, so I'm well rested, but it's quite non-stop atm in naarm atm. I think it's important for me to take breaks and make sure I'm not on my feet all day. If I'm too tired, it's generally hard to absorb the music in so il just have to pace myself. Make sure you eat, get some vit D and stay hydrated!”

“ABSORB(ED) has always been about not knowing what will come next, letting go and opening yourself to new modes. So it’s bittersweet that the world doesn’t have ABSORB(ED) anymore, but, in true ABSORB(ED) fashion, I am looking forward to stepping into the unknown one more time.”

On ABSORB(ED):

“ABSORB(ED) has played a significant role in shaping my early twenties, serving as an annual interstate ritual and summit for experimental music devotees. My set on Saturday night during Year II was the most fun I’ve had DJing to date. Blessings to Kavil, Sasha, Clem, and Miscellania for gifting us with five years of expansive, durational splendour. Long live ABSORB(ED) and those who cherished it!”

On Finality:

“Knowing an event is drawing to a close only heightens the gush, the bittersweetness, and ultimately, the gratitude.”

“I think a lot about endings and how they're the only real absolute we have in this life. But not in a fatalist, existential way; more in a life-is-so-precious-and-finite-and-awesome kind of way.

One day, I’ll walk out of Miscellania and unbeknownst to me, it will be the last time I ever set foot in that venue. That's crazy! But it's not that deep, either. There is a certain kind of freedom that comes with knowing that everything will end. And a certain romance comes with that, too.

Knowing this will be the last ABSORB(ED) ever, I'm going all in, duh. And yes, that includes playing a chicken sample, designing a custom scent and wearing a stupid outfit because why the hell not? Life is short, and things end. Creativity comes much easier when I can sense a threshold. Restraint feels pointless.

But I'm also a very nostalgic person, and I tend to want to trap feelings in amber so they won't be forgotten. This was the idea behind the custom scent: to create an archive of impermanence, a kind of memory hack. Maybe one day, someone will brush past you on the street, and you'll get a whiff of their hair, and the ambroxan note will instantly transport you back to that dance floor on March 8 2026. Magic really does exist!!”

“Absorb has created a beautiful legacy for experimental music on this continent, where a culture of deep listening + engagement has also managed to distance itself from the elitism, professionalism or seriousness of other “experimental” “festivals” are dogged by (often due to institutional funding tbh.) the most fun I have ever had it being in a room of 600 freaks listening to blasted IDM, and I don’t think there are many places in the world where that can happen quite like this.

Ending on a high note is admirable for a program of such esteem, and it makes me all the more excited - both to see my favs on the lineup and to discover a lot of the people I don’t know…….”

“It makes me feel heartbroken! I feel like so few things last very long here, so when a mainstay such as ABSORB(ED) has to go, it always feels very tragic.

You wonder what happens to the extended family it's built, and how these spaces are ultimately very transient. At my most optimistic, I get excited about what will rise from the ashes to fill the void at least.”

“Finality is an undervalued thing. Although it’s bittersweet, I’m expecting ABSORB(ED) at its best.”

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Vale ABSORB(ED).

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A series of single day tickets to ABSORB(ED) are still available.

Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ’s Manging Editor. Find him on Instagram.