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The United Nations will convene its 17th annual climate-change conference next month in Durban, South Africa, with the purpose of sealing a new carbon-cutting deal to succeed the soon-to-expire 1997 Kyoto Protocol. It promises to be a historic event, if not in the way the organizers might hope.

The chances that a global deal on carbon would ever be reached were always slim, a point brought home by the collapse of the comic 2009 Copenhagen summit. But obituaries are sometimes late to print. Now, at last, the U.S., Russia and Japan have all said they won’t agree to any new binding carbon pact, while India and China were never believers in the first place.

That leaves the European Union, which until last month was “the only one still considering signing up in some fashion to a second commitment period,” according to Todd Stern, the Obama Administration’s climate negotiator. Even that’s no longer true. Last week, EU Climate Action Director General Jos Delbeke told reporters that “in reality what may happen is that the Europeans will pronounce themselves politically in favor of the Kyoto Protocol” but won’t lock themselves into any new anticarbon pacts unless “other parties join the club.” Regarding that likelihood, see above.

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Two international guests, Lusine from Ghostly International and Reynold from Trenton Records were the heart of the program. Lusine, known for his mellower and gentler IDM and tech-house tracks — fit for lounges and earlier hour parties — this time exploded with a powerful late night performance to the sound of screaming fans; hands in the air, nobody could stand still to Lusine’s addictive groove. Reynold began his set with more experimental  abstract tunes, followed by a gentle downtempo, building up, and step by step evolving into a full-blown dance-floor bang. The set was culminated with a long version of ‘Craft’, one of Reynold’s biggest hits, a beautifully moody techno track with a jazzy keyboard line recorded by his father. The closing live set was anticipated by a few dozens of Jin Hiyama’s fans. Jin Hiyama with his VJ collaborator Takcom picked up the high energy vibe passed from Reynold and took it even further. The space was filled with elaborate bass patterns/textures, stimulating bouncy synth and drums. The purity of Hiyama’s artificial sound was reinforced by vivid geometric visuals on the screen. Chopped-up and fragmented, Hiyama’s own, more organic, figurative paintings were utilized in this dynamic visual presentation.

Meanwhile, at the Saloon on the lower floor a showcase of Tokyo’s favorite parties took place. Phonica, Red Box, Chaos, Organza, Ooooze, WC, and Raft sent their residents to realize Gelman’s vision for ‘Party of Parties.’ Overall, the festival managed to bring together a colorful crowd, the mix of music connoisseurs, party goers, and dressed up fashion-concious creative types. A true unity of spirit and sense of creativity was almost palpable in the air. The artists receiving such a strong supporting feedback from the audience were propelled to deliver their best performances. Delightful sonic and visual stimulation, the sense of engagement and creative dialogue were made for a very special and memorable night. Gelmatica-2 was a compelling follow-up to its last year’s debut, establishing its place as a ‘not-to-miss’ event on the international electronic festival calendar.

http://www.mtvjapan.com/blog/mtvblog/2010-06-11/3473

http://www.clubberia.com/reports/755-GELMATICA-2010/

http://snow-mag.com/