Well, you saw the preview, so now it’s time to sample what happened… Optronica is an advanced audiovisual adventure of the highest order. Hosted by Addictive TV, the British Film Institute (BFI) and curators Cinefeel, this year's event attracted an incredible line-up from right around the world. Armed with premieres a-plenty, they came and conquered a range of locations, including London’s mighty IMAX, the newly refurbished BFI Southbank, and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).

Yes, it’s getting bigger all the time… And Optronica is similar to the immersive IMAX screen, in that it trips you out beyond your peripheral vision. Indeed, there was way too much to see and hear at Optronica 2007, from sampling and live remixing of film to music video screenings, innovative installations, and artists uniting to perform perfectly synchronised live shows. Since its inaugural event back in 2005, Optronica has proven that visual music is at last coming of age as a refreshing ‘new’ – or, according to Addictive TV, “long overdue” – pop culture. Now on DJsounds, you can check out Part One in our series of clips from the festival: an interview with Graham Daniels and Tolly of Addictive TV, the infectious, mega-industrious team who started it all. Here, among other things, AV dons Graham and Tolly discuss what they set out to achieve with the event, how it has evolved, and what the early pioneers of AV would make of today’s state of play. Look out for more Optronica footage, including rare clips of the pioneering Gardner Post and Brian Kane of EBN fame, coming soon to DJsounds. LINKS: www.optronica.org www.myspace.com/optronica www.addictive.com www.myspace.com/addictivetv www.bfi.org.uk www.cinefeel.org (Words: LL)