I HOPE YOU ARE NOT JUST GOING TO THE AFTERPARTIES…

The first night, Friday the 23rd, is entitled ‘The Less Deceived’. It will feature various world premieres and commissioned works. Among those we are particularly interested in: ‘The Drum and The Bird’ by Bill Kouligas, in joint collaboration with the investigative research team Forensis. The Berlin-based division of Forensic Architecture, rooted in a decolonizing practice that explores spaces and times of the German colonization of Namibia; ‘Białowieża Forest’ by Chris Watson, with Polish blind sound recordist Izabela Dluzyk, where, through the use of field recordings, they explore the namesake woodland spanning between Belarus and Poland, which today is cut in two by a metal wall to stop immigration routes towards Europe, a symptom of broader geopolitical tensions; ‘A Forbidden Distance‘, another world premiere by Saint Abdullah, Eomac and Rebecca Salvadori, created out of a desire to explore the sense of self in relation to processes of displacement. The collaborative audio-visual work reflects on the nature of stories and fragmented experiences, both collectively and individually. It has been commissioned by Berlin Atonal, Semibreve, Sónar, and Unsound as part of ‘The Crossing’, a collaborative curatorial project supported by TIMES.

The second night, Saturday the 24th, will be themed ‘Transcriptions’. We are extremely excited to discover Doudou N’Diaye Rose’s legacy through his family’s recreation of a traditional Senegalese sabar. We expect to find ourselves transported into a dreamlike trance to the sound of drums and wake up in Dakar’s streets, thanks to the collaborations of Berlin-based Studio LABOUR, sonic alchemist Nkisi, New York-based musician and artist Lamin Fofana, to name a few.

The closing night, Sunday the 25th, called ‘The Clearing’, will use Kraftwerk’s space and time as a canvas, with music as the paint. The evening will feature a variety of performances, ranging from established formats like ‘The Long Now’ to new multisensory experiences like ‘In Uno Spazio Immenso’ by Grand River and Abul Mogard, the audiovisual discovery of tapes in ‘Baselines’ by the Demdike Stare duo, or ‘Sphaîra’ by Sara Persico and Mika Oki, featuring field recordings from the experimental concrete theater by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in Tripoli. Lastly, we are excited to see what Canzonieri will propose with their often self-made instruments, through neofolk, minimalism, and electroacoustic studies.

Sandwiched between these three journeys, there will be two afterparties at the Globus and Tresor complexes, featuring a stunning lineup that needs no introduction, including Lydo, Nawaz b2b Woody92, Laurel Halo, Datashader, and Special Request on the first night, and Demdike Stare, Lee Gamble, and Zohar on the second.