More details of Berlin Atonal 2014

A legendary event Berlin Atonal, which have been successfully resurrected last year, returns next week for another round of first-class musical offerings, world premieres, specially commissioned projects, installations, seminars, workshops and afterparties. The whole program will be hosted in the spectacular abandoned powerplant Kraftwerk in the heart of Berlin. Let’s take a closer look on program!

To open the 2014 edition on Wednesday, August 20th, Berlin Atonal has invited the legendary Ensemble Modern and London’s Synergy Vocal ensemble to perform live in the gigantic main hall a piece widely regarded as one of the peaks of post-war music: Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. This one promises a hallucinogenically hypnotic journey to the very heart of modern music and we can only highly recommend you to see it. Berlin Atonal will also exclusively host the very first Cabaret Voltaire live performance in over 20 years. Throughout their long story beginning in Sheffield in 1978, Cabaret Voltaire, in its various iterations, have been credited with founding and destroying genres, introducing new musical technologies while simultaneously modifying and developing beyond them.

In program you can also see again Italian duo Donato Dozzy and Nuel [together also known as Voices from the lake] who would go a long way towards creating the template for a brand of deep, atmospheric techno that has become much more prominent in the years since. The two masters have prepared the first ever Aquaplano live show which surely will be an extraordinary experience.

In search for an absolute perfection, Atonal now brings groundbreaking 4DSOUND System. Developed by a team of engineers and sound designers in Amsterdam, this specially designed system allows spatiality of sound to be designed in great detail by controlling parameters such as distance, elevation, angle and diffusion. Showcased on 4DSOUND will be Mexican composer Murcof, Norwegian ambient master Biosphere and Raster-Noton stalwart Senking.

Among the names also performing on the main stage is Canada’s most celebrated sound magician Tim Hecker, legendary UK drum-n-bass and jungle outfit Source Direct. In Aeternam Vale and his influential blend of punk nihilism, Kraftwerk roboticism and cold, aggressive industrialism in a special live show. Sendai – the exploratory collaborative project of Peter van Hoesen and Yves de Mey – are invited to stretch out even further into the varied and daring sonic domain they are making their own, a blended mixture of synthesised patterns and impeccable sound design. Also host the premiere live A/V shows of the enigmatic Headless Horseman, as well as Milton Bradley’s darkly apocalyptic project The End of All Existence, Neel‘s shapeshifting A/V project which debuted at MUTEK Montreal in May, James Ginzburg’s new Bleed Turquoise enterprise and that of highly regarded Blackest Ever Black artist Dalhous. The Atonal stage will also premiere the live show of box-fresh collaboration UF (aka Samuel Kerridge and OAKE) and a very rare live performances by Abdulla Rashim and Miles Whittaker. What’s more, after each daily program you can enjoy awesome afterparties as well!

For more information, complete program of each day, purchasing tickets visit official website.

Photos of Berlin Atonal 2013 by Camille Blake