Lithuanian artist Agnė Matulevičiūtė is a sound artist and composer, with a particular focus on conceptual and performative music, theatre, and cinema. Since 2014, she has been actively participating in group exhibitions, art and contemporary music festivals, as well as artist residencies in Lithuania and abroad. Her music written for cinema has been recognized with a national award, and she has also composed music for more than 30 productions in the biggest theatres of her home country. Under her pseudonym Agnès M., she has released 5 albums which explore the genres of synthwave and experimental electronic music. In her compositions, she often uses the sounds of modular and analogue synthesizers from her 1980s collection.

MONOCOLOR alias Marian Essl is a Vienna based audiovisual artist. He explores the interrelations between sound and image in both performance-based and installation-based works. His fully generative, algorithmically created imagery oscillates between fluid, organic textures and rigid structures. He focuses on the relation between sound, image, light and space, aiming to create highly immersive audiovisual universes. His work has been shown in various contexts around the world. In 2020, he was awarded the Japan Media Arts Festival New Face Award for his audiovisual fulldome performance Latent Space that was created during a residency at the Société des arts technologiques (SAT) in Montréal. In 2024, he opened his large-scale solo exhibition SCREEN—SPACE in Krems, Austria.

Albert Stensen is a composer, who enjoys playing the cornet (a special brass instrument) and upright piano. He explores and combines various musical spaces (illustrative music, free jazz, ambient, hardcore, folk music, sound design) with contemporary concepts.

Photo credit: Mikołaj Starzyńsk

Andreas Lutz's work explores the human-machine relation with the approach, to create integrated and universal communication systems. Within these boundaries, he analyzes and reveals phenomenons of perception versus reality. For his recent A/V performance “Abstract Language Model”, an artificial neural network was trained with the entire character sets represented in the Unicode Standard. The resulting complex data models contain the translation of all available human sign systems as equally representable, machine-created states. Through extraction and interpolation of these artificially created semiotic systems a transitionless universal language originates, which can be seen as an audio-visual narration with trans-human / trans-machine language.

The Chicago-hailing duo - consisting of rappers Brian Warren and Quentin Branch - has amassed a well-earned cult following among hip-hop connoisseurs worldwide. Although Angry Black Men's recent album is in conversation with noise rap, it feels more immediately accessible than much of the subgenre’s output. Issued by stalwart Philadelphia experimental label Deathbomb Arc, "The Legend of ABM" shares its chaotic DNA with labelmates like clipping. and JPEGMAFIA. Derek Allen produced the record in its entirety, giving the songs a distorted, metallic palette.

Moreover, ABM’s brand of blown-out beats seems less like an aesthetic choice and more like a natural depiction of how it feels to survive in 2024. The cacophony never ceases and the mind always races, but there must be some way to exist within the din. Angry Black Men’s music is the sound of the unfolding apocalypse rendered in stunning 4K.

By combining trans-cultural, acrobatic vocal techniques with experimentation in sound synthesis, interdisciplinary Polish vocalist and composer Antonina Nowacka creates subtle and minimalistic soundscapes that take you on imaginative journeys inspired by nature, space, dreams, and otherworldly happenings. Through years of sonic explorations in natural environments and studies of various music traditions and voice peculiarities, she has developed a unique, deeply relaxing, and hypnotic voice quality reminiscent of a theremin. In describing her distinctive voice and way of singing, British opinion-making magazine The Quietus has stated: “She opens a small portal to a world not quite the same as this one.”

Supported by: Polnisches Institut Wien

Asuna Arashi is a prominent Japanese sound artist who has gained recognition within Tokyo’s experimental music and art scene. Since his teenage years in the late 1990s, he has been actively participating in various projects with his unique fusion of interdisciplinary art perspectives. His work "100 Keyboards" is a site-specific performance featuring over 100 toy keyboards and offers a developing story from beginning to end. This performance focuses on physical acoustic phenomena such as interference sound and moire resonance to produce a smooth glistening wall of sweetness. Sound waves of the same frequency but with different propagation directions overlap ("Interference sound") and resonances generated by the subtle differences in pitch create a moire-like pattern. Asuna's live performances are an experience: textured soundscapes that blur the lines between art and music.

A buzzing clatter fills the air. Sitting among the branches of the trees, they murmur of the past, present, and future. The cicadas of this audio play are gossipers and voyeurs. They observe the world and speculate about the nature of things. They use ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) to beguile and relax us, reminding us that there are realities beyond the human one. They promote awareness of our environment, our human and non-human companions, and ourselves. Claire Tolan’s post-digital artistic practice addresses consumer cultures, as well as the (dis)belief in technologies such as artificial intelligence or cryptocurrencies, thereby illuminating hacker culture and digital occultism. Claire is developer of the AI ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) voice companion, SOOTHER.

This publication is the materialisation of the digital art project CICADA GAMES (2021–2023), which was developed and programmed as an augmented reality app for public spaces by artist Claire Tolan. The 20-minute immersive buzz takes up the cicada trope metaphorically, mythologically and biologically. The poetry and sound of CICADA GAMES have now been compiled by czirp czirp as a self-published hybrid volume. czirp czirp acts through nomadic and ephemeral cultural events and presents artistic approaches that echo current developments in digital technologies and critically reflect upon the use of new media, computer code and algorithmic processes.

If Das Freie Energie Band were an animal, it would be a human. Songs about God and the world that make you laugh and cry. Eight hands and four vocal cords form sound waves with a theremin, electric guitar, bass machine, synthesizer, and percussion on the vital energy-powered crystal in the center of the magnetosphere. Don't be afraid, it's starting now.

David Pridal deals with the fundamental properties of frequencies & vibrations, their psychoacoustic properties and interactions between sound, space & listeners. He oscillates in various fields such as noise, free (impro) jazz, drone, ambient, dub and abstract techno.

In addition to solo performances & collaborations, he creates sound sculptures and immersive sound installations, organizes events & workshops with a focus on improvisation and experimental music, and works as a sound designer for theater productions and performance artists. As co-founder of the artist collective “Sandkasten Syndikat”, the event series for transdisciplinary improvisation & media art “Klub Montage” and as part of the management of the art & cultural center “Semmelweisklinik”, he is involved in the development of innovative projects and interdisciplinary event formats.

Colored with acid, jungle, and trance, DJ Terror’s selections capture a wide spectrum of techno far beyond the minimal. Her sets are fiercely dedicated to the crowd, and she is not scared of stepping into a universe of pop-cultural or political references. With more than ten years of experience commanding dance floors across Europe, and squeezing the danceable out of experimental and electronic music, her fast fast-paced sets avoid boring intros and favor the moment over the conceptual. A joyful guarantee to put smiles on raver’s faces from any techno-routed musical upbringing. DJ Terror has been an active supporter of gender equality and diversity within club culture. She co-curates the series "DISHES", inviting artists from various musical and compositional backgrounds. She is associated with the Vienna based collective BLISS as well as Hyperreality - Festival for Club Culture.

Photo credit: David Schermann

Hypercycle is an immersive audiovisual bicycle performance by Austrian artists Uli Kühn and Georg Sturmlechner that fuses noise, techno, sound art, mind machines, and DIY. "For us, the bicycle is the truth of being, our spacious abode, the clarity of our love, and the glow of our passions." "I want to get my time back from those who stole it from me. I have always made sure to work as little as possible so that I can ride my bike. Riding a bike is intelligence's homage to laziness." (excerpt taken from "Bicycle Liberation Front. Manifesto #1.7", bahoe books, 2019)

Isabella Forciniti, a sound artist from Italy based in Vienna, is deeply entrenched in a diverse range of artistic pursuits, embracing performance, composition, research, and innovation. Her music and live performances traverse the spectrum that stretches from meticulously crafted arrangements to impromptu improvisation. Throughout this artistic journey, she adroitly wields a toolkit of fragmented yet rhythmically captivating beats, intricate manipulations of spatial perceptions, and intriguing psychoacoustic phenomena.

Photo credit: Petra Moser

James Welburn's latest project is an experimental audio visual work featuring music, field recordings and filmed footage captured and processed by James Welburn in Svalbard during three residencies between October 2022 and October 2023. The former arctic mining settlements of Svalbard contrasts ancient gritty surfaces, post- industrial wastelands and epic natural beauty. Set amidst an enchanting ecology whose atmosphere is fused with geo-political tensions, surveillance technology and the pending repercussions of climate change as natures great forces lie in wait. An immersive concert experience that resonates with the environment, where questions can arise and be reflected upon.

What happens to the things is a performative concert. In this collaborative work, the artists reconnect with playful walks in mountainous surroundings and use memorized traces of them as musical scores. Connected to their research on thrusting, a term borrowed by geology, where rock layers are pushed over one another - the musical paths overlap, shove, push and grind into each other.

Łukasz Czekała is a violinist with a strong and recognizable sound. He creates melodies, sound spaces and string arrangements for theater and film and also works as a session musician in co-operation with many different artists from Jazz to Pop.

Photo credit: Paweł Śmiałek

MARAws is navigating through grimy sound-textures and dismantled beats, trying to channel discontent and confusion. As a curator, promoter, writer, DJ and musician she is currently based in Vienna, Austria. She is co-organizing the event series Augend&Addend + co-running the cassette label Jeopardize. Furthermore, she is a curatorial assistant at Struma+Iodine and Unsafe+Sounds Festival as well as part of various other music and cultural projects.

Photo: Mara Waldhör

Patrycja Wybrańczyk is a 24-year-old drummer and mushroom lover from Warsaw, currently based in Oslo and Gdańsk. She regularly performs on Polish and European jazz stages and her inspirations mainly come from avant-garde, improvised, classical music, Polish folk and broadly defined Scandinavian jazz.

Photo credit: Jan Drabek

Peter Kirn is an electronic musician and media artist. His music spans experimental and club sounds, with releases on FLASH Recordings, Kotä Records, Industrial Complexx, and his own Establishment, among others, from scored concert music to work with modern dance and techno. He has built and writes daily at CDM and is co-creator of the MeeBlip music hardware line. As a speaker on expressive technology and facilitator of collaborative laboratories for music and performance, he has worked with TED, European Space Agency, Sonar+D, MUTEK, CTM Festival, and others, including producing collaborative labs in various formats as part of his practice.

Sharafi's music transcends established forms and conventions, venturing into uncharted electroacoustic cartographies. Disrupting hierarchies of rhythm, melody, and timbre, her compositions flow through mutating sounds, avoiding any predictable climax or conclusion. In this sonic journey, traces of traditional Iranian music subvert against metallic percussion, 8-bit particles, and nuanced textures, challenging logical canons and probing the unknown without alienating the audience. Her live sets have been showcased at festivals and venues worldwide, from London to Riga, Budapest to New York, reflecting Sharafi's versatile and innovative contributions to the global contemporary music scene.

Photo credit: Hessam Samavatian

Seba Kayan is a visionary Viennese DJ & artist with kurdish roots, who is transforming the music landscape with an unparalleled fusion. Her unique sound cosmos embodies a harmonious fusion of western and eastern influences, rather than creating divisions she skillfully intertwined both worlds. By seeking the past in archives, an imagination of tomorrow is getting shaped into new hybrid music. Acquiring ascriptions and deconstructing them in the creative musical process, as a collective improvisation effort is an ongoing procedure for her. This method of relating to the ancestors, to a collective memory tells also an alinear historical narrative.

Photo credit: Diva Shu

Award-winning composer, sound artist, and live performer SØS Gunver Ryberg meets French visual artist and CGI director Sybil Montet for Weaving Fields, an audiovisual journey where worldbuilding and scenic experience collide, fusing mutant rhythmics and advanced digital cinematography. Equally at ease commanding dance floors with hard-hitting experimental techno as she is producing innovative soundtracks for films, theatre, and the BAFTA award-winning video game INSIDE, SØS Gunver Ryberg's thunderous musical voice is reflected in Sybil's high-speed, hypnotic CGI mirage signature style, seen on her album covers for Travis Scott or her moving image works exhibited from Japan to the USA. In this singular collaboration, the two artists summon waves of ecological mystique in an ever-evolving core of divergent realities, from postdigital landscapes to luscious emotional drifts. A vivid dream into the interconnectedness of life.

Photo credit: Dalin Waldo

T(n)C was founded in 2017 by Agnes Varnai and Tina Kult. They live and work in Vienna and experiment with a wide range of media, including virtual reality, 3D, installation, sculpture and film. By combining the different disciplines, they are researching immersive experiences to connect the digital and physical levels of realities. T(n)C´s aim is to expand the practices of collective storytelling.

Photo credit: Benedikt Scheitnagl

Studio Praxistest considers itself as a free, experimental studio situation, which, focused on auditory/visual artistic production, offers students a point of contact for their projects. Playful exploration of sound, video and media art, electronics basics beyond the Winkler kit, breaking in and out of digital systems/physical Computing. In contrast to a classic workshop with its equipment geared towards specific production, the studio resembles an experimental kit with analog and digital modules. As a prototype with a sketchy character, it functions as a supervised competence center for the conception of compositions within the fields of art and Design.

Winona Hudec (they/he) is a multidisciplinary artist, eclecting ideas from professions as a designer/visual artist, co-curator of the event series Augend&Addend and sound maker. His work is characterized by a playful curiosity which allows his work to stumble across the boundaries of genres and media.

With his accordion and heaps of live electronics, polish artist Zbigniew Chojnacki is out for musical risks without a life vest. The most important aspect of his work is dialogue and encounters with other people. Every concert is completely different. In his striking and highly unconventional improvisations he creates a cacophony of strangeness, pulsating back and forth between Ambient, Noise, Drone and Avantgarde Folk music.

Photo credit: Ewelina Jaśkowiak

Berlin-based Zoë Mc Pherson is a French-Irish multimedia artist whose art practice absorbs elements of performance, (spatial) sound design, installation art, and DJing. Additionally, Mc Pherson runs the SFX label and interdisciplinary conspiracy with their long-time collaborator Alessandra Leone. Sonic chameleon Mc Pherson expands from gender terms to planetary terms, stating that Earth itself is morphing into a new identity. Her cybernetic dancefloor experiments, fueled by precision-engineered sound design, invoke the sort of digital-mystic energy that allows the rave to take on a ritualistic quality. Cataclysmic club sounds and brain-altering, polyrhythmic drum patterns reverberate across the room at warp speed at her breathless live shows.

Photo credit: Lucie Rox