The two-weekend performance promises a multitude of shows each night, allowing spectators the freedom to explore the complex that encompasses the power plant as well as three other sites — Tresor, Globus and OHM. These 8,000 m2 of space will house Europe’s leading music festival which fuses insurgent sound and visual techniques, tradition and radical modernity, setting the stage for a culturally significant event of the highest echelon. The list of artists scheduled to appear is impressively jam-packed with sought-after household names, emerging talents, one-off performances and surprise appearances. A dynamic first weekend of the festival kicks off with debut performances by Laurel Halo, legendary techno collective Sandwell District, Loraine James, and Nkisi; the transcendental acoustics of the likes of Caterina Barbieri and Space Afrika in collaboration with visual designer MFO, Honour and Indian carnatic vocalist Siddhartha Belmannu awaken mirages of a Biblically prolific apocalypse and exploit the vigor of sound in a kaleidoscopic study of mortality and the joys of living. High-profile debuts at the second weekend of Atonal warrant a three-day deep cathartic spectacle with special appearances by Billy Bultheel, Marco Fusinato, Christian Love Forum, CORIN, Alessandro Cortini, Pavel Milyakov and Perila among others.
But do not leave Berlin between these two concert weekends – an additional four-day long midweek exhibition titled “Universal Metabolism” has been planned to take place during this year’s edition of Atonal as part of Berlin Art Week. This is a must-see event for anyone who’s anxious to get the most out of this unparalleled experience, as the exhibition pledges to be an artistic extension of the festival. Over two dozen site-specific artworks by the likes of Deborah Stratman, Mire Lee, Rabon Aibo, Jack Dove, James Richards, Steve Reinke, Sonia Boyce, Bridget Polk, VALIE EXPORT and many more will grace the domain of the complex and deliver an unprecedented experimental performance for four days in a row, with each act concluding in a befitting concert night. Ash Luk, CCL, Chloe Lula, Ireen Amnes, Nadia Struiwigh, Nandele, Orson b2b Hops and THC will take over Tresor on Wednesday, while Anthony Linell + Jessie Granqvist, Arthur, E-Sagilla, Evigt Mörker, Fadi Mohem, Lundin Oil, Struktur and Vallmo are scheduled for Thursday night, promising midweek audiovisual spectacles galore.
Between an ambitious project stretched over two weeks, countless afterparties and hands-on workshops, Atonal 2023 aims to facilitate a state-of-the-art festival that invites the audience to an uninterrupted immersion into the multidisciplinary world of an emerging, transgressive audiovisual culture. Revolutionary not only in its approach to cultivating and broadcasting a fine selection of artists and performers, but also in its remarkably wide range of commissioned works, Atonal intents to grow into a biennial, with its next expanded edition taking place in 2025 and every two years thereafter.
Weekend 1 and Weekend 2 passes are still available as are day tickets and exhibition/concert tickets, and can be acquired through the following link: https://berlin-atonal.com