Tempio Festival: Berlin meets Milan

It’s always fascinating when two cities join forces to create something extraordinary, and that’s exactly what happened in Berlin during the final warm and indecisive week of August. Under the Virgo moon, Tempio Festival, organised by the team behind Tempio Del Futuro Perduto in Milan—one of the few cultural realities still instilling hope into our present—reminded us of the transformative power that culture, paired with goodwill and collective commitment, can have on society.

It is a bastion of creativity and resilience, a space that reminds us how art and community can be catalysts for social change in a world that often seems to have lost faith in the positive forces shaping the future. Held at the vast Alte Münze, Tempio Festival welcomed 3,000 attendees to 30 hours of music, 130 artists, 6 exhibitions, 5 free yoga and contemporary dance classes, alongside theatre and digital arts performances. The resident company of the Tempio Del Futuro Perduto, Urban Dancing Prophets, enchanted the audience with a performance on Museum Island that attracted tourists and passersby, followed by open contemporary dance and improvisation classes.

“It is a bastion of creativity and resilience, a space that reminds us how art and community can be catalysts for social change in a world that often seems to have lost faith in the positive forces shaping the future.”

DAY 1
Friday began with the first act: the opening entrusted to Voice Actor, an avant-garde project pushing the boundaries of sonic exploration. Known for creating immersive auditory experiences, Voice Actor blends abstract electronic elements with deeply poetic and philosophical narratives. Rooted in sound art and performance, this project challenges conventional forms of expression. Her music, a delicate fusion of ambient, minimalism, and experimental soundscapes, invites the audience to deeply reflect on the relationship between sound and emotion. Her set at Tempio Festival was no exception; it was more than mere music—it was an introspective journey, a meditative performance seeking to caress the audience’s soul. Accompanied by evocative visual projections that danced in sync with the beats, Voice Actor delivered an intellectual and melancholic performance that transported listeners to a realm where electronics and structural complexity reigned supreme. A single red rose on stage added an atmosphere of silent intensity, a symbol of fragile beauty amidst the complex layering of sounds. Despite the depth and nuances of the performance, the audience seemed distracted at times—a testament to how experimental music is often underappreciated or misunderstood in more mainstream settings. But that’s another story.
Following this introspective opening, Curses took the stage, energising the crowd with a concert accompanied by guitars and a deep, soulful bass. Drawing heavily from goth and darkwave influences, Curses created a dark atmosphere, blending post-punk aesthetics with modern electronic production. Their sound, rich in melancholic melodies and driving rhythms, breathed new life into the audience, preparing them for the intensities yet to come. The evening reached its peak with Parrish Smith, whose explosive performance of EBM (Electronic Body Music) and noise left a lasting impression. Known for his raw, industrial sound, Parrish Smith delivered an intense and aggressive set, both physically and emotionally. His performance was punctuated by his own gritty, punk-industrial voice—filled with energy—that shook the room. Each beat was visceral, as though the music itself was pushing the limits of what the human body could endure. As the night reached its zenith, DJ Sweet Sixteen took over, offering a contrasting yet equally captivating experience. Known for her eclectic style that blurs genres, DJ Sweet Sixteen brought undeniable joy to the dancefloor with her lively and sensual house set. Drawing inspiration and creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Her set provided a refreshing break from the intensity of the earlier acts, offering a moment of levity without sacrificing depth. Each track was carefully chosen, a celebration of rhythm, but with a subtle layer of sophistication that kept the audience enchanted.

“It was a meeting of genius sound minds, perfectly synchronised yet always in creative contrast.”

DAY 2
We sweated a lot on Saturday, I’d say, finding ourselves on the dancefloor with childlike enthusiasm and curiosity. With the back-to-back set from Bambounou and NVST, the atmosphere heated up like a runway during a flight jam. Their set was an explosive fusion of hypnotic grooves, broken rhythms, and basslines that made your soul vibrate. Bambounou brought his experimental techno roots, mixing polyrhythms and futuristic synths, while NVST infused the set with her acid and breakbeat influences, creating an electric tension that hung in the air. It was a meeting of genius sound minds, perfectly synchronised yet always in creative contrast.
The tempo changes were so precise that only a true drum machine nerd could fully appreciate them, yet the grooves were so deep that even the less experienced couldn’t resist dancing. A set of pure electronic magic, where every track seemed to speak a different language, but with a common groove that pulled you in without escape.The back-to-back between the Zenker Brothers and Skee Mask was a true tour de force of avant-garde techno, an experience that tested the limits of sound and imagination. The Zenker Brothers brought their unmistakable groove with broken rhythms and grainy textures, while Skee Mask pushed the atmosphere into darker, more experimental territories, blending ambient and breakbeat as if programming a synth in a secret lab. It was like witnessing a battle between sound titans: the bass was earthquaking, the percussion as precise as a supervillain’s laser, and every transition as bold as it was elegant.Their technical prowess was so refined that even the most obsessive production nerds could only admire in silence. A set that took the dancefloor and launched it into orbit. The collaboration between Amor Satyr and Bitter Babe was an unstoppable sonic whirlwind, a collision of rhythmic worlds that made every corner of the dancefloor vibrate. Amor Satyr opened the doors with meaty basslines and wild jungle, while Bitter Babe injected an explosion of tropical bass and electronic cumbia. Every track was a surprise, like a kaleidoscope of frantic rhythms hitting you relentlessly. There were no breaks, only a continuous crescendo of bold and unpredictable grooves, where every transition was pure sonic magic. As I navigated through the details, trying not to miss anything, dreaming of becoming like Jesus Christ— omnipresent and divine—I ran to catch SHA RU live. This wonderful and captivating duo dominated the stage with a performance that would be an understatement to call powerful. Every moment was charged with electric tension, reflected in the audience, held in a constant state of wonder and adrenaline. The duo masterfully played with contrasts, alternating moments of pure sonic intensity with calculated pauses, as if they were building a narrative through their instruments. Their soundscapes, a magnetic mix of tribal rhythms and hypnotic melodies, seemed to emerge from a parallel dimension, evoking something arcane and primordial. The charm of SHA RU lies in their ability to create an atmosphere that completely envelops you: you’re not just listening, you’re being pulled into a sensory, almost ritualistic experience. On stage, their presence was undeniable, a perfect balance of charisma and intensity. Every movement was a statement of intent, every note a burst of pure energy. The power of their act was such that the air around them seemed to vibrate, leaving an indelible mark on anyone fortunate enough to be there. The final act of Saturday saw the stage transform into a sonic battlefield with the back-to-back between Younger Than Me and Identified Patient, an emblematic encounter uniting the darker shades of Italian and Dutch electronica. Their collaboration was a deep dialogue between two seemingly distant worlds, yet perfectly in sync, where the boundaries between their respective artistic identities dissolved in a whirlwind of sound. Younger Than Me, with his groove sensitivity, brought warmth and grit, setting the rhythm with surgical precision. On the other side, Identified Patient introduced an element of controlled chaos, with eerie and hypnotic sound textures, a hallmark of the more abrasive sound of Dutch clubs. The result? An explosive fusion that defied conventions, taking the audience on a sonic journey drenched in tension and release.

“This festival didn’t just deliver music; it delivered a vision. And if the energy of this first edition is any indication, we are on the brink of witnessing the emergence of a new cultural institution. Here’s to Tempio becoming a beacon for those who believe that music is more than just entertainment—it’s an exploration of possibility, a platform for revolution.”

DAY 3
And then came Sunday—the day I had most anticipated—a lineup that promised not just brilliance but transcendence. It delivered, and more. The day began with Toumba, and what an awakening it was. His set was not simply a performance; it was a sonic masterclass. He took us through a journey of intricate rhythms and deeply atmospheric layers, blending East and West, past and future. Toumba didn’t just play tracks; he sculpted them. Each transition was sharp, each bassline measured, every percussive element placed with ruthless precision. There was a sense of ancient heritage in the music, wrapped in an ultra-modern electronic casing. The result was a mesmerising fusion—a cultural symbiosis of bass, rhythm, and futuristic sound design. And then, DJ Nigga Fox. A name that needs no introduction in the Principe Discos orbit, his set reaffirmed why he’s a perennial favourite. It was a wild, unpredictable trip through African polyrhythms spliced with avant-garde electronics. His command over the crowd was effortless, leading us into territories both familiar and uncharted. It was a masterclass in sonic tension and release, where every beat felt like a surprise, but somehow also inevitable. But nothing could have prepared me for the festival’s final act: the back-to-back between DJ Plead and Low Jack. This was not just a performance—it was a collision of worlds. DJ Plead’s Lebanese-inspired, percussion-driven intensity met Low Jack’s subterranean bass and hip-hop-tinged minimalism in what can only be described as an audial alchemy. This was synergy at its finest, a perfect distillation of what makes these two artists such unique voices in contemporary electronic music. Together, they deconstructed and redefined rhythm, creating a set that was as intellectually satisfying as it was physically compelling. The night closed with that shared, silent understanding between audience and artist—this was something special. Something rare. Something unforgettable. As the final echoes of sound dissolved into the night, one thing was clear: Tempio Festival wasn’t just a fleeting experiment, but the inception of something far larger. It was a celebration of fearless creativity, uniting diverse sonic worlds with audacity and finesse. The risk taken by the Tempio crew—to curate a lineup that dared to push limits and explore uncharted territories—paid off brilliantly. This festival didn’t just deliver music; it delivered a vision. And if the energy of this first edition is any indication, we are on the brink of witnessing the emergence of a new cultural institution. Here’s to Tempio becoming a beacon for those who believe that music is more than just entertainment—it’s an exploration of possibility, a platform for revolution. We eagerly await what comes next.