Berlin Atonal have revealed the first wave of acts to perform at the audio-visual festival, which will return to its host venue Kraftwerk in August.
So far, we know that true to their innovative form, Atonal will be hosting a compilation of unique, rare and world-premiere performances from acts pushing artistic boundaries and blurring the lines of genre. One of the most prominent names on the billing so far is Death in Vegas (Richard Fearless) who will be giving a world premiere performance of ‘Transmission’; an A/V show involving actress Sasha Grey. This will come following the release of Death in Vegas’ first album in five years, which is also titled Transmission and too features Grey. The performance is set to showcase new and innovative material from the Death in Vegas project through a range of techno and drone soundscapes. Expect lucid psychedelia and engulfing euphoria.
Drew McDowall –best known for his work with Coil and Psychic TV – has also been announced. McDowall, who released his first solo album ‘Collapse’ in 2015, will be showcasing new stuff material as part of an exciting premier audio-visual show called ‘Unnatural Channel’. Roly Poter and Marcel Webber will also be uniting to bring us ‘Third Law’, another live audio-visual. Further to this, Spectrum Spools label head John Elliot will be giving a rare performance of his creative drone project, Imaginary Softwoods. These Hidden Hands (Alain Paul, Tommy Four Seven) are set to perform another world-premiere of their A/V show ‘Aphelion’. Upper Glossa; the exciting union of up-and-coming electronica talents Caterina Barbieri, Ellen Arkbro and Kali, will be debuting their ‘Fundamental’ project. Fundamental was commissioned by Berlin Atonal themselves, and promises to deliver some seriously boundary-pushing stuff.
Raime are also to play Atonal with a new show for debut in Germany. Silent Servant and Phase Fatale will unite for a dark, brooding, industrial-influenced techno performance, while Croatian Armour will use Atonal to showcase Love Means Taking Action, another new A/V show. The line-up also includes a concept piece from D.A.F’s Pyrolator which focuses on re-working artist Conrad Schnitzler to figure him as a Berlin techno spearhead, which promises to be thought-provoking and immersive performance. We also know that the festival will include performances from Russell Hasswell, TM404, Veronica Vasicka, Andrea Parker, Shelley Parker and December.
The festival have also announced that they will adding a third room into the mix of proceedings this year to showcase visual-projection art on panoramic screens. They will also once again be including their Stage Null stage, which successfully proved intense and immersive last year.
Atonal is a highly anticipated event for anybody with their finger on the pulse of the audio-visual art or for anyone who follows unconventional electronica and supports the progression of new-era, genre-defying sounds. Intense and progressive, the festival has made an unforgettable mark on advanced art consciousness since its huge rebirth in 2013, and is essentially a celebration of the rawest and most radical forms of live performance, musical and visual creativity. Set to be over 100 acts strong in its entity, this initial line-up announcement has once again proved Atonal’s dedication to innovation. The festival promises to be a monumental gathering of originality and one of the best opportunities to experience new age art this year. The Festival takes place 24th – 28th August this year. Festival Passports are now on sale at 115 euros, and can be purchased through ticketscript.