Berlin Atonal 2015

The Kraftwerk Berlin became an epicentre of music, art and technology once again in August 2015. Over 50 international musicians and artists met with light designers, multimedia experts and technologists during the Berlin Atonal festival, where they explored and reinvented acoustic and visual spaces. Against the unique backdrop of the former thermal power station, guests could listen to experimental music of all kinds – from electronic avant-garde and New Music to Electronica and cutting-edge rock – accompanied by installations, audio-visual performances and architectural, light and sound interventions. One of the highlights of the festival was the live performance “Outside the Dream Syndicate” by the American avant-garde pioneer, musician and writer Tony Conrad and the German Krautrockband Faust. Originally developed in 1972, the work is considered a milestone in the evolution of minimal and drone music. The American artist David Borden and the Mother Mallard Ensemble, which reunited for the Atonal festival, presented “The Continuing Story of Counterpoint”, a twelve-part cycle for synthesiser, acoustic instruments and vocals. The Dutch artist and software developer Tarik Barri developed a virtual world which he projected on a large-format screen and manipulated in real-time during the performance. Atonal also featured the world premieres of several works by renowned artists, such as Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails) and Shackleton. The video artist Marcel Weber transformed the entire power plant complex into a sculpture of light. The festival was accompanied by workshops, lectures and a colloquium on tech art. An extensive multimedia documentation is planned.

Artistic director: Laurens von Oswald
Artists: Tony Conrad with Faust (US), David Borden + The Mother Mallard Ensemble (US), Kangding Ray + Barry Burns (Mogwai) (FR/UK), Alessandro Cortini (IT), Ugandan Methods (US), Mike Parker (US), Chra (AT), Marcel Weber, Tarik Barri, Shackleton