Before Rewire kicks off next week, dive into the music programme with the first of our ‘Festival Routes’, giving you some tips on stuff you certainly don’t want to miss. If you’re looking for the bodily thrills of adventurous club music and the heady contemplation of electronic experimentation, then immerse yourself in this festival route that highlights some of the fascinating artists who are (re)shaping digital and synthetic music.
Kick of your festival journey with the enigmatic and poetic trip-hop of Dali Muru & The Polyphonic Swarm (Koorenhuis, 19.00), who channel panoramic film scores, faded Carpathian travelogues, and blistered n' lurching beats on their kaleidoscopic self-titled LP, recently released on Belgian electronic music label STROOM.
Listen on bandcamp
Then, prepare yourself for the night to come with ‘Echoic Choir’ (Korzo - Zaal, 21.05), a meditative and captivating performance/installation by vocalist Stine Janvin and choreographer Ula Sickle that evokes the ritual of coming together on a dance floor around music in the late hours of the night.
As the night takes over, a brand new live show by aya (PAARD II, 21.55) will set the mood. aya performs her electrifying and intense Hyperdub debut im hole during Rewire as a special A/V show in collaboration with London-based artist and filmmaker Sweatmother. Combining dubstep, grime and drill with alienating sound design and hyper-personal lyrics, aya warps her club music inspirations into a nightmarish world of art and critique.
Listen on bandcamp
The late hours of Friday will coalesce around a bombastic show by The Bug, featuring grime MC’s Flowdan & Manga St. Hilare (PAARD I, 00.50). This all-out collaboration promises to be a rambunctious concert with trembling basses, hard-hitting beats and memorable bars from some of the best vocalists hailing from the UK.
Scramble your brain and reset your festival experience on the start of the Saturday programme with an immersive performance by Holly Childs & Gediminas Zygus (Theater aan het Spui - Zaal 1, 19.05) that combines bespoke choreography, dense spoken word, experimental film and intense electronic music.
Follow that up with a deep dive into the sugar-coated, jittery and skittering hyperpop of Amsterdam-based, Japanese-American artist Golin (PAARD II, 22.00), who blurs the lines between mainstream songs and envelope-pushing electronic music.
Listen on bandcamp
Heading into another night of adventurous club music, Cheb Runner will perform an hour long live-set entitled 'Angry Immigrant' in the basement of the Grey Space (23.30). This personal set is a musical tribute to ten years of immigration in Brussels, one that fuses Cheb Runner’s rich cultural heritage with contemporary club styles.
An already unforgettable Saturday night crystallises around the epic, immersive and overwhelming A/V show by Evian Christ (PAARD I, 01.45). Performing new, long-awaited material, Evian Christ evokes the great trance music of yore and propels it into the exhilarating future of cybernetic club music to come.
Watch "Evian Christ — Ultra" by "Evian Christ" on https://www.youtube.com/
Head over to Korzo and experience how Debit (Korzo - Zaal, 18.15) breathes new life into the age-old, pre-Hispanic instruments of Mexico with a whole array of contemporary production tools, including machine learning.
SKY H1 & Mika Oki present a new audiovisual show (Theater aan het Spui, 20.15) to celebrate the release of SKY H1’s lush and evocative debut album Azure. The result is a captivating live show that beautifully reflects on the enigmatic fusion of ambient and club music produced by SKY H1.
Watch "SKY H1 - Elysian Heights" by "AD 93" on https://www.youtube.com/
Your festival journey almost comes to an end when Harpist Marilu Donovan and violinist/vocalist Adam Markiewicz perform their equally haunting and angelic music as LEYA (Lutherse Kerk, 21.30). During Rewire 2022, LEYA also performs alongside Eartheater, but during this intimate concert, they draw you into their own bewildering sonic world.