Welcome to Rewire 2026. Between 9 and 12 April, the festival for adventurous music proudly presents its 15th anniversary edition, with over 200 events – including numerous world premieres, commissioned performances, unique collaborations, live concerts, club nights, an extensive context programme, film screenings, and exhibitions – across more than 25 venues in The Hague. Bringing together artists who push beyond conventional boundaries, embrace experimentation, and pursue new modes of performance, composition, and collaboration, the festival promises four days of sonic exploration.
The festival opens at Amare, where artist and composer Caterina Barbieri presents two premieres: in collaboration with experimental orchestra ONCEIM and as a solo artist, showcasing her vivid modular synthesis and expanded electro-acoustic formats, accompanied by visuals from MFO. Icon and early pioneer of electronic music composition Suzanne Ciani collaborates with producer of R&B concrète Actress, creating a sonic world of bubbling contradictions with their work Concrète Waves.
Rewire’s 15th edition welcomes several Netherlands-exclusive concerts, including the return of Oneohtrix Point Never, appearing with visual artist Freeka Tet in a new audiovisual show based around his new album Tranquilizer. Legendary innovators Einstürzende Neubauten finally make their Rewire debut, continuing their lifelong exploration of self-made instruments, unconventional materials, and radical approaches to composition. The festival is honoured to host a rare performance by Beverly Glenn-Copeland, who will present his celebrated catalogue alongside the new album Laughter in Summer with Elizabeth Copeland, bringing an atmosphere of generosity and deep musical connection. Also performing is the influential group Tortoise, whose shape-shifting blend of minimalism, post-rock, jazz, and electronics has elated listeners since their self-titled debut in 1994.
A core part of Rewire over the years has been a drive to bring artists together across generations, genres, disciplines, and geographies. In these zones of cross-pollination and exchange, new ideas and unheard sounds can emerge. A standout cross-genre project comes from Sumac & Moor Mother, fusing Sumac’s crushing, experimental metal with Moor Mother’s incisive spoken word. Also on the line-up are Jim O’Rourke & Eiko Ishibashi, two stalwarts of experimental improvised music sharing their deconstructed orchestral sounds, glitchy electronics, and warm fuzz. Rewire hosts an intergenerational collaboration between poet and performer Katalin Ladik and composer and sound artist Svetlana Maraš, and in the world premiere show of Civilistjävel! & Mayssa Jallad, the icy tech-ambience of producer Civilistjävel!, and the warm, gentle lustre of Lebanese musician and architect Jallad’s voice come together as an intriguing contradiction of coexisting forces.
Beatrice Dillon & Explore Ensemble present the world premiere of a major new composition by Dillon that incorporates her digital synthesis with the ensemble's acoustic instrumentation in this Rewire-commissioned piece. Visionary artist Kim Gordon will be performing music from her new album PLAY ME, featuring industrial barrages of churning noise and synths, alongside Gordon's stream-of-consciousness lyrics and iconic lustrous vocals.
An unmissable project that melds contemporary dance, fashion, technology, and music is U>N>I>T>E>D by contemporary dance company Chunky Move, with a soundtrack by Balinese DIY electronic duo Gabber Modus Operandi. In another thrilling world premiere audiovisual collaboration, As Nature sees the bristling ambient soundscapes of KMRU being responded to by artist and light designer Nick Verstand.
Avant-garde improvisers Supersilent and sonic researcher and visual artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan present a world premiere audiovisual performance too, which reflects on Earshot's work in Palestine, focusing particularly on their research into the targeting of journalists and livestreams by Israeli forces. As a tribute to the recently passed away composer Éliane Radigue, Ensemble Klang will perform OCCAM DELTA XXIII by Radigue and fellow composer Carol Robinson.
The immersive durational performance PHYSIS by Asian Dope Boys blurs the boundaries between performance, club, concert, and theatre in an eight-hour-long work. In partnership with Laak, Den Haag, Rewire hosts a club programme running on Saturday night until the early hours of Sunday morning, including DJ sets from OK Williams, Buttechno b2b Torus, Nono Gigsta, and Dim Garden.
On the occasion of Rewire’s 15th edition, Page Not Found, Centre for Artistic Publishing, and Rewire launch a new book Further Listening: On Adventurous Music and Sound, with readings and reflections by the book’s contributors. The publication brings together myriad artistic voices that have and continue to shape adventurous music and sound, and includes conversations with artists, poetic texts, critical essays, archival fragments, text messages, and personal reflections.
These are just some highlights that give you a glimpse of the festival’s wide-ranging programme. You can read more about Rewire’s extensive music programme, context programme, film programme, and its joint exhibition programme with iii, Proximity Music, at these respective links. We also invite you to download the festival app and check the website for updates.