A few weeks ago we introduced the 2016 edition of MusicTechFest (27-30 May), one of the most creative and inspiring events you may come across this year.
The MTF crew is working hard on the program. Here you’ll find some of the first artists confirmed for the event. As you can see, the line-up features pretty diverse and exciting names.
Martin Molin (from Wintergatan)
There’s a good chance you’ll have seen that Marble Machine video that went viral recently (with over 17 million views!).
Well, Martin Molin – the man behind the machine – is one of the artists you’ll see on stage at #MTFBerlin.
Martin’s a Swedish instrument maker, inventor and musician with the band Wintergatan.
Martin will showcase and perform using some of his incredible musical inventions. Like other artists at the festival, he will also invent, hack, collaborate and experiment with the audience.
Eska
Eska Mtungwazi’s solo debut album was a finalist for the UK’s prestigious Mercury Prize in 2015.
Eska will not only appear on the main stage at #MTFBerlin… her plan is to form collaborations, invent new types of musical instruments and experiment in the Music Tech Fest playground.
Eska’s curiosity and enthusiasm for music technologies new and old informs and influences her work – exploring a vast sonic palette, and playing everything from Wurlitzer, harmonium, clarinet and piano to percussion, cuatro, glockenspiel, tambourine… and rocks.
“One of the most important singers in the UK right now” according to British DJ and label owner Gilles Peterson, Eska also happens to be something of a music hacker – experimenting with new ideas and putting together strange combinations of musical instruments alongside found and cheap objects.
She’s a highly respected writer and performer, and has collaborated with legends like Grace Jones, Cinematic Orchestra, Zero 7 and Bobby McFerrin.
Scanner
Robin Rimbaud, aka Scanner, will be joining #MTFBerlin to present his beautiful and haunting new work Water Drops.
Scanner is a composer whose work traverses the experimental terrain between sound, space and image, creating absorbing, multilayered sound pieces that twist technology in unconventional ways, connecting a bewilderingly diverse array of genres. Since 1991 he has been intensely active in sonic art, producing concerts, installations and recordings.
Water Drops is Scanner’s Music Tech Fest prize-winning sonic art installation that will be unveiled in Rijeka Airport, Croatia in summer 2016.
Guerilla Dance Project
The Guerilla Dance Project is an innovative dance company led by choreographer Laura Kriefman (with the help of the composer and techno DJ Lee J Malcolm), fusing technology, dance, live interactive sound and visuals into one incredible show that turns dance into sound and light.
Hear the percussive sounds of the dancers become different instruments – from flutes to tablas, to cellos. Light responds to the layers of sounds, changing personality with every track.
David Fernández – Ecce Cello
David Fernández is a Spanish dancer, actor and self-taught cellist, as well as a frustrated inventor. He integrates technologies from daily life into his works, infused with a strong echo of classical music. A smartphone or tablet coupled to an electric cello serves as a live looper and sound processor, creating the possibility of a one-person-string-quartet.
His project, Ecce Cello, bridges the gap between classical music and the technological world of everyday life and its performance is based on the live looping technique (with influences ranging from J.S.Bach to Public Enemy).
More is more
This is just a small sample of what you’ll see at MusicTechFest. The program is getting richer and more inspiring every day. And don’t forget, this is not a traditional festival where artists perform in front of a passive audience. MusicTechFest is a giant creative laboratory, to explore, discover, and (most importantly) get involved!
Now, if all this got you excited, make sure to save the date and buy your ticket!
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