We are back! On Saturday, May 5, we’ll celebrate the second edition of MIRA Berlin, which will take place in the historic Funkhaus Berlin, former headquarters of the radio-television of the GDR, and an emblematic building that, among other gems, houses the largest recording studio in the world. From 4 pm, MIRA Berlin will host audiovisual shows, concerts, DJ Sets, a new space dedicated to 4D sound and conferences, all in a day dedicated to the experience around digital arts in one of the key cities for the musical and technological creativity on a world scale.  

Today we announce the festival’s line up and release a small number of Early Bird tickets for 33€ plus fee. Stars from contemporary electronica such as Lorenzo Senni, Forest Swords, Laurel Halo, Aïsha Devi or Vladimir Ivkovic, as well as Berlin and Barcelona artists, will be present at the event. MIRA Berlin aims to become a reference in the dissemination, discussion and exhibition of artistic proposals that link visual arts and live music with sound and cutting-edge technologies, and with the will to approach the powerful Berliner talent.

MIRA Berlin will occupy several spaces of Funkhaus: the wonderful Studio 1 will host the audiovisual shows, the Foyer room will do the same with the DJ Sets and, as a novelty with respect to the first edition, we add the MONOM 4DSOUND stage in collaboration with Berlin’s Center for Spacial Sound, a spectacular space with 4D sound.

 

LIVE SHOWS IN STUDIO 1 

Swiss producer of Tibetan origin Aïsha Devi, will present in world premiere her new album “DNA Feeling” (Houndstooth, 2018), which will be released just 6 days after the festival, in a stunning audiovisual show with images from Emile Barret that will accompany her spiritual electronica.

Barcelonian artist Espinoza, who has just published “Antologia” (FDdV, 2017), will offer a live performance entirely with modular synthesizers in which he will present material created exclusively for his performance. Visual artist Paula Taboada (Volàtil VJ) will be in charge of the visual part of the show.

Producer, composer and visual artist Matthew Barnes aka Forest Swords will present his latest album, “Compassion” (Ninja Tune, 2017), a work of epic compositions that masterfully mix digital and organic sounds, accompanied by visual artist Sam Wiehl.

Laurel Halo, an American filmmaker living in Berlin, will also be presenting her latest work live. In “Dust” (Hyperdub, 2017) Halo makes a commitment to warmth thanks to acoustic instruments, thus moving away from the dark landscapes characteristic of their previous albums.

Italian artist Lorenzo Senni – responsible for modern electronica jewels like ‘The Shape of Trance to Come’ – will present his particular vision of trance, a genre style with a very particular staging.

Breaker and conceptual artist Yves Tumor will present live his new album published in the prestigious label Warp Records. Ambient landscapes of soul with a staging that will not leave indifferent with visuals by Ezra Miller.

DJ SETS AT THE FOYER

After publishing his latest work, “Archives” (Berceuse Heroique, 2018), the British producer Black Merlin will make a hypnotic and danceable session with EBM, industrial techno and space disco. Russian DJ and producer Inga Mauer, resident of the famous St. Petersburg club Stackenschneider, will make a dj set with his particular vision of techno music.

In addition, Vladimir Ivkovic, resident for many years of the Salon des Amateurs in Düssedorf and responsible for the Offen Music label, and the local DJ Lux will also offer their sessions.

From Barcelona, ​​dj, producer and journalist with residence in Ibiza Christian Len will make a special set of Balearic sound mixed with ambient, krautrock and electronica. DJohnston, resident of the prestigious Razzmatazz club and MIRA music booker, will be in charge of the festival’s closing.

NEW SPACE DEDICATED TO MONOM 4DSOUND

MIRA Berlin starts a new collaboration with MONOM 4DSOUND. The sonic technology in 4D displays a dynamic and multisensory sound where its depth and movement are perceived. The new space will host two live shows, a retrospective and two sound installations.

Two of the members of WaqWaq Kingdom, Shigeru Ishihara (the legendary DJ Scotch Egg) and Kiki Hitomi (singer and songwriter of King Midas Sound), and Dj, artist and producer Eomac (half of the duo Lakker) will present two live shows created exclusively for 4D sound technology and curated by MIRA Berlin. In addition, MONOM 4DSOUND will also host a retrospective consisting of sound pieces by Koenraad Ecker, Ioann, Maxime Gordon, Casimir Geelhoed, John Connell, Paul Oomen and Edgard Varese, and two sound installations by Thomas Ankersmit and Croatian Amor, artists who have made a residency at MONOM 4DSOUND.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

The conference program of MIRA Berlin will focus on the social approach to digital culture and new technological trends. The program will have three conferences: Diversity and gender in music, digital art and technology, by Leil Zahra (queer activist and film director), Mic Oala (cultural producer and creative consultant) and Lyra Pramuk (singer, composer, production company and performative artist); Interactive sound: the exploration of the instincts through music, by Shigeru Ishihara (electronic music producer, known for being the legendary DJ of breakcore-gameboy Scotch Egg and for playing bass in Seefeel); and Internet social debate, by Entter (digital designer, art director, visual artist, creator of video mapping and motion clips).