From 5 to 9 March, TIMES will be in Graz for Elevate 2025.
Hosting co-curations from Semibreve, Nuits sonores & European Lab, and Unsound, the Austrian festival mixes once again an international musical cocktail consisting of extravagance, avant-garde and underground!
Between experimental music, folk-inspired vocal performances, neo-classical, and avant-garde club music, TIMES curations contribute to shaping contemporary sonic explorations.
Co-curated with Nuits sonores & European Lab:
Takkak Takkak (ID/JP)
u.r.trax (FR)
Workshop: Sound-Making Objects with J “Mo’ong” Santoso Pribadi (ID)
Artist Talk: Dan Deacon (US)
Co-curated with Semibreve:
Eli Keszler (US)
Shida Shahabi (SE)
Co-curated with Unsound:
Antonina Nowacka (PL)
Lord Spikeheart (KE)
Co-curated with Nuits sonores & European Lab:
Takkak Takkak
u.r.trax
Sound-Making Objects with J “Mo’ong” Santoso Pribadi
Artist Talk: Dan Deacon
The formation Takkak Takkak delivers an energetic explosion of sound that combines traditional Indonesian gamelan rhythms with electronic beats and noise elements. The duo, consisting of Shigeru Ishihara (aka Scotch Rolex) and Mo’ong Santoso Pribadi, create a polyrhythmic performance where handcrafted instruments meet driving bass and distorted vocals.
Their performances are as ritualistic as they are chaotic, inviting the audience to immerse themselves in a trance-like, border-crossing world of sound.
u.r.trax is considered one of the hottest producers and DJs Paris has produced in recent years. From trippy techno to cold, no-frills electro to euphoric trance, u.r.trax’s sets are energetic and kinky. Her releases on Hector Oaks’ KAOS, Nina Kraviz’ Trip and Ellen Alien’s BPitch are testament to the young producer’s stylistic confidence.
On the discourse programme, J ‘Mo’ong’ Santoso Pribadi is leading a workshopa called Sound-Making Objects.
This playful workshop is about the DIY creation of sound objects. Using contact microphones and simple electronics, participants transform everyday objects into instruments that are not limited by the expectations of traditional music. The workshop assumes that music – and the act of creation – is not the preserve of trained professionals, but a human activity in which anyone can participate.
It is an invitation to explore the infinite possibilities of sound and to express one’s innermost feelings and experiences through an experimental, unbound medium.
The discourse programme also includes an artist talk with Dan Deacon. The Baltimore-based musician, producer and video game composer has gained international attention for his experimental electronic compositions and interactive live performances. His music combines sparkling electronics with indie pop, blending playful melodies and driving rhythms to create vibrant tracks that oscillate between chaos and harmony.
Co-curated with Semibreve:
Eli Keszler
Shida Shahabi
Eli Keszler is considered as one of the most exciting percussionists in the world. With his solo project, the American musician, composer and visual artist operates at the interface of contemporary classical music, avant-garde jazz and experimental electronics. Complex, polyrhythmic patterns and unusually delicate sound textures form the backbone of his pieces.
In addition to his critically acclaimed solo releases, he has also collaborated with renowned artists such as Oneohtrix Point Never, Laurel Halo and Jim O’Rourke.
The Swedish composer, pianist and musician Shida Shahabi moves between minimalism and neo-classical music. Her atmospheric works are characterized by gentle piano sounds, slow rhythms and a meditative mood.
Shahabi combines classical piano music with modern electronic elements, creating a link between traditional and contemporary music.
Co-curated with Unsound:
Antonina Nowacka
Lord Spikeheart
The vocalist and musician Antonina Nowacka lets tradition and modernity collide. Her experimental pieces are carried by Novacka’s incredibly expressive voice, which is based on folkloristic chants and is reminiscent of archaic rites. The result sounds irritatingly beautiful.
Lord Spikeheart is a unique vocalist and enigmatic storyteller who’s found his niche in the space between genres, freely mangling elements of death metal and grindcore with rap, mystical folkloric incantations and ear-splitting techno in his unrelenting search for peak sonic intensity.
His performances are uncompromising and confrontational.
Screaming, growling and rhyming in Kikuyu, Kiswahili and English, Lord Spikeheart cuts an idiosyncratic shape into the cultural landscape, shining a spotlight on the African continent’s hardest, heaviest music.
Join us at Elevate 2025.