TIMES spent the end of the summer in Berlin, Germany, for this year’s Berlin Atonal, which featured co-curations from reworks, Le Guess Who? and Elevate.
Ranging from percussive live performances to magnetic electronic compositions the Berlin-Based festival invited us to participate in some of the most meaningful collective sonic experiences of the 2025 edition.
Co-curated with Le Guess Who?:
Chuquimamani-Condori presented DJ E
DJ E brought one of their charged, unpredictable sets liquidating the distinction between tradition and futurity, chaos and communion.
Co-curated with reworks:
Bendik Giske & Sam Barker performing live together for the first time.
The debut collaboration between the ever-evolving saxophonist Bendik Giske and visionary electronic producer Barker offered a collection of subtle epics and introspective electro-acoustic compositions, where saxophone and electronics merged in delicate harmony.
Co-curated with reworks:
Anthony Linell b2b DJ Red b2b Neel
A rare triple shared the stage from 2 to 7 am on Saturday morning.
Co-curated with Elevate
bela presented Korean Love Sonnets
Credits photo: Isabel O’Toole
Berlin Atonal hosted the world premiere of Korean Love Songs —a striking new work of bela exploring the physicality of sound through the raw textures of the guttural voice. This deeply sonic investigation traced the connections between vocal abrasion, bodily presence, and spatial acoustics.
Rashad Becker
Photo credits: George Nebieridze
Rashad Becker presented a live performance created specifically for the festival, deepening his ongoing exploration of sound’s capacity to act and affect. This new iteration forms part of the broader cycle based on a true story, continuing his inquiry into synthetic voices and sonic emotionality. The work interlaced spoken text, psychoacoustic phenomena, and spatial confusion, crafting a disorienting auditory experience.
