Berlin Atonal 25’ takes place from August 27 to 31, transforming Kraftwerk Berlin as well as the clubs Tresor and OHM into a dense mesh of music, art, and performance for five days. The festival sees itself not just as a stage, but as a playground for experimentation, where commissioned works, premieres, and installations meet club nights and immersive spatial experiences.

At the center is the monumental main stage inside Kraftwerk: a 70,000 m³ space that temporarily becomes an atmospheric resonator. Fog, sound, and light create an environment where the boundaries between concert, performance, and installation dissolve. Listening becomes a physical experience that extends far beyond hearing alone.

The program is dense and diverse. Thursday features new immersive shows by emptyset with MFO, Carrier with Riyo Nemeth, and a dreamlike set from Malibu; afterwards, Lil Mofo, livwutang, and STILL take over the afterhours. Friday highlights Lord Spikeheart & NMR with their politically charged project »REIGN«, bela’s »Korean Love Sonnets«, along with performances by John T. Gast, GRIEND, and Billy Bultheel. On the club stages, Rrose, Skee Mask, and re\:ni b2b Mia Koden, among others, set the tone for the night.

Saturday brings Amnesia Scanner & Freeka.tet with »S.L.O.T.H.«, a rare duo concert by Mark Fell & Okkyung Lee, the live debut of Gombeen & Doygen, as well as new performances from Lechuga Zafiro & Verraco, Chuquimamani-Condori, and Sofii. The grand finale on Sunday features the debut of the trio Merzbow / Iggor Cavalera / Eraldo Bernocchi, a multisensory show by Heith, and the »Organic Intelligence« project by the Jokkoo Collective — a speculative soundscape imagining ecological and cultural resistance.

With its admission into the International Biennial Association, Berlin Atonal opens a new chapter this year. This step makes clear that the festival is designed to establish itself long-term as a music-centered biennial for sound art and interdisciplinary formats. The international recognition shows that this is not just a festival, but a platform for artistic risk-taking and experimental practice.

Tresor and OHM also play a key role. Here, what begins on the main stage as a concentrated listening experience unfolds into energetic club nights that stretch well into the morning. Between exhibition and dance floor, between perception and ecstasy, a field of tension emerges that makes Berlin Atonal unique.

Berlin Atonal 25’ is therefore less a conventional festival and more a laboratory for contemporary cultural practice — a place where boundaries are pushed and new forms of gathering are explored.

An experience that lasts.

Tickets for Atonal can be purchased here. See the full program here.