With less than a month to go, a few special acts and a venue dear to Berlin’s music community are complete the music programme of the 18th CTM Festival edition. Final music programme confirmations are:

• Bass Gang [DE] featuring Minoto, Ostblokkk, Gofi, J.Cloud, Tuan:Ahn
• DEBONAIR [UK]
• DJ Luki and Kassen [NL]
• DJ Stingray [US]
• Dragoș Rusu [RO]
• Elysia Crampton [US]
• İpek İpekçioğlu [DE]
• King Britt [US]
• Linnéa [SE/DE]
• Shins-K [JP/DE]
• Sky H1 [BE]
• Traxman [US]
• Uta [DE]

Among the CTM 2017 highlights is a double-bill at the soon to reopen Festsaal Kreuzberg. Berlin residents and fans of edgy music ranging from indie to hip hop to electronic fondly remember the former Turkish wedding hall turned concert space that hosted many a memorable event before it was irreparably damaged by an electrical fire in Summer 2013. After several years of searching for a new location, Festsaal Kreuzberg will proudly reopen at a venue initiated by the late White Trash, near clubs such as Arena, Chalet and Club der Visionäre. On Saturday 4 February, Elysia Crampton will take the stage at the new venue, in a programme also featuring King Britt. A self-described “Trans-Evangelist,” Bolivian-American Crampton explores Latinx culture, queer identity and its historic roots, subversion of macho cultural tropes and South American spirituality. Her second album, Elysia Crampton Presents: Demon City was released this summer and included collaborations with Rabit, Why Be, Lexxi and Chino Amobi. Philadelphia selector and futurist King Britt will present a live performance in the vein of “SubServe and Protect: A Sonic Response” or “Trigger,” both past efforts that represent Britt’s answers to corrupt police incidents in the U.S. Britt’s soundtracks include pitched-down dispatch and video dialogue from police stops that involved victims such as Sandra Bland and Michael Brown. Pulsating, climax-less soundscapes remove such dialogues from their immediate, sensationalised contexts, all the while maintaining the tension of latent and full-out violence, channeling a complex web of simmering emotions.

CTM’s programme at Prince Charles, which includes live sets from Sami Baha and Mr. Mitch, is rounded out with Chicago’s Traxman, one of the longest-serving producers working in footwork, who will let loose a thundering techno set. Berlin DJ, Trade resident and Sister network affiliate Linnéa's energizing, au-courant sets span glossy trap, futuristic grime, R&B, neo-reggaeton and other hybrid styles that challenge the Euro step/touch hegemony. Previously announced as part of the NON Worldwide showcase, DJ Lady Lane will spin "everything you can bounce, shake or sway to."

Romanian DJ and artistic force in Bucharest’s scene, Dragoș Rusu will bring his eclectic, psychedelic sound to open up one of YAAM’s floors, shared with Bariș K’s previously-announced duo İnsanlar, and İpek İpekçioğlu, a longstanding force on both Berlin and Istanbul scenes who proudly carries the title of “MC of cross-cultural understanding” (TAZ). On the neighbouring floor, Berlin-via-Tokyo producer Shins-K will dish out spliced-up, dubstatic bass to close a whirlwind club night of forceful performances from the likes of Miss Red, Princess Nokia and Tommy Genesis. Phat hip hop sounds from Berlin DJ crew Bass Gang, represented by crew members Minoto, Ostblokkk, Gofi, J.Cloud, and Tuan:Ahn, take over YAAM’s third floor, pointing to the recent and ongoing diversification of the city’s club sounds.

CTM’s Berghain programme is rounded out with surprise guest DJ Stingray, the veteran Detroit techno producer whose career has spanned over 20 years. Initially creating his Urban Tribe alias in the 90s while working with Carl Craig, Anthony Shakir and Kenny Dixon Jr., Stingray first donned his trademark balaclava while touring with Drexciya, to hide his identity on stage. SHAPE platform supported Sky H1, whose lush, vaporous constructions invoke a struggle between melancholy and joy, will perform live. The Belgian producer rapidly gained praise for her 2016 debut on Bill Kouligas and Visionist’s PAN x Codes imprint. London-based club and radio DJ DEBONAIR brings her command of post-punk, coldwave, EBM, techno, italo-disco and classic house to a separate evening. DJ Luki is a musician who explores the deeper realms of techno. Confined to a wheelchair and with a limited range of movements and dexterity, Luki uses a DJ-instrument specially developed by Creme Organization affiliate Kassen and Moos at Amsterdam-based studio STEIM with the help of artist-developer Marije Baalman. Together the group address technology’s design norms, and its inherent limits for nonstandard users. Kassen will provide DJ support for the performance.

Uta, a member of Berlin’s Through my Speakers collective that also co-runs UK-influenced bass music party series “Rec Room,” opens up the MusicMakers Hacklab opening night within CTM’s exhibition opening at Kunstquartier Bethanien.

We'll be announcing our daytime programme of talks, workshops, panels and films around mid-January, stay tuned!