Since its early days, CTM Festival has featured music and art that acts as a mirror for social and political conditions. Our 2018 theme, Turmoil, builds on the insights of 2017’s Fear Anger Love, and continues its inquiry into the potential of sound and music to invigorate resilience and awareness at a time when we have begun normalising the ongoing barrage of political, social, and environmental crises and the resulting disquiet that resonates through our on- and offline lives. CTM 2018 explores the state of music and sound practice in the face of a confusing and critical present: What is the sound of turmoil? What are aesthetics of tumult? Which other sonic and musical responses could we conceive of to counter the current overload of agitation?

Here’s a programme overview to help you find your bearings during the 10-day journey:

CTM by Night

The festival’s nighttime music programme connects past, present, and future musical experimentation through several series:

• concerts at the HAU Hebbel am Ufer kick off each evening’s music programme, featuring a.o. Lydia Lunch, Nadah El Shazly, Colleen, Lucrecia Dalt, and George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell.
• Berghain, Yaam, SchwuZ, and Club OST events lean towards club-oriented sounds and visuals without forgetting a healthy dose of experimentation and surprises. Among the many highlights are Boys Noize, Jlin, Special Request, Jana Rush, Schwefelgelb, Laurel Halo, Darkraver, Marc Acardipane, Bad Gyal, Equiknoxx ...
• CTM’s collaborative concert with transmediale, which takes place over two nights at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and this year features a new commissioned work by James Ferraro, titled "Plague"
• Transcend the Turmoil performances in 4DSOUND at MONOM by Gaika, Pan Daijing, Fis, IOANN,TCF
• CTM 2018 closes with its traditional closing concert in collaboration with Red Bull Music, this year with German legends DAF – Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft. The CTM 2018 x Red Bull Music programme also comprises the festival finale at SchwuZ as well as a series of lectures.

CTM by Day

Transfer is the umbrella name given to CTM’s daytime programme, which bundles the festival’s daytime activities:

• the CTM 2018 Exhibition – Uncanny Valleys of a Possible Future – is on show 27 January – 2 April at Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien
• the Discourse series of panels, talks, screenings and presentations
• the MusicMakers Hacklab, a weeklong collaborative environment in which pre-selected participants learn about new technologies and make their own musical inventions – this year focusing on AI and machine learning
• a Research Networking Day for graduate students and emerging artists working in fields of audio, arts, media and related disciplines
• the installation "Physical Rhythm Machine_BOem Boem" by Philip Vermeulen, which runs in the Halle am Berghain from 30.1.–2.2. in parallel to concerts at the Berghain
• and BCR radio broadcasts from their studio in ACUD Mitte, featuring artists performing at this festival edition and with opening DJ performances during the Exhibition opening at Kunstquartier Bethanien

Specials

• A special focus programme this year explores the implications of Artificial Intelligence in Music, featuring installations, lectures and performances by a.o. George Lewis & Roscoe Mitchell, The Holly Herndon Ensemble, Marco Donnarumma, Guy Ben-Ary, Lawrence Lek, Marcus Schmickler and Julian Rohrhuber, the Musicmakers Hacklab and more
• Christopher Bauder & Kangding Ray present the spectacular sound and light installation and performance SKALAR at the impressive historic industrial hall of Kraftwerk Berlin
• A special focus on the intersection of sound and movement is on at HAU2 and YAAM this year. Flexing / FIVE groups peformances by Lotic & Roderick George, Rashaad Newsome, and Hitmakerchinx & DJ Aaron, who present Flex Dance Music. Company Christoph Winkler explores the life and legacy of pioneering artist Ernest Berk in their programme Ernest Berk – The Complete Expressionist, a with music by groupA, and Rashad Becker with Pan Daijing. Marco Donnarumma premieres a new piece intersecting movement, sound, robotic prosthesis and AI technology.
• For the fifth year, the CTM 2018 Radio Lab commissioned one winning project to explore the possibilities of coupling live performance with the medium of radio. Egyptian artist ZULI's installation will presented within the CTM exhibition.
  

CTM Opening Weekend

CTM will hold its Exhibition launch on Friday 26.1, which also includes performances that launch the 2018 MusicMakers Hacklab and Berlin Community Radio's festival presence. Directly afterwards, a club night at Berghain/Panorama Bar features artists such as Boys Noize, Celestial Trax, Nene H, RAMZi and many more. The CTM 2018 Opening Concert takes place Saturday 27.01. at HAU1 and is followed by a club night at Club OST, a new venue partner this year.

Before and during the Festival

Leading straight into and continuing during CTM and transmediale festivals, Vorspiel 2018 takes place from 15.01 – 7.02.2015 as a city-wide programme where a variety Berlin-based initiatives and venues invite the public to a series of exhibition openings, performances, interventions, artist talks, and special events all over the city.

After the Festival

CTM has again collaborated with a diverse range of researchers, journalists and artists in order to create the CTM 2018 Magazine. The collection of essays included in the publication provides deeper reflection into a selection of artists and programmes reflected within the 19th edition's programme. Past CTM magazine editions are also available.

Also not to miss, Berlin Community Radio will be hosting a series of broadcasts during the festival, plus releasing a series of recordings from the CTM 2018 music and Discourse programmes later in the following months. CTM also releases Discourse programme recordings via our CTM Festival SoundCloud after the festival.