ROBOTBologna's pioneering festival dedicated to electronic music and digital arts, celebrates its 15th anniversary with an inclusive and international program on the theme “TRANSITION—Gender, Digital, Green”.
Special guest of this year's festival will be the vocalist and composer Lyra Pramukwho is also the author of this edition's poster and will present a show exclusively for ROBOT ('Communion').
From 10th to 13th October we get to the heart of the festival. There are many previews and exclusives planned, both for the names already announced and for the new ones.
Thursday 10th, the composer Kali Malone will perform his latest album in a unique version in Bologna, playing the most important ancient organ in the city, that of the church of Santa Maria dei Servi, the ROBOT Festival venue for the first time.
Speaking of the new and evocative locations of ROBOT, in the former Church of San Barbaziano (11/10) they add to the already announced previews of Maria W Horn & Mats Erlandsson (“Celestial Shores”) e Marta Salogni & Francesco Fonassi (“Orafiore”) the Italian debut of the A/V show by dmstfctn and Evita Manji“Waluigi's Purgatory”, in collaboration with Sineglossa and part of the series The Next Real.
On the same evening, at DumBO, a line-up that already included the headliner DJ Richie Hawtinthe live premieres of Valentina Magaletti & Nídia, Of Marie Davidson and the DJ set of ayais enriched with the very welcome return to ROBOT Festival of the iconic Fennesz, which will present the show of the new album “Mosaic” as an absolute preview. The Dutchman's DJ set upsammyarriving after his highly anticipated album on PAN. 33EMYBW, from Shanghai, chosen by Aphex Twin for his Warehouse Project 2019, will bring his live set to Bologna. Finally, the DJ set by Disappointment Manifestothe rebellious impulse of the margins of the Roman metropolis and part of two of the most iconic crews of the Italian underground scene.
Saturday 12th opens with performances at the Oratorio San Filippo Neri: in addition to Lyra Pramuk – with his show 'Communion' designed exclusively for ROBOT – the member of Coil and Psychic TV Drew McDowall will present his latest album, “A Thread, Silvered and Trembling”, in another, highly anticipated premiere.
At DumBO, in addition to the headliners Modeselektor and Daniela Pes (last chance to see her in Italy this year), a Mabe Fratti and Evissimaxit will be the turn of the award-winning Northern Irish producer Max Cooper with his new live 3D/AV show, premiered at ROBOT. Active in raising awareness on environmental issues and author of the music for the video presented at COP26, Cooper has performed at prestigious festivals such as Glastonbury, Latitude, MUTEK and Amsterdam Dance. The new international star DJ TOCCORORO, on its Italian debut, it will mix Guaracha, Acid Guaracha, Raptor House, Tribal House and more, already part of the iconic PAN label's 15th anniversary line-up alongside legends such as Skrillex, Yves Tumor, and Amnesia Scanner. KOKOKO! will give life to the vibrant sounds of contemporary Kinshasa, performing songs from their new album live in an overwhelming show, while the Moroccan DJ Ojoo will join forces in an exclusive b2b with Or by Blackest Ever Black. Closing the Saturday lineup is DJ Elia Berardi aka Pandology.
For the 15th anniversary, ROBOT extends until Sundaywith something new: the return to TPO with a musical 'slunch', starting from 3pm until late in the evening. LCYex Six Figure Gang and London rising star, will conquer the dance floor with a mix of UK garage, breaks, techno and dubstep, after an EP on Fabric Originals and exceptional collaborations with artists of the caliber of MISFYA, Diessa, Blawan, Lee Gamble, JASSSS and more. Soft as Snow arrive for the first time in Italy at ROBOT15 to preview their A/V show “Metal.wet”. Experimental queercore rave energy comes from New York with the live performance of Deli Girls: the sound of authentic rebellion, without filters or mediations, against every form of hypocrisy and marginalization.
The local hero's DJ set Filibalou closes a line-up in which the Italian premiere of the new album had already been announced Lamusa II (with the welcome addition of the presence on stage of Marie Davidson) and the DJ set commissioned exclusively by ROBOT and Dancity Festival a Nziria in b2b with Stefania Vos.
Another exclusive project commissioned by ROBOT (via SIAE call – For those who create) is the multimedia installation of SK (Stefania Kalogeropoulos), founder with Alberto Saggia of the artistic collective Anonymous/Luci, together with the sound designer Heith (Daniele Guerrini). “TRANSITION” is the name of the site-specific intervention designed for the fifteenth edition of the festival which, starting from the theme and the ROBOT15 Manifesto, deepens the research on space and its perception, using light and sound to present alternative and very personal readings to the point of creating a place of border between materiality and immateriality.
For the first time in a festival, a site-specific installation – designed for the Central Platform of DumBO – will be an integral part of the line-up from the opening and during stage changes.
And then, the daily program of the festival: ROBOT Kids & ROBOT Learn.
Of great importance, also for the 2024 edition, is the section dedicated to in-depth analysis, in which the ROBOT Kidsthe free training module for children and young people, aimed at developing the approach and knowledge of digital technologies in an artistic way through play. This year's program includes three modules: an intergalactic show with mörbidøa laboratory between sound and images of Untitled and a sensorial journey curated by Epimoric. For all participants, at the end of the workshops: BAMBOLINI Kids friendly experimental sounds edited by Effe Effe.
The program is also taking shape more and more ROBOT Learnalso completely free, with two initiatives already active and others ready to be announced closer to the festival. Gender Digital & Tech Upskilling is a workshop of the Gender Music Tech review by Digital Femswhich offers a transformative learning experience designed for women and non-binary people active in the music industry, brought to ROBOT in collaboration with Music Ally, Work Wide Women and in partnership with Linecheck Festival.
Sineglossain collaboration with Mangrovia and 24 Future Film Festival, is curating a talk in which science fiction authors will challenge Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, trying to rewrite them with the active and simultaneous contribution of AI (“SCI-FI PYGMALION: Self-fulfilling prophecies”).
In line with the actions and – even more – the general approach towards environmental sustainability followed by the festival for several years now, ROBOT Learn will also include “GREEN TRANSITION in cultural events”a talk open to all for discussion, in-depth analysis and sharing on the conscious choices that cultural events are called upon to adopt and what they entail on a social and environmental level. In addition to Shape, the Metropolitan City of Bologna will take part with the European project MINEV, Ecoevents and DumBO Green District.
Tickets on the website www.robotfestival.it and on the DICE APP.
ROBOT Festival 2024
27 September, 10—13 October 2024
Location: Bologna, DumBO / Palazzo Re Enzo / Basilica of S. Maria dei Servi / Oratory of San Filippo Neri / Church of San Barbaziano / TPO
Artists: 33EMYBW / aya / Bassolino / Daniela Pes / Deli Girls / dmstfctn + Evita Manji / Drew McDowall / Evissimax / Fennesz / Filibalou / Kali Malone / KOKOKO! / Lamusa II / LCY / Lyra Pramuk / Mabe Fratti / Manifesto Disappunto / Maria W Horn & Mats Erlandsson / Marie Davidson / Marta Salogni & Francesco Fonassi / Max Cooper / Memoryman aka Uovo / Modeselektor / Nicola Ratti / Nziria b2b Stefania Vos / ojoo b2b That is / Pandalogy / Richie Hawtin / Sant3 Molest3 / Sei Digitale / SK•Anonima/Luci · Heith / Soft As Snow/ TOCCORORO / Toy Tonics Krew con Kapote b2b Sam Ruffillo / upsammy / Valentina Magaletti & Nídia / Volkwerk Folletto feat. Angela Baraldi, Suz.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
