Sonic Matter Festival 2026

Turbulent times bring unpredictable changes. They cause our inner compass to spin, but they also open up new horizons. Under the motto "drift", we will be riding the waves of time with the fifth edition of the SONIC MATTER Festival for experimental music from 26 February to 1 March 2026. In two musical marathons, we let ourselves be washed away and drift in unexpected directions. We keep our ears to the wind, follow musical traditions on their journey around the world and listen to how they change. Along the way, we meet artist-in-residence Nguyễn Thanh Thủy, who explores developments in Vietnamese music and incorporates them into her own artistic language. Guest curator Adham Hafez brings the voice of a legend of Arabic music to the Rote Fabrik in a new guise. In the Label Lounge, where Zurich and international releases can be heard, he introduces us to a groundbreaking archive of Syrian music. Hafez has also left his mark on borderline club culture: this takes us to Umbo for the first time, where DJs from Zurich and Cairo take turns at the turntables. At the Kasernenareal, we hear works by female composers from several centuries, enter the confusing worlds of an ensemble in group therapy, and let the music literally swing in and then out again. Participants include Fidan Aghayeva-Edler, Romane Bouffioux, Dimitri de Perrot, Magda Drozd, Ensemble Vortex, Anne Gillot, Rama Gottfried, Adham Hafez, Mareike Hein, Ink!, Donia L Jelly, Lua Jungck, Hannah Kendall, Kollektiv International Totem, Love & Revenge, Nguyễn Thanh Thủy, -OUS, OSZILOT, Julia Schwartz, Syrian Cassette Archives, Rai Tateishi, The Six Tones, Daniel Zea, ZULI, ...