Electronic composer and sound artist Sandra Boss reveils the sonic details in obsolete instruments and material through abstract compositions, sound installations and performances. Her work is structuralist at its core, researching the key elements of music — pure sounds, noise and  crackle. She defines an alternative for the post-romantic narrative, applying a dehumanized view on music as a pure, and autonomous organism that appears in different, ever changing forms — ranging from exciting boredom, abstract sculptural phenomena or an emotional and physical engaging body.

Brussels based duo of harpist Léa Roger (Guili Guili Gulag) and drummer/singer Célia Jankowski (Vitas Guerulaitis). One can refer to a fine blend of post-velvet experimentation, spiritual free jazz, French prog folk and Malinese music, but that would equally distract one’s attention from their wild beauty and imagination.

Peter Burr is an artist from Brooklyn specializing in animation and installation. A master of computer animation, with a gift for creating images and environments that hover on the boundary between abstraction and figuration, Burr has in recent years devoted himself to exploring the concept of an endlessly mutating labyrinth. Existing as stand-alone pieces, much of his work is also in the process of expanding into a video game, and both music, in collaboration with Lucky Dragons and Jlin. For the KRAAK festival 2018 he will present a series of films and a exclusive AV performance in collaboration with the Shelter Press head honcho and visual artist/musician Felicia Atkinson.

Half of the free folk avant psych outfit Spires in the Sunset Rise, Ka Baird hovers through an brutal take on spiritual free jazz. With flute, vocals, loops and rudimentary electronica she creates on her debut album (Sapropelic Pycnic, Drag City) a swirling universe that recalls the Fourth World Explorations of Jon Hassell and alikes, but equally electro-acoustic compositions of Léo Kupper, in a vision of Alice Coltrane. The future of music is bright, exotic, colorful and is is called Ka Baird.

There is still big parts of unknown territory to be unveiled in the so-called KRAUT rock genre. Transport dedicates themselves to reviving and exploring those undiscovered realms. The collective is a free wheeling monster in Motorik Beats, psychedelic guitars and afrobeat bass grooves. Would you ever refuse a highly crafted coctail of Neu! and Can, spiced up with some Ralf & Florian and the best that current psychotropic music offers?

Vienna-based post-millennial, hardcore arpeggiator and loose avant-gardist of all things new techno. The man proved with his latest record Das Fest der Reichen (edition Mego, 2016) that there is a direct link between hardcore gabba music and the sound experiments of the Darmstadt studio’s. In his universe, abstract electronic music is absolutely to dance on, and techno could be a banger in terms of hermetic experiment.

Trio of Max Eilbacher, Alex Moskos and Duncan Moore that take the fine art of absurdist text-sound composition, electro-acoustic collages and sound synthesis into a playful field of performance, fluxus inspired poetry and confusing music. Highly recommended: the tape on the ever amazing Ehse Records.

This French, New York-based cellist improvises her way into unkown territories in the so-called dusty genre of improv and new music. She applies the cello applying as an abstract resonant body to challenge conventional cello practice. She is one of the rare cross breeds that equally masters sensitive micro-textural composition as vital and wild improvised noise. Collaborations are numerous and all-telling: with Nate Wooley, C. Spencer Yeh, Toshimaru nakamura, Susan Alcorn, Chris Corsano, Bell Nace and many more.

Marijn Verbiesen must be one of the forces that keeps the Rotterdam underground together, as being part of numerous projects (like Sweat Tongue and JSCA) and as organizer of the infamous Herman concert series. But she is foremost she is a highly talented musician that debuts with a stunning vinyl with highly personal tape collages on KRAAK. The future of musique concrète is here amongst us and is called Red Brut.

Glasgow based avant-rock trio writing songs that are on the verge of collapsing, leaving a highly confusing residu of seemingly improvised drums, indie rock guitars and heart breaking blues singing. You can refer to Robert Wyatt, Ornette Coleman and Elysia Crampton, and even later days Talk Talk; but Still House Plants definitely has its own distinctive, unique and grand voice. Highly recommend: their debut tape Assemblages on the Glarc imprint.

It’s hard not to mention Zarabatana and free jazz in one sentence. But this Portugese trio of drums, upright bass and trompet hi-jack the heritage of Art Ensemble of Chicago from the institution, and bring it back to where it belongs: in a urban complex of fast moving bodies, wild exotic night life and tranquilized woods.

Brussels-based synth duo, and one of the revelations of last year with an amazing single on Lexi Disques. Deeply melancholic pop tunes from a by gone era, injected with euphoric melodies and rhythms. Pop music born in and for the ever vivid Brussels underground, ready to conquer the world.

We are the Young Professionals, we have no genitals! 

Another revelation born in the bedlam of the highly dynamic underground of Brussel. A (so-called) crap wave explosion that impersonates the best of no wave and dada performance — although they are too unique to reduce them to one or two art movements. Lemones practice the absurd as a highly form of art, rock ’n’ roll  becomes a readymade in which self build instruments, chaotic songs and brutal energy are channeled towards a next level; be not mistaken, there is serious poetry in play!

German electronic duo hailing from the Black Forest. The duo are Don’t DJ (part of the durian brothers) and Paraklang, bothe renowed solo musicians transmutating techno in a highly graceful formal experiment infused with trance elements and polyrhythms. Their EP Thrd Mpct Ep (DISK records) is universe on its own, but equally the best club music that we heard since ages.

Youngster who is part of the infamous Outreglot collective. He creates a warped out designer-drugged world with fragments of neo-juke, splatter beats and arrythmic sampling. Apulati Bien pushes the electronic realms of equally RP Boo and Hiele further into an radical terrain that is visceral, brutal and danceable. Post-Millennial madness from the true hearted international basement scene.

David Edren is the real name of the man behind the long-running and synth project DSR Lines, and his disguise to explore theme-based (non-modular) sound synthesis. Last year he released the piece Electronic Gamelan Music (Social Harmony, 2017) in which he redefines the exotica style using midi-controlled patterns. The soothing and slowly transmutating compositions channel mind burning micro-experiences, and are one of the best current experiments in new age.

Legendary trombonist who comes out of the underground music scene of New York in the late 70ties and 80ties. Mostly reknowed for the collaboration with Arthur Russell, his own work displays a similar naivity, openness and highly evolved conceptualism. 

Synth queen and master of post-romantic melancholia.