Ljubljana Electronic Music Festival SONICA presents the programme for the 17th edition
The international festival of electronic music and transitional arts SONICA presents the program for the 17th edition, which will take place at various locations in Ljubljana between April 15 and 18, 2025. This year's programme brings three festival evenings at Klub CD, Cukrarna and Kino Šiška, a pre-festival event with an AV program at the Slovenian Cinematheque and an exhibition at MSUM.
Tickets are already available for pre-sale here
SONICA 2025 includes a performance by the British king of bass music Kevin Martin aka The Bug, who comes to us with his current album of apocalyptic industrial dub instrumentals Machine, the Slovenian premiere of the Japanese futuristic black metal/techno sensation Violent Magic Orchestra ("Aphex Twin with corpse paint"), a presentation of last year's masterpiece Spectral Evolution by Portuguese guitar virtuoso Rafael Toral, an AV show by Mexican electronic music veteran Murcofa, and the playful performance The Infinite Hip-Hop Song Live! Egyptian artist and musician Hassan Khan, recipient of the Silver Lion at the 2017 Venice Biennale.
This edition also brings performances by Hungarian sound wizard from Planet Mu label, Gábor Lázár, and the idiosyncratic Polish multi-instrumentalist and singer Antonina Nowacka (SHAPE+), as well as the premiere of the SONICA x SHAPE+ residency 2025, created in collaboration between German electronic producer PYUR (SHAPE+) and Stella Ivšek and Urša Čuk from the domestic multidisciplinary art collective Beam Team.
Slovenian musician/producer Jan Bajc Funa (.čunfa) will present his new project Stamor live for the first time with his band. Domestic electronic ace Nitz will present a special performance Konstante minevanja, a live ambient musical accompaniment to the screening of experimental films by Slovenian director Vasko Pregl. Zasavje techno ambassador Lifecutter will present his new album DELUGE in AV format. The festival will be closed by Ljubljana veteran Shekuza, who announces a two-hour session of hypnotic techno.
The festival events begin on April 1st with the opening of an exhibition by Slovenian artist Vesna Petresin at MSUM, followed by a performance by Croatian musician and sound artist tonote (SHAPE+).
FULL PROGRAMME
TUE, 1.4.
✹ SONICA 2025 exhibition @ MSUM*
Vesna Petresin (SI), tonote (SHAPE+, HR)
* Free admission
TUE, 15.4.
✹ SONICA 2025 eve x Kamizdat Rentgen @ Slovenska Kinoteka
Nitz x Vasko Pregelj: Konstante minevanja (SI), Lifecutter: DELUGE (SI)
* Festival ticket holders can pick up their tickets for the event free of charge at the box office. Otherwise, tickets will be available at the Kinoteka box office on the day of the event.
WEDNESDAY, 16.4.
✹ SONICA 2025, first day @ Klub CD
Rafael Toral (PT), Antonina Nowacka (SHAPE+, PL), Stamor (SI)
THU, 17.4.
✹ SONICA 2025, second day @ Cukrarna
Murcof: The Etna Sessions (SI), Hassan Khan: The Infinite Hip-Hop Song Live! (EG), SONICA x SHAPE+ residency 2025: PYUR x Beam Team (SHAPE+, DE/SI)
FRI, 18.4.
✹ SONICA 2025, third day @ Kino Šiška
The Bug: Machine (UK), Violent Magic Orchestra (JP), Gábor Lázár (HU), Shekuza DJ set (SI)
SONICA 2025: -STREAM
15.-18. April 2025
Ljubljana, Slovenia
FB event
Co-production: MoTA - Museum of Transient Arts, Zavod Festival SONICA, CUK Kino Šiška, Cankarjev dom, MSUM, Slovenska kinoteka, Cukrarna, Zavod Emanat and Kamizdat. The concerts are supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and the City of Ljubljana - Department of Culture.
PYUR, Antonina Nowacka and tonota are wards of the SHAPE+ platform for innovative music and interdisciplinary arts, co-financed by the European Union and Pro Helvetia.
The SHAPE+ platform for innovative music and audiovisual arts is co-financed by the European Union and Pro Helvetia. The views and opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Executive Agency for Education and Culture (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
