Across three evenings, the spaces of the Kulturbrauerei arts complex – as well as a handful of nightclubs and cinemas nearby – showcase a truly fascinating line-up from across the musical spectrum, bringing the best of Berlin’s vibrant scene alongside contributions from across the globe. This year the likes of Ghanaian rapper Black Sherif, postpunk legends A Certain Ratio, Nigerian singer Yemi Alade and dark wave MC Zebra Katz lead the line-up.
The festival will also celebrate its ten-year journey to becoming one of Europe’s most exciting leftfield festivals. Launching at Berghain back in 2015, Pop-Kultur has run on principles of inclusivity, diversity and a unique approach that has pushed its limits every single years: at Pop-Kultur, the artists and their needs take centre stage.
Among this year’s commissioned work are performance artists Eray Gülay (aka Ray) and Christina Angelescu (aka Crystal) who are organising the all-style dance battle “MY CIRCLE”, from which a jury will select the best performance. Emotional quality takes precedence in the event – the personal stories that the dancers tell are more important than the perfect moves.
Otis Mensah, the Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist – and the first poet laureate of their home city Sheffield – has developed an immersive live performance of new works and reimagined renditions of their album Winterskin specially for Pop-Kultur. Using aesthetic poetic devices and avant-garde cadence, his performance will weave together unconventional texture and dissonant harmony with ballad-like emotion and delve into the significance of dreaming and artistic expression as a catalyst for utopian designs of personal-political liberation.
The festival’s Nachwuchs programme is aimed at aspiring musicians, and offers over 40 workshops, talks, and lectures (in German and English) to help people take their next steps in music. It connects 150 young talents from all over the world with artists playing the festival’s live programme and other professionals across the fields of economics, politics and music industry. The hands-on workshops and talks provide personal insights into their work and share their experience on how to live and survive in the music business.
The packed programme is ultimately an embarrassment of riches for fans of new and emerging artists – and we’ve taken a look at our highlights from deeper down the line-up to help you navigate three amazing days in Berlin.
