Blaues Rauschen

RECAP ANNELIESE BROST MUSIKFORUM RUHR - BOCHUM

Three very special concerts took place in the sold-out “Kleiner Saal” at the Anneliese Brost Musikforum Ruhr in Bochum. We would like to thank the many guests who attended and a big THANK YOU goes to our partner, the Musikschule Bochum and to Rainer Buschmann, who made this possible.

The evening was opened by the duo gamut inc. In „BLACK SQUARE“, they made microtonalities audible through a bubbling, dreamlike organ system, while black-and-white images of architecture and landscape created a contemplative visual counterpart to the music.

In their “Live Coding Improvisation”, Benoît and the Mandelbrots demonstrated just how well live coding can work as a band. The four drew the audience into their digital world full of earth-shaking bass, glitchy sci-fi sounds and non-verbal communication.

In the final act, we witnessed Navid Navab as a conductor of pipes. With „Organism: In Turbulence“, he created a captivating interplay between organ pipes, developing an improvised musical dialogue that moved playfully between the instrument and its individual pipes. With impressive presence and conviction, he produced music that ranged from poignant to playful, from direct to indirect.

This evening was all about finding the small changes, listening carefully, and connecting with code, breath and resonances within the space.

Don’t want to miss BLAUES RAUSCHEN? Get your tickets at blaues-rauschen.ticket.io.

BLAUES RAUSCHEN 2026
📅 MAY 29 - JUNE 12
🎟️ Tickets on our homepage (link in bio)

Music Intro: Compulsive Plucking © Karl-Heinz Blomann

Photos 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11 © Etta Gerdes
Photos 9,12 © WDR/Dirk Borm
Video Footage © Birte Mundhenk, Eckart Waage

RECAP MAKROSCOPE - MÜLHEIM AN DER RUHR

A new day, a new evening of sound and vision. Regardless of the weather, the Makroscope was packed to the brim.

Steffi Weissmann kicked off the exciting evening with “Generation S”. In the microcosm she created, she explored a child’s perspective on life’s big questions through a blend of microsounds, balloons and live microscopy.

Voice x Violin: In “Introducing Pony~”, Lisa Zwinzscher (aka Pony Pracht) and Neasa Ní Bhriain challenged the ownership of their own voices. Chasing and imitating one another amidst playful and heavenly soft sounds creating an intimate atmosphere.

Towards the end of the Night, Dana Schechter x Monocube premiered “Blue Ocean/Black Sea” and explored the beauty of nature, regardless of home. With videography of the ocean and a haunting, rumbling depth, we were left with a sense of longing for connection.

An evening marked by sweat, collaboration and empathy.

Don’t want to miss BLAUES RAUSCHEN? Get your tickets at blaues-rauschen.ticket.io.

BLAUES RAUSCHEN 2026
📅 MAY 29 - JUNE 12
🎟️ Tickets on our homepage (link in bio)

Music Intro: Compulsive Plucking © Karl-Heinz Blomann

Photos © Etta Gerdes
Video Footage © Birte Mundhenk, Eckart Waage

RECAP RABBIT HOLE THEATER & NEUE MUSIK ZENTRALE - ESSEN

On June 5, BLAUES RAUSCHEN took place at the once again packed Rabbit Hole Theater and the Neue Musik Zentrale. Even before the concerts began, there was a bustle of activity and lively conversation.

After SunJeong had to postpone her performance until next year, the evening kicked off with Tarik Haskić. With the deep sound of the organ pipe, “A Cycle of Tunings” resonated on the mist-filled stage. Filling the room with a peaceful atmosphere, building it up only to disrupt it with a modular synth synced to steel wool.

At the NMZ, Stephanie Castonguay presented her performance of “soft_cuts,” bringing together a playful set of repurposed vinyls with captivating basslines and sound snippets. Her joy in performing was simply infectious.

Last but not least, NKISI performed a haunting exploration of “paranormal audio and psychoacoustic recordings.” In “Anomaly Index,” we experienced glitchy synths and captivating drums within a truly powerful atmosphere.

The evening in Essen leaves us with impressions that lie somewhere between tangible material and palpable spirits.

Don’t want to miss BLAUES RAUSCHEN? Get your tickets at blaues-rauschen.ticket.io.

BLAUES RAUSCHEN 2026
📅 MAY 29 - JUNE 12
🎟️ Tickets on our homepage (link in bio)

Music Intro: Compulsive Plucking © Karl-Heinz Blomann

Photos © Etta Gerdes
Video Footage © Birte Mundhenk, Nick Müller, Eckart Waage

RECAP DAY 3 - HERNE

A packed waiting room – not for the train, but for BLAUES RAUSCHEN at the Alter Wartesaal in Herne.

Robin Moedder and Thomas Machoczek presented an intense exploration of climate change. In the tension-filled performance “Amplitude H20,” the soothing sound of splashing water clashed with the overwhelming power of fire, heat, and menacing thunder.

Farzanés juggled dystopian sci-fi sounds in her “Live Human-Computer Improvisation.” Dressed in a long black coat, she guided AI-trained sounds with grace and determination – like a very powerful antihero.

In “State Change,” Molly Joyce combined her eponymous album with an audio-descriptive and disability-inclusive performance practice. Very present basslines met hypnotic, floating vocals and a captive storytelling.

Between climate change, sensor-based performance, and disability aesthetics, we experienced an evening that leaves a lasting impression.

And now we´re on our way to Essen, where „Hearing abnormalities“ are waiting for us with Tarik Haskić, Stephanie Castonguay and NKISI performing at Rabbit Hole Theater and Neue Musik Zentrale.

Don’t want to miss BLAUES RAUSCHEN? Get your tickets at blaues-rauschen.ticket.io.

BLAUES RAUSCHEN 2026
📅 MAY 29 - JUNE 12
🎟️ Tickets on our homepage (link in bio)

Music Intro: Compulsive Plucking © Karl-Heinz Blomann

Photos © WDR/Dirk Borm
Video Footage © Birte Mundhenk, Eckart Waage

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RECAP DAY 2 - DORTMUND

This festival’s first Saturday was all about performing sounds as the result of complex interaction. The day at the storyLAB kiU in Dortmund started off with the lecture talk „Chemical Calls of Care II“.

Like our sense of hearing, our sense of smell cannot be controlled which results in the involuntary reception and interpretation of what we perceive. Looking at consequences for an artistic approach Tim Löhde and Yolanda Uriz Elizalde gave insights into the perception of smell and how different scents may have different sounds.

Later on, Yolanda’s performance „Transitory Presences“ showed the influence of sound to an incense stick. The depth of the bass and the projection of the dying embers drew one into a struggle against extinction.

In “Housewarming II,” Hye Young Sin took us on a journey through the sounds of imitation, recreating two experiences. In her acoustic greenhouse we heard the chirping of birds, the whistling of trains and nature being created by funny little gadgets like recorders or bird wistles filled with water.

TinTin Patrone showed an improvisation, taking the „idiosyncratic“ in her partner very serious. In a humorous, provocative and thought-provoking performance featuring a remote-controlled electric children’s wheelchair, she challenged us not only to reflect on AI but also on our expectations regarding our interpersonal relationships.

A night that challenged expectations on sound and ourselves, and was very intense both physically and atmospherically.

Don’t want to miss BLAUES RAUSCHEN? Get your tickets at blaues-rauschen.ticket.io.

BLAUES RAUSCHEN 2026
📅 MAY 29 - JUNE 12
🎟️ Tickets on our homepage (link in bio)

Music Intro: Compulsive Plucking © Karl-Heinz Blomann

Carousel Photos 1,4,6,7,8,9 © Dirk Borm
Carousel Photo 2 © Jonas Porombka
Carousel Photos 3,5 © Eckart Waage

Video Footage © Birte Mundhenk, Eckart Waage

RECAP DAY 1 - FESTIVAL OPENING

For the 3rd time, Essen’s Szene 10 provided a welcoming venue for the opening of the BLAUES RAUSCHEN festival.
The evening started with opening remarks by Artistic Director Karl-Heinz Blomann, Essen’s Alderman for Culture, Muchtar Al Ghusain, Birgit Neyer, Deputy Chair of the LWL Cultural Foundation and Markus Heuger, editor at WDR 3 radio.

Infront of a full audience, Basak Günak then presented her earth-shaking performance of “Rewilding”: jarring basslines, pulsating synths and nature sounds that sparked a utopian fantasy in the heart of the Ruhrpott.

Christian Rosales Fonseca took us on a journey into the question of colonial heritage. Earth, sticks, leaves and an illuminated drum. Traditional objects met imitations of video recordings, culminating in a fusion of past and present.

Nadia Struiwigh dedicated her new album IKIGAI to her late father. Poignantly, she weaved her way through playful, mystical, and questioning sounds in memory.

An acoustically deep, diverse and emotionally charged start that has us looking forward to the upcoming events.
Don’t want to miss BLAUES RAUSCHEN? Get your tickets at blaues-rauschen.ticket.io.

BLAUES RAUSCHEN 2026
📅 MAY 29 - JUNE 12
🎟️ Tickets on our homepage (link in bio)

Music Intro: Compulsive Plucking © Karl-Heinz Blomann

Photos © Etta Gerdes
Video Footage © Birte Mundhenk, Nick Müller, Eckart Waage