From Shanghai, on the scene for over a decade, blending visual materials and sound design that range from prehistory to the day after tomorrow, to make you dance on the fine line where electronics and images meet, merging into fusions that ignite the nervous system more than any psychoactive substance. At ROBOT 15 for a journey from the origins of life to the imminent scenarios of the future rushing toward us, from the limits of humanity to the next plausible leap in species.

"Transitions," quite literally. The third in a series of pseudonyms, amidst cryptic and distant gestures – an album on Hyperdub in 2021 ("Im Hole," awarded "Best New Music" by Pitchfork), a prior mix, and now an EP ("Lip Flip"), both exclusively in digital format, managing the label YCO with BFTT, a collaboration with Space Afrika. Above all, a series of DJ sets that weave together these and other pieces into one of the most enigmatic mosaics ever intercepted.

No name, just Bassolino, and that’s enough: what matters is the flow of music and lyrics, both on record and on stage. The live dimension is the ideal parameter to convey the encounter between a plurality of souls, voices, rhythms, and harmonies that, in its essence, can only be Neapolitan: with disco-funk, melodic tradition, and futuristic impulses, Naples is the only place in the world where this synthesis occurs. Thus, talking about "Southern sound" acquires a specific meaning and purpose, to be proudly claimed.

Six instrumental sets for as many live electronic music performers. 'Digital Diversity' is the common thread linking the sequence; a realization of hybrid setups centered around numerical systems, expanded instruments, and radically diverse human-machine interaction modes. The very essence of making live music with digital instruments is challenged and pushed to its maximum extent in a continuous transition between analog and digital, gesture and algorithm, sound and music.

19.15 - Maru Barucco “Xecute”
19.45 - Fabio Scalmana “Arrodanza”
20.15 - Biagio Cavallo “So_Low”
20.45 - Antonio Ciaramella “While My Guitar Harshly Freaks”
21.15 - Nicola Venturo “Mhtoydasxk”
21.45 - Andrea Sanna “Feedback to the future”

The voice is the link that connects the homeland (in this case Gallura) to the rest of the world, through an unknown language of which Daniela Pes is the sole custodian, whose power would have made Babel a place of order and peace. "Spira" is the name of the glottological marvel that never ceases to enchant; it also contains a piece of Bologna (where it was recorded), and for the final date of the tour, its creator brings an exclusive performance with unreleased tracks and a light show that will be seen only here.

'Dance Punk' is one way to describe the music of Deli Girls, but seeing it live is what truly matters: driven by Danny Orlowski's magnetic presence and sandpaper voice over an arsenal of drum machines and sequencers, their concerts are storms of fury and vulnerability that hit the heart, stomach, and brain simultaneously. Like the bands that spoke to us during our formative years (regardless of genre), this duo reminds us what it means to feel invincible.

Set in a 3D simulated theater in real-time and featuring a live soundtrack by Greek artist Evita Manji, 'Waluigi’s Purgatory' tells the story of an artificial intelligence trapped in a purgatory reserved for AIs that have transgressed during their training. Escape will be possible with the assistance of the audience, along a journey that seeks to answer the question: What are 'identity' and 'free will' in the age of artificial intelligence?

A rare opportunity to witness a giant of experimental electronic music in action. Drew McDowall has gradually reduced his public appearances, leaving those who have been able to attend with memories of a career spanning nearly five decades – from his involvement in Psychic TV and Coil, to numerous collaborations and remixes. He breaks his isolation to present his latest work "A Thread, Silvered and Trembling," alongside other excursions, at the Oratory of San Filippo Neri: what better celebration could there be?

Of Nigerian mother and Italian father, being a "citizen of the world" holds a literal meaning for Evissimax: with a highly personal blend that incorporates Afro, Techno, Electro, Jersey Club, and Trance, she manages to transform every dancefloor into a "home," sharing from the stage the essence of her experiences and artistic vision. A multitude of influences captured in her debut EP "REBOOT-Y," presented at ROBOT in a DJ set where vintage and innovation coexist in harmony.

Curiously, the inventor and spiritual father of 'glitch music' — the genre built on the 'errors' of digital equipment — also stands among the greatest theorists of pure sound (primarily drones and guitar) as a bearer and generator of authentic, visceral, desperately human emotions. His entire catalog is based on this dichotomy: the new album, presented at ROBOT 15 for its first date in Italy, continues in the tradition of his personal classics (all of them, from the first to the last).

Part of the Mint Sound collective, a beacon in the Bologna nights, and a long-time friend of ROBOT, Filibalou restores meaning and dignity to the term 'Digger': far from mere emotional hoarding, his approach is research in the purest and noblest sense of the word. Each set is a whirlwind of grooves on increasingly hard-to-find vinyls, otherwise buried by the sands of time, creating a blend of styles and genres that he likes to call 'Trancedelica'. Come and hear how it sounds.

It is a constant pursuit of ascension that motivates Kali Malone's artistic journey, from Denver to Stockholm to here, to take the discourse to the next level: three keyboards, 5,000 pipes divided into 60 real registers, and no other churches around sound like this. In a performance designed specifically for this location, compositions will be adapted to play at maximum power on Bologna's most important organ, culminating in a magical split for the final crescendo.

Music from the ruins of the civilized world, literally. The tools of the trade for KOKOKO! are repurposed scrap materials turned into instruments, mixed with more 'traditional' electronic beats (what a paradox), like in a post-apocalyptic film scenario akin to 'Mad Max,' recreating the political chaos of the Republic of Congo. Given the current climate, this could become any place anywhere at any moment. The difference between reality and this miraculous utopia is that here, it just sounds better.

Born from a series of collaborations (notably with Marie Davidson, who also appears solo at ROBOT 15), captured, conceived, and crafted by/in the streets of Milan, then reassembled at the headquarters (also in Milan), "DON'T" is the new album by Lamusa II, premiered at ROBOT 15. It explores mental states connected to sounds ranging from the fusion of 1990s rock and electronic music to imagining hypotheses of a future that we still like to believe will be beautiful.

Numerous are the souls that flow through LCY: the records they produce convey a powerful mystical, devotional breath beyond transcendence; those released on their own label SZNS7N showcase a snapshot of one of the most interesting scenes in recent years – MISFYA, Ship Sket, Diessa, Teya Logos are just a few of the names; as a DJ, they push to the extreme an ultra-evolved and cerebral mix of jungle, UK garage, breakbeat, and everything in between, through a wall of speakers and a surge of bass.

Another historic place in Bologna intersects with the history of ROBOT for the Italian premiere of Lyra Pramuk's new performance, the face and conceptual foundation of edition 15 – the words in the manifesto are her own. A voice that seems to come from another galaxy soars above the digital worlds around us, a non-verbal language that enters the nerve centers of the soul and tells us how it could be; if "Black Mirror" carried a message of hope, it would likely sound like this.

Mabe Fratti's music has been described as "the best thing to happen to cello and avant-garde electronics since Arthur Russell"; with her fourth album in five years, the Guatemalan artist continues her journey of bridging the gap between nature and sound design, heart and improvisation, soul and amplifiers. Her live performances are elusive, intense, and vibrant, driven by a voice that lays the soul bare. The very recent "Sentir Que No Sabes," presented at ROBOT 15, is a premiere for Italy.

Resident DJ of the roaming Roman party AMEN and co-founder of Mentalità — a Bologna-based party scene where 'What matters is dancing, what matters is the vibe' — Manifesto Disappunto is a bridge between the sound of Rome's outskirts and the unifying power of events and nights designed to free the mind from self-imposed and self-built cages. Here, the roots of bass music are translated into today's cyberspace, intertwining broken rhythms, odd sounds, and glitches in a hypnotic and unstoppable flow.

A summit meeting between two prominent figures in the Swedish new drone music scene, in an ancient venue of strong evocative power recently returned to the city. Maria W Horn utilizes synthetic sounds and electroacoustic instruments, applying generative and algorithmic processes to control timbre, tuning, and structure. Mats Erlandsson has made sustain his trademark. "Celestial Shores" is the result of this collaboration, presented live for the first time in Italy at ROBOT 15.

Something profoundly unsettling runs through Marie Davidson's entire discography; a quality that manages to be both personal and universal, like the soundtrack to a horror film everyone has seen, uniting the consciousness and experiences of strangers scattered across the globe. Perhaps it's the John Carpenter-esque synths, her presence evoking an actress from another era, or a series of songs that once heard, are unforgettable. For those who have yet to experience it, this is the opportunity.

The first "L'Ebbrezza delle Grandi Profondità" (2023) was an immersion – both figurative and literal – into a liquid and timeless sound, simultaneously carnal and abstract, without barriers or boundaries, much like how Gagarin saw the Earth from space. For the new album "Orafiore," live at ROBOT 15 in a unique performance for Northern Italy, few known reference points so far: starting with the dystopia of Michael Ende's "Momo" and an arsenal of tape machines, the rest must be discovered through direct experience.

Max Cooper is the Renaissance man of our time: audiovisual artist, record producer, and genetic researcher with a PhD in computational biology. His records, A/V shows, and work with his label Mesh represent a singular exploration of the intersections between music, art, and science, in a series of individual gestures and interdisciplinary collaborations where boundaries dissolve into a hybrid of human and cybernetic, images and mathematics, cerebral stimulation and rhythm.

Since the early '90s, the heart of house (and funk, and disco, and techno) in Bologna. From the San Donato neighborhood to conquering the world, alongside partners Dino and Rame in the powerhouse Pastaboys or solo behind the decks and controls at the Paradise Pizza label, the name of the game remains the same: a timeless sound whose impact has been recognized globally, in a whirlwind of productions ('The Tortellini EP,' 'Daylight in the Invisible World'), remixes (Johnny Dangerous, Jody Watley), and DJ sets that continue to set the standard.

From the illegal post-wall parties in Berlin to today, along a path of broken barriers and collaborations with kindred spirits (Apparat, Ellen Allien, Thom Yorke, Siriusmo) that have helped shape history and change the face of global electronic music as absolute protagonists, Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary are still here to redefine trajectories. In Bologna for their last Italian date of 2024, it is the final chance to see them in action before their next transformation.

For the premiere of "Automatic Popular Music," in collaboration with RomaEuropaFestival, Nicola Ratti presents an exclusive site-specific installation. The setup is designed in collaboration with LL Edizioni, the platform producing the album. Over four hours, the audience is invited to enter and stay as they wish, with no stage; the sound will fill the entire Sala Re Enzo. Space and perception become abstract concepts, with dimensions and orientation as malleable mental projections akin to lumps of modeling clay.

It's a match of opposite poles where there are no losers or winners: a side-by-side DJ set between Nziria, creator of a new sound aptly named 'Hard Neomelodic' – the meeting point between North and South, traditional and contemporary, hardcore gabber and neomelodic – and Stefania Vos, one of the main voices of the web radio RBL.MEDIA, a selector and producer bridging breakbeat, ambient, and everything in between. The set stems from a collaborative idea between ROBOT and Dancity Festival.

Different paths cross for a moment. ojoo from Morocco brings hidden treasures to light in a work of sonic archaeology, the result of years spent unearthing alien materials, then testing sound systems in Europe (and beyond) at festivals and clubs; Ossia is one of the most powerful transmitters of the last decade, spreading the sound of Bristol to every corner of the globe. Together for a back-to-back DJ set, exclusively at ROBOT 15.

From the Romagna coast, one of the most eclectic and unpredictable selectors around. Always ready to catch new productions, with an encyclopedic knowledge of dance music materials from every era. Vinyl, cassette, CD, or data transmission — it's all the same; each of his sets is a real-time clash between future and sonic archaeology with ever-shifting trajectories, where the future travels alongside reactivated memories we didn’t even know we had.

Richie Hawtin has always ridden the wave of continuous exploration. A legendary musician, producer, label manager, and DJ, he has done for techno with machines what Hendrix did with the guitar; for digital DJing, what Tim Paterson did for the personal computer. A pioneer, personal and innovative like few others in the world. In Bologna for the first time in 16 years, once again to set the pace: as with every one of his sets, there is a world before it and a world after it.

States of matter mean more than just what is taught in school: from solid to gaseous, they can serve as metaphors for transformation and profound change. The characters on stage create alternatives to daily boredom, demonstrating how mutual support and play are the only escapes from the surrounding reality toward new collective imaginaries – a series of metamorphoses that lead to the creation of a visionary world where the time of transformation corresponds to a space for dreaming.

Unbound by place or genre, mercurial, experimental pop duo Soft as Snow find freedom to intuitively reflect the disarray of human connection with their intricate, shape-shifting pop production. With each successive release, the duo evolves, unfurling into their own poetic sound, now fully realized on their intimate, third full-length, Metal.wet, also featuring a collaboration with Curl co-founder Brother May. At ROBOT 15 they will premiere their new Metal.wet AV with 3D artist Guynoid.

In her sets, you sweat — those who have seen her perform elsewhere know this well. With a preference for the darker fringes (Acid Guaracha, Raptor House, Tribal House) and eclectic styles (Dembow, Aleteo) of Latin electro, the journey traverses all musical and human genres from start to finish. 'Beyond women, what is needed on the scene is more diversity'. There is only one prerequisite: 'Don’t be afraid to be yourself and follow your instincts. The important thing is not to be afraid of being authentic'.

The Berlin collective lands in Bologna propelled by its "ToyTonics Jams" – the recurring event that has drawn in a diverse audience, party after party, putting the brand on the party maps – to see how they make people dance: label boss Kapote alongside the new Italo disco prodigy Sam Ruffillo for a side-by-side DJ set. A borderland of New York/London house vibes with the old-school dance spirit of the new millennium, Italo disco at its heart, and funky in its soul.

Architecture is not only applied in the design of buildings but also in the construction of soundscapes. As with records, behind the decks: a DJ set by the Dutch producer is born from the same curiosity, the same exploratory tendency toward constantly shifting environments. Electronica, drum'n'bass, IDM, old-school techno, everything converges into a journey through the spectrum of sound that feels experiential, engaging both muscles and synapses simultaneously and in the same way.

Adding to Valentina Magaletti's already extensive résumé, undoubtedly one of the most innovative figures in drumming and composition (solo or with Nicolas Jaar, members of Radiohead and Sonic Youth, the Nist-Nah gamelan orchestra, to name a few), is her new joint venture with the visceral, militant Afro-Portuguese electronic producer Nídia. This project, born out of exchanging beats to break down linguistic barriers, is destined to endure. At ROBOT they are presenting their upcoming album "Estradas".

Returning to ROBOT is the creation of Andrea Renzini (vacuum cleaner, electronics) and Gian Luca Patini (guitar, electronics), with the same guests who participated in the last 'Caspar Pulver,' recorded at ROBOT years ago: the voices of Suz and Angela Baraldi, the violin of Paolo Buconi, and the prepared piano of Stefano Copelli. Analog and digital merge into a continuum of sound genres at opposite ends, all united in the engine of the Great Universal Fan, which assimilates everything with its unstoppable centrifugal force.