Electrónica en Abril 2023

Curated for the second year in a row by the Jokkoo collective, Electrónica en Abril is back with the sounds that are revolutionising the genre: electronic dance music that ranges from noise experimentation to cosmic techno and from emo-industrial to the frantic beats of singeli.

Following the same narrative thread while defending very different sound discourses, the artists performing this year in the Auditorium and Courtyard at La Casa Encendida are defined by the diversity of their roots, a strong sound identity and the fascinating singularity of their projects, largely inspired by their native cultures.

The vast musical repertoire features the improvised site-specific noise of Lolo & Sosaku, the Galician futurism of DA ROCHA UM, the abstract, innovative and atypical journey of Hvad’s singular performance, and the re-invention of one of the most traditional sounds of East Africa by Otim Alpha at the family session on Sunday.

Meanwhile, producers Nkisi and Wanton Witch bring hypnotic, mutable sounds to their live sets, using the theme of identity to call for a more Afrocentric and queer sound. Brazilian artist Bartira awakens our collective conscience with performances in which she combines her Bahian roots with immersive frequencies and her voice, placing it all in perspective in the context of digital cultures. The beat speeds up with vocalists like Ecko Bazz and his brutalist Ugandan rap and the hybrid electronic dancehall of London artist Elhesit. The festival ends with Sisso & Maiko, who bring the frantic beat of singeli to the dance floor, channeling the vitality and struggle for life on the fringes of Dar Es Salaam.