SONOTOPIA: SUSTAIN & RELEASE

SUSTAIN & RELEASE [SONOTOPIA]

Thursday October 8th 2026
BIOS
Starts 22.00
Free Entrance

Pierre Bastien & Ivanol [live]

An immersive, experimental concert evening to kick off the SONOTOPIA program, featuring the veteran of sustainable “mechanical orchestras” in his first appearance in Athens in more than a decade, followed by an intense noise transmission from the European north.

Pierre Bastien - Live concert

Pierre Bastien builds his own machineries, at the cross between music and visual art that blends live trumpet sounds with screen projections of on-site, mechanical sound sculptures in a very poetic way. His work is described as “a timeless sounding orchestra, both futuristic and slightly dada, conjuring ancient traditions in its surprisingly sensuous music.” Bastien has been called a “mad musical scientist with a celebrity following” by The Guardian. Collaborating in the past with filmmaker Pierrick Sorin, fashion designer Issey Miyake, singer and composer Robert Wyatt and Aphex Twin (who released three of his albums on his label Rephlex) to name a few, he is one of the most influential experimental musicians working in the field. In 1986 he formed his own self made one man orchestra, Mecanium and made over 30 records over the years.

Ivanol - Live concert

Ivanol is following the trends of anti-music. The noise soundscapes do not use melody, harmony or tempo. Subtle sounds of crackles meet brutal attacks of fuzzed bassy noise. The performance is improvised – you never know what you get. Ivanol is based in Copenhagen and is loosely connected to the noise scene around Mayhem and Supernoise. The performance at Supernoise X in 2025 will be released in the fall of 2026.

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SONOTOPIA - The Soundtrack to Bautopia Festival

This years’ seventh edition of ECHN’s annual BAUTOPIA event is the largest to date. It is a culture and creativity festival in the true sense of the word, with numerous programs across different venues, including exhibitions, guided tours, book launches and special activities. It is only logical that it also presents its own music programming, across the venues Bios, Romantso, Latraac and Plex.

Each BAUTOPIA event is co-hosted by one of ECHN's member hubs. Under the title CREATIVE AGENCY: Sustaining Culture & Creativity in the Age of Intelligence, creative hub managers, CCSI stakeholders, artists, creative professionals, students and the general audience will explore sustainability not only from the environmental standpoint, but also the sustainability of creative professions in the face of multiple crises.

This October, our host will be BIOS in Athens, which encompasses several well-known venues and hubs, including Bios itself, Romantso, Plex and Latraac, each offering a different spatial context for exhibiting, performing and learning. With many CCSI professionals converging to Athens for the event, we decided to extend and develop the event’s music program, and give it its own identity under the SONOTOPIA banner.

You can expect four distinct music events, featuring artists from Greece, Switzerland, France, Denmark, the UK and Uganda, from playful experiments and pure noise, over eclectic dance selections, all the way to cutting-edge drum’n’bass, jungle and dubstep plates, rounded up by a party focusing on the sounds of the global south and bringing the vibes of renowned Nyege Nyege Tapes label, which recontextualized contemporary African dance music for the new generations of audiences.

The artists include the meccano master Pierre Bastien, making a comeback to Athens after 15 years since his last performance; Kampire, the lady on the forefront of the Nyege Nyege Tapes global takeover; Binetou, founder and director of Wèrè Wèrè Music which builds Bridges between African contemporary music and the world, and a producer and DJ herself; Klinical, one of the leaders of the new wave of UK bass music; Insomniac, Swiss bass and jungle DJ regularly moving around the European circuit; Ivanol, Chilean-born but Danish-based noise doctor; as well as selected local contributions from the likes of Jay Glass Dubs, K.atou, Adamantios and Cryogenics.

More confirmations are being expected, as well as a safe, easy-listening afternoon refuge at Latraac, for those wishing to move away from the noise and the crowd, and the Craft Club pop-up, in which everyone is invited to dance or chill, but one way or the other - to do some crochet!

A little bit of everything, for everyone!

Individual tickets are available via the bios/Plex website, priced at 10-15 EUR per event. All ECHN members have free entry with their conference pass, while all those who are not part of ECHN and have registered for the free admission to the conference will also need to purchase their individual SONOTOPIA tickets.