May 8 – 11 · Lyon
From 8 to 11 May, Nuits sonores and European Lab are back with their discourse’ programme Nuits sonores Lab under the theme “Sketching out the future”.
Workshops, talks, listening sessions, interviews, artistic formats, a focus on European community radios – for 4 days, artists, labels, collectives, festivals, media and thinkers from Europe’s independent cultural sphere will offer perspectives and formulate responses to issues faced by contemporary scenes.
Edito
As it enters its third decade, Nuits Sonores, in collaboration with European Lab, is proud to present its programme of idea debates, Nuits Sonores Lab. This year’s edition will feature fresh venues and formats built around a central theme: “Sketching out the future”. By questioning the future trajectory of music and independent scenes, the festival will challenge the social role of artists, actors and actresses in the European cultural sector. It is a programme delivered from the perspective of “taking action together” (connection of initiatives) and discovering new aesthetics.
Nuits Sonores Lab will imagine the club culture of tomorrow: what will our raves look like in 30 years’ time? What role(s) does the European independent music sector intend to play in a tense political and social context? A day of events will also be dedicated to the climate emergency: how can we continue to develop artistic projects in an era of extreme weather phenomena? Lastly, in the age of artificial intelligence – from machine learning to DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) – how can we understand the digital (r)evolutions at work within the independent music landscape? And how can a festival reflect these changes?
Across these three themes, artists, labels, collectives, festivals, socially engaged online radio stations, media platforms, thinkers and committed collectives from the European independent cultural sphere will offer perspectives and formulate responses to these issues over the course of four days of events in Lyon. Just like a traditional laboratory, Nuits Sonores Lab tests hypotheses, putting them to the test in the field through these contemporary artistic scenes and their communities. The Lab thereby serves as a way for the festival to open a space for discussions, to give a voice to new generations and to promote more open, horizontal and plural forms of action and collaboration.
10:30 – 12:30
Workshop
• Cycling to Festivals: What are the Best Practices?
Hôtel71 · Salle de formation
Registering is mandatory (free)
Are you ready for the adventure of cycling to a festival? This workshop will provide you with the tips and secrets of a successful cycling experience. In this workshop, the Graines électroniques team, passionate about dance, cycling and ecology, will present the roadmap and tools you need to prepare your cycling trip before going to a festival. What are the main stages in planning your journey? How do you conserve energy? What equipment is essential and where can you find it? As well as practical advice, get into the action by trying out different equipment, panniers and trailers, for all levels.
The workshop will be held in French.
With:
Graines Electroniques
10:30 – 12:30
Workshop • Design or Disaster: how to Make a Sustainable Touring Model of the Dance Music Industry?
Hôtel71 · Plateau médias
Registering is mandatory (free)
The dance music industry currently relies on a touring model that is heavily dependent on flying. However, a wider reckoning of the environmental and societal impacts of the aviation industry, increases in ticket prices, climate catastrophes impacting transport infrastructure and a growing conversation of the mental health issues related to hyper-mobility, call this model into question. This workshop aims to facilitate conversations around ways in which all protagonists of our dance music cultures could work together towards more sustainable alternatives and dream up fairer futures.
The workshop will be held in English.
With:
Nono Gigsta (Cashmere Radio I DE)
10:30 – 12:30
Workshop • Human-Machine Interaction: Creating DIY Machines for Live Music Performance
H7 · Salle de créativité
Registering is mandatory
This workshop is designed for anyone wishing to deepen their control abilities over the human-machine interface in electronic music: how to create DIY controllers adapted to the specific needs of each musician, using cheap and/or recycled materials? How to route them in Max4live and assign them to different functionalities? How to easily synchronize two computers and exchange data for live performances? How to program Opensource synthesizers via Csound, and control them with all types of sensors? Finally, how does the synthesis of all these elements allow for more flexibility and creativity in the use of electroacoustic music production tools in general?
Workshop will be help in French.
With:
Félix Lacquement (CNSMD I FR)
Lucien Basdevant (CNSMD I FR)
14:30 – 16:00
Talk • Festivals and Cultural Activities in the Time of Extreme Weather
Free, registering is recommended
Can we keep on dancing in a world on fire? As climate change intensifies and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, significant challenges are posed to festivals—and more broadly to the entire cultural scene. How can organizers adapt to such changes? What measures should be put in place in this context to ensure the mental health of artists, festival-goers, and audiences of such cultural events? How to envision the future of cultural and artistic activities in a world subjected to these extreme weather phenomena? By giving voice to one of the organisers of the Italian festival Terraforma—an event putting environmental sustainability as one of its priority—as well as to the artist and theorist Gigsta who ≠reflects on the links between the music industry and social justice, this exchange aims to explore strategies for managing and adapting to these challenges for the entire contemporary cultural scene.
The talk will be held in English.
With:
Nono Gigsta (Cashmere Radio I DE)
Mariavittoria Perrone (Terraforma I IT)
Philip Sherburne (Journaliste I US)
In cooperation with TIMES (The Independent Movement for Electronic Scenes)
16:30 – 22:30
A Conversation with
Grandes Locos
Accessible with a ticket for Day 1
On the Amphitheater Stage of the Days, a journalist will welcome music personalities and artists from the lineup to discuss their artistic practices and future of music.
Conversations will be held in English.
With:
Del4raa (Deephousetehran I IR)
Geopoet (Deephousetehran I IR)
RHR (Tijolo Records | BR)
Moderation: David Bola (Journaliste I FR)
16:30 – 20:00
Radio Lab with Gasoline Radio (Kyiv I UA)
Grandes Locos
Accessible with a ticket for Day 1
Community radio initiated by a group of friends in the aftermath of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, Gasoline Radio is invited for a takeover format on Radio Lab on Wednesday, May 8th. For the occasion, the Kyiv-based webradio dedicates its program to the links between the climate crisis and the artistic scene. Listening session around field recording conceived as a means of archiving and understanding our environment, discussions on the role of sound in preserving declining ecosystems, exchange on the ‘ecocide’ notion or about the carbon footprint of festivals… Gasoline Radio gives the floor to a diversity of speakers to examine the role of artistic scenes in facing climate challenges.
Conversations will be held in English.
16:30-17:20 | Listening Session—Field Recordings as a Means of Archiving and Understanding our Environment
Moderation: Olha Udovenko (Gasoline Radio, UA)
Gasoline Radio’s exploratory project about the Folklore of the Hutsul region, resulted in a documentary as well as an album and ambient sound recordings. Moderated by the Gasoline member Olha Udovenko, the Listening Session highlights Gasoline’s project “Heritage” and investigates how sound, and especially field recordings can be a strategy to preserve heritage.
17:20-18:10 Ecological Intervention through Multidisciplinary Art and Media tools: The Role of Sound in Ecosystem Preservation
With:
Yuliia Shumishyna (Biorhythm, UA)
Vlady Che (ϙue I UA)
Moderation: Olha Udovenko (Gasoline Radio, UA)
How can culture represent a new entry to questions of ecology? This panel will illuminate how multidisciplinary arts and media tools can play a role in the mediation around the preservation of our ecosystem.
18:10-19:00 | Ecocide: How to Mitigate the Ecological Consequences of War
With:
Vira I dd/mm/yy (UA)
Moderation: Olha Udovenko (Gasoline Radio, UA)
We may rebuild cities, but we may never fully mitigate the ecological consequences of war. We often consider the harm caused by war in terms of lost lives and destroyed cities, and neglect the immense damages that warfare also inflicts on our environment. The Ukrainian origin, and now Lisbon based collective Vira I dd/mm/yy that works to minimize and pursue the damages that the Russian warfare has on the Ukrainian environment, will intervene for this discussion.
19:00-20:00 | No Festivals on a Dead Planet: Strategies for Sustainable Events
With:
Andrii Yankovskiy (Cultural player I UA)
Moderation: Olha Udovenko (Gasoline Radio, UA)
Through a focus on the impact that festivals can have on their environment, we will aim for new strategies to design less impactful events. Might the trend toward daytime outdoor events overtaking nighttime clubbing be one element of our solution ? How can we be more considerate “guests” of nature while organizing events outside ?
10:30 – 12:30
Workshop • General consultation: imagining the club of the future with Au-delà du club
H7 · Salle de créativité
Registering is mandatory (free)
Facilitated by professionals in club culture such as Au-delà du club, this public consultation invites amateurs and professionals to reflect together on the future of club culture, with an anticipatory dimension (design fiction): what will happen to our raves under a far-right government? What care for the future of club culture? This workshop aims to continue the reflection initiated within the framework of the 10th anniversary of Le Sucre club.
The workshop will be held in French.
With:
Au-delà du club
10:30 – 12:30
Workshop • Broadcast Workshop with Resident Advisor
Hôtel71 · Salle de formation
Registering is mandatory (free).
In this two-hour workshop, participants will join Resident Advisor‘s Senior Producer, Chloe Lula, to learn about how to make a podcast in a media environment that increasingly favors multimedia formats. They will learn the basics of audio production and editing for broadcast, as well as how to come up with a compelling story for the air and write a podcast script. By the end of the workshop, participants should have a working understanding of how to put together a podcast themselves. Resident Advisor will also partner with a local community radio station to air one episode that comes from this workshop.
Participants should come equipped with a topic they would like to explore in a podcast that will be discussed during the workshop.
The workshop will be held in English.
With:
Chloe Lula (Resident Advisor, US / DE)
10:30 – 12:30
Ascolto • Independent Community Radio Summit #2
Hôtel71 · ERP
Applying is mandatory (free).
As part of Nuits sonores Lab 2024, the Reset! network welcomes in Lyon different community radios to reflect on the future of the medium and to provide a common platform for cultural exchange around radio formats.
10:30 – 11:15: Introduction, Agenda & Objectives
11h15 – 12:30: Radio speed-meeting, getting to know each others
Workshops will be held in English.
14:00 – 18:00
Ascolto • Independent Community Radio Summit #2
Hôtel71 · ERP
Applying is mandatory (free).
As part of Nuits sonores Lab 2024, the Reset! network welcomes in Lyon different community radios to reflect on the future of the medium and to provide a common platform for cultural exchange around radio formats.
14:00 – 18:00: Building a Radio Network
Workshops will be held in English.
14:30 – 16:00
Talk • Boomrang
Independent European Scenes Under Pressure
Registering is recommended (free)
In Slovakia, the new Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová recently announced the cessation of funding to cultural organisations offering spaces for expression to queer cultures, such as the Kunsthalle in Bratislava. A member of the Slovak People’s Party that came to power in October 2023, the Minister embodies the drifts of the government of Robert Fico, openly homophobic and pro-Russian. In Italy, the national-conservative right-wing government is also investing in the cultural sphere, with its Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano calling for the development of a ‘new Italian imaginary.’ Also in the crosshairs of Giorgia Meloni: public broadcasting, which she seeks to control entirely in the cultural war she has initiated since her election. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán’s illiberal drifts against the cultural landscape are more extensively documented, including the gradual extinction of independent media, repeated attacks against minorities, or the glorification of a national cultural narrative—Hungary being the European Union country proportionally allocating the highest percentage of its GDP to culture, as highlighted by the French author Antoine Pecqueur. Faced with these declarations of war against independent cultural scenes, how can resistance be expressed? In Budapest, actors from the artistic sector or young activists like Lili Pankotai lead the charge and raise awareness about the abuses of power in place. In Slovakia, networks of independent venues such as Anténa sound the alarm. The European network Reset! also aligns with this momentum and intends to offer a platform in support of these alternatives. How can one stand firm in this declared cultural war by an increasing number of regimes across Europe?
The talk will be held in English
With:
Lili Pankotai (Activist, HU)
Antoine Pecqueur (Journalist I FR)
Ľudovít Nápoký (Anténa I SK)
Moderated by: Manon Moulin (Reset! network, FR)
In partnership with Reset! network
16:30 – 20:00
Radio Lab with Stegi Radio • Grandes Locos
Accessible with a ticket for Day 2
As part of Nuits sonores Lab 2024, Greek community radio Stegi Radio program will investigate the ways in which the music and culture of the so-called ‘periphery’ have historically informed European culture, even when the subjects of the periphery have been deprived of representation in the mainstream narratives. Listening sessions featuring Greek artists like Tasos Stamou and the Entropia records label, and in-depth discussions with Deena Abdelwahed and professionals from cultural venues, will initiate a discourse that extends beyond European borders, unearthing new connections and hidden stories between genres and cultures.
Discussions will be held in English.
16.30 – 17.30 | Entropia Records Listening Session – Balkans & The Mediterranean: Unearthing Sonic Connections
Exploring the cultural collage, connections & movement in music throughout the Balkan and Mediterranean territories. Sometimes western-influenced, others oriental, hardly homogenous. A hand picked selection of vinyl records that fuses instruments, traditions, geography and evolution in the music industry.
17.30 – 18.15 | European Cultural Spaces Conversations
A discussion centered around understanding the role of European cultural venues/spaces (concerts hall, clubs, theaters, whether they are institutions or not) in addressing contemporary challenges in Europe, how they should rethink their models to tackle climate crisis, be more inclusive, reconnect with artistic communities which are often forgotten, and reflect on how such spaces manage (or not) to talk about ‘Europe’.
18.15 – 19.15 | Tasos Stamou Listening Session – Transcendental Folktronica from the Balkans
A listening session of original tracks and remixes compiled by “Future Folk” producer Tasos Stamou from his collection of Balkan folktronica, featuring vintage recordings with a unique and creative use of electronic gear, which coincidentally (or not) have a strong affiliation to avant-garde electronics from the west from the same period.
19.15 – 20.00 | A conversation between Deena Abdelwahed and Yannis-Orestis Papadimitriou
16:30 – 22:30
A conversation with • Grandes Locos
Accessible with a ticket for Day 2.
Chaque jour sur la scène Amphithéâtre des Days, un·e journaliste accueillera des personnalités de la musique et des artistes de la programmation pour discuter de leurs pratiques artistiques et du futur de la musique.
Les discussions se dérouleront en anglais.
With:
A conversation with Anetha (Mama told ya | FR)
Together, Somehow – A conversation with Luis Manuel Garcia-Mispireta (Chercheur & DJ | DE)
Uncancelling the future: a conversation with ABADIR
Moderation : Chloé Lula (Resident Advisor, US / DE)
10:30 – 12:30
Workshop • Humanising Artificial Intelligence with Ecology of Care
H7 · Salle de créativité
Registering is mandatory (free)
In this workshop, we will explore the various facets of artificial intelligence through a humanistic and accessibility lens. Starting with our individual and personal relationship to AI, we will then take a look at larger socio-political points of view; collectively examining our relationships to these technologies that are still nascent, but are already omnipresent in our daily lives. From here, we’ll dive into the positive and negative aspects that come with the tech sector’s unregulated exponential growth: What can be doone with AI? As creatives, artists, and music lovers, what are the exciting possibilities coming with it? What are the risks? What are the boundaries we need to put in place for our various safety needs? And finally, how do we define a more ideal future; breaking down the steps required to move towards a reality of empowerment and collective hope?
This workshop will be held in English.
With:
Ecology of Care (Neuroqueer collective, EU/US)
10:30 – 12:30
Workshop • Radio Against The Clock with Ondorphine
Hôtel71 · Salle de formation
Registering is mandatory (free).
During this DIY radio workshop, participants will learn and create short radio shows on themes related to the Nuits sonores Lab theme Sketching Out The Future. In a pedagogical, playful, and offbeat approach, participants, divided into small groups of 2 to 4 people, will be encouraged to address the subjects in a completely free manner. Each group will then take turns in a production area led by one of the collective members (voice recording area, sound design area, sound recording area…), in a style similar to “radio speed making”. To conclude, the creations of the different groups will be gathered on a website created for the occasion by the collective, and/or presented within the framework of a live mini-show hosted by the collective and the participants.
This workshop will be held in French.
With:
Ondorphine
10:30 – 12:30
Ascolto • Independent Community Radio Summit #2
Hôtel71 · ERP
Applying is mandatory (free).
As part of Nuits sonores Lab 2024, the Reset! network welcomes in Lyon different community radios to reflect on the future of the medium and to provide a common platform for cultural exchange around radio formats.
10:30 – 11:15: Advocacy for Community Radio
11h15 – 12:30: A Study for Community Radio?
Workshops will be held in English.
14:00 – 18:00
Ascolto • Independent Community Radio Summit #2
Hôtel71 · ERP
Applying is mandatory (free).
As part of Nuits sonores Lab 2024, the Reset! network welcomes in Lyon different community radios to reflect on the future of the medium and to provide a common platform for cultural exchange around radio formats.
14:00 – 18:00: The next Creative Europe Application
Workshops will be held in English.
14:30 – 16:00
Talk • Festivals and Cultural Activities in the Time of Extreme Weather
Maison de l’environnement
Free, registering is recommended
Can we keep on dancing in a world on fire? As climate change intensifies and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, significant challenges are posed to festivals—and more broadly to the entire cultural scene. How can organizers adapt to such changes? What measures should be put in place in this context to ensure the mental health of artists, festival-goers, and audiences of such cultural events? How to envision the future of cultural and artistic activities in a world subjected to these extreme weather phenomena? By giving voice to one of the organisers of the Italian festival Terraforma—an event putting environmental sustainability as one of its priority—as well as to the artist and theorist Gigsta who reflects on the links between the music industry and social justice, this exchange aims to explore strategies for managing and adapting to these challenges for the entire contemporary cultural scene.
This talk will be held in English.
With:
Griigg (CLMxGUN, FR)
Max Tiel (Open Culture Tech, NL)
DVS1 (Aslice, US)
Moderation : Lisa Blanning (author, US)
16:30 – 17:30
Performance • WIFI GRATUIT by Les Acousmaflics
Périscope
Free, registering is recommended
Connected performance between live electronic music and video, and blending various DIY machines, the CNSMD students offer us to surf the web through synthesizers and guitar/bass loopers.
With:
Les Acousmaflics (Collectif I FR)
16:30 – 22:30
A conversation with • Grandes Locos
Accessible with a ticket for Day 3
On the Amphitheater Stage of the Days, a journalist will welcome music personalities and artists from the lineup to discuss their artistic practices and future of music.
Talks will be held in English.
With:
Yuliia Shumishyna (Biorhythm, UA)
Modération : Richard Akingbehin (Refuge Worldwide, UK / DE)
16:30 – 20:00
Radio Lab with Cashmere Radio • Grandes Locos
Accessible with a ticket for Day 3.
Cashmere radio will explore the diversity and impact of independent radio from a variety of perspectives. From industrial sound collages to the stories of radio pioneers, poetry and listening sessions, the different formats invite artists and cultural players to reflect on the relationship between music and technology.
Talks will be held in English
16:30 – 17:00: Introduction: Independent Radio as Social Sculpture
17:00 – 17:30: Ross Alexander: track_refractive (28’ 01”) – collaged sonics of the Grandes Locos
17:00 – 17:30: Heroines Of Radio – a history of female radio pioneers with Zuri Maria Daiß and Eleni Poulou:
18:30 – 18:40: Meander Into the Ear w/Eleni Poulou: poetry as an ancient technology paving a way to the future
18:40 – 19:00: test:pattern_ w/ Ross Alexander – the art and sound of Ryoji Ikeda
19:00-20:00: Listening session with Rắn Cạp Đuôi
16:30 – 20:30
Radio Lab with Ondorphine
Grandes Locos
Blending poetry, history, and cultural exploration, Ondorphine embarks on the train of daydreaming. Where do free and pirate radios originate? What stories do Lyon’s alternative music scenes tell? Techno-critical, ecological, and political, Ondorphine will invite speakers, artists, and audiences to reflect on the future of club culture by exploring past initiatives.
Talks will be held in French.
16:30 – 16:45 : Ondorphine-express: boarding now
16h45 – 17h15 : History of the Mulatière technicentre
17:15 – 18.15 : Temporary Autonomous Zones: Do It Yourself practices in Lyon and on the airwaves
18.15 – 19.15 : Livecoding & Open Source, interview with Raphaël Forment aka BuboBubo [Cookie Collective/TOPLAB]
19.15 – 20.00 : Rêve ta rave: the party of the future
10:30 – 12:30
A conversation with • Grandes Locos
Accessible with a ticket for Day 4
On the Amphitheater Stage of the Days, a journalist will welcome music personalities and artists from the lineup to discuss their artistic practices and future of music.
Talks will be held in English.
With:
Ikonika ( (Hyperdub, Night Slugs | UK)
Ale Hop & Laura Robles (Buh Records I DE & PE)
Moderation : Emilie Bick (The Wire, UK)
