Brutus | 19/09 | Conflux Festival

Takkak Takkak is a new duo project by the Berlin-based Japanese screwball producer Shigeru Ishihara (aka Dj Scotch Egg, waqwaq kingdom, scotch rolex) and the Vilnius-based Indonesian junk multi-instrumentalist J. Mo’ong Santoso Pribadi (one half of Raja Kirik). Each artist is known and loved for their solo, idiosyncratic productions. Together they fuse their joyous and challenging sound worlds through a strong mutual interest in each other’s artistic expression. Demdike Stare is one of the most influential acts in experimental and electronic music, consistently pushing the boundaries of sound design and live performance. Known for their deep archival explorations and mastery of sonic manipulation, the duo has long been a fixture in the global avant-garde music scene. First premiered for Berlin Atonal 2024, Demdike Stare's Baselines A/V Live is a bold audiovisual experience that revisits their celluloid roots with a fervently punk attitude toward both sound and visuals. This performance takes physical tape as a starting point, amplifying every blemish, every sign of patina, and every overlooked detail, transforming them into a visceral symphony of distortion and decay. For Conflux Festival 2025, Ukrainian sound artist Khrystyna Kirik and Rotterdam-based visual artist Emma Milašiūtė will collaborate for the first time. They will present a new audiovisual performance based on the theme of Rites of Decay. Khrystyna Kirik is a Ukrainian sound artist and experimental musician from Kyiv specializing in improvisational and performative audio work. She uses voice, found-object instruments, field recordings and electronics to create focused listening experiences. Her work explores sound as a way to sharpen perception and connect with the environment. Emma Milašiūtė is a multimedia artist, audiovisual performer and a spatial designer. Through immersive experiences, Emma challenges sensory awareness and invites visitors on introspective journeys. Via her work featuring the interplay of light (negative) space and visuals she explores the momentary effects that environments have on human perception of self and others. Having played together in the past in different formations, bass clarinetist Bernat Boronat, cellist Lucija Gregov, violinist Christine Cornwell, and electro-acoustician Ruben Kotkamp will for the first time come together as a quartet for a special one-off performance during Rites of Decay. Rooted in improvisation, the group explores the contrast between the earthly and the transcendental, using each artist’s individual practice as a vehicle for friction and convergence.