‘Unsound Brussels Day 2 w/ AKA HEX (Aisha Devi & Slikback) & more’

The new album by Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński is named after the grass snake Žaltys, a revered household spirit in Lithuanian folklore, and explores themes of Eastern European mythology and nature. Yet while Eastern European folk music is a constant, enigmatic inspiration, Žaltys is - like all of Rogiński’s work - impossible to pin down, drawing on jazz, American primitivism, and a pervasive mysticism. Making a guest appearance is kanklės-player and singer Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė, founding member of Merope. The two artists have been friends for years, but had never managed to record together, even though they share similar inspirations. 

Recording under the Heinali moniker, Ukrainian composer and sound artist Oleh Shpudeiko uses the modular synthesizer to help him reimagine early music, reconciling the past with the present. He's penned music for various games, films, installations and performances, and in 2020 his solo album Madrigals was shortlisted for the Shevchenko National Prize. For this special premiere performance, Shpudeiko will team up with composer, flautist and singer Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko​​​​​​​ to bring the music of 12th century abbess, philosopher and mystic Hildegard von Bingen into a new era. Marrying Ukrainian folk singing and singular modular synthesis techniques, 'Гільдеґарда' amplifies the paradoxical physicality of Hildegard's writing, using it as a mirror for contemporary events to reflect and process wartime experiences. Ukrainian Sophia Bulgakova will provide visuals for the concert 

AKA HEX is a brand new collaboration between Aisha Devi and Slikback. Devi was born in Switzerland with Nepali Indigenous heritage, and her transversal identity has helped her navigate the underground as not just a producer and vocalist, but as a DJ and curator. Devi's interest in sonic alchemy came to an overflowing head with last year's enigmatic Death Is Home, which featured a collaboration with none other than Slikback. 

Born and raised in Nairobi, Slikback is one of the world's most adventurous producers, taking elements from the wide spectrum of club, noise, ambient and rap musics and forming them into a psychedelic lattice of high intensity sounds and emotions. His double-LP SLIKBACK compiles 22 tracks of future-facing, soundsystem-ready experimental club sounds that define his journey so far.