The main concert night of the 18th edition of the festival of electronic music and transitory art SONICA will feature a performance by Marina Herlop, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. The Catalan visionary, known for her auteur electronic music at the crossroads of neoclassical, electronic, folk and avantgarde, is presenting her new masterpiece Dja Dja.
The programme also features dreamachine, an AV performance by Canadian duo Estelle Schorpp & Charline Dally, and the return of Slovenian duo Litošt, with Boštjan Simon (Etceteral) and Vitja Balžalorsky (Laibach) premiering their new album Xioxio.
Marina Herlop (ES)
Classically trained pianist, composer, producer and vocalist Marina Herlop has established herself as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. Following two acclaimed albums that established her as a leading figure in the international experimental scene, the Barcelona-based artist spent three years touring the world. She now returns with Dja Dja, her boldest work to date. Conceived as a single interconnected piece, the album uses the Hero’s Journey as a structural framework for an intense musical exploration of transformation, inner struggle and self-affirmation – the crossing point of the X, where aggression and delicacy intersect. Herlop expands her sonic universe with new textures, brass arrangements and intricate musical architecture, while preserving the balance between radical experimentation and emotional accessibility. Her SONICA debut presents a completely reimagined performance, opening a new chapter in the career of an artist who continues to challenge the boundaries of contemporary music and cement her position as one of the most compelling creators of her generation.
Estelle Schorpp & Charline Dally: dreamachine (CA)
dreamachine is an audiovisual performance, born from the collaboration between sound artist Estelle Schorpp and video artist charline dally. Created from archival footage recorded on DV cassettes in the Shinkansen and Hong Kong trains, the piece brings together images that become fluid, blending with analog video feedback and shimmering textures. Musically, synthesized sounds and field recordings, modulated by algorithmic processes, compose a hybrid soundscape with brilliant and enveloping textures. The project seeks to transpose the sensation of looking out of a train window, and the way in which the mind can escape and float away in a dreamlike state.
Litošt (SI)
After a decade-long hiatus, the Litošt machine is back as a fully electronic unit, without former drummer Bojan Krhlanko. Versatile guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Vitja Balžalorsky (Laibach) and acclaimed saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Boštjan Simon (Etceteral), both active in numerous ensembles in Slovenia and abroad, bring their shared love of modular synthesis to the project. Their singular sound exists at the intersection of predetermined structures, intricate electronic processes and spontaneous decisions. The machines’ bubbling, crackling, popping, whistling and hissing sounds grow into impressive compositions that continually surprise with their detail and unexpected twists. Stylistically, their music combines the aesthetics of the early IDM, contemporary modular explorations and free improvisation. At SONICA, Litošt will premiere their forthcoming album Xioxio, which will be released digitally on Kamizdat and will also be available on vinyl.
Daily ticket at Kino Šiška I 25/30 €
Early bird festival ticket I 48 €
SONICA 2026: Celestial Shelters
5─14 November 2026
www.sonica.si
Co-production: MoTA – Muzej tranzitornih umetnosti, Zavod Festival SONICA, Kino Šiška
Support: The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, City Municipality of Ljubljana – Department of Culture, Mutek
