Showing there is no need for too many bells and whistles, the music project of the London-based musician Tirzah Mastin navigates the realms of neo-R&B, trip hop, pop, post-grime and jazz, gradually earning cult status as it gracefully defies the passage of time. Tirzah’s artistic work is always also a family affair. This doesn’t necessarily mean grandma and grandpa but the extended CURL crew, which comprises notable members such as Mica Levi and Coby Sey. Time and again, these enduring friendships give rise to heartfelt creations: Commencing with the iconic YouTube video «I’m Not Dancing» followed by two EPs, the LPs Devotion (2018) and Colourgrade (2021), which won over the underground and critics alike, and several profoundly intimate and scarce live performances. In September 2023 Tirzah released her third album trip9love…???, which she recorded together with Mica Levi at her and Levi’s home and at various locations in South London and Kent. The tracks are based on piano loops, repetitive beats, lots of distortion and delicate, even romantic vocal lines. A lazy club fantasy zone, says the accompanying text on Bandcamp. At Full Of Lava Tirzah presents the corresponding live show together with Mica Levi or Coby Sey.

Rahill Jamalifard, a Hudson Valley-based musician, encompasses a diverse creative practice that embraces various musical and poetic traditions, from captivating songwriting to DJ performances (both live and when hosting a popular monthly radio show on NTS). Influenced by her upbringing in an Iranian-American diaspora household and her lifelong exploration of diverse musical genres, Rahill’s latest works on her recently released album Flowers At Your Feet mark a natural evolution and simultaneous departure from her earlier endeavours with the seminal New York psych-rock band Habibi, which she co-founded in her early twenties.

Rahill’s compositions gracefully traverse a familiar and contemplative realm, effortlessly blending elements of jazz, trip-hop and folk traditions from both Eastern and Western origins. Her music, both past and future, consistently reveres the essence of childhood, embracing the enchanting blend of whimsy and wisdom that emerges from sober contemplation of life’s journey.

Elischa Heller is a Swiss musician, performance artist and producer. The compositions in his self-titled solo project are distinguished by meticulously positioned glitches. Delicate, futuristic and emotive pop melodies, often accompanied by auto-tuned vocals, intersect with high-pitched, rapid beats, abundant noise, field recordings and drones. At times, this evokes a sense of cool internet aesthetics, yet simultaneously feels remarkably organic, even symbiotic in nature. In addition to his notable contributions as a member of Film 2, Tanche and Beurre, Elischa has already released two solo albums, Unsere Kanten sind aus Samt (2021, BlauBlau Records) and Unsere Körper sind unsere Zeiten (2023, BlauBlau Records), accompanied by a conceptual live show. As a result, he is establishing himself as an increasingly prominent figure in the Swiss music scene.   

In the early evening, preceding his DJ set, Coby Sey, whose live show at last year’s festival was a real highlight for many, will discuss his creative process and body of work with journalist Benedikt Sartorius.

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Backxwash aka Ashanti Mutinta is a Zambian-Canadian rapper & producer based in Montreal, Quebec. She is most noted for her 2020 Polaris Music Prize-winning album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It.

Her work is based in the horrorcore, hip-hop and industrial metal genres, and includes a culmination of themes around the intersection between faith, identity, and queerness. The poetry of her lyrics are the beginning of a cathartic healing process in which she is granting herself permission to be angry.

EASTER are Stix Omar and Max Boss – a Norwegian-German art-pop duo who have been skilfully merging enigmatic rhymes and synthetic post-Eurodance beats into an aura of sombre minimalism for more than a decade. Omar’s spoken word vocals, intricately intertwined with a multitude of figurative lyrics, are the defining force of EASTER’s unique sonic identity. The undercooled poetics of the post-internet age find their foundation in empty references, the polished superficiality of our culture of spectacle and a de-constructive exploration of gender issues. The self-directed music videos exude a sophisticated DIY aesthetic that seamlessly transitions from laptop screens to the realm of white cubes. The duo is set to release a new album this autumn and to play one of their ultra-rare live shows in Bern.

Slauson Malone 1 is the project of the New York-based multidisciplinary artist and musician Jasper Marsalis. His ambitious compositions blend darkness, surrealism and jazz into captivating collages that explore the themes of resistance and hope. As Slauson Malone 1 the artist is currently presenting an intriguing and performative concert programme that delves into the intersections of popular music and performance art. On October 6, the accompanying album EXCELSIOR has been released on Warp Records. His previous recordings include A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018 (Crater Speak) and Vergangenheitsbewältigung (Crater Speak). Jasper Marsalis, who is both an artist and curator, will be accompanied live by cellist Nicky Wetherell.

Swedish musician Klara Andersson, known as Fågelle, astounded everyone four years ago with the release of Helvetesdagar, an intriguing fusion of art pop, dark folk, noise and guitar-driven drone rock. On her latest album, Den Svenska Vreden, Fågelle’s unique sound evokes a strikingly distorted rendition of Billie Eilish, departing from any conventional notions of beauty and occasional resemblance to a rugged Jenny Hval. Building upon her debut work, this album embraces a broader sound spectrum, incorporating electronic elements and cleverly traversing the terrain from raucous, noisy passages to enchanting pop melodies. Lyrical beauty encounters unpolished soundscapes. In her live performances, everything becomes even more raw and dynamically impulsive.

Victoria Shen is a sound artist, experimental music performer and instrument-maker based in San Francisco. In a very short space of time, she has carved out her own unique niche in the European festival scene through her captivating, physically-charged stage performances, somewhere between control and chaotic sound. For example, she uses acrylic nails with embedded turntable styluses, which allow her to play up to five tracks of a record at once. Her sound practice features analogue modular synthesizers, as well as self-built electronics and effect devices. Through her recent collaboration in the turntablists trio alongside Maria Chavez and Mariam Razaei, Evicshen demonstrated that her live performances extend well beyond mere noise.

Coby Sey, a multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and DJ, has been shaping the captivating and vibrant DIY artist circuitry of South East London for many years. This includes his collaborations with Mica Levi, Tirzah, Babyfather, Klein and Kwes, as well as his involvement in the artist collective and label CURL. At last year’s festival, Coby delivered a captivating and sensually charged live performance, showcasing his debut album Conduit, released on AD93. This year, the London-based artist is set to give us an insight into his broad music collection from behind the DJ deck.

It is virtually impossible for those who explore the fantastical depths of art-pop to overlook Alexandra Drewchin, aka Eartheater. The avant-garde artist’s captivation with the radical and occasionally tumultuous potential of metamorphosis shines brightest in the striking musical deviations that have prominently marked her three album releases. While Irisiri (2018, PAN) unfolds as a kaleidoscope of classical and pop elements, evoking a psychedelic trip, Trinity (2019), self-released on Eartheater’s label Chemical X, confidently ventures into the realm of experimental club music and trap. Amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, Eartheater gifted us with Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin (2020, PAN), an enchanting ballad album crafted primarily from acoustic guitar melodies, Drewchin’s remarkable three-octave vocal range and the incorporation of classical instrumentation (by various collaborators, including Marilu Donovan and Adam Markiewicz, aka LEYA). Eartheater’s new album Powders has been released on Chemical X in September 2023, accompanied by a handful of shows in Europe – one of which will take place at Full Of Lava. Anyone fortunate enough to have been to an Eartheater concert can attest to the abundant potential for surprises and unforeseen moments that await you.

DeForrest Brown Jr. adopts the pseudonym Speaker Music for his musical endeavours. In addition to these artistic contributions, the self-described ex-American, engages in various creative roles such as installation artist, music and media theorist, journalist and curator under his own name. He is also a representative of the «Make Techno Black Again» movement, which seeks to acknowledge and recognise the origins of house music and techno in black working-class neighbourhoods of Chicago. As an author, he penned the comprehensive 400-page essay «Assembling A Black Counter Culture», while as a musician, he channels the modernist Black tradition of rhythm and soul music as an intellectual space and sound of generational trauma. His albums are released on the influential London-based electronic label Planet Mu, standing as prominent and politically charged phenomena and pushing the boundaries of experimentation. Speaker Music’s latest album Techxodus has been released in September 2023.

Jack Bowes, aka Rainy Miller, stands alongside esteemed artists like aya, Space Afrika, Iceboy Violet and Blackhaine as a prominent figure in the vibrant and trend-setting music scene centred around the enigmatic club known as The White Hotel in Salford City, Manchester.

Since the release of his debut album Limbs back in 2015 on his newly established label Fixed Abode, the artist has embarked on a transformative musical and thematic journey, dedicated to self-expression, inspiration and personal liberation. This profoundly introspective and emotive style has emerged as a pivotal element within his body of work. In the winter of 2022, Rainy Miller unveiled his most mature album yet, Desquamation (Fire, Burn. Nobody), which was released on the Manchester-based label Head II. Translation of the album into a live show is a profoundly intense and solemn experience.

London-based musician and artist Daniel Blumberg released his third studio album, GUT (Mute), this spring, presenting an unflinchingly raw and personal album. He is currently performing tracks from it solo in intimate live settings at only a few select venues. The six inter-connected compositions on GUT captivate listeners through their cinematically immersive mood. So, it should come as little surprise that Blumberg is an award-winning film music composer (Ivor Novello for The World To Come by Mona Fastvold). Blumberg’s distinct vocal prowess ensures captivating song moments full of emotional sincerity, skilfully blending with the abstract instrumentation of bass harmonica, Steinberger electric bass, synthesizer and electronic drums.

Victoria Shen is a sound artist, experimental music performer and instrument-maker based in San Francisco. In a very short space of time, she has carved out her own unique niche in the European festival scene through her captivating, physically-charged stage performances, somewhere between control and chaotic sound. For example, she uses acrylic nails with embedded turntable styluses, which allow her to play up to five tracks of a record at once. Her sound practice features analogue modular synthesizers, as well as self-built electronics and effect devices. Through her recent collaboration in the turntablists trio alongside Maria Chavez and Mariam Razaei, Evicshen demonstrated that her live performances extend well beyond mere noise.

Flora Yin-Wong from London is an experimental sound artist and writer whose work combines field recordings and traditional early instruments (such as singing bowls, yangqin and kemence) with electronic processing. Her work explores modern mythologies, memory, religion and their associated paradoxes – themes which she unpacked in her book Liturgy. In October 2020, Flora’s debut album Holy Palm was released on the Manchester-based label Modern Love followed by Cold Reading end of October 2023. As a DJ, the artist is a ubiquitous presence in clubs and on broadcasting platforms, showcasing the multidimensionality of her skills.

Anja Plaschg from Vienna is an extraordinary artist who, since her debut release at the age of 18 in 2008, has remained elusive and defies easy categorisation. Her pop music, composed and performed with passion, nostalgia and a sense of urgency, evokes the same fervour as her idols Nico, Björk and Cat Power, while establishing a level of independence that is unparalleled. The classically trained pianist and singer, renowned for her distinctive voice, will be performing alongside an ensemble at Full Of Lava.

Soap&Skin gained considerable recognition in recent years, particularly through their impactful song «Goodbye», which transformed every opening scene of the Netflix series «Dark» into a spine-tingling moment for viewers. Around the same time, she collaborated with Anna Calvi, Laetitia Sadier from Stereolab and the orchestral collective Stargaze to deliver a remarkable interpretation of David Bowie’s entire Blackstar album at the prestigious Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Recently, Anja Plaschg has been increasingly gracing theatre stages and the big screen, while also lending her musical talents to theatre productions across the German-speaking region.

Dorian Wood is a multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. Dorian’s thematic choices are deeply influenced by her unique perspective as a non-binary person of colour and a child of Costa Rican and Nicaraguan immigrants. Wood’s urge to «infect» spaces with her own artistic practice stems from a profound desire to challenge established traditions and systems that perpetuate the marginalisation of individuals. Dorian accomplishes this feat through captivating charisma, irresistible charm and an enchanting chamber pop sound, which continually disrupts subversive imagery. The video clip for «The Angel» from Dorian Wood & Thor Harris’ album You are clearly in perversion, which was released in April 2023, was online for less than 24 hours before being taken down for violating (heteronormative) morality and decency. As Dorian refused to stop pushing the boundaries of body positivity by sharing naked selfies on social media platforms, she faced repeated bans. Consequently, communication with fans now occurs exclusively behind the Patreon paywall. Utilising this platform, Wood has released one piano and voice cover version of a beloved song each week for the past 2 ½ years.

Thor Harris, on the other hand, was banned from Twitter after posting a video tutorial on «How to punch a Nazi». Prior to his guest stint as a drummer with Swans (from 2010 to 2016), the Texas-based musician had showcased his percussion skills for Ben Frost, Amanda Palmer and Devendra Banhart.

Studio Mondial is a monthly show on Radio Bollwerk presented by Trillion Tapeman, Heiko and Kia Mann. Music as a source of pure joy, fuelled by curiosity, and driven by the pursuit of perfect aesthetics despite the contradictions it presents. Researching the unconventional, embracing niche realms and defying boundaries are not merely a requirement, but an attitude. The concept lies in transcending and surpassing boundaries, making each performance a thrilling and enticing playground where the unexpected takes centre stage.

Sound artist, musician, performer and instrument maker Evicshen from San Francisco is taking over the in-house social media channel as the exclusive live reporter for the festival this year.