20 years of Elevate: Full programme online!

For two decades now, the Elevate Festival has established itself as a dynamic interface between art, music, discourse and club culture. By constructively linking these seemingly contradictory elements, the festival has always felt the pulse of social change and taken up topics and their constant and present interaction, which often only received general attention years later.

Constant evolution and change are fundamental elements of the festival's programmatic vision and are firmly anchored in its DNA. In this context, director Sebastian Brauneis was commissioned to conceive the project "While...", a 30-minute film that will premiere at the festival opening on 28 February. The opening in the Graz Orpheum marks the beginning of an exhibition in the Forum Stadtpark and of installations in public spaces in Graz.

Admission to the festival opening is free, further details on the programme will be announced in the coming weeks.

In a world that is facing the highest level of violent conflict since the Second World War and in which democratic structures are increasingly eroding, the 20th anniversary festival of Elevate will take a critical look at the global situation under the title "Western Promises". In 2024, current developments at the interface between science, art, media and civil society will once again be highlighted.

Researchers, activists and journalists will meet musicians and artists in Graz to discuss future issues in a practical way.

Fast fashion, artificial intelligence, right-wing populism and democratic deficits

The first day of the discourse deals with fast fashion, climate solidarity and the role of art. Lisa and Wilfried Prantner start with a project presentation from the association "Bis es mir vom Leibe fällt". They will report on the connections between fast fashion, online logistics and happiness, which they will explore in their project "In Search of Fulfilment". Johannes Siegmund will hold a keynote on the climate crisis and discussions on solidarity and creative thinking in the context of climate change, Geoff Mulgan will discuss economic interests, legal issues, progress and the role of promises such as the "European Green Deal" with Andrew Ringsmuth and Katharina Kropshofer, among others.

The second day will be dedicated to doomscrolling, artificial intelligence and net politics. The programme includes a workshop on media, psychology and democracy, a keynote by Nick Srnicek on platform capitalism and discussions on power relations in platform economies, as well as Tabea Glindemann from the feminist hacker collective "Heart of Code", the renowned extremism researcher Julia Ebner and many more on the stage of the discourse programme in Graz's Heimatsaal.

Fake news, right-wing populism and democratic deficits are the topics of the third day. Workshops on uncovering online fake news, a keynote speech by Shalini Randeria and discussions on global perspectives on democratic deficits will conclude the programme. The documentary film "Breaking Social" by Fredrik Gertten will conclude this year's discourse programme.

>> Full Discourse Programme

Adele Siegl (AT) | Andrew Ringsmuth (AT) | Andre Wolf (AT) | Andreas Zingerle (AT) | Ben Knight (UK) | David Broder (UK) | Geoff Mulgan (UK) | Gersin Livia Paya (AT) | Hannes Vincent Krause (DE) | Irina Nalis (AT) | Johannes Siegmund (AT) | Judith Kohlenberger (AT) | Julia Ebner (AT) | Julia Herrnböck (AT) | Jürgen Geuter / Tante (DE) | Katharina Kropshofer (AT) | Lisa Prantner (AT) | Milo Rau (CH) | Mimikama | Nick Srnicek (UK) | Nina Schnider (AT) | Olga Grjasnowa (DE) | Paula Diehl (DE) | Shalini Randeria (IN) | Shoura Hashemi (AT) | Tanja Fachathaler (AT) | Tabea Glindemann (DE) | Thomas Lohninger (AT) | Veronika Nad (DE) | Wilfried Prantner (AT)

Film Programme:

"Breaking Social" - Fredrik Gertten (SE/2023)
"Entangled Recurrents" - Konrad Becker/Felix Stalder (AT/2024)
"We're All Going To Die" - Ben Knight (DE/2023)

With Sherelle and Heavee, Elevate is delighted to announce the last international acts on this year's line-up. Sherelle is regarded as the shooting star of the London club scene. Ever since her legendary Boilerroom set, she has been recognised as one of the most virtuoso DJs on the leftfield bass scene. The Chicago-based queer footwork producer and DJ Heavee will be performing live in Europe for the first time at the Hyperdub 20 showcase. Heavee is regarded as the new shooting star of the London label, on which he released his new album "Unleash" at the beginning of March.

This year, the Elevate Festival will once again act as a platform for the local music scene. In addition to the international guests already announced, numerous local acts will also euphorise the crowd. Graz will be a lively playground for the most exciting new discoveries in our country. Flysch and seventeen eleven are the last two live acts to be added to the programme.

The Elevate music programme would be unthinkable without the local DJ lineup. Like every year, established DJs from the country as well as emerging newcomers and popular DJ collectives from the city will grace the festival stages: Cat Gadget b2b Michi K, Milés Borghese b2b Paul Junk, Olgica, Kessel Vale, and many more!

In Parkhouse, Souci, based in Berlin, will perform. Souci is a DJ, producer, and co-founder of Raiders Records. As a queer person of color, she aims to create inclusive safe spaces with her music. To achieve this, she navigates between Techno, Electro, and Jersey Club.

The Aiola Rooftop stage, debuting this year, will be hosted by the Viennese collective A Party Called Jack. They are sending their three most popular acts to Graz: Rumi von Baires, Altroy Jerome, and Voices From Beyond. What unites these DJs is their preference for uplifting vibes drawn from House, Funk, Afro Latin grooves, Detroit Techno, and beyond.
 

Orpheum Extra opens with Roisin Murphy

To conclude the festival at Orpheum Extra, you can listen to seventeen eleven and ArpAnimalOrchestra. For Elevate 2024, ArpAnimalOrchestra has come up with something special: instead of a live performance, an installation will focus on exploring the sonorous-musical qualities of fire.

Altroy Jerome (US/AT) | Animistic Beliefs (NL) | Apua (AT) | ArpAnimalOrchestra (AT) | Attila (AT) | aya (UK) | Cat Gadget b2b Michi K (AT) | CCL (US/DE) | CEM (AT/DE) | Colleen (FR) | DJ Krush (JP) | Dzc. (AT) | FLYSCH (AT) | Franjazzco (AT) | Goldberg (DE/AT) | Hassan Abou Alam (EG) | Heavee (US) | Helena Hauff (DE) | Hudson Mohawke (US) | Iglooghost (UK) | Ikonika (UK) | Isabella Forciniti (IT/AT) | Kaze Elza (AT) | Kenji Araki (AT) | Kessel Vale (DE/AT) b2b Olgica (RS/AT) | Kode9 (UK) | Konman (AT) | Lain Iwakura (DE/AT) | Loraine James (UK) | mad miran (NL) | Manisdron (JP) | Maya Shenfeld (DE/IL) | MCMLXXXV (AT/DE) | MEMORIALS (UK) | Milès Borghese (DE/AT) b2b Paul Junk (DE/AT) | Mikey Gee (DE) | Optokoppler (AT) | Pedro Maia (PT) | Petra Hermanova (CZ) | Proc Fiskal (UK) | Radian (AT) | Róisín Murphy (IE) | ROTOЯ - SONIC BODY (AT) | Rumi von Baires (AR/AT) | Ryoji Ikeda (JP) | S.verin (AT) | Sarmabot b2b Børt (DE/AT) | seventeen eleven (AT) | SHERELLE (UK) | Simo Cell (FR) | Souci (RS/DE) | Sumi (AT) | tigerdisco (AT) | Voices From Beyond (AT) | Ygal Ohayon (FR) | Zlata (RU/AT) | Zoë McPherson (FR/DE) | মm. (BD/AT)

>> Complete line-up by day

In addition to the advanced music programme and a stimulating discourse programme, the upcoming festival edition with Elevate Arts will once again bring contemporary art to public spaces and selected locations.

The art installation "While..." by Studio Brauneis / Sebastian Brauneis reflects the 20th anniversary of the Elevate Festival in a precise and accessible way. A videographic "Stream of Consciousness" with the title "While..." artistically reviews the past 20 years of the festival. This video is complemented by an art installation that emphasises the cultural influence of Elevate, and a collage of images called "Chrono Canvas" illustrates the last 20 years of the festival day by day. The installation "Distant Memories" in the Forum Stadtpark shows these elements simultaneously on several screens, which can only be viewed from a distance, and is complemented by interactive posters in public spaces that invite participation in the cultural exchange of the festival.

Music For Elevators

The sound installation "Music for Elevators" - now a tradition at Elevate - will once again make the Schlossberg lift resound this year. Following compositions by Jimi Tenor, Brian Eno and Caterina Barbieri in previous years, this year the Viennese musician and long-time companion of the festival Dorian Concept will create the fourth installation in total. After the festival, the lift music will continue to make the journey in the Schlossbergstollen a special experience for the rest of the year. Both projects are being realised in cooperation with KIÖR - Kunst im öffentlichen Raum. Further information and contributions will follow shortly.