It should probably go without saying at this point but no European country has a contemporary musical heritage as perfectly inimitable as Germany. From Kosmiche luminaries Can, Kraftwerk, Neu! and countless others besides to avant-garde trailblazers including Popol Vuh and Faust, it has always wielded difference – and boundless, forward-thinking spirit – the likes of which its neighboring nations could only ever dream of.
It's no surprise, then, that one of the continent's leading festivals celebrating that lineage and its imprint on present-day psych, garage, and art-rock trends is based in the beating heart of modern-day Berlin. Set to return to the uniquely striking surroundings of Volksbühne for its third annual outing on November 19, Synästhesie offers a masterfully curated program marrying some of the finest cosmically-inclined and wanderlust-ridden rock acts around with a cornucopia of beatific visual imagery.
Presented by the city’s underground rock n’ roll institution par excellence 8MM, this year's bill unites neo-psych heroes The Horrors, fast-rising Mancunian quartet Pins, and Berlin’s own Krautrock-inspired maestros Camera amongst others to be announced across two stages. Having sold out last year via a program featuring the right honourable Michael Rother, Cavern of Anti-Matter, Tess Parks and the Warlocks, the return of this impeccably curated festival – which is limited to a mere 1000 tickets – is an absolute cert insofar as presenting the very best Musik aesthetic inspired by German experimental music of the late 60s & early 70s.
Synästhesie Festival takes place in Berlin on 19 November. For more information and tickets, please visit the official website. The Facebook event can be found here.