TANGLE

This year, after being cast into the wilderness since 2019, Unsound returns to Hotel Forum! The interior may have changed somewhat, but the iconic brutalist structure remains our spiritual home – and we couldn’t be happier. Thursday night will feature two stages: The Ballroom and Corner Stage.

Opening The Ballroom are Norwegian duo Smerz, who promise to expand on the hypnagogic pop of 2025’s acclaimed Big City Life. They’re followed by Nick León, another artist who dropped an excellent album this year – A Tropical Entropy; he’ll bring its sweaty, sensual dembow pop sounds in the form of a live show. Continuing the Unsound tradition of interventions shaking up club nights, Swedish trombonist Maria Bertel will blast a short set on solo trombone, before the night moves onto two premiere b2b sets. First up, South African Gqom pioneer DJ Lag will join forces with Kenyan futurist Slikback and his extreme club music, then drum’n’bass legend dBridge will perform with Hong Kong’s gyrofield, one of the most innovative voices in contemporary drum’n’bass, with recent releases on XL and Objekt’s Kapsela. Closing the room is Jacek Sienkewicz, known as the Godfather of Polish techno.

At the heart of Corner Stage is Bobby Beethoven, formerly known as Total Freedom, making a long overdue return to Unsound after eleven years. Responsible for helping birth the deconstructed club sound and impacting artists like Kelela and Arca, Bobby Beethoven has remained a boundary-breaking DJ. Also on the lineup is the ‘chronically online’ girlband NEW YORK. Made up of Estonian performance artist Gretchen Lawrence and American-Senegalese visual artist Coumba Samba, the Lolina-cosigned duo electrocute punchy and satirical pop. Meanwhile, Egyptian producer ltfll expands on his bass-heavy Nested Skins EP, released recently on ZULI and Rama’s irsh label, and Poland’s Krenz presents his new album Polski Sklep, featuring TONFA rapper Karuzelkaaa. The room opens with Poland’s Robert Piotrowicz, who premiers his new album Wrong Filament, exploring synthesis, repetition and rhythm. Closing is Polish DJ and producer, and founder of the 00effort label k:i:o:s:k, after the release of their Ancient Reference EP.