Spectaculare Festival Unveils Full Program for 12th Edition

The Audiovisual Festival Spectaculare kicks off next Friday, February 28.

The 12th edition, curated by dramaturg Josef Sedloň, offers a rich mix of concerts, electronic live sets, film screenings, exhibitions, and workshops, taking place in both traditional and unconventional venues across Prague.

Headliners include Kiasmos, London’s electronic pioneer Max Cooper with his 3D/AV show, and the “supergroup” Vega Trails, featuring talents from Portico Quartet, Mammal Hands, and Submotion Orchestra.

The festival will span several venues in the city, from Palác Akropolis to CAMP, the Prague Conservatory, AVOID Gallery or Bio Oko. The program runs until March 30, with tickets available through Goout.

The festival will open at SaSaZu with a performance by the Icelandic-Faroese duo Kiasmos, joined by Swiss producer Natascha Polke. Kiasmos are known for their hypnotic rhythms paired with elaborate visuals, drawing the audience into the world of experimental electronics. They will present their album II, which fans had to wait ten years for.

Another highly anticipated electronic live show of this year’s edition is Max Cooper’s sold-out live concert on March 5 at MeetFactory. His revolutionary 3D/AV show pushes the boundaries of audiovisual art, and no fan of the London-based musical genius will want to miss it.

The third live electronic show will be presented by the British live project Sound of Fractures and Italian producer Lowtopic on March 7. For the first time in the Czech Republic, they will present their combination of club beats with mood-setting atmospheres, ambient layers, and a touch of post-rock emotionality.

This year’s jazz concerts will focus on the British Isles. The calm, almost cinematic side of the festival will be showcased on March 12 by the Welsh trio Slowly Rolling Camera, with Polish discovery bassic chill performing on baritone guitar.

On Tuesday, March 25, artists connected with the British label Gondwana, a brand that freely continues the tradition of modern jazz, will perform at Palác Akropolis. The Gondwana showcase will feature the project Vega Trails, where members of Portico Quartet, Mammal Hands, and Submotion Orchestra have teamed up, alongside the new duo Kessoncoda, and Paradise Cinema, a project founded by another member of Portico Quartet, saxophonist and producer Jack Wyllie. The showcase will be complemented by a DJ set from Japanese DJ Mari, who will spin 7” vinyls at the afterparty.

Under the label all my thoughts, on Saturday, March 15, the founder of the label, producer Seb Wildblood, will showcase Dublin’s duo Long Island Sound, known for their experimental live sets and the fusion of straight and broken beats. The showcase will also feature a DJ set by London-based producer Blossom Hill.

Ambient will not be left out this year either. Avant-garde projects by artists Abul Mogard, Rafael Anton Irisarri, and Simone Bosco will push the boundaries of electronic-ambient music and audiovisual art into new dimensions.

The premiere performance by the collaboration of Italian and American multi-instrumentalist Rafael Anton Irisarri and Italian producer Abul Mogard will offer an exploration beyond the clearly defined borders of ambient, drone, and improvisation, on Monday, March 17, 2025, at CAMP.

Music Films and Workshops
The festival will also feature a number of music film screenings at Bio Oko and interactive workshops. The most notable screening will be the inspiring generative documentary Eno, which presents the deep connection between music and art. Workshops with leading producers and creators will also provide practical insight into the creative process, the backstage of record labels, and artistic experiments.

Exhibition Gram Kosmu – Pavel Holeček
Spectaculare_12, in collaboration with The Chemistry Gallery, will present an interactive exhibition Gram Kosmu by multimedia artist Pavel Holeček – a sonic installation consisting of unique audio-kinetic sculptures that generate live ambient music compositions, where individual elements merge into a single living organism. The opening will take place on Saturday, March 1, at (A)VOID Gallery.

The full program is available at spectaculare.cz.