30 years anniversary: Amelie Duchow (DE), Byetone (DE), Xuri & John Clewort (GB) & Gábor Lázar (HU)

As banner drivers on the electronic music scene, the legendary German label raster has for three decades explored the borderland between electronic music, sound art and audiovisual experimentation. Now raster celebrates its 30th anniversary at ALICE this November with a solid lineup from its own team, ranging from glitch and minimalist rhythms to organic soundscapes and alluring audiovisual works.

Since Olaf Bender and Frank Bretschneider founded rastermusic in 1996, the label has brought together experimental musicians, sound artists, composers and visual artists around a shared curiosity on what electronic music can be. In 1999, the label merged with Carsten Nicolai's NOTON to raster-noton, before resurfacing as raster in 2017. With some 200 releases as well as books, installations and live presentations, Raster has over three decades created an artistic network across genres and disciplines.

Amelie Duchow

For German audiovisual artist Amelie Duchow, sound and image are inextricably linked. She works with subtle layers and intense electronic structures, where the visual becomes an active part of the musical experience. Her works move between sound, space, form and image, exploring how our way of looking can also influence our way of listening.

Byetone

Raster co-founder Olaf Bender is behind the project Byetone, where minimalist electronic structures meet energetic rhythms and a raw, almost rebellious edge. Born in the former East Germany, Bender found his artistic path through a fascination with visual and auditory media. On stage, Byetone fuses minimalist rhythms with an intensity that draws on rock's energy.

Xuri & John Cleworth

Xuri & John Cleworth enrich the evening with their powerful and playful audiovisual performance. Xuri's evocative, color-saturated soundscapes meet Cleworth's complex rhythms and spatial sound universes. On stage, the two artistic worlds merge in a study of how image and sound can shape and shift each other's meaning. Xuri's background in graphic design and Cleworth's classical musical training come together in a work that is both organic, detailed and visually alluring.

Gabor Lazar

Hungarian producer Gábor Lázar is a master of the small offsets. His hyper-detailed digital compositions rely on repetitions, textures and micro-variations that constantly change the character of the music. With the raster release Reflex, he took a more abstract starting point, but his later work also moves towards playful and bodily techno rhythms.

The last time we visited ALICE, it was an unforgettable and sold-out evening — so we are looking forward to celebrating 30 years with a label that has been defining electronic music for three decades.