A brave new season is ahead; starting with an eight-day ride with Kraftwerk, two brand new concert series, a renaissance of sonic experimenters of all kinds at various Berlin stages, and all of that being only an overture for the CTM festival madness end of the month, followed by a concert boom in February. Ready?

TUESDAY 06.01

20.00 Kraftwerk @ Neue Nationalgalerie

WHY: From 06.01 until 13.01, Kraftwerk will perform the 3-D concert series "Der Katalog – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8", focusing each evening on one of their legendary albums, in chronological order. Each multimedia performance will be complemented with a selection of additional compositions from their back-catalogue. In these multimedia events, surround sound and 3-D projections will blend perfectly with the architecture of the transparent universal space of Mies van der Rohe. With Krafwerk’s performance, the Nationalgalerie takes temporary leave of this building, which is closing for several years of renovations.

Neue Nationalgalerie / Potsdamer Str. 50, 10785 Berlin, S + U Potsdamer Platz / more info

WEDNESDAY 07.01

19.30 Russell Haswell + Painjerk, Rashad Becker @ NK Projekt

WHY: Great night at NK with three sonic experimenters. Russell Haswell is a forward-thinking, multi-disciplinary artist, performer and curator. With a background steeped in computer music, black metal, noise, techno, free-stye and solo improvisation, his practice is renowned for broaching the extremities of visual and sonic arts. Painjerk is a one-man sonic project run by Kohei Gomi. Rashad Becker is known as the mastering and cutting engineer in Berlin’s Dubplates and Mastering, where his role involves entering into a creative dialogue with the music of others.

NK Projekt Berlin / Elsenstr. 52 (2.Hinterhaus, Etage 2), 12059 Berlin, Bus 171 / more info

SUNDAY 11.01

19.00 Schneider TM / Tomoko Nakasato / Jochen Arbeit / Claas Großzeit @ Kunstraum Kreuzberg/ Bethanien

WHY: ATK (Aufladetechnische Konferenz) is a free music and performance concept of Jochen Arbeit (Einstürzende Neubauten, Machine) and Dirk Dresselhaus (Schneider TM, Angel), which provides a framework for the sound artists and performers from other disciplines to present the results of their research. For this concert, performed as the closing event of the exhibition "Objects in a Room", ATK is accompanied by dancer Tomoko Nakasato and percussionist Claas Großzeit.

Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien / Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin, U Kottbusser Tor / more info

MONDAY 12.01

20.00 KONTRAKLANG w/ Zeitkratzer @ Heimathafen Neukölln

WHY: The new monthly contemporary music concert series Kontraklang launches with fireworks from ensemble Zeitkratzer in Heimathafen Neukölln. The series reflects the diversity of Berlin’s contemporary music scenes, and at the same time supports their common cutting edges. The focus is not just on conventionally notated chamber music, but also on exchange between neighbouring fields of sound art, composer-performer practices, media-based approaches, and music theater.

Heimathafen Neukölln / Karl-Marx-Straße 141, 12043 Berlin, U Karl-Marx.Str. / more info

21.00 The Lake in Roter Salon: We Like We, Jacob Kirkegaard, Casper Clausen, Marc Weiser @ Roter Salon (Volksbühne)

WHY: The Lake (www.thelakeradio.com) kicks off a brand new monthly event at the legendary Roter Salon in Volksbühne. The first event presents the ensemble We Like We (DK, The Being Music) and their first-ever concert on German ground. Acclaimed sound artist Jacob Kirkegaard (DK, Touch) will present "Pivot" - the sound of Berlin's rotating television tower. Casper Clausen (Efterklang & The Lake Radio) & Marc Weiser will take care of the decks.

Volksbühne / Linienstr. 227, 10178 Berlin, U Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz / more info

THURSDAY 15.01

21.00 Lief Hall + Trevor Larson + No Fear of Pop @ Urban Spree

WHY: Lief Hall will be presenting her new solo debut EP "Transform"; her new works combine dark electronic production with layered vocal harmonies and experimentations. Trevor Lee Larson will be celebrating the release of his new recording "Solo Guitar", while No Fear of Pop will keep you on the dancefloor with a selection of music of "whatever genre and of whatever origin that seeks to transcend the habitual preconceptions about the 'modern' in contemporary popular culture".

Urban Spree / Revaler Str. 99, 10245 Berlin, S+U Warschauer Str. / more info

SATURDAY 17.01

21.00 Golden Disko Ship & Silje Nes @ Ausland

WHY: As a release party for her new album "Invisible Bonfire", Golden Diskó Ship performs at Ausland with support from Silje Nes. Golden Diskó Ship is Theresa Stroetges, a young Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist and video artist who performs live as a one-girl orchestra. Silje Nes is a multi-instrumentalist / singer-songwriter whose enchanting music will surely carry you to a world of fuzzy feelings and rich imagination.

Ausland / Lychener Str. 60, 10437 Berlin, U Eberswalder Str. / more info