UNDA Festival PASS, 19.-22.09

Through music, talks, installations, and all-night dance floors, unda explores the human need to gather, raising essential questions about humanity, nature, dance, and togetherness.

Held during the Autumn equinox, unda symbolises the balance between light and dark, motion and stillness, and the connection between dance and community.

unda is part of the main program of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024.

Thursday- Sunday

Exhibition: “Who Claims the Night?” Explore the cultural significance of the night through this ethnographic exhibition that investigates the historical and contemporary interactions between humans and the night, examining how Estonian culture has adapted and thrived in the darkness.

Video: Beans and Plantain.
Beans & Plantain by Yewande Adrininian blends humour and reflection in an intimate exploration of self-discovery. It offers a fresh history and unique geography, highlighting the artist's experience in a world hostile to Blackness.

Video: “Mirelight”
Mirelight is an environmental allegory set amid Soomaa National Park by Joey Bania and Baly Gaudin.
The experimental short blends natural history, science-fiction, and folklore, prodding the illusory boundaries between the human and natural world.



Sound installation: “Lummafooria”
Aivar Tõnso's Nonspeaker System installation evokes primordial states, where nature's forces create a magical sublimity. It offers unexpected sound experiences, paralleling human-made spaces overtaken by nature's sensory influence.

Akimat | Arto | Big Leg | Blake Baxter | Bloody Mary | Call Super | Daura | Denzel | DJ Marcelle | DJ Shore Road | DJ Skurge |  Dseinius | Elijah | Ellen Vene | GLEO | Handmade |  ISAbella | klmn | Loann Lukyann | L1 | Mark Gill | Meelis Vili | Micaela Saraceno | Mic | Murrin | Nebukat | Nikolajev | no-a | object blue | Pavliuk | Rezzett | Röövel Ööbik | Scvmfvcks | Síofra | Sisi Savidge | Tania Just

Aivar Tõnso, Ann-Katriin Kelder, Anu Põldsam, Aoife McGuinness, Chika Ogumka aka Smol, Elijah, Elise Rohtmets, Jim Ashilevi, Kadri Lind, Karin Leivategija, Karl Käsnapuu, Kersten Kõrge, Kärt Kelder, Laura Caprino, Madli Teller, Marie Pullerits, Marju Raju, Mark Gill, Marcelle Van Hoof, Rauno Zubko, Roomet Jakapi, Saile Johanna Langsepp, Santi, Diana Alagić, Dimitri Hegemann, Emma Warren, Irvine Welsh, Yewande Adeniran.

Tickets:

Complete Festival Pass: 145

Thursday: 35
Friday: 55
Saturday: 55

Student Festival Pass: 87
Student Thursday: 24
Student Friday: 38
Student Saturday: 38

See more of the program here: https://www.unda.ee

Thursday 19 September: Opening Ceremony

Symphony Orchestra: The Estonian Symphony Orchestra will perform Kenn-Eerik Kannike's (HALL Resident's)  Debut Album ‘Computations’

Talk: Dimitri Hegemann, legendary Berlin nightlife pioneer and Tresor club founder, will discuss ‘How Club Culture Strengthens Social Fabric’.
Discover how nightlife contributes to building communities, sparking creativity, and shaping urban development, going far beyond just providing entertainment.

Panel: Exploring the Connections between Estonian Culture and Club Culture
Exploring the connections between historic Runo songs, traditional folk dances, and contemporary club gatherings and how the past continues to influence the present.

Röövel Ööbik (LIVE): From noise-punk origins to enduring Estonian indie icons.

Friday 20 September

MUSIC

Dancefloors: redefining electronic music through genre-blending experimentation.

Raba: Nikolajev, Rezzett (LIVE), DJ Shore Road, object blue, Nebukat, and more. 

Equinox: DJ Marcelle, Call Super, Elijah, ISAbella, Denzel, Haigla Pidu, and more.

TALKS

Interview: Irvine Welsh in conversation with Jim Ashilevi
Irvine Welsh, author of the cult classic Trainspotting, will explore the intersection of culture and technology, examining how industrialisation, patriarchal structures, and the elite shape society and the human experience. 

Presentation: Join Elijah for a thought-provoking discussion “on DJing”, questioning whether the world needs more DJs.
Through the Yellow Squares post-its on Instagram, Elijah empowers emerging talent, raises awareness about mental health, and ignites innovation in the global music community. 

Panel: Dancefloor Rituals
This panel will delve into the disappearance of authentic rituals in today's society.
Join DJ Marcelle, Mark Gill, and Denzel as they explore how dancefloors can create essential collective experiences in an era of digital disconnection.

MUSIC

Maarja Nuut & Nicolas Stocker (LIVE)

Music Live: GLEO
Gleo is a Berlin-based collaborative audio-visual project by Irish artists Ben Higgins and Cathal Berkeley. The duo is making a name for crafting viscerally affecting compositions; meticulous sound design meets acoustic intuition.

On Saturday, September 21, Berlin's legendary club Tresor will bring a piece of Detroit's techno history to Tartu. Tresor comes to Tartu at the invitation of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 and cooperates with unda and club HALL. As a result of this collaboration, Tresor residents, local talent, and electronic music stars from Detroit will perform at ERM.

Tresor Dancefloor: Blake Baxter, DJ Skurge, Bloody Mary B2B Handmade, Micaxsan, Scvmfvcks (LIVE)

Equinox Dancefloor:  Akimat, Big Leg, Daura, Jaan b2b Mic, and many more.

TALKS

Workshop: How to Run a Club?
Diana Alagić from Tresor's Academy of Subcultural Understanding will lead a workshop on "How to Run a Club", sharing insights from the iconic TRESOR Foundation on creating and sustaining inclusive and innovative nightlife spaces. 

Panel: Club Space Odyssey—The Science and Social Impact of Evolving Nightlife Spaces. Panellists Ann-Katriin Kelder, Kadri Lind, and Aivar Tõnso, moderated by Tanel Mütt, explore how architecture, urbanism, and sound shape club spaces. They discuss the impact of repurposed venues on dance music culture and community identity.

Panel: Rave Fatigue—Creating Inclusive Spaces for Youth Well-Being, Community, and Growth. This panel explores how nightlife spaces can evolve to become more inclusive, healing, and sustainable environments that cater to diverse needs with Yewande Adeniran, Aoife McGuinness, Kersten Kõrge, Marju Raju, and Elise Rohtmets. 

Panel: Dance of Life and Death
Karl Käsnapuu will guide a discussion with Roomet Jakapi, Anu Põldsam, and Saile Johanna Langsepp on the profound connections between life, music, and death in different cultures, religions, and traditions. 

Panel: Dance Your Way Home: A Journey Through the Dancefloor. This panel, moderated by Kärt Kelder, features Emma Warren, Rauno Zubko, and Madli Teller discussing dance's role in community building, cultural expression, and personal liberation

Panel: Global Club— how African, Asian, and Latin American sounds took over club music. Panellists Chika Ogumka (DJ Smol),  SANTI, and Liisa Aan moderated by Kaspar Viilup, explore how African, Asian, and Latin American sounds shaped global club music. They discuss the rise and impact of genres like singeli, gqom, and kuduro on contemporary club culture.

Workshop: Document Your Culture With Emma Warren      
Emma Warren empowers you to document cultural experiences. From underground music to community art, every scene has a story. Learn to chronicle these tales to preserve, understand, and inspire future generations.

FANDANGO AFTERPARTY

Don’t miss the Fandango after-party on the waterways- with a sauna!