Unsound has presented its share of curveballs over the years – but have you ever seen an Unsound train rumble across the Polish countryside?

For the first time in the festival’s history, Unsound’s main edition – uniquely conceived as a single, continuous festival with two chapters – will take place across two cities: Warsaw and Kraków – the festival’s long-time home, where the HQ is still based. Full weekly passes will cover both locations, connected by a dedicated Unsound Train travelling between the cities and stopping en route for performances:

• Warsaw – October 2–6 
• Unsound Train: Warsaw → Kraków - October 7
• Kraków – October 8–11

The idea, as always, is to follow the Unsound journey from start to finish – shows will not be repeated in both cities. Long Weekend and Weekly Passes will go on sale soon, so audience members intending on attending the full event can plan accommodation accordingly. 

The theme for Unsound this year is SOFT POWER. Originally used to describe influence exercised through culture rather than force, the phrase now demands re-examination. Unsound asks what softness and power mean in a time of “might makes right”, global lawlessness, artificial intelligence and algorithmic control – alongside a collective desire for comfort, cosiness, and safety that can feel incongruous.

Apart from the discourse programme, the words SOFT and POWER will shape this year’s performance programme via music and sound, looking at intimacy, vulnerability as well as authority, pressure, volume and scale. In this way, the theme marks a development of our 2024 NOISE theme. 

The idea of SOFT POWER also reflects Unsound’s wider mission to connect artists, scenes, and presenters across borders and contexts. In 2026, this means bridging two the major cities of Kraków and Warsaw, but also extends beyond Poland to include Unsound events in New York and London, with dates as follows:

• New York – October 21 - November 5
• London – November 25 - 28

The visual identity for Unsound events this year is created by the acclaimed Polish visual artist Ada Sokół, who is building a world connecting all SOFT POWER cities, as well as Adelaide – where Unsound takes place this year from July 10 - 11. SOFT POWER graphic design is by Renata Motyka.

Unsound Announces Third Wave of Artists for 2026 Festival, Unveils Schedule and New Website

Newly announced performances include Space Afrika, who present their upcoming album Quiet Storm live with Kraków soprano Jolanta Kowalska-Pawlikowska, drummer Pike and guitarist GABRIEL; Marina Herlop, who will perform with an ensemble on the release day of Dja Dja; Lorenzo Senni, who returns with new material, continuing his ongoing fascination with the emotional and physical possibilities of rave and beyond; and guitarist Raphael Rogiński, who will present interpretations of Polish jazz legend Tomasz Stańko, featuring Marek Pospieszalski and Marina Džukljev. Milan W. will play a set entitled Old & New Songs, delving into his past catalogue as well as premiering new tunes.

Collaborative projects include Iglooghost and daisy* appearing as the much-rumoured duo project Cyst, as well as Devon Rexi and John T. Gast with their screwed-dub excursions. Meanwhile, Worldpeace DMT appear with a show exploring their DIY digital approach and scrappy pop world, while Milkweed bring their take on folklore, blending archival texts, ancient myths, traditional instruments and warped electronics. Joanna Duda will play music related to her 2026 album Regina Silver.

DJ sets come from VTSS, who returns to two of the places that were touchstones for her career – Unsound and Warsaw club Jasna 1. She plays following the Arca-curated event at Tunelowa on October 3, part of an all-night event that goes until the early morning, featuring Emma dj b2b Low Jack, Blastah b2b jul.ci, Some Guest and Bobby Beethoven with a Sunday morning solo set. Meanwhile, 2K88 opens the Arca co-curated lineup at Tunelowa, while Copenhagen-based DJ and producer Jesper Hekt leads Scandinavian indie through the wreckage of hyperpop.

Additional DJ sets in Kraków include O Ghettão (N Fox & Danifox & Firmeza) celebrating 15 years of Príncipe Discos, as well as re:ni with her hypnotic, genre-fluid club music. Back in Warsaw, the SOFT LAUNCH party on October 2 hosted by Jasna 1 features Donato Dozzy, who will be joined by Dtekk and emerai b2b Vi and an extended set from Manchester’s Tom Boogizm (aka Rat Heart).

A number of additional artists will be added in mid-September, along with the extensive discourse program, which this year crosses both Warsaw and Krakow.

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Unsound 2026 Reveals Second Wave of Artists – Including a Night Co-Curated by Arca

Four weeks ago, we announced the first artists for Unsound 2026: SOFT POWER without revealing its geography. 

Today, the map unfolds.

Alongside a second wave of artists, we’re revealing how the festival is shaped across Warsaw (2–6 October) and Kraków (8–11 October). No performances are repeated. Each city offers a distinct chapter, connected by the Unsound Train on 7 October. 

“Warsaw and Kraków are not separate festivals competing for attention nor mirrors of each other,” says Artistic Director Mat Schulz. “They’re two different parts of the same work. Each city has its own identity, but they only make complete sense together.”

Whether you join us for the complete journey or experience just one leg, the map of Unsound 2026 is now forming – with a third artist announcement in mid-August. A limited number of remaining festival passes for Warsaw, Kraków and the complete two-city festival are now on sale. Once festival passes sell out, only individual event tickets will remain available. Three-day Unsound Kraków Club Passes will go on sale in August, giving access to all events at Hotel Forum, along with all individual tickets to events. 

Arca headlines the second announcement with her first-ever Warsaw appearance on October 3, while also co-curating the program on which she appears. Alongside a solo hybrid set from Arca, the night features a b2b with longtime friend Bobby Beethoven, a DJ set from Mica Levi and a live A/V show from KAVARI. The event will also include interventions from Polish performers to be included in the next announcement. Note: Arca’s new album XXXXX will be released on July 31, related to previous mixtapes from her catalogue: 2020’s @@@@@ and 2013’s &&&&& – which first drew Arca to our attention. This event is included in Warszawa and Warszawa-Kraków combo passes.

Individual tickets for Airdoll – the event co-curated with Arca – go on sale 6 August, along with Diamanda Galás at the Warsaw Philharmonic.

Also appearing in Warsaw is Blackhaine, who will present his new show Saints in the Wethouse. Bendik Giske will perform material from his long-awaited forthcoming album on Smalltown Supersound. Wendy Eisenberg will perform with a band, drawing on music from her acclaimed 2026 self-titled album alongside earlier work. Ambient duo Visible Cloaks return to Unsound with their distinctive blurring of the acoustic and digital, joined by members of Hashtag Ensemble. Greek Orthodox priest Father Dionysos Tabakis performs following the release of his celebrated album Paradise Metal, bringing together drone metal, electronics, field recordings and Byzantine hymns.

The Unsound Train linking Warsaw and Kraków departs on 7 October, with music and performances on board to be announced soon. Already confirmed is an expanded version of Radical Polish Ansambl as the Radical Polish Arkestra, presenting its collision of traditional Polish folk music and contemporary avant-garde composition. The Unsound train will go on sale with the third artist announcement. 

Shortly before travelling to the Venice Biennale to receive the Silver Lion, Sarah Davachi will present music from her forthcoming album The Will of Tongues, a landmark of deep minimalism. In Kraków, she will pair solo organ compositions with works performed by members of Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble. Polish duo BNNT will also play music from their collaborative album with Lebanese-Canadian artist Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem in My Heart), to be released by Instant Classic. One Leg One Eye sees Lankum’s Ian Lynch and George Brennan explore the intersections of Irish folk, black metal, noise and drone. Announced in the first wave, Liars return to mark the 20th anniversary of Drum’s Not Dead, performing the album with additional Polish drummers Macio Moretti and Tymek Papior. Musician and artist Charlie Osborne will appear with a band, while Kraków-based sound artist Natalia Panzer presents her dreamlike compositions following the release of The Loss of Small Detail.

Four expansive b2b sets anchor the late-night programme at Hotel Forum in Kraków: Juliana Huxtable with JASSS, Kode9 with Nikki Nair around the latter’s upcoming footwork EP on Hyperdub, Vigro Deep with Batu, and KAVARI with Ship Sket. The Nyege Nyege label – connected to Unsound since its first appearance in Europe – is also represented by Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Azzi On The Beat and South Africa’s Serokolo 7, whose adrenaline-charged 180 BPM sound reimagines the mapanta genre. Back in Warsaw, yet another b2b brings together gummi and Taan, creators of the city’s GUNGE event series.

Also in Warsaw, a pre-festival party on 2nd October is presented by the club Jasna 1: Italy’s Donato Dozzy headlines. You can already buy tickets here – this event takes place before the passes start on 3rd October. Another accompanying event is Ewa Dziarnowska This resting, patience – presented with TR Theatre Warszawa – a three-hour choreographic work unfolding at the intersection of performance and installation. Tickets available here.

In terms of the discourse program, music journalist Liz Pelly – author of Mood Machine – returns to Unsound with musician and educator Max Alper (aka Peretsky) for a live edition of their Critical Listening podcast, joined by artists from this year’s program. Sonic and atmospheric warfare will be explored in a hybrid talk-performance by multidisciplinary artist Mohamed Choucair, producer and theorist Steve Goodman (aka Kode9), and sound scholar Gascia Ouzounian, author of the forthcoming The Trembling City. Memphis rap pioneer DJ Spanish Fly – who performs at the festival – will engage in a discussion with his long-time friend, arts writer William Skeaping.

Music critic and avid runner Philip Sherburne, an Unsound regular, will speak with critic and author Ben Ratliff about Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening, considering how listening in motion can open up new ways of writing about music. The conversation will be followed by a collective sound run, using music, movement and the cityscape as a shared listening environment. In the discussion on the evolution of audio surveillance, Toby Heys and Marsha Courneya will be joined by media and cultural theorist Paul Rekret. 

Award-winning journalist Sophia Smith Galer will present a lecture based on How to Kill a Language, examining how languages disappear through political coercion and cultural dominance. Meanwhile Cem A., the artist behind the meme page @freeze_magazine, will stage Double Bind, bringing together speakers in a playful session where responses are mapped through live transcription and language analysis.

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Unsound 2026 Announces First Wave of Artists for Warsaw and Kraków. Passes on Sale Now!

In 2026, Unsound will take place across two Polish cities for the first time in its history: Warsaw (2–6 October) and Kraków (8–11 October), under the theme SOFT POWER. No performances will be repeated between the two cities.

"We’ve chosen to announce this first lineup as a whole before revealing its geography," says Artistic Director Mat Schulz. "Unsound 2026 is conceived as a single event unfolding chronologically across Warsaw and Kraków, and we wanted audiences to encounter the programme in that spirit before it is divided between the two locations. The map comes later. Over the coming weeks we’ll begin revealing where artists are performing, with full city allocations announced in July."

The two chapters of the festival will be connected by a dedicated Unsound train travelling from Warsaw to Kraków on 7 October. Passes for Warsaw and Kraków are on sale now, alongside a discounted combined pass granting access to both programmes. The train will require an additional ticket.

Individual event tickets, as well as tickets for the Unsound train, will go on sale in late July alongside the next artist announcement. Further information can be found in the festival FAQ, or by contacting info@unsound.pl.

As for the programme, the festival includes a rare appearance from Diamanda Galás, a towering figure whose influence spans generations of experimental music.

WARSZAWA is a new commission referencing David Bowie’s stop in the city 50 years ago and his discovery of a recording of the traditional piece “Helokanie”, performed by the Śląsk Polish National Song and Dance Ensemble, leading to the track “Warszawa” from his album Low. Piotr Kurek will rework the original piece with vocalists from Śląsk Song & Dance Ensemble, accompanied by 16mm visuals by Wilhelm Sasnal, one of Poland’s most prominent contemporary artists.

Ahead of a new work appearing in the coming months, Tim Hecker will premiere a new show and music with commissioned visuals by Vincent de Belleval. Meanwhile, Actress will transform his upcoming Ninja Tune album Radical Frame into a brand new A/V show. Warsaw’s own Julek Ploski will team up with his friend Giant Claw, the co-founder of Orange Milk Records, to debut a commissioned collaboration called CONTROL FREAK.

There are again plenty of bands at Unsound. This includes Liars, who celebrate the 20th anniversary of their pivotal album Drum’s Not Dead with a special performance commissioned by Unsound. Local Polish musicians to be announced will join on drums. New York’s L’Rain will perform in Poland for the first time, following the release of her new album Fata Morgana. Manchester-based quartet Mandy, Indiana will perform in the wake of the explosive URGH.

Veteran Polish act Księżyc, who combine medieval Slavic sounds with elements inspired by 20th century minimalism, will mark the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut with Eternal Circle, a special performance featuring friends old and new including Svitlana Nianio. And Tercet Imperial reimagine Polish folk dance through synths, drum machines and vocals.

Last year, ASIANDOPEBOYS created a sensation at Ephemera Warsaw with their eight-hour slice of rave theater, PHYSIS. At Unsound, Tianzhuo Chen (aka ASIANDOPEBOYS) and Siko Setyanto will preset Moyang 先祖 & Seaman 漁師, a new work inspired by Japanese Nō theatre.

Collaborations with local ensembles will include the continuation of the WARP-presented Providenza Ensemble, bringing together Mabe Fratti, Clarissa Connelly and Mark William Lewis. The trio will each separately compose a piece and perform with the 26-piece string ensemble Sinfonietta Cracovia. And Ana Roxanne, who recently returned to Kranky with the heartbreaking Poem 1, will team up with Poland’s Hashtag Ensemble.

Radically different approaches to songwriting guide not just Dagmar Zuniga, who appears in Poland for the first time supporting her acclaimed debut album, but also feeo, who broke out last year with the soulful Goodness, a seductive set of hybrid electronic experiments that pulse with emotion.

The biggest club nights will again take place at Hotel Forum, a culmination of the two-city festival, but there will also be plenty of space in Warsaw to dance. First names include Houston-based DJ and producer RABIT, who will be playing back to back with video director and “cybersigilism” pioneer SEXISDEATH, Mexican-American artist and academic Debit, who brings her Potpourri concept, a speculative blend of acid, dub techno and tribal guarachero, to Poland for the first time, and Hong Kong-born DJ/producer gyrofield, who will perform her new live show.

UK duo Everything Is Psychedelic, a collaboration between prolific Birmingham rapper Tony Bontana and London-based beatmaker psychedelic ensemble, will deploy their surprising blend of punk, rap and free noise, while noise act Deli Girls appear with their drummer John Bemis (of Murderpact), who amplifies their already deafening post-everything squall. Melbourne’s DJ Plead supports his new album Please with sunny diaspora memories and reflective deep house bumps, and K Wata, who set a new standard for minimal bass music on Give U Space, is set to provide the bass weight.

Bona fide Memphis rap legend DJ Spanish Fly, the influential producer and rapper who inspired Three 6 Mafia and Tommy Wright III, makes his Polish debut, and Unsound will also be welcoming Pink Siifu, Alabama’s most unpredictable underground rapper, who melted down jazz, noise and industrial sounds on last year’s BLACK’!ANTIQUE. Moving from the American South to South America, Venezuelan “sound collage collective” weed420 will bring their idiosyncratic internet-era psychedelia, while Dominican-Brazilian producer xavisphone will introduce Kraków to his twisted funk ritmado variations.

Siete Catorce, the veteran Mexican producer and DJ whose early work foreshadowed waves of contemporary Latin club music, returns with a brand new set, and PPP bridge three entire continents, linking DJ Plead with New York’s DJ Python and Italian club alchemist Piezo. US pals username and Marsh crane will go back to back playing their IDM-inspired footwork and trap experiments, Polish duo Opla will veil local folk sounds with trance-inducing rhythms, and London’s enigmatic Jawnino, fresh from his collaboration with Surf Gang, will bring his warts ’n all raps and woozy beats that tell the true story of “broken Britain”.

Unsound’s daytime discourse program will explore the shifting logics of the SOFT POWER theme, both as a phrase and in terms of the individual words. Among the first participants announced are Marek Poliks and Roberto Alonso Trillo, who will present a lecture based on Exocapitalism, imagining capitalism as an autonomous system that no longer depends on humans.

Questions of technological mediation and control also run through Listening In: How Audio Surveillance Became Artificial Intelligence, with Toby Heys and Marsha Courneya tracing the evolution of audio surveillance from Cold War listening devices to contemporary AI systems. Meanwhile, Brett Solomon will present Digital Ceasefire, navigating the emerging terrain of digitally mediated warfare and the possibility of peace in networked environments.

Histories of control and resistance surface again in Unearthing the Music, presented by Alexander Pehlemann, Lucia Udvardyova, and Daniel Muzyczuk, a project mapping experimental and underground sound practices across non-democratic Europe from 1950 to 2000.

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Unsound is co-financed by the City of Kraków and the Capital City of Warsaw. The festival is supported by its main partner, the Polish National Foundation. Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage’s Culture Promotion Fund within the “Music” programme, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance. Co-financed by the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the National Centre for Culture’s SYNERGIE programme. The discourse program is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the Creative Industries Institute’s Development of Creative Sectors programme. Sarah Davachi performance is co-presented by MUTEK, with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Radwan Ghazi Moumneh performance is co-presented by MUTEK, with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

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LINEUP SO FAR:

2K88 / Actress presents Radical Frame / Ana Roxanne feat. Hashtag Ensemble / Arca presents Airdoll / Arca b2b Bobby Beethoven / Tianzhuo Chen (aka ASIANDOPEBOYS) & Siko Setyanto present Moyang 先祖 & Seaman 漁師 / Azzi On The Beat / Bendik Giske / Blackhaine presents Saints in the Wethouse / Blastah b2b jul.ci / BNNT & Radwan Ghazi Moumneh present A Faithful Daughter / Bobby Beethoven / Charlie Osborne / Cyst / Dagmar Zuniga / Dawuna / Debit / Deli Girls / Diamanda Galás / DJ Plead / DJ Spanish Fly / Donato Dozzy / Dtekk / Devon Rexi meets John T. Gast / emerai b2b Vi / Emma dj b2b Low Jack / Everything Is Psychedelic / Ewa Dziarnowska presents This resting, patience / Father Dionysos Tabakis / feeo / Giant Claw & Julek ploski present CONTROL FREAK / gummi b2b Taan / gyrofield live / Hekt / Jawnino / Joanna Duda / Juliana Huxtable b2b JASSS / K Wata / KAVARI live / KAVARI b2b Ship Sket / Kode9 b2b Nikki Nair / Księżyc present Eternal Circle feat. Svitlana Nianio & Friends / L’Rain / Liars present Drum’s Not Dead 20th Anniversary Show feat. Macio Moretti & Tymek Papior / Mandy, Indiana / Marina Herlop presents Dja Dja / Mica Levi (DJ) / Milan W. presents Songs New and Old / Milkweed / Natalia Panzer / O Ghettão (N Fox & Danifox & Firmeza) / One Leg One Eye / Opla / Pink Siifu / PPP (DJ Plead, Piezo & DJ Python) / Radical Polish Arkestra / Raphael Rogiński Plays Tomasz Stańko feat. Marina Džukijev & Marek Pospieszalski / re:ni / Sarah Davachi presents The Will of Tongues feat. Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble / Serokolo 7 / SEXISDEATH b2b RABIT / Siete Catorce / Some Guest / Space Afrika / Tercet Imperial / Tim Hecker & Vincent de Belleval / Tom Boogizm / username solo set / Vigro Deep b2b Batu / Visible Cloaks feat. Hashtag Ensemble / WARP present The Providenza Ensemble (Mabe Fratti, Clarissa Connelly & Mark William Lewis) with Sinfonietta Cracovia / WARSZAWA by Piotr Kurek & Wilhelm Sasnal with Śląsk Song & Dance Ensemble / weed420 / Wendy Eisenberg / Worldpeace DMT / VTSS / xavisphone

Source: press release