Neue Zukunft: FACS (US / Sub Pop), Berliner Lvft, Novo Line

• FACS (US, Sub Pop / Trouble In Mind)

Chicago band FACS was formed in 2017 by Brian Case, Noah Leger, and Jonathan van Herik, following the dissolution of their previous band Disappears. Informed by stark rhythms, space, and minimal arrangements, the group has recorded five albums of dubby and dreamy art rock through the lens of 21st century Chicago. Named after the catalog numbering system for Factory Records, with a nod to present day facial action coding systems, FACS marries the energy and ideas immediately following the disintegration of punk with the uncertainty and tension of the modern world.

FACS is coming to Berlin to present their latest album, which marks the final studio work of the legendary sound engineer and producer Steve Albini before his passing. Known for his minimalist and raw production style, Albini worked with iconic bands like Nirvana, Pixies, and PJ Harvey, leaving a profound impact on the sound of alternative rock. His collaboration with FACS adds a new layer of intensity to their experimental post-punk sound. Fans in Berlin will have the rare opportunity to experience this haunting album live, as it serves as a lasting tribute to Albini’s incredible legacy.

Support:

• Berliner Lvft (DE, Crunch Tapes)

In the gutters of Berlin, there’s a band that howls like a banshee in the night. Berliner Lvft, they call themselves, and they’re a motley crew of misfits who live to drink and get high. Four weirdos, who make the devil’s music with aluminum neck guitars and strange tunings that would make your ears bleed. But there’s a strange beauty in their ugliness, a kind of poetry in their madness. They rage against the world, spitting out their disgust with society in every note they play. And when they play, they create a kind of magic. A raw, unfiltered energy that shakes you to your core and leaves you gasping for air.

• Novo Line (US/DE, Nat Fowler of OXES)

A project of Berlin-based artist Nathaniel Fowler, a sonic alchemist whose career spans continents and genres. From his days as guitarist in the avant-garde math-rock band Oxes, known for their blistering tours including those with FACS’ Brian Case’s alma mater 90 Day Men, to his current explorations of algorithmic composition fused with live improvisation, Fowler’s work defies easy categorization.
Rooted in the spirit of fluxus, early industrial, and modern composition, Novo Line has built dynamic practice built on obsolete hardware and the game of chance, indeed stealing the name from the Novomatic brand digital slot machines that have polluted Berlin street corners for decades.
He has confounded audiences at festivals including CTM, Fusion, and Camp Cosmic, on stage with indie giants such as Future Islands and Lower Dens.

Echoing the pioneering innovations of Raymond Scott’s Electronium, there is a sublime integration of retro hardware and post-modern sensibility. Live this time to perform using approaches developed for his latest album Artifact, records are sampled live directly off vinyl onto archaic samplers, and listeners are invited to embark on a liminal journey —where the boundaries of music, memory, and imagination blur into an expansive psychoacoustic dreamscape.

Doors: 19:00
Start: 20:00
Neue Zukunft (Alt-Stralau 68, 10245 Berlin)