What does music mean in times of uncertainty, crises and social upheaval? Is it merely an escape from reality, or can it create a space for resistance, solidarity and shared experience?
An evening on the border between discussion, film, concert and performance will open questions about the power of the music scene today – from DIY communities and club culture to engaged art. Together with our guests, we will look for answers to whether music can still function as both a refuge and a tool for change.
The programme will feature a discussion with personalities from the music and art scene, a screening of a film about the Carnation Revolution, concerts by Berlin Manson and the Portuguese project Bateu Matou and an open participatory samizdat.
We invite you to another event from the Sounds of Democracy series, organised in collaboration with the Pohoda Festival.
PROGRAMME
Discussion: Music = a refuge in times of chaos?
Moderator
Karel Veselý (journalist, music critic)
Guests
Adam Dragúň (playwright, singer, Berlin Manson)
Jonáš Verešpej (dramaturg, DJ and music curator, Ankali Prague)
Soňa Ferienčíková (choreographer)
Is the music scene still capable of creating a counterbalance to power, or has it become just another form of escape? And where do new forms of collective resistance, care and freedom emerge today?
From underground concerts and apartment gatherings during the period of normalisation, through the post-revolution club explosion, to today’s DIY scenes, free parties and festival communities – music has repeatedly functioned as an escape, a form of resistance and a way to maintain dignity during times of political and social turmoil.
In the discussion Music = a refuge in times of chaos?, we will focus on why in times of uncertainty, wars, crises and polarisation we once again turn to the shared experience of music and bodies in motion. What does a rave, concert or club mean today as a space of solidarity?
Film screening and discussion: Capitães de Abril / April Captains (2000, feature film, Portugal)
Trenčín 2026 x Évora 2027
Moderator:
Michal Hvorecký
Can a revolution happen without gunshots?
In April 1974, Portugal entered history through the peaceful Carnation Revolution, which ended the authoritarian regime of dictator António Salazar after almost fifty years. A group of young officers, supported by the public, opened the path for the country towards freedom, democracy and the end of colonial wars.
The film Capitães de Abril offers a dramatic yet sensitive look at the events of those days. It follows the key moments of the uprising as well as the personal dilemmas of people who decided to stand up to power without using violence.
Director Maria de Medeiros created a powerful story about courage, solidarity and the strength of civic resistance. The film reminds us that even a peaceful revolution can fundamentally change history — and that freedom emerges where people decide to act together.
Capitães de Abril – trailer:
Workshop: Samizdata ‘26 #02
Duration: throughout the entire event
Samizdat refers to unofficial, secretly distributed texts – books, magazines, leaflets or other written materials produced outside state censorship, especially during the communist period in countries of the Eastern Bloc. Authors of samizdat wrote freely, outside official structures, often under pseudonyms and with the awareness that they were taking a risk.
The Samizdata ‘26 project builds on this tradition – and at the same time turns it inside out. At a time when the “freest” expressions often spread anonymously and digitally, Samizdata ‘26 invites people to speak openly and under their own names.
In the foyer, a living space of sharing will emerge: an open recording booth where every visitor can record their personal testimony, thought, poem, memory or message for the future.
Each voice becomes part of a collective samizdat that will gradually be transcribed into text form and, after the event, published as a digital edition of Samizdata ‘26 vol. 2 – freely distributable and open to further additions.
CONCERTS
Berlin Manson (SK)
The synth-punk band Berlin Manson is, in the best sense of the word, a phenomenon on the Slovak music scene. Their engaged and uncompromising lyrics combined with energetic music have quickly gained a huge number of fans, as demonstrated by their hopelessly sold-out concerts.
Berlin Manson was formed as an “apartment” D.I.Y. band during the pandemic lockdowns. The original duo Patrik Nagy and Adam Dragúň was later joined by drummer Tomáš Tabiš, and both in their recordings and concerts they collaborate with a wide range of artists such as Dušan Vlk, Fvck_kvlt, Katarzia, FVLCRVM, Adam The World, Edúv Syn, Temný Rudo, Paris and others.
Registration is required for the concert (available at the bottom of the page).
Bateu Matou (PT)
Bateu Matou is an energetic formation from Portugal created as a joint project of three experienced musicians – Ivo Costa (Sara Tavares), Quim Albergaria (PAUS) and DJ Riot (ex-Buraka Som Sistema).
Their music is a unique fusion of dynamic percussion, electronics and contemporary dance music rhythms, drawing inspiration from African, Brazilian and local Lisbon influences.
Bateu Matou does not simply play rhythms – their sound is built on the connection between drums, beats and computers, creating pulsating music somewhere between a DJ set and a live band. They collaborate with various vocalists and producers, giving their tracks a wide emotional and rhythmic range.
Timeline
17:00 – 17:45
Discussion: Music = a refuge in times of chaos?
18:00 – 19:00
Concert: Berlin Manson (Registration is required)
19:10 – 21:10
Concert: Bateu Matou (PT)
21:25 – 22:25
Film screening: Capitães de Abril (2000)
Throughout: Samizdat ’26 Workshop
Entry to the event is free; registration is required only for the Berlin Manson concert.
