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CONTRA Takes Berlin

JUNE 24, 2026 → WORDS ADRIÁN GOMIS EXPÓSITO

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PHOTOGRAPHY MATTIA SPICH

At the end of May, Berlin’s iconic Kraftwerk was transformed into something far beyond a traditional event space. Conceived by Skrillex and an international curatorial and creative team, CONTRA emerged as an evolving platform exploring the productive collisions between artists, scenes and audiences across contemporary music culture. Over two days, the monumental former power plant and its interconnected spaces, Tresor, Globus and OHM, became an immersive environment where club music, experimental sound and live performance coexisted in constant dialogue.

Environmental design by Paris-based studio Matière Noire reshaped Kraftwerk’s imposing architecture into a series of intimate atmospheres, dissolving the boundaries between light and sound. With more than 70 artists spanning diverse musical languages, the programme deliberately moved between moments of collective intensity and more exploratory experiences. From performances by Skrillex, Bladee and Ecco2K, to sets from Blawan, Crystallmess, Juliana Huxtable, Malibu and countless others, CONTRA unfolded as a living ecosystem of sounds and encounters rather than a fixed-format event.

PHOTOGRAPHY MATTIA SPICH, LÉNA CAPILLA

Marking the beginning of an ongoing initiative, CONTRA positions itself as a platform that uses Skrillex’s place within global electronic music to connect emerging ideas and underground scenes with popular culture. In Berlin, it offered an enveloping experience of experimental sounds and shared sensations, suggesting a new model for how contemporary music communities can gather, interact and evolve together.

CONTRA Takes Berlin

JUNE 24, 2026
WORDS ADRIÁN GOMIS EXPÓSITO

SICKY

PHOTOGRAPHY MATTIA SPICH

At the end of May, Berlin’s iconic Kraftwerk was transformed into something far beyond a traditional event space. Conceived by Skrillex and an international curatorial and creative team, CONTRA emerged as an evolving platform exploring the productive collisions between artists, scenes and audiences across contemporary music culture. Over two days, the monumental former power plant and its interconnected spaces, Tresor, Globus and OHM, became an immersive environment where club music, experimental sound and live performance coexisted in constant dialogue.

Environmental design by Paris-based studio Matière Noire reshaped Kraftwerk’s imposing architecture into a series of intimate atmospheres, dissolving the boundaries between light and sound. With more than 70 artists spanning diverse musical languages, the programme deliberately moved between moments of collective intensity and more exploratory experiences. From performances by Skrillex, Bladee and Ecco2K, to sets from Blawan, Crystallmess, Juliana Huxtable, Malibu and countless others, CONTRA unfolded as a living ecosystem of sounds and encounters rather than a fixed-format event.

PHOTOGRAPHY MATTIA SPICH, LÉNA CAPILLA

Marking the beginning of an ongoing initiative, CONTRA positions itself as a platform that uses Skrillex’s place within global electronic music to connect emerging ideas and underground scenes with popular culture. In Berlin, it offered an enveloping experience of experimental sounds and shared sensations, suggesting a new model for how contemporary music communities can gather, interact and evolve together.