As we near the end of our hcmf// 2025: Rewind, we look back at moments that pushed the boundaries of collaboration and sound — and XN was a day-long reminder of why experimentation matters.
Part of a three-year exchange between two leading UK and German experimental music festivals, XN brought artists, ideas and audiences together in a programme defined by curiosity, dialogue, and risk. From solo to quintet, each performance explored new ways for instruments, voices, and improvisation to meet.
Stefan Schultze
@stefanschultzemusic opened the day with the UK Premiere of 'Hyperplexia', ripping up the rule book with his reimagining of the piano for the 21st century. Acoustic mastery collided with futuristic tech in a performance that felt equal parts experiment, improvisation and spectacle.
Later that day, vibraphonist Evi Filippou
@evi.feelippou and double bassist Robert Lucaciu
@picsandpigs wove Balkan folk, jazz, and avant-garde textures into a duo of stark contrasts and rich interplay, while Akiko Ahrendt, Annie Bloch
@annie.bloch , and Emily Wittbrodt
@emily_wittbrodt explored deep listening and shared transformation as a first-time trio, dissolving boundaries between violin, organ and cello.
The evening culminated in a quintet performance bringing together German composer, conductor and violinist Carolin Pook
@carolinpook with four UK musicians selected via open call. Over three intensive days of collaboration, they created a series of works that balanced individual voice with collective identity, resulting in a performance alive with invention, trust, and creative daring.
“Adam Denton, Alexander Painter, Gloria Yehilevsky, and Jui Ying Huang (who received her musical training in the Taiwanese military!) roam through a wide variety of soundscapes, drifting apart and coming back together again in a way that is a joy to behold. And in doing so, they present “in a nutshell” the appeal of this special festival.”
Stephanie Grimm (taz.de)
From the meticulously crafted to the wildly improvised, XN reminded us why the edges of sound are worth exploring — a celebration of international exchange, experimentation, and fearless artistic dialogue.
