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There’s a festival in an abandoned science institute this summer, Urvakan

Slikback, Aïsha Devi, Nazira, and many more will play the Armenian festival in May

Urvakan will take place in an abandoned sciene institute in Armenia this summer.

With a vision to breathe life back into abandoned and disused buildings in Armenia, Urvakan, which natively means ghost, phantom or spirit, takes place from the 5th May to the 9th May, inviting than 100 artists from 20 countries to the festival.

The festival will span across five days in various historial locations around Yerevan. The opening day will be hosted at last years location, the Yerevan Children’s Railway and Mirzoyan Library, while the new weekend program will take place at an abandoned scientific institute in the suburbs of Yerevan. 

Among the artists to perform will be Kenyan artist Slikback, who also played last year's Nyege Nyege Festival, Houndstooth affiliate Aïsha Devi, and Nazira, a DJ from Kazhakstan's techno scene. Elsewhere on the line-up, more sets will come courtesy of Buttechno, Emptyset, and Ghédalia Tazartès & Rhys Chatham.

Ninja Tune affiliate The Bug will also perform at Urvakan,with a live performance from Vincent de Belleval & Nicolás Jaar, entitled ‘Retaining The Energy, But Losing The Image’ (developed with Pantxo Bertin & Adam Paikowsky), also taking place. The act is based around 10 rotating parabolic reflectors that capture and emit sound and light around the room.

Find out more about Urvakan and purchase tickets for the event here, and check out the full list of artists performing below.

8ULENTINA (US)

Abelle (RU)

Aïsha Devi (CH)

astvaldur (IS)

Audrey Chen & Hugo Esquinca* (US/MX)

The Bambir (AM)

Black to Comm (DE)

Buttechno (RU)

Chillera (UA)

DJ Die Soon (JP)

Dorota* (HU)

Doubledav aka T_st & Yhii (AM) 

Ellen Arkbro (SE)

Emptyset (UK)

Ensemble Assonance (AM)

Felicity Mangan (AUS)

Flaty (RU)

FOOZOOL (US)

Foresteppe (RU)

Ghédalia Tazartès & Rhys Chatham (FR/US) 

I s (AM)

JRPJEJ (RU)

Kedr Livanskiy (RU)

Lobanov K. (UA)

Lovozero (RU)

low808 (RU)

Lukas Grundmann (AU)

Lyra Pramuk (DE)

Madteo (US)

Maria w Horn (SE)

Marta de Pascalis* (IT)

Medium Raw aka Merouj & Dave N.A. (AM)

MSYLMA (SA)

Mveq (AM)

Nazira (KZ)

Nocow (RU)

Perila (RU/DE)

Pierre Bastien (FR)

Poly Chain* (UA)

Rabih Beaini (LB)

Retaining The Energy, But Losing The Image (INT)

Schacke (DK)

Shaddah Tuum (INT)

Shackleton presents Tunes of Negation (UK)

Slikback (KE)

smog (FR)

Stefan Fraunberger (AU)

Symptom (AM)

Textasy (US)

The Bug (UK)

Tiezerk (AM)

Voin Oruwu (UA)

Vtgnike (RU)