Over the past five to ten years, there are certain points in the year that seem to be fixed on The Brvtalist calendar. For example - late August is Berlin Atonal and late September is Lunchmeat Festival. Started in 2010, Lunchmeat Festival is an annual international festival dedicated to advanced electronic music and new media art based in Prague, Czech Republic. Each year it does a tremendous job of curating forward thinking electronic music acts and cutting edge visual and performance art and media. The festival is held at different venues throughout the city and the main program takes place in the (very nice) basement of the Prague National Gallery.

My first Lunchmeat was in 2019. I stayed the full week and can truly say it was a transformative time as at that point it really challenged what I thought a festival could be and I really appreciated the risk taking of the organizers and their dedication to pushing something new and different. It was experimental, it was club but more importantly it was something ELSE. I would also like to point out that the 2019 edition had one of my favorite ever poster artworks and we also released a great mix by an emerging artist called LSDXOXO. (have a look back/listen here).

Fast forward to 2024 and we've actually been through a lot together. In 2020, Lunchmeat became Europe's last festival as it happened on the cusp of another huge lockdown (wrote about it here) and then it emerged again out of the ashes of the pandemic, reinventing itself once more. After being unable to attend in 2023, I was very happy to come back when I was asked this year. The festival almost always begins on Monday and ends on Sunday. Given my schedule, I was only able to attend Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this year but I was definitely still determined to go and make the most of it.

September 25, 2025 (Lichtenberg, Germany)

It's late morning and I'm at Lichtenberg Railway Station. This is my first time here and for whatever reason the train to Prague leaves from this station and not the usual Berlin Central. Lichtenberg is sort of an interesting place in the north east corner of Berlin and it's not particularly exciting but I'm intrigued to be here. Lichtenberg itself was founded in 1230 and has some great Neo Gothic architecture scattered throughout. The train station though is right out of the mid century and has a very DDR nostalgia energy about it. I get there a little early to explore but there's nothing really of note other that the retro signage out front so I end up just waiting around longer than I need. Finally I board the train and I begin the rather pleasant four or so hour train ride to Prague.

My favorite part of the journey is always the stretch near the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. It's a section of the Elbe that sort of wraps around the hills and you get some great views of riverside homes and villages and somehow in 2024 it still feels like it's frozen in time. As it turns out on this trip though, my seat is on the wrong window side so I don't really get to experience it how I like but I still sneak over and catch some good glimpses.

Berlin Lichtenberg Train Station. Photo by JRS

I arrive at Prague Central Station in the late afternoon and my first stop is to check in to the hotel. My last few times here I've stayed at the Belvedere in the hip Letná (district 7) of Prague. Keeping with the Lichtenberg train station vibe, the Belvedere also feels right out of the middle of the century. Technically it was built in 1922 and it was actually a movie theater for a while into the 1980's but you definitely can’t miss that mid-century Soviet energy again. Overall it's a nice place and even better location. Although I continuously joke that the hotel is haunted and actually I think that's kinda true. At the same time, it makes me like it a little bit more also.

After a little nap, I freshen up and I'm ready to jump in to the night. My first destination in Archa+, a performing arts theater on the other side of the river which is dedicated to a diverse array of mediums. You might see a concert there, a dance performance or attend a workshop. It's an interesting space that brings together different ideas and really the perfect venue for an event like Lunchmeat. This year it hosts one of the events I've been looking forward to the most - Louis-Philippe Demers & Bill Vorn's "Inferno". Taking the name and inspiration of course from Dante’s classic text, this is definitely poetry of the future. The audience plays an integral part in the unification of sound and image by wearing robotic prostheses that influence the performance, and trigger reflection on what waits for us beyond the pale. Fusing cybernetic research with conceptual robotics and biblical judgement, "Inferno" is something incredibly unique and something quite refreshing at a music festival.

I arrive slightly late and when I enter the space I see the crowd encircles the performance. Inside, humans are locked into robotic exoskeletons which are reminiscent of something out of Halo or Pacific Rim. The suits are attached by a long chord which comes down from the ceiling and there's several of them all dancing to rhythmic electronic music which is being performed by the artists in the booth behind them. I can't quite tell if they are actually controlling their movements or maybe just sending triggers to the suits. Either way it's something mesmerizing to watch and listen to.

After the performance, the audience is allowed to linger a bit and check out the suits which are now empty and stationary. I get a closer look and it's quite a fascinating invention. There's a lot of innerworkings and again, I wish I could explain how it all works but I can't so just take my word for it that there's a lot of science behind it and it's something you should check it out if it comes to a festival near you.

"Inferno" was not the only event on the Lunchmeat calendar this day. Also happening was a night at one of the city’s best clubs, Ankali. Lunchmeat and Ankali have a long running collaboration during the festival week. Typically you might find a pumping club event or a high energy live show. However, this year marked the return of the well regarded shoes off ambient nights. For this event, the club transforms into a very cozy, very magical space where the audience is required to removed their shoes and sit/lay down on the floor where you find numerous cushions and bags to sink into.

While I was quite tired from the trip already, I still wanted to check out the night so I made my way over to Ankali. Truth be told, at first glance I really wished it was a club night. I remember so many great moments there and it's a nice to kick off the party mid-week. Taking my shoes off in the club is not really something I get excited about BUT I keep an open mind and I appreciate the club's dedication to it and the way they transform the space to make it something very cozy. I was 100% not planning on going in to the room (more like taking a peek inside) but then I ran into my friend Kasia and she sort of convinced me to do it and I'm actually glad I did. The way the club transforms the space is really nice and you feel like you're on a different planet in some ways. With a DJ or live act playing ambient it is a very meditative and immersive experience. I maybe stayed for 30-60 minutes sitting on a cushion along the side and while that was enough time for me, I can also see how you can spend some hours in there if in the mood. After laying in an ambient room for nearly an hour, I was definitely ready for bed so I caught a car back to the Belvedere and charged up for tomorrow.

September 26th Prague, CZ

As usual, I wake up well before my alarm goes off and I'm in time to make the hotel breakfast at the Belvedere. The food itself is not that special but the breakfast hall is some sort of post Soviet dining experience that I look forward to for some reason. The space where breakfast is served is inside of a grand ballroom. It feels like it should be used for an award show, gala or party conference and the crimson red curtains on the stage and wrap around upper level make for an odd place to have a buffet but I've come to enjoy having a coffee there.

The breakfast hall at the Belveder Hotel. Photo by JRS

Tonight, the program will take place at the National Gallery. This is a beautiful museum which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic. Each year, the main program of Lunchmeat takes place in the basement of the museum which is a great space that has an amphitheater-like concert stage and an area for another stage which mainly hosts DJs. Tonight is a little bit of a shorter night than usual but it's a Thursday and I think it's meant as sort of an appetizer for the weekend ahead. Before the night I meet my friend Sára (a local) for dumplings at Dim Sum Spot Letna (recommended) and a cocktail at Luft (also a cool place for drinks, coffee and records) and we arrive at the National Gallery just in time for Aastma.

The joint project of Swedish mastermind Peder Mannerfeldt and Pär Grindvik, Aasthma fuses the pair’s subversive tastes in techno and their mutual love of pop, RnB, and experimental and industrial flavours. They often appear on the festival circuit and I've always respected their unique mix of genres. This was a nice way to help start off the main program as their delivery of rhythmic electronics and heavy industrial and leftfield pop explorations got the crowd swaying early on the danc efloor. The pair performs in outfits which makes them anonymous and the only thing I wished they added was some sort of visual stimulation to make better use of the space as I always like that about Lunchmeat as well.

Next up on the schedule was Oklou. The Paris-based musician Marylou Mayniel captured the hearts of listeners around the world with her breakout mixtape-album, ‘Galore’, which was released in the early autumn of 2020. Perfectly suited to the perplexing state of that year, ‘Galore’ was a gasp of low-key interpersonal songs, and subtle yet clear productions. She has since toured the world and has become sort of an alternative pop star in some way. I was not really familiar with her but the audience certainly was as she commanded a big crowd who seemed to know a lot of the songs. While it was not really for my tastes I could see her appeal as she was very open, personal and makes tracks that can appeal to many.

Last of the night was a DJ set on the club stage by dné. An ambient musician from Prague making music since 2008, Ondřej Holý, goes by dné for his productions. His featherweight-soft debut album, the joyful and quirky “These Semi Feelings, They Are Everywhere” collected two Czech music awards, for Best Electronic Album and for Album of the Year, when it was released in 2016. On this night he graced us with a diverse selection of tunes, ranging from trap to leftfield electronics and more. Challenging and engaging with an earlier end time which I think was meant to get us ready for Friday.

I awaken again early to get breakfast in the post-Soviet dining hall and after doing a bit of work I meet up again with my friend Sára who takes me to some nice spots around the old city of Prague. For me, there are not many places that can beat Prague's mysterious beauty. "The city of a hundred spires" is an enchanting mix of old world meets new generation and I don't think there's any place really more gothic either. We cross the Charles Bridge and I have a Budweiser (why does beer taste better in the Czech Republic?) and then I go back to the hotel to get ready for the night. Unfortunately this will be my last night here as I have a gig in Cologne the next night (was a great one at Nürbose) but I'm glad I get to experience the first weekend night of the festival.

me on the Charles bridge. Photo by Sára Zelezná

Tonight the program starts a bit early with some different panels. I don't make it for those as I rarely like panels and artist discussions. While I appreciate their importance, it's just generally not something I partake in. That's ok though as it leaves a little more time and I still arrive in time for "Narrative Absence", the new work from Bratislava-based Boris Vitázek. For this world premiere, the artist explores the paramount importance of an individual narrative in navigating your life and constructing your reality, “Narrative Absence” questions what happens when we — as individuals, societal groups, and members of human civilisation — lack such a narrative, and the role which stories have to play in this complex mix. The visuals for this one were engaging and provided a mirror of sorts into our dystopian digital lives.

Next up is an anticipated DJ set on the club stage by London's object blue. For "ghosts" she collobrated with her wife and creative partner Natalia Podgórska for a new a/v experience that builds upon her previous works of outside of the boundaries dance music. I was definitely curious to check this one and the floor was packed when the duo started. The visuals were something out of a super future computer game. The music was deconstructed, challenging and distorts rhythms to put you somewhere in between post-club, techno and beyond.

Back on the main stage, next was Pinch & Lorem's "A Red Rabbit". This work commissioned by Lunchmeat brought the tough-as-nails industrial-tinged techno, Bristolian musician and DJ Pinch back to the National Gallery with a mind bending new a/v with Lorem. As the artist states this was, “A guided journey through oneiric textures and spacious bass sonics. Who or what is the Red Rabbit? Will it guide you safely in strange times, or lure you deeper into chaos and confusion? Is awake it now when was tha”. This was probably one of most intense pieces I saw at the festival and between the percussion and high energy visuals many even had to take a moment to process it all.

Next up on the main stage was The Fear Ratio live. The project of James Ruskin and Mark Broom, the pair are indisputably two of UK techno’s most significant characters, indispensable to the booming interest in IDM in the 90’s, and founders of the era-defining record labels Blueprint and Pure Plastic. As The Fear Ratio they combine their unique dancefloor material with out-there hip hop and experimental sound design. This would be their debut live peformance commissioned uniquely for Lunchmeat Festival 2024 and I had this one circled from the start and told myself I would at least make it through this before I left. It didn't disappoint and from the first minute, the duo had the crowd packed in front on the dance floor and somehow it felt like the festival really started at this point. Sadly I had to leave afterward but in some ways it felt like a good moment too.

**object blue & Natalia Podgórska. photo by Romana Kovacs**

By 10 a.m. the next morning I'm on a train to Cologne, Germany headed to my gig. While I was just in Prague for three days, as usual I saw some engaging pieces and heard some challenging music. I think festivals like these are becoming more and more rare these days as tastes change and in general this type of art is not for everyone. In that sense I applaud Lunchmeat even more for their continued dedication and diverse and forward thinking curation of acts. Prague also remains one of my favorite cities in the world and I hope to be back again soon and perhaps next year for the 2025 edition.

-JRS