syn_ w/: Bliss, Ku-Ro & Mara Never, Asifeh, Solo Isa, Yasmina Haddad, Ádám Salomvári & Laura Oyuela
syn_ is a new event series by Bestand bringing together different music related formats. It further builds upon the idea of synergetic and close collaboration between everyone involved.
syn_
_Bliss (live)
_Ku-Ro & Mara Never (live)
_Asifeh (live)
_Solo Isa (dj)
_Yasmina Haddad (dj)
_Ádám Salomvári & Laura Oyuela (sound performance)
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Bliss, formed in 2024, is a Beirut-born grunge band shaping noise at the heart of Lebanon’s
underground alternative scene. Their dreamy guitars and soft melodies, accompanied by the heaviness of the drums, resulted in a blend of shoegaze, indie, and alternative tones.
Composed by three Beirut-based artists - Julie Abou Kasm (bass, vocals), Rebal Abu Fadel (guitar), and Andrew Kareh (drums), Bliss has become a defining voice in the city’s reborn indie/alt movement. Emerging from years of crisis, collapse, and silence, their presence has reignited a sense of energy and escape in a generation that grew up with both the beauty and ruin of Beirut.
Ku-Ro & Mara Never
Having previously performed at the Piehouse Co-Op in London, Ku-Ro and Mara Never are joining together for a live debut in Vienna. Mara Never’s dissonant electric guitar blends with Ku-Ro’s saxophone to create exuberant, free-flowing, raw sound compositions. They are both artists and cultural practitioners who are building a bridge between the music scenes of Vienna and London.
Asifeh (also known as Stormtrap) is a producer/rapper based between Vienna and Ramallah. His music consists of rap vocals, sampled material, and original compositions using modern and abandoned technologies. He is co-founder of the former Ramallah Underground collective, who laid the foundations for a booming underground music scene in Palestine, active during the years 2003 - 2009. Asifeh is 1/3 of the AIWA Collective, who organized a series of hip hop events in Berlin. He is also co-founder of the NOISE&BEATS collective, who organized experimental music events and workshops in Vienna. Asifeh has released four solo albums “Iradeh” (2012), “Datura” (2017), "Makhazen Bukra" (Well Gedacht - 2020) and “Tasalul” (Ghost Dance Tapes - 2022). In addition to those albums, Asifeh self-released two experimental synth-based projects in 2020 on his Bandcamp, "Hideout" and "2003". He has performed around the world in different cities such as Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Barcelona, Brussels, Melbourne, Beirut, Amman, London, Ramallah, Istanbul, Rome, and many more.
Solo Isa is Isa’s efforts in music but solo, which comes with its challenges and a lot of fragility. Solo Isa is on the pursuit of sharpening her senses and getting back her attention from the economy. As a DJ, Solo Isa tries to do the same for you. Solo Isa is 1/2 of London/Vienna avant-folk duo Bara & Isa and frequently collaborates with Verschrin, with whom she runs a shared studio in Vienna, as well as the irregular radio show and event series Sad*Crab Radio.
Yasmina´s essayistic dj sets bring unheard voices, sounds and songs to the surface. Often circling around a single phrase or a certain moment in time, the mixes rub salt into the wounds of the undying postmodern. With a call for active listening she spans a bridge from Lili Boulanger to Fairuz and Moor Mother.
Sound Performance: “ROCKS, I MEAN; – STARS” (2026)
… is a sonic and spatial performance departing from text, soundscapes, spoken words and its physical surrounding. Here, hope is not mere optimism, but a process of relations that must be enacted within each other. The piece works with analogies between black holes and human beings through low frequencies, orbital motion, and stretched time, shaping a field that gathers bodies into one another. The project investigates how perceptual, cognitive, and affective dynamics shape the experience of artistic performance in relation to contemporary conditions of subjectivity, particularly isolation and hyperproductivity.
A fragment of the soundscape may be heard in the space throughout the exhibition.