Sponsored content
For four days in October, Momentous will bring the global electronic music scene to Bentonville. While most electronic concerts happen only in New York and Los Angeles, or at major EDM festivals, the event announced by the Momentary last month promises to “be an experience representative of what’s happening today across the global electronic music scene in all its forms.”
Headliners include internationally known artists Arca, Four Tet, Ben UFO and Ryoichi Kurokawa: artists who rarely, if ever, play anywhere around the Midwest. They offer audiovisual performances that incorporate lights, sound, technology and effects. Each Momentous concert is its own experience, bonded by an appreciation for digital music and the ways in which it confronts our analog world.
Tickets for Momentous are sold by day and range from $15 to $40. Discounts are available for students and members of the Momentary. Performances on Sunday, October 23, will be free, with no ticket required. Learn about the artist lineup below and plan your ideal Momentous experience.
Whether you’re an EDM expert or know nothing about the genre, surprises are in store each night of Momentous.
Thursday: Ryoichi Kurokawa, Hyd
Japanese artist Ryoichi Kurokawa will perform subassemblies, an audiovisual performance seen at the 2019 MUTEK festival in Montreal. Based in Berlin, Germany, Kurokawa’s works take on multiple forms such as installation works, recordings and concert pieces.
HYD is an American visual and performance artist who has performed at venues such as MOMA PS1 and Brooklyn’s Elsewhere. Her debut EP was released in 2021.
Friday: Four Tet + Ben UFO, Jlin
Four Tet is the electronic outlet for the solo work of Keiran Hebden. He typically utilizes samples lifted from various sources including hip-hop, electronica, techno, jazz and folk, mixed with his own guitar playing. Hebden has also remixed artists including Madvillain, Bloc Party, Super Furry Animals, Beth Orton and Radiohead.
UK DJ Ben UFO explores sounds both old and new across the worlds of house and garage, dubstep and grime, and further into the past while also placing a focus on brand new works.
Jlin is one of the most prominent female producers of the current generation. Though previously using samples in her work, she now refuses to, and her tracks are composed of all original material.
Saturday: Arca, BGIdj (fka Total Freedom)
Arca is one of the world’s most transformative musical talents. She’s created an unprecedented body of work drawing from club music, experimental noise, and the ballad tradition of her native Venezuela, while reaching beyond music to encompass performance, visual art and technology. She’s collaborated with Björk, Kanye West and FKA twigs, and worked with the Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Rosalía and Sia.
Miami-based multidisciplinary artist, DJ and producer BGIdj (fka Total Freedom) was a founding member of Los Angeles-based music label Fade to Mind and a resident DJ at New York’s Gh20G0th1K parties since their inception. He’s collaborated with Ryan Trecartin, Isa Genzken, Arca, Wu Tsang, Xavier Cha, Boychild, Josh Johnson, Kelela, Akeem Smith and Jason Moran.
Learn more and get tickets at theMomentary.org.
Comments are disabled for this post.
Supporting the Arkansas Times’ independent journalism is more vital than ever. Help us deliver the latest daily reporting and analysis on news, politics, culture and food in Arkansas.
Founded 1974, the Arkansas Times is a lively, opinionated source for news, politics & culture in Arkansas. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas.
