The Pop-Kultur festival is returning to Berlin next month, presenting over 100 events from Aug. 15 – 17 at the Kulturbrauerei. The festival gives musicians space to expand on the artistic currents underpinning much of pop culture and pop music today with a program of performances, new commissions, exhibitions, talks, and workshops.
Show Notes
The Pop-Kultur festival is returning to Berlin next month, presenting over 100 events from Aug. 15 – 17 at the Kulturbrauerei. The festival gives musicians space to expand on the artistic currents underpinning much of pop culture and pop music today with a program of performances, new commissions, exhibitions, talks, and workshops.
The festival’s organizers have assembled a line-up of both international and Berlin-based artists. Finding balance was a major factor when choosing musicians according to Martin Hossbach, one-third of Pop-Kultur’s curatorial team. The lineup features both older and younger generations of performers and achieves a 50-50 balance between male- and female-identifying artists.
Hossbach laments that a male majority among musicians is still the norm at most music festivals, but rejects the idea that finding female musicians is a challenge. On the contrary, “it was really easy,” he says: “I get very upset when someone says there aren’t enough female, I don’t know, ‘headline acts’…that’s just rubbish. It usually means the person saying it is lazy.”
Produced by Marlene Melchior
What is KCRW Berlin: Amplified?
Amplified is a weekly music show, originally broadcast on KCRW Berlin, featuring interviews with musicians from all genres, hailing from Berlin and beyond.