Step into the future with our Music Innovation program, where creativity meets cutting-edge technology. Immerse yourself into the world of music and tech with some innovative performances and talks.

Performances by Effenaar Labs Hybrid Music Vibes graduates.

The Hybrid Music Vibes program offers artists the opportunity to discover how new technologies can contribute to their artistry. Hybrid Music Vibes is an initiative of Effenaar Lab in collaboration with Rockacademie Tilburg, Thunderboom Records, Bureau Moeilijke Dingen, Studio Wotto and is supported by Cultuurloket DigitALL.

With ALTERITY the multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and media archaeologist Jacco Gardner excavates a forgotten moment in the history of human-machine collaboration. The piece’s narration, written and researched by art historian María Pandiello, traces humanity’s recurring desire to build thinking companions; against it, sound, light, and image are synthesized live, each element responsive to the others, in a format closer to improvisation against a silent film, except the film is audio narration and the improvised response is audiovisual.

We can no longer ignore it; tech is changing the music landscape in an unprecedented way. From making music to ‘disrupting’ the business model for the industry. During this panel Alexander Beets (Fontys Rock Academy) discusses the developments with people from different disciplines (publishers, labels, CRMs, festivals, managers and makers). What changes can we expect, what threats are there for everyone, but also what opportunities does this new technological perspective offer?  

This talk is meant for artists, industry professionals and music students. Registration in advance is needed due to limited capacity. 

Followed networking drinks hosted by Music Tech Netherlands.

Date: Saturday, 29 August
Time: 14.00 – 16.00
Place: POPEI

Music Innovation is hosted by Effenaar Lab

In addition to a vibrant music venue, Effenaar offers space for innovation and high-tech experiments with Effenaar Lab. The rapid rise of various technologies has a major impact on the music industry, especially in the field of music experience. Together with artists, tech companies, schools and other educational institutions, Effenaar Lab is discovering the future of music experience.

In 2026, Eindhoven is the host city of De Opening, a national celebration marking the start of the new cultural season. During the final weekend of August, artists, makers and audiences from across the Netherlands come together to celebrate culture in all its forms. Throughout the city, visitors can discover new worlds through music, theatre, dance, visual arts and more, as cultural venues present special programmes and activities.

During this cultural celebration, Hit The City presents its own festival programme, featuring 120 artists across 17 stages throughout Eindhoven. Together, Hit The City and De Opening create an inspiring weekend full of music, art and culture across the city. Staying true to its mission of making live music accessible to everyone, Hit The City festival invites visitors to enjoy their favourite artists and discover emerging talent!

Especially at a time when there is growing discussion about who feels welcome, safe and represented within the music scene, we believe it’s important not only to join the conversation, but also to create space.

That’s why Girls to the Front is part of Hit The City. Together with Girls To The Front founder and curator Bibi Bannink, we’re presenting a programme featuring FLINTA-fronted punk bands that not only express their own sound through their music, but also use their voices to speak out about the world around them.

We believe pop culture becomes stronger when more people are given the space to be visible, tell their stories and claim their place. Not as a trend or a temporary statement, but as a conscious choice for a music scene where talent, creativity and diverse perspectives have room to thrive.
That’s the future of pop culture Hit The City wants to contribute to.

The line up curated by Girls To The Front
Friday 28 August

Effenaar Grote Zaal
Lambrini Girls / Jools / Vals Alarm

Effenaar Kleine Zaal
Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb / Hondenfokker / L.A. Sagne / PISS / Snackbar / Girls To The Front DJ Set

From the Turkish influences of Kit Sebastian and the Thai psychedelia of Yīn Yīn to the Mediterranean sounds of Parbleu: during Hit The City, music from all corners of the world finds its own place on the Durum Stage. For two days, Vrijstaat becomes the backdrop for artists who connect contemporary sounds with music deeply rooted in their origins. One thing ties it all together: it has to be music you can dance to.

Behind this carefully curated programme are Sander Harryvan and Timo Spijkers from Durum Records, a music label in the broadest sense of the term. A home for artists, audiences, and music that doesn’t fit into a single category.

The idea for Durum Records started during a trip through Australia, where the pair discovered how deeply music can be connected to place, history and identity.

“That really inspired us,” Sander says. “We realised there was a growing audience in the Netherlands for artists who blend influences from different parts of the world into something entirely their own. We come from completely different professional backgrounds: Timo worked in healthcare, while I came from the marketing and tech world. But we looked at each other and knew we had to do something with this.”

One year later, what began as an idea quickly grew into something much bigger than a label.
“From day one, we wanted to build an ecosystem,” Timo explains. “Booking artists, releasing vinyl, organising festivals, telling artist stories. We wanted all of those pieces to strengthen each other.”

Instead of focusing on genres, Durum focuses on artists with a strong musical identity. Many draw inspiration from their heritage, but reinterpret those traditions in new and unexpected ways. “Our ambition is to build a name that represents a certain sound and identity, like Motown once did”.
“People often ask if it’s world music,” says Timo. “But all music comes from somewhere. We’re much more interested in artists who create something new by building on where they come from.”

Looking at the Durum Records roster, you’ll find artists with widely different backgrounds and influences. Yet they all share one important thing: a strong connection to their roots. According to Sander and Timo, that is exactly where their strength lies.

“Because the music is so deeply connected to its roots, there’s often a much bigger story behind it. It’s about much more than just the music. It’s about the culture behind it, where the artists come from, and what has shaped them.”

Through interviews and conversations, the duo takes their audience into the world behind the songs. These ‘artist stories’ can be found on the Durum Records website as an extra layer to the live experiences.

The love for music and genuine passion are also reflected in the events the two have built in a short amount of time. Recently, they organized their own festival Falafelpop at Hall of Fame in Tilburg, and they will soon host their own stage for two days at Hit The City.

The reactions from the audience show exactly why they do what they do. Timo: “Recently, people came up to us at Best Kept Secret Festival asking if we already knew Falafelpop. They started pitching our own festival to us. That’s probably the ultimate compliment.”

They also heard from visitors that the festival reminded them of the Lima stage at Lowlands. Sander: “It showed that people experienced it as one big celebration. That’s exactly what we want to create again at Hit The City over two days.”

The collaboration with Hit The City quickly felt like a natural fit. “We got in touch with Robert [Head of Programming at Effenaar and Hit The City, ed.] and he wanted to give Durum’s music a place in an international city like Eindhoven”, says Sander.

That place became the brand-new Vrijstaat. Located in the heart of the city, this urban oasis perfectly matches the sunny sounds of the curated programme. With a skate ramp, outdoor terrace, and creative surprises around every corner, Vrijstaat is a space where anything can happen and everyone can feel at ease.

When curating the programme, Sander and Timo mainly focus on the flow of the day.
“You want DJs between the live acts to gradually build the vibe, so that from the moment you arrive, you don’t want to leave. On Friday you’d have to think: I’m coming back tomorrow. And next year as well,” says Timo. Sander adds: “We also try to find the right balance between local and international artists.”

Hit The City is known for introducing audiences to new artists while also bringing the favorites they already know. The Durum Stage fits that same approach. “Olkan & La Vipère Rouge is definitely an act we think people should discover. They’re a surprising duo from the south of France combining techno with French rap and Turkish saz, adding their own unique twist. One thing is certain: these guys know how to throw a party,” says Sander. “Fauna is also a really exciting emerging band from Sweden, who sometimes remind me a little of Goat. They’ll be playing with a huge band in Vrijstaat’s small skate hall, and I’m really curious to see how that will translate to the stage.”

And of course, there is one favourite that cannot be missing: “Headliner Yīn Yīn, a Dutch band that has developed international allure.”

You can visit the Durum Stage, curated by Durum Records, at Vrijstaat during Hit The City Festival on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August. The programme includes Yīn Yīn, Fauna, Olkan & La Vipère Rouge, Parbleu, Kit Sebastian, and Chica Chica. For those who want to continue dancing afterwards, Durum Club takes over listening bar Otomoto with DJ sets from artists including Arabella Memdouh, Discos Horizontes, and Radikal Rupert.

The programme for Eindhoven’s free city festival was already packed with names such as Typhoon, Jonna Fraser, S10, DEADLETTER and Lambrini Girls. With the announcement of the final additions, the line-up is now complete at 121 artists and bands. Alongside headliner Mula at Ketelhuisplein, Snapped Ankles, Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb, Olkan & La Vipère Rouge, Julia Sabaté, LEMONSUCKR, Parbleu and Arabella Memdouh join the city-wide programme.

Hit The City is a collaboration between Effenaar, Friendly Fire and ASML, taking place on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August 2026, preceded by an opening show on Thursday 27 August. With a large outdoor stage at Ketelhuisplein and venues spread across the city centre, the festival once again leaves room for both established names and artists you’ll soon be claiming you saw before they broke through.

With his unique blend of classic rap and electropop, Mula — now performing without the “B” — has been leaving a significant mark on the Dutch hip-hop scene for years. During his performance at Best Kept Secret, he turned the TWO stage into a swirling breakbeat frenzy, delivering a set packed with tracks from the acclaimed album Narcopop (2023) alongside older material, never giving the audience a moment to catch their breath. The performance was ranked fifth in the festival’s Top 25 by 3voor12 and named the best show of Friday. Anyone who witnessed it already knows what to expect: Ketelhuisplein is guaranteed to become one giant mosh pit.

Anyone wandering through the city on Friday and Saturday will naturally be swept up in a diverse mix of music and vibes that showcase the festival in all its forms.

At Snapped Ankles’ show in Effenaar, it may briefly feel as though you’ve stumbled into a forest rave. Dressed in ghillie suits, the band will have audiences dancing to their signature blend of punk and electronica. Friday’s programme at Effenaar kicks off with Girls To The Front, curated by the collective of the same name led by Bibi Bannink, where live performances and activism seamlessly intertwine. Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb explodes punk and riot grrrl into creative chaos, while Hondenfokker tears through a sound that lands somewhere between rave and riot. Meanwhile, the dance floor will be fuelled by sets from the Girls To The Front DJs, Bandgurl666 and KaasFM.

In Dynamo’s basement, the lights dim for LEMONSUCKR, blending alt-rave with dance-punk and rock, hardcore outfit Inherited pushing the BPMs ever higher, and WASTE, effortlessly transforming the room into a sweaty collision of noise and dark post-punk. Room 8 hosts Club Commit, born from the freerunning community and serving as a meeting place for street culture collectives, creative talent and anyone gravitating towards the night. The late-night programme will be curated by DJ !KUEL & friends.

Outdoors, at the new Vrijstaat location, Durum Records curates its own stage filled with summer sounds from around the globe. Alongside previously announced acts such as Yīn Yīn and Fauna, the line-up is now completed by the tropical grooves of Chica Chica, the Mediterranean techno of Olkan & La Vipère Rouge, and the eight-piece collective Parbleu, who fuse Caribbean dub, Latin rhythms and Afrobeat into a sun-soaked celebration. DJ Baba Ganouche will soundtrack Saturday with a groove-filled musical journey, while cosmic funk duo Kagami continue the evening at listening bar Otomoto with a DJ set following their Vrijstaat performance.

The night carries on at Otomoto with DJ sets ranging from the genre-defying French-inspired sounds of Arabella Memdouh to the pop gems of Kit Sebastian and the tropical dancefloor fillers of the Trackvogels DJ set. Discos Horizontes blends cumbia, disco-folk and reggae into a sound that feels as though it has travelled in from every corner of the world.

At Café Prins Hendrik, Kourosh mixes rap and electronics, while Katie Bitchcoin christens cryptopunk as a genre of its own, somewhere between techno, electroclash and punk.

On Stratumseind, K.Zia delivers a raw and story-driven performance filled with soul and alternative R&B at Stage Music Café. At Altstadt, fans of Sharon Van Etten and Sam Fender will find a kindred spirit in Ellur, whose heartfelt indie anthems capture the experience of growing up. Dublin collective Sell Everything combines grunge, jazz and R&B into an energetic and compelling live show.

In collaboration with the Rockacademie, POPEI presents three emerging acts: Säm Wilder, blending neo-soul, R&B and pop; Lucy Fabienne, crafting country-pop for wandering hearts; and Owen Bryce, whose dreamy indie folk is steeped in nostalgia and emotion. Also featured are the melodic pop of Spanish-Dutch singer Julia Sabaté, the poetic electronic pop of puntjudith and the alternative pop of Yrsa.

Just as it did last year, Hit The City explores the future of music experiences. At MU, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Jacco Gardner presents ALTERITY, an audiovisual performance installation that combines forgotten technology from the early digital revolution with modern AI. Through generative music, live visuals and spatial audio, Gardner breathes new life into intelligent instruments from the 1980s.

At POPEI, Ramses3000 presents a live performance in which music and visuals are directly connected through a newly developed instrument created in collaboration with Studio Wotto and Effenaar Lab. The work stems from Thalamus, a project in which he explored how music can support focus and calm through the lens of his own experiences with ADHD. This personal journey is translated into a sound that combines classical influences with synthesisers and electronic textures. During the performance, analogue liquid-light techniques from the 1970s merge with digital visuals, allowing image and sound to flow together in real time as one continuous live experience.

As summer slowly draws to a close, Hit The City offers one more reason to celebrate Eindhoven together: three days, more than 100 artists and seventeen venues spread throughout the city. With its accessible and wide-ranging programme, the festival contributes to the region’s cultural landscape and once again turns Eindhoven into a central meeting place for music lovers and curious explorers alike.

The 43 additions:
Mula – Snapped Ankles – ALTERITY by Jacco Gardner – Altstadt DJ team – Arabella
Memdouh (DJ set) – Bandgurl666 – Chica Chica – Club Alt with DJ Sharon and DJ Bob
Discos Horizontes – DJ !KUEL & friends – DJ Baba Ganouche – DJ Iris – DJ Quick Fade – DJ
Sjaak – Dynamo DJ team – Eefke Boelhouwers – Effenaar DJ team – Ellur – Gender Reveal
Atomic Bomb – Girls To The Front DJ set – Hit The City DJ team – Hondenfokker – Inherited
Julia Sabaté – KaasFM – Kagami – Kagami DJ set – Katie Bitchcoin – Kit Sebastian DJ set
Kourosh – K.ZIA – LEMONSUCKR – Lucy Fabienne – Olkan & La Vipère Rouge – Owen Bryce
– Parbleu – puntjudith – Radikal Rupert (Trackvogels DJ set) – Ramses 3000 – Sell Everything
– Säm Wilder – Waste – Yrsa

The whole line-up of Hit The City 2026:
DEADLETTER – High Vis – Jonna Fraser – Kevin – Lambrini Girls – Mula – S10 – Typhoon
Elmer – Jack Shore – jet van der steen – Josylvio – MICHA – Slow Crush – Snapped Ankles
TEN56. – Yīn Yīn – Alice Olsthoorn – ALTERITY by Jacco Gardner – Arabella Memdouh
Automatic – Badminton – badtime – Bandit – Blair Davie – BLOED – Brik Tu-Tok – Ceebo
Charlotte OC – Chica Chica – Club Brat – Coalmine Canary – Croíthe – CROUCH – Def
Devon Rexi – Discos Horizontes – DITTER – DJ Baba Ganouche – DJ !KUEL & friends – Eefke
Boelhouwers – Ellur – Fauna – FIEP – Fit – Fellatio – Frans Kalf – Frozemode – Future Husband
– Gala Dragot – Gallamesh – Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb – Girls To The Front DJ set
Glazyhaze – Greg Freeman – Harpy – Hex Girlfriend – Honey I’m Home – Hondenfokker
HOOFS – Inherited – JACOTÉNE – Janet Livv – Jesse Hoefnagels – jev. – Jools – Julia Sabaté
– Kagami – Kagami DJ set – Katie Bitchcoin – Kirara (live AV) – Kit Sebastian – Kit Sebastian DJ set
– Kourosh – K.Zia – L.A. Sagne – LeBlanc – LEMONSUCKR – Lintworm – Lucy Fabienne – MAYTE
Mek’Dr’Dr – Meryl Streek – Michael Ekow & May – Mouth Ulcers – New Candys – Nyarko
Olkan & La Vipère Rouge – Owen Bryce – Parbleu – PISS – Pixie McCann
– puntjudith – Pyo – Ramses3000 – Säm Wilder – Sell Everything – Serve – Silverlake
Snackbar – Space Age DJ Collective – Supermarkt – TJE – Trackvogels DJ set
UITZENDBUREAU – Vals Alarm – WASTE – Wijf – Wrong Man – Yazal – Yrsa

DJ support sets: Altstadt DJ team – Bandgurl666 – Club Alt with DJ Sharon and DJ Bob –
Dynamo DJ team – Effenaar DJ team – DJ Iris – DJ Quick Fade – DJ Sjaak – Hit The City DJ
team – KaasFM