Dylan van Dael
Born in Bogotá and shaped by Berlin’s underground, Dylan van Dael is a boundary-pushing producer, artist, and musician. Since 2018, he has been crafting soundscapes that cross borders, producing for international artists and blending styles inspired by global encounters. His music serves as a meeting point of cultures, genres, and raw emotion. Whether in the studio or on stage as a guitarist, Dylan builds bridges between creative communities. Now, he brings that energy to Altstadt. Expect hypnotic textures, cinematic intensity, and a performance that speaks every language of feeling. At Hit The City, Dylan also unveils his first solo project as part of the music innovation program. A deeply personal release brought to life alongside Pokka, a 3D character reflecting the project’s immersive and imaginative world.
Violent Magic Orchestra
Violent Magic Orchestra (VMO) is the ultimate extreme visual art music project where techno, black metal, industrial, and noise converge into a blinding spectacle of sound and light. Imagine black metal meets Kraftwerk, or a blackened Aphex Twin, VMO is both and beyond. Known for their ferocious energy and staggering power consumption VMO delivers an electrifying audiovisual experience like no other. Their past collaborators include members of The Body, Sunn O))) and Mayhem, with releases on labels like Deathwish’s Throatruiner and Never Sleep (Gabber Eleganza). From Berghain to Roadburn, DARK Mofo to CTM, and now Hit The City. Brace yourself as the doors of the DEATH RAVE swing open
GLINTSAL
Singer-rapper Glints and DJ-producer Faisal have been creative partners for years. Together, they co-founded Abattoir Anvers a collective based in a former halal slaughterhouse in Antwerp and launched a namesake hip-hop show on Studio Brussel. Their musical chemistry is both undeniable and inevitable. Now performing as GLINTSAL, their debut album ‘GLINTSAL Vol.’ 1 blends Glints’ lyrical fire with Faisal’s genre-bending beats. After their explosive set at Eurosonic, HUMO wrote: “The festivals that skip this are crazy, incompetent, or just plain suicidal. Fuck yeah!” We’ve been listening. At Hit The City, their monster alliance comes to life.
Sad Banana
Ever wondered what the world looks like through the eyes of an overripe banana? Sad Banana crafts an existential fruit salad in the form of a music concert. They are blending punk, rap, and dadaism into a bittersweet cocktail of sound. Their lyrics teeter between bravado and breakdown, vulnerability and kitsch, politics and pastiche. It’s absurd, it’s emotional, it’s post-capitalist pulp with a pulse. Catch them live at Dynamo during Hit The City. Tears become beats if you squeeze them hard enough. Sad? Very. But also unmissable.
EDLP
Born out of a shared love for midwest emo, punk and whining about your emotions, EDLP came together. With catchy guitar riffs and honest lyrics, they mold all the clichés into something uniquely their own. Their sound invites you to scream, cry, and lose yourself in the moshpit. Crying in the moshpit is absolutely allowed. Catch EDLP live at Hit The City and let their raw energy and heartfelt tunes take you on a wild ride through the beautiful chaos of youthful angst.
Torn From Oblivion
Torn From Oblivion is storming Hit The City with a brutal fusion of hardcore aggression and deathcore complexity. This young deathcore band of five unleashes relentless breakdowns and savage verses that tear through the scene. Influenced by the raw energy of hardcore and the crushing heaviness of deathcore, they’re here to shake up the metal world like never before. When Torn From Oblivion hits the stag they ignite a frenzy. Brace yourself, because Torn From Oblivion starts chaos.
Karnabahar
Karnabahar is a Netherlands-based band with members hailing from Argentina, Turkey, the UK and the Netherlands. They bonded over their shared love of 90s/00s screamo. Inspired by Balkan, Anatolian and other traditional folk songs, this international outfit is ready to deliver melancholic melodies intertwined with fast, chaotic sequences—bridging emotional depth with raw intensity.
Combi Magnetron
Combi Magnetron is made up of four dry-humored friends and, like the name suggests, a combo microwave that loves hurling bapao buns and noise at your head. With a raw mix of grind, mincecore, and absurd humor, their music is as chaotic as it is fun. Think of it as a one-of-a-kind cooking show where the drummer suddenly dives into the crowd and steamed buns go flying. Definitely something you’ve got to experience at least once.
Waterschade
Waterschade is a young punk band from Haarlem, fusing raw hardcore energy with riot grrrl attitude. Their live shows are pure, unfiltered chaos with blistering riffs, pounding basslines and relentless screams. Here to make you move, but they’re not afraid to speak out, tackling sexism, racism and everyday struggles head-on in their lyrics.