Kunsthal Rotterdam

Known for its raw, experimental style, the Rotterdam-based interdisciplinary crew HipSick challenges audience perception through performances, installations, and audiovisual experiments. Their work explores the influence of societal norms, the fluidity of identity, and the limits of the body. Rooted in DIY culture, HipSick emerged from underground raves, squats, and collective creativity—always unconventional, direct, and in motion.

For Friday Night LIVE, HipSick brings not only their own work but also a bold mix of like-minded makers, performers, and DJs to Kunsthal. Whether you're into experimental performances, electronic music, sensory installations, or just looking for a unique night out, this is a Friday Night LIVE you won’t want to miss. For this edition, HipSick presents a selection of artists in collaboration with MOMO.

Bites & drinks

During Friday Night LIVE, the tastiest bites are back on the menu, or you can order your favourite cocktail at de Cocktailfiets (Cocktail Bicycle)! And are you coming to the Kunsthal with your Friday Night LIVE ticket between 17:00 and 19:00 hrs? Then a complimentary welcome drink (wine, beer, or soda) will be waiting for you!

Programme
 

Alberta Balsam

Rotterdam’s cosmic runner Alberta Balsam is a master of unpredictability; glitchy rhythms, bouncing percussion, and wild synth outbursts seamlessly shift into dreamy ambient textures. Her music moves between IDM, breakbeats, bass, and leftfield techno—intelligent and layered, yet always dancefloor-driven. Alongside her releases on Clone and Dekmantel, she also runs her own label, Terra Atomika.

Li-Z

Li-Z is a Rotterdam-based DJ/producer and co-founder of the notorious Hit 'n Run Soundsystem. She played a key role in legendary raves, hosted stages at Q-base Festival, Circus Overdrive, and PIP Den Haag, and performed at iconic venues such as Paard van Troje and Maassilo. Her eclectic sound fuses techno, industrial beats, breakbeats, hardcore, and old-school rave. As part of RVLT agency, she represents the boundary-pushing PRSPCT sound. With her “2 for the Melody” mixtapes, she explores the tension between dancefloor energy and deep listening experiences. For Friday Night LIVE x HipSick, she digs even deeper into her collection for a set full of contrasts and unexpected twists.

Rosa

Rosa's musical style is a dynamic fusion of rhythms and genres—bass-heavy, percussion-driven tracks in the club, while her Operator radio show, Work in Progress, offers an experimental and warm soundscape for relaxed listening moments. At Friday Night LIVE, Rosa blends her club expertise with the atmospheric approach of her radio show, shifting from serene abstraction to pulsating rhythms.

Marco Broeders (Co2RO) - The Open Loop

Step into The Open Loop, a sensory experience where light and sound merge into a hypnotic journey through altered states of consciousness. This innovative audiovisual installation uses powerful stroboscopic light patterns and electronic soundscapes to create an intense, synaesthetic experience that heightens the senses. The Open Loop stimulates brainwaves, revealing colours, patterns, and new perspectives—a moment of stillness and wonder amidst the chaos. Designed by Marco Broeders (Co2RO), a designer rooted in the alternative scene, this installation transforms abandoned industrial spaces with unconventional light and sound designs, always offering a new, dynamic experience.

HipSick Sounds x Stefan ZMK

Rotterdam-based producer Stefan ZMK is a core member of HipSick, responsible for their sound design. For Friday Night LIVE, he takes you on a layered auditory journey—a collage of soundscapes from HipSick’s recent works Funeral Ecstasy – The Paradise and The Simulation. Expect a deep dive into dark, hypnotic sounds where the line between reality and illusion blurs.

MOMO festival presents Amber Docters van Leeuwen & Ji Youn Kang (LIVE) 

Driven by curiosity and a deep fascination with sound, cellist and composer Amber Docters van Leeuwen explores its boundaries through interdisciplinary art, from site-specific performances to immersive installations. During her studies at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, she met Ji Youn Kang, a Korean composer and sound artist who investigates the relationship between music and physical spaces through multichannel systems and live electronics. Their collaboration merges cello and electronics into a free-flowing exploration of sound and shifting sonic landscapes.

Yay Roon

As a member of the notorious Move Around Sound, DJ Yay Roon is determined to transform Rotterdam’s concrete jungle into lush tropical dance floors. From Digi Dubs and Baile Funk to Ghettotech, and from UK Bass to Kuduro and everything in between: Beats in the Streets! Tonight, Yay brings his inner-city vibes to the Kunsthal. Get ready to move!

Sniebl (LIVE)

Sniebl is a sorcerer, and music is his magic. Melodies inspired by his Indian roots, rhythms shaped by his Antillean upbringing, and harmonies reflecting his restless story come together in the soundtrack of life. For Friday Night LIVE, he presents a soundscape inspired by the renowned Gayatri Mantra. This rhythmic chant and deep focus technique attunes the practitioner’s consciousness to higher spiritual vibrations, inner peace, intelligence, and a deeper connection with the universe.

HipSick- The MOG (LIVE)

With raw, physical intensity, The MOG embodies the struggle between impermanence and the human desire for immortality. For as long as we breathe, we are still alive. The MOG takes you on a physical performance where the mental struggle becomes visible; how long does it remain human? And what challenges arise when we seek to transcend the biological? Originally a modular part of HipSick’s latest work FUNERAL ECSTASY Part 2 – The Simulation, The MOG now steps forward solo – an autonomous fragment that resonates within the larger simulation.

Pensive Vivifier in concert (LIVE)

Pensive Vivifier is an anti-disciplinary ensemble focused on merging the digital and physical worlds. They move fluidly between disciplines such as video art, performance, musical composition, and club culture. With Pensive Vivifier in Concert, they present a collection of songs to drift away to, dance hard to, and scream along with. Let yourself be hypnotized by visuals that are sometimes mesmerizing, sometimes humorous, and at times completely overwhelming. Inspired by icons like Björk, A.G. Cook, and Death Grips.

Zinloos Geluid Soundsystem

Since 2010, Zinloos Geluid Soundsystem has been tearing up dance floors. With their custom black-and-white, horn-loaded speakers, they deliver deep bass and pounding kicks to the most diverse locations—from bike tunnels and abandoned warehouses to Acid Arena in Ghent, Hall of Fame in Tilburg, and the ADEV street rave in 020. During Friday Night LIVE, Zinloos Geluid will unleash this brutal set at the Kunsthalcafé, taking the crowd on a journey from serene abstraction to full-on dancefloor mayhem.

Stefan ZMK & MC GINA (LIVE) 

Rotterdam-based Stefan ZMK is a hardcore techno DJ, producer, and sound engineer. As co-founder of ZMK Soundsystem and with releases on labels like PRSPCT and Hangar, he’s a staple in the underground scene. At HipSick, he’s part of the artistic core as a sound designer. MC Gina is a digital avatar with a will of her own—born from data, memories, and algorithms. She embodies both the promise and the threat of endless virtual existence. Originally part of FUNERAL ECSTASY pt.2, she now appears as an autonomous entity on stage. During Friday Night Live, man and machine collide. Expect a raw DJ set from Stefan ZMK in live dialogue with the virtual Gina—an explosive mix of music, performance, and digital confrontation.

With a MOMO Festival ticket (Friday Day Ticket or Passe-partout), you get access to Friday Night LIVE x HipSick at the Kunsthal.

Friday Night LIVE is made possible thanks to the participants of the VriendenLoterij.