Kraków, Poland · Dates TBA
Unsound Festival
Kraków's festival of experimental, electronic and leftfield music since 2003, with late-night programming at the brutalist Hotel Forum and satellite editions abroad; a founding partner of the TIMES network with Sonar and Berlin Atonal.
History
Unsound began in Kraków in 2003 as a hobby-scale avant-garde music and art event started by the Australian Mat Schulz and an American friend, Stephen Berkley. With sponsorship offers going nowhere, they paid for the first edition by teaching English. Night one was at a small cellar venue, Klub Re, and for its first years Unsound stayed a local, DIY affair. Gosia Płysa joined in 2006, set up an NGO to run the festival and secured city funding, and the festival then began to travel, with satellite editions in cities including New York, London, Toronto and Adelaide.
From 2010 each edition got a theme, starting with Horror. The best-known early experiment was 2015's Surprise, when about half the lineup was kept secret and the programme included Surgeon with Lady Starlight. Dislocation in 2016 and 2017 pushed satellite events into former Soviet cities, followed by Presence (2018), DADA (2023) and NOISE (2024).
Hotel Forum and the club nights
Kraków's late-night base is the Hotel Forum, a communist-era hotel on the Vistula that opened in 1988 and closed in 2002. Unsound started using it before its 2012 edition, and its multiple rooms let the festival run jazz downstairs and club music upstairs at once. At the 2013 edition, Move D played in the improvising quartet The Mulholland Free Clinic with Juju and Jordash and Jonah Sharp, while Underground Resistance appeared as Interstellar Fugitives. After a gap since 2019, the Forum came back in 2025.
2026: Soft Power across two cities
The 2026 edition, themed Soft Power, is the first main edition to span two cities: Warsaw from October 2 to 6, a dedicated Unsound Train on October 7, and Kraków from October 8 to 11. Italian producer Donato Dozzy played the festival's soft launch party at Jasna 1 in Warsaw on October 2, and Bristol's Batu played Hotel Forum in Kraków on October 8 in a b2b set with South African DJ Vigro Deep. The same year Unsound also ran a programme with Berlin Atonal at Kraftwerk in May.
Unsound is also one of the founding partners of TIMES, the Independent Movement for Electronic Scenes, a three-year, EU co-funded network announced in March 2024 by Sonar alongside Berlin Atonal and other European festivals.
festival facts
- Founded: 2003, in Kraków
- Organizers: Fundacja Tone (Tone Foundation for Music and New Forms of Art), led by co-founder Mat Schulz with Gosia Płysa
- Venue: Hotel Forum, Kraków, plus other venues in Kraków and Warsaw
- Format: multi-day festival of experimental, electronic and leftfield music with a discourse programme, plus satellite editions abroad
- Latest edition: October 2 to 11, 2026 (Warsaw and Kraków)
- Network: TIMES, with Sónar and Berlin Atonal
Getting there and practical info
Unsound's Kraków nights are held at the Hotel Forum, ul. Marii Konopnickiej 28, on the Vistula. The city is served by Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK) and the Kraków Główny railway station. In 2026 the festival's own train linked Kraków and Warsaw on October 7, with performances along the way.
- 2026 festival office: Pałac Krzysztofory, Rynek Główny 35, Kraków (October 8 and 9, 12:00 to 18:00)
- Ticket vendor: Resident Advisor was the official ticketing partner in 2026
FAQ
When is Unsound?
The 2026 edition runs October 2 to 11 in Warsaw and Kraków. Dates for the next edition have not been announced.
Where is Unsound held?
Unsound is based in Kraków, Poland, with late-night events at the Hotel Forum. In 2026 it also takes place in Warsaw, and it runs satellite editions in cities such as New York, London and Adelaide.
How do I get to the Hotel Forum?
It is at ul. Marii Konopnickiej 28 in Kraków, on the Vistula. The nearest airport is Kraków John Paul II International (KRK) and the main station is Kraków Główny.
How do I buy Unsound tickets?
Passes and individual tickets are sold through the festival's website, with Resident Advisor as the official ticketing partner in 2026. As of October 10, 2026, the multi-day passes were listed as sold out and a Club Pass was still on sale.
What music does Unsound book?
Experimental, emerging and leftfield music, from club sets to live commissions, plus talks and discussions. The 2026 lineup includes Arca, Blawan, Diamanda Galás, Donato Dozzy and Tim Hecker.
Who started Unsound?
Mat Schulz and his American friend Stephen Berkley, in Kraków in 2003.
Which RTS.FM artists have played Unsound?
Move D played in 2013, Surgeon in 2015, and Donato Dozzy and Batu are on the 2026 programme.
What is TIMES?
TIMES, the Independent Movement for Electronic Scenes, is an EU co-funded partnership of European festivals announced in March 2024. Unsound, Sónar and Berlin Atonal are partners.
RTS.FM artists connected to this festival
Only sourced appearances at past editions or on announced lineups are listed.