The longstanding tradition of deep listening, introduced by the legendary composer and accordionist Pauline Oliveros, goes beyond the sonic surface and digs deeper into the act of listening. In the context of Artefact, lamentation, waves of darkness, and endless repetition take over for an evening of surrender to long lingering sounds. First up is STROOM label exponent Ben Bertrand, a bass clarinet player from Brussels, who modifies the classic slightly nasal sound of his instrument with loop effects and effect pedals into something that could only be described as mesmerizing. Maria W Horn explores sonic extremes with a slight hint of black metal, bringing the experiment to the stage with an immersive light show. Top of the bill King Midas Sound is the moniker Kevin Martin and Roger Robertson adopt. Together they turn the knife in the wound caused by the scattering pain of falling out of love. Martin rolls out a red carpet of barren dub and ambient onto which Robinson pours heart-wrenching moans of desperation.View this event on Facebook

Two surprising live sets and a dj-set by newly-formed Pipo and Mario at one of Brussel’s progressive nooks for creativity. Jean-Luc merges the unlikely characteristics of French chanson and German rooted Krautrock in a collab of like-minded musicians who know how to spice up the serious technique music making requires with a severe dose of playfulness. Opaque host you in a totally different setting, where abrasive beats and stylized sonic slaps knock you down. One to go to with an open mind. View this event on Facebook

Autodidact Antoine Pasqualini is on a mission to master modular synths. With Monolithe Noir he continues to cultivate the zone in-between rigorously executed synths, hypnotic waves and sharp rhythms on freshly released album Moira. In order to make the party of electronic sounds come together, he can count support-wise on an electro-acoustic live performance by Mika Oki as well as Morgane Metal, who makes distorted techno and weird wave crash into each other. View this event on Facebook

Ugly Belgian Houses put Belgians on the map as experts of distastefulness. Bloomsbury publication Architecture and Ugliness. Anti-aesthetics and the Ugly in Postmodern Architecture collects sixteen refreshing essays that recalibrate the aesthetic category of the ugly in the light of postmodern aesthetics. Experts from several Belgian and Dutch universities Wouter Van Acker, Bart Verschaffel and Heidi Sohn will shine their light on haphazard hideousness hiding in the post-modern landscape where architectural snobbery reigns during this curious book launch.View this event on Facebook

Kraak’s relentless pursuit in avant-guarde adventures comes to Beursschouwburg for am expanded, two-day affair of mind-bending, cross-pollinating and ever-evolving experiments. Day one sees the beloved label present its upcoming releases of the year, with locals Crash Toto, KRAMP, Orphan Fairytale and DJ Keta Bush topping the bill. For day 2, expect as the event describes it a 12-hour bender of historic proportions, with a plethora of live concerts and DJ sets set to take to the stage and give you a sneak peak into the future unknown. Essential. View this event on Facebook

Slam poetry reflecting the heritage of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, an insightful documentary on the iconic figure of John Coltrane, Toni Morrison’s transformative literature and energetic dance culture all have one thing in common: the radical richness of the African continent. The Afropolitan Festival shines bright like the scorching sun with a colourful programme ranging from dance classes over film to music, where artistry and activism reinforce and affect each other. View this event on Facebook

Bring on the immersive experience. FFORMAT did what its name promises and launched a format for nightly activities aiming at a holistic submersion into the musical universe conjured up by a particular label or artist. This time it is Scottish Optimo’s turn, bringing in booty shaking that represents the different sub labels they host. Homegrown talent Strapontin warms up the concrete surroundings for the night with a live set where post punk and disco bump into each other in the darkroom, the French producer Julienne Dessagne behind Fantastic Twins translates her extensive knowledge of different styles and eras into a live set characterized by melodic mélange. Until the early hours of the morning, DJ duo J.D. Twitch and J.G. Wilkes give a wordless explanation of how they are horrified by the word eclectic, as what they throw onto the dance floor tends to transcend that narrowly defined adjective. View this event on Facebook

Mighty percussion phenomenon Moses Boyd mixes influences from dark grime and classic jazz with precise percussion skills resembling those of a multi-limbed monster. The result is a straightforward mix of stimulating layers of sound, occasionally embellished by keys and cymbals. Head bopping allowed. View this event on Facebook

Casting the grey haired generation off the throne, a selection of young artists pumps new blood through the veins of the museum institution. Nightwatch, a coaching traject and talent showcase, invited fifteen young artists from different disciplines to develop new work for a unique museum takeover, among which textile artist Louise Verstraeten and microtonal Cruella De Vill on violin Elisabeth Klinck in a collaboration with choreographer Jade Derudder. Together with other youngster they will howl at the moon and present a broad range of photographic, visual and performative works during a wild night at the museum, afterparty included. View this event on Facebook

Climb onto DTM Funk’s flying carpet for a night fulfilling all your groovy wishes. With his San-Kofa Rhythm Records, you are set for a night full of enchanting tunes knitted together by two prominent figures, whose names rhyme and mixing skills compete with each other: Miss Jay and Indigo Ray. The latter is just another don of Louis Suave who remains firmly rooted in the UK sound system culture but makes little Latin lover excursions to exotic samples once in a while. Regular of Berlin’s deranged playground club Griessmuehle Miss Jay blends together a set where aesthetics, moods and tensed emotion take the lead. View this event on Facebook

In anticipation of the upcoming exhibition ‘Silence is so accurate’, gallery Geukens and De Vil invites jazz trio Háromlábú for an embodied contemplation of the event title’s statement. Harmonious noise putting the multilayered appearances of stillness, meditation and silence to the test against an intense zen-exhibition curated by Lien Craps. View this event on Facebook

Unloading a gunshot of disagreement can also end up generating a whole new range of artwork. Artists, students and general grant gluttons who like to hang around in cultural circles invade the public space with a free arts festival that questions the superfluity of art. The city center of Ghent replaces protesting with presenting, so a walk around town this weekend means encountering activist art adventures like Femke Fredrix’s alter ego Daisy Darkpark set in an industrial complex of electronic sound, costume craze by music act Dance Divine, collective thought by think tank and magazine NAR, as well as a city concert using the surrounding architecture as an instrument. All our support for these engaged souls. View this event on Facebook

Some party concepts transcend the momentarily hype and grow from talk of the town to established value. Splén stocks up on fireworks in celebration of its four years of continuing success, steadily marching on this time with an anniversary edition hosting rising star from the Turkish underground scene Zozo, Word resident Aroh with the audio result of a world trip under his belt and Casper Tielrooij from the famous Dutch Dekmantel delirium. A set by one of the founding fathers of the night Felix Claus is the indispensable detail completing this line-up of ecstatic euphoria and dark doom divided over two rooms. View this event on Facebook