The 6th edition of Ombra is just around the corner, happening next week! We’re thrilled to be a part of it for the first time and to connect with such incredible communities, bringing together legends and friends worldwide. If you’ve been thinking about joining us, don’t wait any longer—the countdown is on, and you won’t want to miss out on this unforgettable experience.
To give you a taste of what’s coming, we’ve connected with some of the amazing artists performing at this year’s festival. We sat down with legends like A Split Second, High Functioning Flesh, In Trance 95, and Charlie to discuss all things Ombra— from the music and atmosphere to what attendees can expect this year.
A Split-Second is a Belgian new beat and EBM band formed in 1985, known as pioneers of EBM and a key figure in the new beat movement. Initially a solo project by Marc Heyndrickx (Marc Ickx), the band’s debut single “Flesh” was released in 1986, followed by their album Ballistic Statues. Peter Bonne later joined, becoming a central member of the band.
In 1988, they signed with Wax Trax! Records and released the album A Split-Second, which featured the hit “Mambo Witch” that reached #29 on the Billboard dance charts. Their 1990 album Kiss of Fury continued their success with “The Parallax View” hitting #19 on the dance charts.
After a brief hiatus in the ’90s, Ickx revived the band in 2001, and they returned to live performances. In 2012, they headlined the Belgian Bodybeats festival. A Split-Second’s early work, especially “Flesh,” is credited with influencing the new beat genre, and their legacy continues to impact the electronic music scene.
Hello, how are you today?
We’re really excited and looking forward to our first concert in Barcelona. We’ve played in Spain many times, but this has always been on our bucket list.
How is your preparation for the Ombra Festival going?
We’re still working hard on preparing the set, rehearsing, and finalizing the visuals.
What are your impressions of the Ombra Festival, and what is your unique approach to it?
I love the entire concept and approach of Ombra Festival. Since it’s our first time there, we’re all excited to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere and experience. It will be an exploration for us, and in keeping with the spirit of the festival, I hope we can elevate the concert into a complete art experience—music, visuals, and performance.
What can we expect from your performance at Ombra?
The visuals are already well adapted to the concept and spirit of Ombra. We’re still brainstorming ideas for the physical live performance and considering adding some more theatrical elements. The opening intro, a new song called Burning Shadows, feels like it was made especially for the “Shadow Festival.” That’s why it feels like the perfect time to debut at Ombra for A Split-Second!
In Trance 95, the pioneering electronic duo of Alex Machairas and Nikos Veliotis, will perform at the Ombra Festival on December 6, showcasing their signature dark analog sounds, mechanical beats, and atmospheric synths. Their performance coincides with the upcoming release on the legendary Minimal Wave label, led by Veronica Vasicka.
Formed in 1988, In Trance 95 played a crucial role in the evolution of minimal cold/synth wave, blending experimental industrial and proto-EBM elements. Their early singles, such as Desire To Desire / Brazilia (1988) and 21st C.E.T. (1989), achieved cult status. After their debut album Code of Obsession (1990), Nikos temporarily left, and Alex continued until 1997.
The duo reunited in 2010, releasing albums Cities of Steel & Neon (2011) and Shapes in a New Geometry (2012) on Minimal Wave. Their track Presidente was featured on the influential Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 2 compilation.
In 2023, they returned to the stage, performing at the Release Athens Festival with collaborator Doric. They’ve recently completed a new double album for Minimal Wave, featuring fresh material, unreleased demos, and remixes, with the release date coming soon.
Hello, how are you today?
Alex: You caught us in the studio. We’re about to rehearse this evening—one more of many.
Nik: Earlier today, Alex and I did some filming as well. We’re working on a new video.
Alex: It’s for a track from our upcoming album, which will be released very soon. We’ll debut the song live at OMBRA.
Nik: We’re really excited to play in Barcelona, especially at the legendary Ombra Festival. We’ve only heard great things.
Alex: The best!
How is your preparation for the Ombra Festival going?
Nik: It’s going great. We’re really enjoying ourselves during rehearsals. We’ve set everything up from scratch.
Alex: We’re also having Doric join us, so we’ll be performing the entire set as a trio. This is going to be a very special gig. We’re back together on stage after a long time, and there’s a new release on the way.
What are your impressions of the Ombra Festival, and what is your unique approach to it?
Alex: The first impression is how well-organized it is. Someone is handling each department, and everyone is super nice. Also, the festival has had incredible lineups in previous years, featuring artists like D.A.F., Daniel Miller, and many others we love, such as Das Ding and In Aeternam Vale, who’ve released records with Minimal Wave. And of course, our good friends Xeno + Oaklander, Ancient Methods, and Andi. So, Ombra has already written quite an amazing history with its “unusual sounds gathering.” It feels great to be part of this year’s edition. There are even some people I know from Greece who are traveling to Spain to attend. I’m really impressed by that!
Nik: Ombra is taking place at a beautiful location, and we can’t wait to experience it. As for our approach, since we’re playing at a festival, our set will be a bit more dynamic.
Alex: It’s also In Trance 95’s first-ever gig in Spain, and it’s happening at Ombra.
What can we expect from your performance at Ombra?
Alex: An hour of In Trance 95 with all the “hits” and more!
Nik: Plus, a couple of new songs we will perform for the very first time.
High-Functioning Flesh is an electro-punk act from Los Angeles, formed in 2012 by Gregory Vand and Susan Subtract. Combining industrial, punk, and noise influences, they released a successful demo tape in 2013, followed by their debut album A Unity of Miseries – A Misery of Unities in 2014 on DKA Records. Their sophomore album Definite Structurescame out on Dais Records in 2015, along with a 7” single titled Human Remains in 2016.
Inspired by 80s bands like Portion Control, Nitzer Ebb, and Cabaret Voltaire, HFF blends martial techno and synth-punk, creating a unique sound that fuses lo-fi influences with aggressive dance floor anthems. Their evolving style has established them as a force in the electronic punk scene.
Hello, how are you today?
Doing well! It’s currently 11°C and raining heavily here in Portland, Oregon, where Susan lives with her partner and children. It’s 18°C and sunny in Los Angeles, where Greg and his wife live.
How is your preparation for the Ombra festival going?
Very well. Fortunately, the past few years of performances for HFF have involved a lot of travel, so we’re mostly just checking our gear and rehearsing. It can be difficult since we live 1600 km apart and each have to practice semi-autonomously with an approximation of the gear we each have, but we’re able to make it work.
What is your impression of the Ombra festival and your unique approach to it?
We’ve been speaking to the Ombra crew for some time. The festival always seemed very cool, but we were never able to make the dates work until now. This year, with the festival being in December instead of the last week of November, the timing worked out perfectly. Susan will be celebrating her 42nd birthday the day of HFF’s performance! We’re very excited to spend some time in Barcelona, see so many acts we haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing before, and reconnect with some good friends from Europe we don’t get to see often. Ombra, for us, will be a celebration in many ways.
What can we expect from your performance at Ombra?
We’ve carefully put together our set to give what we believe is the best representation of our work while delivering enough high energy to keep everybody dancing. Since this is our first performance in Spain after a 7.5-year gap from our last European performance, we’ve focused our efforts on engaging with the audience and keeping things funky.
CHARLIE is a Berlin-based Italo/EBM/Synthwave artist who blends cold, mutant electro with banging EBM and vibrant Italo disco. She crafts music using analog synths and machines, presenting her live shows at prestigious festivals such as Unsound, Les Transmusicales, Grauzone, Kalabalik, and more.
Her releases spans labels such as Pinkman, Mechatronica, Ferry Lane Records, and Wrong Era, accompanied by a video for Let Go, showcased by Cvlt Nation.
Hello, how are you today?
I’m fine, thank you! I just had an ice bath. 🙂
How is your preparation for the Ombra Festival going?
It’s very exciting. I am going through a lot of changes. Right now, I’m working with a new setup, and Ombra will be the first event where I’ll present it. So far, I haven’t used samples, but for new possibilities, I will be adding the AKAI MPC Live 2 as a sound bank to have more layers. Last week, for example, I sampled a rare, big vintage synth—the Yamaha GX1. It’s unbelievable to think that I will be able to play that massive organ from a little sampler.
What are your impressions of the Ombra Festival, and what is your unique approach to it?
I’ve never been to Ombra before, but it’s very exciting to know there are so many like-minded people and artists. I also like the fact that most of the acts are happening in the afternoon or early evening, which makes it easier to really listen and absorb the music.
What can we expect from your performance at Ombra?
Please, don’t expect anything, you’ll enjoy it better that way.
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