Many of us have seen the headlines referring to Lisbon as “Europe’s hot new art capital” (or some other lazy generalisation intended to seduce ex-pats), but we don’t often hear about the local artists who have helped build this lively and dynamic scene. Two years since we visited Lisbon with RA In Residence, we return for a weekend of happenings with our Community Connections series. For one week in July, we’ll celebrate and collaborate with a selection of local crews, labels and collectives who are doing great things for all the right reasons.

We join forces with Filho Único, the crew responsible for bringing Principe to an international market, and exhibition space cum-music venue Zé dos Bois for an afternoon exploring often overlooked artists from the communities surrounding Lisbon. Expect discourse, workshops, exchanges and performances.

Up first: Starting A Party In Lisbon. We invite some of Lisbon’s key promoters to shed light on their stories and share essential tips on throwing events in Lisbon. Joining us we have Miguel and Sara from Ela, Mariana Duarte-Silva from Village Underground, Joao Maria from Assemble and Ministerium and Pedro Marum of mina.

Afterwards, we’ll host Spectrum founder and The Silver Apples collaborator Sonic Boom for a discussion about his lengthy production career.

Our final workshop will be with Rafael Toral, known for his “post-free jazz electronic music.” Toral will be talking us through his custom experimental electronic instruments.

In the evening, we’ll feature a cast of local artists who represent Lisbon’s diverse and unique soundscapes. John T. Gast joins us live, accompanied by five-piece multimedial act Toda Matéria. Also performing live will be Doum, Iguanas and G Fema alongside Shaka Lion, followed by Principe affiliates DJ Lycox, DJ Narciso and Niagara, who will take us through till 3 AM. RA

Program:

RA Exchange
Party Starting in Lisbon
Sonic Boom in Conversation

Production Workshop
Rafael Toral

Live
Toda Matéria
John T. Gast
Doum + Iguanas + G Fema with Shaka Lion
Niagara

DJ
DJ Narciso
DJ Lycox