Day for Night 2024 Lineup: Aphex Twin, ODESZA, Björk Digital + more

Bjork, “Black Lake.” Photo: Andrew Thomas Huang

Free Press Houston and New York-based creative firm Work-Order are proud to announce the lineup for Day for Night, an experiential arts festival featuring digital installations and world-renowned performers. Taking place on December 17 and 18 in Houston, Texas, Day for Night is hosted in an even larger complex than last year’s inaugural event, which received widespread praise from more than 180 news outlets across the globe. “Day for Night piqued our interest and delivered in spades,” hailed Consequence of Sound, and Department of Dance deemed the event “the festival of the future.”

Utilizing more than 1.5 million square feet of hybrid indoor-outdoor space at the former Barbara Jordan Post Office at 401 Franklin Street, the massive complex will house three stages for world-renowned performers, as well as immersive art installations by internationally recognized visual artists. With large scale projections and site-specific custom-built structures, the festival merges art and sound to create a landscape that enriches our musical lineup.

INNOVATIVE MUSICIANS

The lineup showcases leading musical acts, including Aphex Twin, ODESZA, Kaskade, Björk (unique digital sets), Nick Murphy (Chet Faker), Travis Scott, Run The Jewels, Butthole Surfers, Blood Orange, Little Dragon, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Squarepusher, Blonde Redhead, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, Banks, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, John Carpenter, Washed Out, Ariel Pink, Lightning Bolt, Arca, DJ Windows 98, Oneohtrix Point Never, Liars, Lower Dens, S U R V I V E, Matmos, Clams Casino, Mykki Blanco, Marcel Khalife, Chelsea Wolfe, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Welcome to Houston, SG Lewis, SOPHIE, Tobacco, Nothing, Soulection, Mary Lattimore and Jeff Zeigler, Fat Tony, Jock Club, Wild Moccasins, Buoyant Spirit, Vacation Eyes, LIMB, HevIn, -Us., Jerk, MNYNMS, Maramuresh, Pfaff, Splendid Emblem, Kult Dizney, DIVISION, Night Drive, Josh Dupont, From Beyond and Futurelix.

Day for Night will mark the first US performance by groundbreaking electronic artist Aphex Twin since playing Coachella 8 years ago, as well as his first appearance in Texas in more than 21 years. ODESZA will perform on the heels of their recently sold out performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, maxing out the venue’s 10,000 seat capacity during their latest tour in June. Internationally acclaimed EDM powerhouse Kaskade brings his notoriously energetic show to the Day for Night main stage. Hip hop sensation Travis Scott is performing hot on the heels of his latest album, Birds In the Trap Sing McKnight, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Butthole Surfers’ reunion performance at Day for Night will be the famed group’s first in more than five years, uniquely merging their brand of experimental rock with custom, cutting-edge visuals. This year’s Welcome To Houston lineup features more than a dozen of the city’s most influential hip hop artists, including Slim Thug, Bun B, Lil’ Flip and Paul Wall.

In addition to groundbreaking headliners, the festival features a number of artists in the zeitgeist, with performances by legendary director John Carpenter, innovative composer Marcel Khalife and jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, as well as S U R V I V E, whose members are widely regarded for their soundtrack to the popular Netflix series Stranger Things.

This year’s music lineup was curated by founder Omar Afra and music veteran Chris Wise with the objective of creating a festival that features acts you aren’t likely to find anywhere else.

“We’re trying to create a once-in-a-lifetime event by showcasing artists that audiences may never have the opportunity to see again,” Afra says. “Day for Night is simultaneously a current snapshot 
of popular music, as well as a platform for trailblazers who continue to cross over from fringe to influential. The focus across multiple genres is on acts that specialize in an inventive and highly visual approach to performing.”

LEADING VISUAL ARTISTS

Visual artists working in digital mediums include United Visual Artists (UVA), Björk Digital, Golan Levin, NONOTAK, Shoplifter, Tundra, Robert Seidel, Damien Echols, AV&C + Houzé, Michael Fullman of VT Pro Design, Ezra Miller, Jesse Kanda, Alex Czetwertynski and Herman Kolgen.

Acclaimed multi-disciplinary Icelandic artist Björk will perform unique live digital sets at Day for Night, and the festival will also serve as a venue for her interactive art experience, Björk Digital, an exhib­ition of digital and video works resulting from her collaborations with some of the finest visual artists and programmers in the world.

Known for pushing the boundaries of what is possible in music, art and technology, Björk’s exhibition at Day for Night invites visitors to engage with her work through the latest in virtual reality (VR) technology. Björk believes that by offering a private theatrical experience, VR provides a unique way to connect with her audiences.

The exhibition includes Black Lake, Björk’s groundbreaking immersive film commissioned by the New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Filmed in the highlands of Iceland, the work was directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Andrew Thomas Huang, whom she also collaborated with for Stonemilker VR, a project that transports the viewer to a private performance of the first track from Björk’s critically acclaimed Vulnicura album. Shot on location on a remote, windswept beach in Iceland and viewable in full 360-degree VR, viewers are able to experience a one-on-one recital.

In Mouthmantra VR, Björk worked with director Jesse Kanda to capture intense footage from inside her mouth whilst she sings the title track, her teeth and tongue twisting and seemingly taking on a life of their own. Meanwhile, Notget VR, directed by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones, presents Björk as a digital moth giantess transformed by stunning masks created by artist James Merry.

Curator Alex Czetwertynski explains: “Day for Night will expand the large-scale site-specific installations across an even bigger campus for 2024. Engaging an international pool of talent, including United Visual Artists, Golan Levin and Robert Seidel, we will premiere new work commissioned for Day for Night to Houston audiences. This year, back by popular demand, are Nonotak and Vincent Houzé + AV&C, whose 2024 installations put their names on the tip of Houstonian’s tongues ━ and all over their social media feeds.”

Day for Night will also introduce new works by Shoplifter, Ezra Miller, Michael Fullman and Damien Echols, among others, who each explore radically different materials, technologies and subjects. The festival campus, interspersed with indoor and outdoor installations, will showcase works that explore the deep connections between light, technology, sound and space. The massive space allows audiences to explore and discover works that push the boundaries of immersive digital art.

Find out more about Day for Night artists and passes at dayfornight.io.

by Elizabeth Rhodes