Novi_sad is the guise for Thanasis Kaproulias (b. 1980) who holds a degree from the Economic University of Piraues. He lives in Ancient Olympia, Greece. Influenced by the pioneers of audio assault, he began generating sounds in 2005. Amplified environmental recordings, drone manipulations, structured ambient soundscapes, microtones vs overtones, all come together in a hyper structure of iconoclastic form. Novi_sad’s artistic output displays a high level of technical ability, as well as a sensitivity to the nuances of location. The strength of his soundscapes works in the same elaborateness for the whole creation process, starting from a basis of very strong conceptualism, the intense examination of field recordings over the actual composition work, to the point of performing back the result onto location. Every sound that occurs is treated with a sculptural integrity and his sonic power operates on a level in which the audience participates as transcendental listeners. Novi_sad’s projects have been presented in various forms in cinemas, industrial spaces, theatres, concert halls, churches, museums, auditoriums, squats, galleries, in festivals like Venice Biennale Film Festival [Venice], MUTEK [Montreal/Mexico City], Lunchmeat [Prague], Eletronika [Belo Horizonte], FIMAV [Victoriaville], Transient [Paris], Gray Area [San Francisco], L.E.V. [Gijon], PRECTXE [Seoul], Stimul [Prague] and in such spaces as: Roy O. Disney Concert Hall CalArts [Los Angeles], VPRO National Radio [Amsterdam], Cabaret Voltaire [Zurich], Itaú Cultural [São Paulo], Museum of Contemporary Art [Roskilde], Megaron/The Athens Concert Hall [Athens], Haus der Kulturen der Welt [Berlin], National Gallery [Prague], The Chapel [Seattle], B39 [Seoul], Oi Futuro Flamengo [Rio de Janeiro], EMPAC [New York], National Center for Contemporary Arts [Moscow], KW/Institute for Contemporary Art [Berlin], Wood Street Galleries [Pittsburgh], Fondazione Culturale San Fedele [Milan], The Lowry [Salford Quays], Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ [Amsterdam], Le Fresnoy/Studio National D'Arts Contemporains [Tourcoing], National Academy of Music [Aarhus], Einstein Kulturzentrum [Munich], Sesc Pompeia [São Paulo], MAM/Museum of Modern Art [Rio de Janeiro] and he has been a guest lecturer at universities such as ICST/Zurich University of the Arts [Zurich], USP/University of São Paulo [São Paulo], The Royal Academy of Music [Aarhus], CAAV/Universidad de Medios Audiovisuales [Guadalajara], Tama Art University [Tokyo] a.o. Novi_sad has worked and collaborated with: Lars von Trier, Helge Sten [Deathprod, Supersilent], Francisco López, Mika Vainio [Pan Sonic], Ryoichi Kurokawa, BJ Nilsen, Daniel Menche, Richard Chartier, CM von Hausswolff, Jacob Kirkegaard, Beckie Foon [A Silver Mt. Zion, Set fire to flames], Scott Konzelmann, Irini Kyriakidou, Karl Lemieux, Konstantina Kontzamani, Isaac Niemand and Yorgos Zois. Thanasis Kaproulias is the General + Artistic director of Hertz Festival

Ryoichi Kurokawa is a Japanese audiovisual artist who lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Kurokawa’s works take on multiple forms such as installation works, recordings, and concert pieces. He composes the time sculpture with the field recordings and the digital generated structures, and reconstructs architecturally the audiovisual phenomenon. In recent years, his works are shown across the world at international festivals and museums including TATE Modern [UK], Centre Pompidou [FR], Venice Biennale [IT] , Palais de Tokyo [FR], ARS Electronica [AT], Mutek [CA/MX], Minsheng Art Museum [CN], YCAM [JP], EMPAC [US], National Centre for Contemporary Arts [RU], LABoral [ES], FACT [UK], Palais des Beaux-Arts [BE], Transmediale [DE], ACC [KR], Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton [FR] and Sonar [ES/UK/JP]. In 2010, he was awarded the Golden Nica at Prix Ars Electronica in the Digital Musics & Sound Art category.

Spiritual Exit is the new experimental ambient project of Portland Oregon based Drone artist Aaron Davis (ACRE). He has been a fixture of the Westcoast experimental music scene as far back as the early 2000's. Using decades of his own personal archives as a canvas, mixing, matching, editing, and arranging his past and present he creates catharsis. Aaron Davis has performed over the years as ACRE and SpiritualExit. He has also performed in the bay area band Gowns, and EMA.