Molk-e-tronica
A festival of sound diversity Festival for electronic music and synthmeeting - in memory of Mickie Renzel -
Day tickets cost 18 euros in advance and 23 euros at the box office.
Festival tickets for both days cost 32 euros in advance and 38 euros at the box office
Tickets are only available online from May at www.tixforgigs.com/de-DE/Event/64390
Two days of electronic sound art in the Alte Molkerei Bocholt
In memory of Bocholt synth guru Mickie Renzel and inspired by his original idea of bringing electronic music and people together, the Alte Molkerei is offering a supra-regional concert experience: Over two days, the Molk-e-tronica Festival brings together a fine selection of high-calibre acts from the most diverse areas of electronic music - from ambient and drone to rhythmically driving sequencer sounds.
Where synthesiser nerds used to exchange their devices and network at annual meetings, the focus today is on the experience: on intensive live concerts, atmospheric sound journeys and enjoying music together in a uniquely pleasant location. The Alte Molkerei in Bocholt offers the perfect setting for this - charming, approachable, full of character.
A festival for explorers, music lovers and all those who not only want to listen to electronic music, but also feel it.
Two days. One stage. Many sounds. Electronic. Emotional. Genuine.
Friday 29.08.2025
Main stage
19:00 - 20:00 - Electronic Sidekick
Berlin School | Dark Space
20:30 - 21:30 - Gate Eleven
Melodic Trance | Electropop
Foyer stage
22:00 - 23:00 - Steve Baltes
Ambient | Sequencer | Cinematic
Saturday, 30.08.2025
Main Stage
19:00 - 20:00 - Éde feat. Menzman
Electrokraut | Space Ethno
20:30 - 21:30 - Electronic Machine
EBM | Synth-Pop
Foyer stage
22:00 - 23:00 - O.S.CILLATOR
EBM | Cold Wave | House
Electronic Sidekick - Sound Duo in real time
Two synthesists, one project: Electronic Sidekick is the live collaboration between Björn Walde (HYRN) and Hajo Liese, who will open the festival with an atmospheric set.
Björn Walde, alias HYRN from Mönchengladbach, is synonymous with dark, dense soundscapes that can also pack a punch rhythmically. Since his acclaimed debut EP "Furrows in the Ground" (2022), which earned him a nomination for the Schallwelle Award, HYRN has established himself as a constant in the scene with numerous releases and strong live performances.
Hajo Liese, on the other hand, is a veteran of electronic music. He has been travelling with synthesizers since 1975, is part of the duo EL-KA (with Till Kopper) and is known for his deep-rooted love of the Berlin School. His projects - also in duo with HYRN - are all about pure live improvisation: without computers, without backing tracks - just man and machine in direct exchange. Together they merge into Electronic Sidekick - a project that brings analogue warmth, sonic depth and improvised energy to the stage. Ideal for immersing yourself in the festival evening.
Gate Eleven - melodies, atmospheres, sequences
Gate Eleven is the joint project of Andreas Schwabedissen (Promusic, Hagen) and Christian Ahlers (BatteryDead, Oldenburg). The two have been on stage together since 2013, initially as a Schiller cover project - but in 2024 they ventured into the public eye with their own music.
Their sound is an atmospheric mix of melodic sequences, driving rhythms and spherical pads - electronic music with feeling and structure. Just released: Their debut album "First Contact", with which they confidently position themselves musically between ambient, synthpop and electronic storytelling. A live set full of emotion, depth of sound and electronic signature - for all those who not only want to hear electronic music, but feel it.
gateeleven.com
Steve Baltes - Synths, Space & Deep Frequencies
Between analogue sequences and digital atmospheres, the Mönchengladbach-based artist creates soundscapes full of tension and expanse. Steve Baltes is a household name in the electronic music scene - not least thanks to his many years as a member of the legendary Berlin cult band Ashra, led by Manuel Göttsching. As a producer, performer and sound inventor, he moves confidently between ambient, e-pop and analogue experimentation - which can be enjoyed in projects such as Sunya Beat, Arctic Sunrise or in collaboration with Harald Grosskopf.
Without a classic keyboard, but with Ableton Live, a wind controller, effects and an analogue dreadbox synthesizer, Steve Baltes creates soundscapes of almost cinematic depth: dark, wide expanses, mysterious rhythms, driving sequences and constantly surprising details - his tracks develop slowly, allowing time to listen, breathe and be amazed. Baltes knows how to create maximum tension with minimalist means. Every note seems deliberately placed, every change draws the listener deeper into a world of its own between urban melancholy and spherical weightlessness.
At Molk-e-tronica, Steve presents one of his rare solo live sets - a real highlight of the evening: groovy, deep and hypnotic - like a journey into the interior of electronics: atmospheric, intense and yet absolutely live.
Éde featuring Menzman - sound meets concept, structure meets surprise
When two experienced sound tinkerers like Éde and Menzman come together, the result is more than just an ordinary set - a spherical groove between structured sound architecture and free-spirited sound research is created.
Menzman, alias Michael Menze, is a veteran of electronic music. With over 35 years of experience in studio and live sound, he creates dense, emotional soundscapes - carried by floating synth pads, precise beats and cinematic depth. His musical journey began early on with classical instrumental training, but he was already captivated by the world of electronic sounds and studio technology at the age of 15. His productions invite you to immerse yourself - music that gets under your skin and lingers there.
Éde alias Edgar Ede Hellwig, a musical border crosser and multi-instrumentalist, brings his very own sound into play: electro kraut with folky, sometimes medieval elements, interspersed with unconventional rhythms, speech synthesis and cinematic moments. Active on international stages since the early 80s - for example as Oscillation Force, at KlangArt '95 or at the Moers Jazz Festival - he remains a musical free spirit with a penchant for groovy surprises. Together, Éde and Menzman create a fascinating world of sound full of contrasts and connections - an audiovisual experience between structure and spontaneity, between deep atmosphere and unpredictable dynamics.
ELECTRONIC MACHINE
Welcome to the world of ELEKTRONISCHE MASCHINE's self-created unique sound palette.
ELEKTRONISCHE MASCHINE cannot be overlooked on a concert stage. During a performance, the audience is transported into the machine world (electro, EBM, industrial) of ELEKTRONISCHE MASCHINE under the influence of: the powerful (EBM, synth-pop) music, portable drum pads, keyboards - subtle choreography, among other things.
ELEKTRONISCHE MASCHINE (EM) was founded in 1994 and consists of the following group members:
- Richard de Boer Luiten : electronics and vocals
- Sonja de Boer Luiten : electronic percussion
- Michael Malais : electronics and vocoder
- Wilco Oome : electronics and percussion
Characteristic elements in the music of ELEKTRONISCHE MASCHINE are: Dance, emotion, power, discharge and entrainment.
ELEKTRONISCHE MASCHINE's influences: Mark Shreeve, Future World Orchestra, Logic System, VNV Nation, The Shamen, Ayal Barkan, Covenant, Tangerine dream, Enigma, Air, Renaissance, Kraftwerk, Frank Zappa, Rob Marquenie, Talk Talk, Time Bandits, Laibach, And one, Human League, Simple Minds, Koto and many other expressive, creative bands. ELEKTRONISCHE MASCHINE is a band that is not known to the mainstream audience, but is a very well-known name in the electronic music scene.
ELEKTRONISCHE MASCHINE caused a stir in the 90s, 2000s and early 20s and completed the entire club scene in the Netherlands.
They also performed across national borders: Belgium, Sweden and Germany. Their farewell was announced in 2013, but almost 7 years later the ELECTRONIC MACHINE has risen from the ashes with new live show elements and new music, inspired by current topics, science fiction and life experience
Discography:
- DANCING WITH COMPUTER: Cassette
- REAKTOR: CD, 1997
- ENERGY: CD, 1999
- THE KEY TO COMPUTE: CD, 2001
- THE NET: CD, 2003
- BATTLE MACHINE: CD, 2010
- LIFE GOES ON: CD, 2024
O.S. Cillator - the beat jumps off the machine table
Behind O.S.cillator is Oliver Schupp from Grieth am Rhein - a musician with roots in 90s punk, alternative and blues rock who has been unleashing the raw power of electronic sounds for over a decade.
With drum machines and mini synths on his synth table, he creates his very own sound: sometimes driving in EBM style, sometimes cold and edgy like cold wave, then again club-ready with house influences - always live, always direct.
What characterises O.S.cillator is its free joy of playing and stylistic openness: here it can crash, roar, shimmer - with fat beats, raw energy and a clear stance against musical mainstream. A real experience for all those who not only want to listen to electronic music, but also feel it.
Baltes photo copyright
