For the previous century, digital music has turn into a prolific platform for genre-bending experimentation. At Tallinn Music Week (TMW) 2026, expertise on this area is overflowing, from mainstream genres to area of interest underground scenes you want you knew extra about. Unfold throughout 4 days within the surprisingly sunny capital of Estonia, Tallinn, the competition welcomed a plethora of such artists at this 12 months’s version.
MusicTech spent the weekend in Estonia as a visitor of TMW to talk with some noteworthy acts, expertise left-field sonic works, and focus on the present local weather of digital music.
The ambiance of TMW
Enjoying a 30-minute stint in Fonoteek, the competition’s designated area for all issues avant-garde electronica, was Estonian minimalist duo V4RL. The setup for this was extraordinarily cosy, the DJs taking part in to a candlelit room of music followers nodding their heads solemnly to the minimalist electronica. A bit later, Kiwanoid took to the identical stage with the exact opposite power. Opening with TV static as visuals and a fuzzing loop of glitchy electronica, Kiwanoid remodeled the room’s power with a dizzying cost of hard-hitting experimental cuts.
French producer S8jfou then took to the stage with a reasonably uncommon setup. The artist sat down with a desk and chair, dealing with away from the gang, and performing with only a keyboard and mouse. “I created a pc interface as a result of I’m shy,” the artist typed on-screen. The efficiency blended atmospheric atmosphere with breakbeats and drum ‘n’ bass. It was an uncommon however admittedly thrilling expertise, and was emblematic of the sorts of digital experiments that artists at TMW have been showcasing.
Certainly, this 12 months’s TMW was filled with such acts. Whereas some tasks, corresponding to Equipment&Apparata and Ok-X-P, introduced darkish reveals, weaving in hints of metallic and punk into electronica, others like heleenyum and IKARVS leaned extra in direction of the electro-pop aspect.
Estonian industrial trio Equipment&Apparata’s set was a theatrical efficiency of ominous sounds. Between the darkish, earthy vibrations coming from composer Jürgen Reismaa’s desk and sombre vocals/spoken phrase break up between Reti Pauklin and Taavi Eelmaa, Equipment&Apparata placed on an expertise that was virtually ritualistic.
Regardless of taking part in simply two songs, this trio needn’t extra time to impress us. Every monitor stood round 10 minutes in size and summoned you with cryptic sirens and snake-like flutters. Their songs usually drove into breathtaking climaxes earlier than dropping to solemn, eerie noise.
We managed to briefly communicate with them on the competition, to ask what gear and methods empower them to create such an experimental, avant-garde present:
“Our concert events are primarily playback, with reside vocals,” says Reismaa. “We typically collaborate with musicians who play guitar, but it surely’s primarily playback, which I exploit Ableton Dwell for. I’m not even on the stage, both. I combine entrance of home, utilizing a Behringer Wing Compact. Motive can be my principal software for writing. I’ve used it without end. For the reason that very first Motive, which I feel was 20 years in the past now.”
Twenty years of Tallinn Music Week
Celebrating its 18th version, TMW has for nearly 20 years prided itself on championing the subsequent wave of rising artists — and group is on the coronary heart of all of it. Outdoors of the competition, Estonia has made a reputation for itself as the house of many bizarre digital tasks, from the flamboyant chameleon Tommy Money to electronic-pop celebrity NOËP, and others.
“For me, [TMW] is a chance to current my music to an enormous worldwide viewers,” says singer-songwriter and producer, heleenyum. “It means I can meet many various trade professionals who can possibly e book me for his or her festivals. I additionally met numerous tremendous cool artists right here. I haven’t been assembly with lots of professionals, however artists; we share lots of frequent floor.”
Weaving sounds of pop, soul, jungle and extra, heleenyum’s method to electronica is unpredictable. She often performs solo, comfortably, however some musicians have just lately proven curiosity in becoming a member of her on stage. “These days, lots of drummers have come [up] to me after my present and stated they need to play reside drums,” heleenyum tells us. “As a result of it’s attention-grabbing for drummers to play my loopy drum ‘n’ bass breakbeats.”
The AI dialog
The music trade’s local weather has been closely influenced by the AI discourse over the previous few years. Unsurprisingly, at TMW it was a subject raised throughout quite a few panel talks, together with ‘Music and AI in 2026 – Coming into the Operational Period’ and ‘Too A lot Music. AI Is Flooding the Market. Who Survives?’
Whereas human-made creativity arguably has extra integrity and affect than synthetic intelligence, who’s to say that this new period of expertise is or isn’t a menace to this scene? And the way does it have an effect on rising digital artists who’re making an attempt to ascertain themselves?
SFISTIKATED, a multi-genre digital duo, weigh in on the matter throughout our dialog with them: “Really, typically I feel that expertise owns us a bit of bit, but it surely’s principally 50/50,” they are saying. “Think about taking part in your keyboard with some plugins. Typically, you flow with every part that it provides you, and different instances, you play your individual playing cards. Expertise helps you to get to someplace that you simply’re unable to on a piano…It provides you one other perspective.”
The query of expertise’s position in digital music isn’t precisely new. In 1995, through the making of Björk’s Homogenic, the artist put the essence of digital music completely: “If there’s no soul within the music, it’s as a result of no person put it there,” she stated. It’s a mild reminder that, whereas the expertise is simply an asset, it’s the manipulation of these instruments that makes the artwork.
Ok-X-P lead singer Timo Kaukolampi thinks AI won’t ever have the ability to match the sounds and tactility that our present panorama of digital devices supplies.
“AI is alright when it’s not exploiting creativity,” says Kaukolampi. “For instance, I’ve a classic Oberheim Two Voice from, 1975, and it’s one of the vital modelled analogue synthesizers on the market. Each producer has a digital model of it. Folks have been analysing it and saying that AI could make nice [technology]. However for me, I don’t suppose that there’s any approach that any AI can mannequin that synthesizer. I feel it’s inconceivable.”
Whereas the purpose of the place AI stands within the music trade as a artistic entity is a no-go for Kaukolampi, heleenyum is each cautious and optimistic. “AI can solely create what has been created earlier than. I’ve heard excellent high quality music from AI,” she says. “However for me, I’m extra [interested in] boundary pushing. I need to uncover new issues. [AI is] not for me proper now, however I don’t know. Perhaps I’ll discover a approach to make use of it in my music sooner or later.”
This period of expertise in music isn’t one thing to be feared solely. The trade is altering quickly, however there are many rising artists producing natural work. Even when they don’t all agree on what AI means for music, they’re proving that digital music is beaming with potential, and music showcases like TMW proceed to highlight the subsequent finest grassroots tasks.
Be taught extra at tmw.ee.
