Borderline Festival

GROUND FLOOR (curated by pink.wav)

21:00 – 22:30 | Everlyn

22:30 – 23:15 | Anna Vs June & Jan Van Angelopoulos

23:30 – 00:15 | MIRA新伝統

00:15 – 02:00 | baggymilziade

02:00 – 04:00 | DJ-HOTLINE 333

BASEMENT Α

21.00 – 22.00 | George Rallis

22:00 – 23:00 | Yasmine Hamdan

23:00 – 00:00 | Σtella

00:00 – 03:00 | Nightmares On Wax

BASEMENT Β

23:00 – 00:00 | Alexander Skancke

00:00 – 02:00 | Mikee

02:00 – 04:00 | Len Faki

Keeping the spirit of summer in the city for just a little longer, the one-day edition of Borderline Festival, the Onassis Stegi’s longest-running music festival, sets up a night that offers more than it promises: legends of electronic music, voices that carry entire geographies, and artists who constantly push the boundaries of sound.

Across the three stages of Onassis Ready, different paths unfold simultaneously. Minimal house, microhouse, trip hop, downtempo, Arabic timbres, electronic textures, and indie pop come together in an industrial space that, for one night only, becomes a map of the contemporary music scene.

The Basement Stages of Borderline Festival gather a dizzying array of legendary figures in contemporary music. Twelve years after his last appearance in Athens, Ricardo Villalobos, one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in contemporary electronic music, returns in collaboration with ReSolute NYC for a rare four-hour DJ set on Basement B. With distinctions including first place in the Resident Advisor Top DJs poll and the Best Ibiza Set award at the DJ Awards, the Chilean-German producer and DJ has played a defining role in shaping the sound and mythology of the minimal house and microhouse scenes. Alexander Skancke, a Berlin-based DJ and a key member of the city’s new underground electronic scene, will set the tone with a potent, vivid opening.

Joining him in Basement A is Nightmares on Wax, a genuinely distinctive artist of the British electronic trip-hop music scene, who will close the night with a 3-hour set. Through his longstanding relationship with Warp Records, he has played a decisive role in shaping the trip hop and downtempo sound, creating a body of work that continues to influence generations of producers and listeners. From the early 1990s to today, George Evelyn has built a sound that brings together hip-hop, soul, dub, funk, and electronic music, remaining recognizable, warm, and timeless.

Yasmine Hamdan brings to Basement A a sound that moves between tradition, electronic music, and pop sensibility. The Lebanese singer and songwriter, also known internationally for her appearance in Jim Jarmusch’s film “Only Lovers Left Alive,” carries Arabic timbres, urban melancholy, and a thoroughly contemporary musical identity in her voice. Prior to Hamdan’s performance, Σtella, one of the most outward-looking figures on the contemporary Greek music scene, will return to Athens for a special appearance as part of the Borderline Festival. The stage will open with the eclectic worldwide selections of George Rallis.

Curated by Athens-based DJ and artist pink.wav as part of TMLAB’s Curators program, Borderline’s Ground Floor stage focuses on local talent: artists who have recently relocated to Athens from other cities or continents, and Greek artists living abroad, each of whom contributes to the rich, complex fabric of the local scene.

From DJ-HOTLINE 333’s bouncy and sensual electro and ghetto grooves, Everlyn’s hypnotic and trancy approach, and baggymilziade’s eclectic and constantly evolving selections, to MIRA新伝統 audiovisual show and Anna Vs June and Jan Van Angelopoulos’ “Mutable Ground” performance, the diversity in the music itself mirrors the diversity of the artists’ backgrounds while also showcasing Athenian talents, some of which are still navigating their way in the city’s landscape.

This lineup explores different sides of electronic music, from opening rituals and live instruments with live electronics to visuals and performance, and to dynamic DJ sets that bridge the past and the future. The Ground Floor Stage becomes a miniature version of Athens that transcends any definition of regionality.

For one night, Onassis Ready becomes a meeting point for different musical geographies, generations, and artists. This is Borderline Festival: a space for everything that defies categories and genres.

As part of this year’s Borderline Festival at Onassis Ready, Spyros Staveris’ photography exhibition looks back at the Athenian rave scene of the 1990s. Amid darkness punctuated by strobe lights and the hazy mornings of Alimos, Oinofyta, and the first Athenian clubs, Spyros Staveris captures bodies dissolving into the rhythm, at a time when the dancefloor functioned as a machine for losing one’s self.

His photographs offer a raw, unfiltered record of the fleeting utopias of the Athenian rave scene of the 1990s. His work constitutes a valuable archive of the history of the Athenian underground scene, but it is also a challenge. It invites us to remember the subversive power of gathering in the dark to listen, dance, and disappear together with others.

Staveris Archive

The Onassis Foundation, in collaboration with Spyros Staveris and a specialized team of archivists, curators, and digitization experts, has cataloged and digitized more than 12,000 films, photographs, and other material produced by the photographer dating from the early 1980s. This extensive photographic archive documents everyday life, work, entertainment, and politics, as well as Athens and its people. Part of this material sheds light on the history of the Athenian rave scene and offers an up-close look at the clubs, the people, and groups of friends that defined an entire era.

As part of Onassis Stegi’s collaboration with Anytime as Mobility Partner, Borderline Festival audiences will have access to a free shuttle bus service to and from Onassis Ready, free parking, as well as special offers on taxi services. Through Anytime’s Culture Moves Us initiative, access to culture becomes easier, more convenient, and more sustainable, encouraging more people to move and experience Athens’ longest-running electronic music festival.

– By shuttle bus

For Borderline Festival, anytime offers free shuttle bus transportation to and from Onassis Ready.

Accessible vans for wheelchair users and people with mobility disabilities are available on selected routes.

Shuttle buses depart from the Syngrou-Fix metro station bus terminal, on the Kallirrois Street side.

Shuttle bus schedule

From Syngrou-Fix to Onassis Ready

20:30, 21:00 (accessible van), 21:30, 22:00 (accessible van), 22:30, 23:00 (accessible van), 23:30, 00:00, 00:30

From Onassis Ready to Syngrou-Fix

00:30 (accessible van), 01:00, 01:30 (accessible van), 02:00, 02:30 (accessible van), 03:00, 03:30 (accessible van), 04:00, 04:30

– By Uber

anytime also offers a €5 discount on one Uber ride from Onassis Ready.

Scan the QR code available at the venue to activate the discount. The offer is valid from 21:00 on 9 October until 08:00 on 10 October.

– Free parking

Free public parking (232 spaces) is available on Legaki street.

By bus: Line 838, Stops: 2nd Agias Annis (300 m) | School 3rd Agias Annis (280 m)

By trolleybus: Line 21, Stop: Papadopoulou (1.3 km)

By metro: Line 3, Station: Eleonas (2.4 km)