Air interacts with our vocal cords to create sound, wind instruments function as an extended voice.

Setting the tone for the first concert of this year’s edition of Sustain-Delay are Maltese experimental flautist Laura Cioffi and Portuguese vocal performer Dullmea.

Dullmea (PT) is a musician and composer exploring the endless possibilities for voice and electronics. She has performed live in several countries in Europe, Africa and South America. Dullmea invites us to dive into her unique universe in which voice and electronics merge into a single instrument to make us discover new and challenging soundscapes.

Completely excluding the use of pre-recorded music, the artist interprets a selection of pieces from her repertoire with moments that bring light to the singularity of her solo voice and transform it into colossal sonic cathedrals.

Laura Cioffi (MT), originally from Żurrieq, Glasgow-based Laura has performed all over the UK; from playing opera in the back of a trailer van in the Highlands to the 02 arena in London behind Billie Eilish. Her practice portfolio includes historically-informed performances on Baroque flute, orchestral and recording work, and contemporary and improvisation work with a particular emphasis on creative collaboration.

She performs with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Opera, London City Philharmonic, London Gay Symphony Orchestra, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Improvisers’ Orchestras in Glasgow and London.

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. This event is also supported by República Portuguesa – Cultura I DGARTES – Direção-Geral das Artes.

The workshop will begin with a collective walk around Ħamrun, where participants will have the chance to capture the sounds of the area. These sounds could be diverse; be it the sound of chatter from neighbouring residents, or a shop preparing to open with the creak of shutters rotating and keys jangling.

The aim is to make the soundboard reflect your personal yet shared experience of the village through sound preservation.

After gathering field recordings, we will gather at ISSA to create digital soundboards.

This workshop is ideal for those curious about learning code, as we’ll use basic HTML and CSS to build the soundboards. Once registered, you’ll receive additional information to help you familiarise yourself with the tools and concepts we’ll be working with.

The workshop aims to explore ways of preserving sonic experiences, through the use of digital archival methods and collective coding.

No prior coding experience is necessary— we encourage you to join if you’re curious and would like to learn more about digital ways of preservation. This is also a great opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and learn from one another as we develop our soundboards together.

About 2 hours

Stringed experimentation on harp, magnetic tape and guitar. Rhythm and materiality in parallel.

Harpist Léa Roger, from Brittany, France, has roots in Celtic music, experimental music, classical music and punk.

Renowned for her unorthodox approach to the instrument, amplifying the entirety of the instrument (playing the body as well as the strings), together with drum machines and other equipment, she will deconstruct classical frameworks, turning the harp into a shimmering generator of textures, feedback, and tactile noise. Roger’s sound blurs the lines between organic resonance and electronic manipulation, offering audiences a layered exploration of timbre and emotion.

Joining her is Peter Sant, a founding member of the legendary Maltese experimental rock band Hunters Palace. A filmmaker and musician, Sant’s multidisciplinary approach fuses cinematic storytelling with experimental sound design, creating immersive experiences that. Amongst others, you may know him for his feature film Of Time and the Sea (2018), which premiered at FIDMarseille. Sant’s performances are characterized by their atmospheric depth and innovative integration of visual and auditory elements

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. It is also supported by Festivals Malta / Rock’n Malta. This event is supported by Ambassade de France à Malte.

Rhythm and motion. A hypnotic and primal surge of percussive energy.

Australian drummer and percussionist Will Guthrie is celebrated for his innovative integration of traditional drumming with unconventional elements such as amplified found objects. Guthrie’s extensive body of work spans solo performances and collaborations, with releases on esteemed labels like Black Truffle and Editions Mego. His recent endeavours include leading the contemporary hybrid percussion and Indonesian gamelan group, Ensemble Nist-Nah, reflecting his deep engagement with diverse musical traditions.

Opening the night, Malta’s own Benji Cachia. Better known professionally as Banjo Rancho, he is a seasoned musician with over two decades of experience. Cachia has shared stages with renowned artists and is acclaimed for his impeccable rhythmic concepts and diverse stylistic range, ranging from metal, to jazz, to Indian percussion. His dynamic drumming, which seamlessly blends traditional rock and jazz rhythms with experimentation, has made him a beloved figure in the Maltese music scene.

Cachia will work together with Sarah Vella, a Maltese dance artist and choreographer whose work spans stage, film, opera, and site-specific performances. Vella’s choreography is deeply informed by her therapeutic practice, emphasizing authenticity and improvisation.

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta.

Mesmerizing performances by two of Malta’s most interesting piano voices, traversing minimalism, beauty and exploration.

Often called Malta’s most groundbreaking pianist, Gabi Sultana, is renowned for her expressive command of the keyboard and her fearless approach to contemporary and classical repertoire.

An internationally acclaimed performer, Sultana will draw inspiration from minimalist giants such as Philip Glass for this set, while venturing into her own interpretive spaces of them, blending the precision, intensity, and depth she is known for. She will also play some very special pieces by composer Benjamin Van Esser. Her intricate phrasing and technical mastery will create a sonic tapestry that is serene at times and willfully charged at others.

Opening the evening is Alex Zicotron, a versatile Maltese musician celebrated for his pioneering work with electronic duo Spooky Monkey, as well as his DJ alter-ego Dr. Zicotron. In this solo set on piano, he utilizes a dynamic modular synth setup to engage in a recursive dialogue with the machine.
A meditative yet ever-evolving soundscape.

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. It is also supported by Festivals Malta / Rock’n Malta.

Want to make electronic music but don’t know where to start? Start here!

An empowering all-day workshop to learn the fundamentals of music production using Ableton Live, or similar music software.

Led by Maltese musicians Rebecca Theuma and Daphne Sammut, it is chiefly aimed at women and gender-diverse participants, but men are also welcome.

This hands-on session will cover the basics of Ableton Live, providing attendees with the skills to start crafting their own musical ideas, using Ableton Live or other music software of their choosing.

Participants are required to bring their own laptops equipped with a trial or licensed version of Ableton Live. A free 30-day trial of Ableton Live 12 Suite can be downloaded from here.

Rebecca Theuma lives in Berlin and makes music as That BB, tethering between techno and trance. She is also known for her previous solo project Hearts Beating in Time, blending echoey vocals and moving beats.

Daphne Sammut performs under the moniker Dafne. She creates techno-infused soundscapes and specialises in blending audio and visual synthesis, building organic, trippy grooves.

Together, Theuma and Sammut will guide participants through the initial steps of music production, fostering a creative space where beginners can start transforming their musical ideas into reality.

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. It is also supported by Festivals Malta / Rock’n Malta.

Cheeky beat insanity. We challenge you not to dance.

Container (USA) is noise veteran Ren Schofield, from Rhode Island, USA. His project encompasses electro, techno, noise and out-there ambient.

Container strips down electronic music to its raw, beat-oriented core, delivering scuzzy and bewildering beat music filled with brutal yet cheeky drum machine patterns and damaged synth manipulations. We challenge you not to dance.

Volph, is a Maltese artist whose deep-rooted connection to electronic music spans over two decades. With a background in Malta’s underground electronic scene, Volph crafts immersive, pulse-driven sets that seamlessly navigate between electro, deep techno, and lush textures.

Alien Montesin is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans DJing, sound art, and audiovisual performances. Expect her usual intergalactic journey blended with dirty, dirty beats.

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. It is also supported by Festivals Malta / Rock’n Malta.

The future is gone. An Immersive and transformative ambient spirit, resolutely on the dancefloor.

Huerco S. (USA), the alias of electronic music Brian Leeds, has garnered acclaim for his pioneering contributions to ambient and experimental techno.

His seminal albums are celebrated for their immersive soundscapes, significantly influencing the ambient genre. His other contributions as Loidis redefined a hazy brand of danceable, smooth house and techno.

Starting off with ethereal ambient compositions, gradually evolving into more beat-centric material, and guiding the audience through a transformative auditory journey.

Son Of (MT/NL) is a project by Rudi Agius. Known for crafting intricate compositions that blend experimental textures with strong rhythmic elements, and for creating immersive auditory experiences. A seamless fusion of ambient atmospheres and dynamic beats.

Giaçinté (MT) presents a hybrid DJ-live set, a dynamic amalgamation of live electronic music, including his recent drone experiments, and carefully curated tracks, resulting in the fluid and engaging musical narrative he is known for.

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. It is also supported by Festivals Malta / Rock’n Malta.

Perspectives on feeling sound: improvisation, physical experience and poetry.

Malta-based saxophonist Luc Houtkamp and Turkish clarinettist Oğuz Büyükberber are known for their work in both jazz and electronic music, particularly in an improvised setting.

Celebrated for his clarinet work, as well as improvised modular synth work, Büyükberber is an artist with 95% vision loss. As such, his music and visual art also act as spaces to explore personal trauma and experience, while also highlighting different disabilities and their impact on perception and communication.

Parasite is a project by Kurt C. Calleja. His project explores the symbiotic relationship between noise and silence, with EDM and post-industrial influences.

Antoine Cassar opens the night with multilingual poems about his struggle with hyperacusis. More generally, Cassar will reflect on the nature of sound itself as it relates to other senses, and on auditory perception itself.

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. It is also supported by Festivals Malta / Rock’n Malta.

Rhythm, space, and sub-bass, sculpted with meticulous precision.

Klaus is London producer Nick Sigsworth. Having debuted on the legendary R&S Records with the Tusk EP, he later launched his own imprint, Tanum, pushing his explorations into a much deeper, more abstract territory.

As a member of the 1-800-Dinosaur DJ collective, he has performed extensively across Europe and North America, weaving together the rich heritage of UK sound system culture—from roots and dub through jungle, garage, and beyond.

Ilixan Iris, a key force behind Statix Malta, makes bass-driven music, his sound merging intricate percussive elements with immersive, forward-thinking production.

Expect a night of heavy sonics and finely tuned frequencies, where deep rhythms and spatial explorations intertwine in an absorbing, physical listening experience.

Sustain-Delay 2025 is produced by the Malta Society of Arts and Artistic Director Kurt Buttigieg, in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. It is also supported by Festivals Malta / Rock’n Malta.