Ustad Noor Bakhsh. DURCHLÜFTEN – 2026 Live Concerts & DJ Acts

Over four weekends this summer, the DURCHLÜFTEN music festival transforms the Schlüterhof at the Humboldt Forum into an open-air gathering place, with free admission, where musical traditions from around the world come to life and, through interaction with the audience, become living archives of culture.   

5 years open—5 years of DURCHLÜFTEN. The Schlüterhof at Berlin’s Humboldt Forum will once again become a vibrant open-air stage for global music, cultural exchange, and shared experiences. FromJuly 9 to August 1, 2026, the festivalwill present24 live acts and 12 DJs from around the world over four summer weekends. Each evening’s program features two concerts, followed by a DJ set. The result is twelve nights full of musical discoveries, movement, and encounters in the heart of Berlin—once again with free admission for everyone. 

This year, DURCHLÜFTEN is featuring the independent labelhoniunhonias well as the work of Daniyal Ahmed, a musician from Karachi, ethnomusicologist, and founder of the label. The label’s name can be roughly translated as “impossible possibilities”—unexpected musical encounters that open up new worlds of sound. What began as a small archive of audio recordings has evolved into a platform dedicated to promoting remarkable regional musicians from all over Pakistan.

Having already welcomed the extraordinary benju master Ustad Noor Bakhsh from Balochistan to our stage in 2024, this evening offers a second glimpse into the music and culture surrounding honiunhoni. With Muslim Shaggan and a special DJ set by Lyla Safi from Karachi, we continue to explore the beauty and diversity of Pakistan’s musical landscapes—another chapter in this tale of impossible possibilities.

Ustad Noor Bakhshis a master of the benju, a fretted zither that plays a central role in the musical tradition of the Pakistani region of Balochistan. Born on Pakistan’s Makran coast, he began playing this instrument as a child and performed for decades at weddings and other events throughout the region before his music later reached an international audience. Noor Bakhsh plays an electric benju through a simple pickup and amplifier, creating a distinctive sound rooted in the music of Balochistan but enriched by influences from South Asian ragas, Persian and Kurdish melodies, and popular music from across the region. His improvisational style produces hypnotic grooves and trance-like melodies that get the audience dancing. Following the release of his debut album, *Jingul*, in 2022, he embarked on an international tour, introducing a global audience to the powerful, evolving traditions of Balochi instrumental music.

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Bandcamp

honiunhoni– Labours of Love by Servants of Sound / Independent record label based in Pakistan

- Price: Free admission

- Duration: 90 minutes

- Location: Schlüterhof

- Part of:Durchlüften 2026