Sebastian Mullaert
A practice in sound, presence and transformation. There are artists who perform music, and there are artists who dissolve the boundary between music and experience. Sebastian Mullaert belongs to the latter.
Emerging from the European electronic scene as one half of Minilogue, he helped shape a generation of deep, psychedelic techno through releases on Cocoon and a global touring presence. His work during this period earned him both a Swedish Grammy and the P3 Guld award from Swedish National Radio. Yet rather than refining a formula, he gradually moved away from fixed structures entirely, towards something more immediate, more fragile, and ultimately more human.
This shift became fully visible in his solo work and in the creation of Circle of Live. Conceived as an open, improvised performance format, Circle of Live brings together some of the most respected artists in electronic music to create music in real time, without preparation, without hierarchy, and without a predefined outcome. What unfolds is not a concert in the traditional sense, but a shared act of listening and creation that can last for hours.
Within this context, Mullaert has performed and collaborated with artists such as Mathew Jonson, Âme, Amp Fiddler, Aurora Halal, Laura Misch, Joep Beving, Speedy J, JakoJako, Sam Barker, Dorisburg, Move D, Sleep D, Kuniyuki, Pantha du Prince, Leafar Legov, Wayne Snow, Laurence Guy, VRIL, Neel and Erika. Each encounter is unique. Nothing is repeated. Every performance becomes a document of a specific moment in time.
The impact of Circle of Live has grown far beyond the events themselves. A new documentary by Ableton captures this process through a performance at Brighton Dome, featuring Sebastian Mullaert together with Clark and Rival Consoles. The film offers a rare insight into the inner workings of collective improvisation at a high artistic level, further cementing Mullaert’s role as a leading voice in contemporary live electronic practice.
Parallel to this, his work has expanded far beyond the club.
With Natthall, developed in collaboration with Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich and performed with Subchamber Ensemble, Mullaert entered the world of contemporary composition, merging electronics with chamber music and improvisation. The album was later named among the top post classical releases of the year by BBC Music Magazine, marking a rare moment where electronic practice and classical institutions meet on equal terms.
His performances now move fluidly between environments, from underground spaces such as Berghain’s Panorama Bar to hundreds of festivals around the world, and into concert halls including the Barbican in London, where he has appeared alongside artists like Joep Beving, Laura Misch and JakoJako. In each setting, the approach remains the same, no fixed set, no playback, no safety net.
He joins Awesome Soundwave in collaboration with Tamarma to release a series of EPs and singles in the lead-up to their album ‘Hold the Sky’ in 2026.
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