From herbal soundscapes to canyon drums, Nextones 2025 turned the valley into a living, resonant body. Across stone, water, and voice, a weekend of listening reshaped what it means to know a place through music.
Ecologically and sonically tuned, Nextones unfolded with an intimate reverence for the ancestral treasures held within the Ossola Valley. Nestled in this picturesque and ancient landscape, the festival carved a path of discovery and reconnection through local voices, native plants, rivers, and a variety of ecological spaces. The surroundings became a source of knowledge, activated through music, talks, and guided hikes. The land wasn’t a backdrop; it operated as co-author.
Sonic ecology, as introduced in the pre-festival feature with artistic director Ruggero Pietromarchi, is the grounding force of the festival. The programme didn’t just take place in nature, it listened to it. We were submerged in an underwater listening station, then next, traced frequencies through stone and moss. In Ghesc, an old village undergoing restoration, Sara Berts’ residency unfolded like a whispered dialogue with local herbs — a cross-species communion shaped by patience and attention. Julius Sartorius’ drumming session at Orrido di Uriezzo echoed with harmonic chaos, transforming the journey to the hidden canyon site into a spiritual conversation with the terrain itself.
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By night, the reclaimed quarry of Teatro Tones on Earth pulsed with a different kind of energy. The evening programme took the rigour and ritual of the daytime and let it unravel into breakbeats, chord experiments, disruptive voices, and hypnotic rhythms.
Nextones offered a plethora of sonic experiences: speculative interspecies quests, soundwalks that tuned into wind, water, and rock, and dance floors where sonic futures were felt in the body. From the most delicate act of listening to the most ecstatic beat; every sound carried intention and every vibration held a story.
