Stone Techno Festival 2025: A Celebration of Sonic Artistry in an Industrial Cathedral

Set once again within the monumental confines of Zeche Zollverein, a former coal mine and UNESCO World Heritage site in Essen, Germany, the 2025 edition of Stone Techno Festival, by The Third Room, reaffirmed its identity as one of Europe’s most uncompromising techno gatherings.

Zollverein, once a pinnacle of industrial productivity, has become a modern sanctuary for contemporary culture, and during Stone Techno, it transforms into a powerful sonic playground where techno in all its cerebral and physical forms takes center stage.

This year, the core experience remained faithful to its previous editions, a tightly curated line-up, an audience of passionate connoisseurs, and the immersive atmosphere of industrial heritage.
Yet, significant evolution came from the afterparties. A second afterparty venue was introduced, alongside an additional Sunday night even, a bold expansion that extended the emotional narrative of the weekend and offered new spatial and acoustic dimensions. Though the distance to the new venue proved slightly challenging, its raw, majestic aesthetics justified the effort.

The festival’s programming has grown even more discerning. The organizers now prioritize artists who actively contribute to the ecosystem of the techno scene like live performers or label heads. This was clear from the outset with Friday’s collaborative live set from Rodhad’s WSNWG label. This performance, which featured Rodhad, UFO95, Lady Starlight, JakoJako, and Ignez, stood as one of the defining moments of the festival, a meticulously crafted ensemble of hardware, intuition, and sonic dialogue. The audience was visibly captivated, five artists encircling a table of machines, generating a fluid, continuous soundscape.

But who did what? How did it work? We asked UFO95 to deconstruct the setup.

“All my synths were inside Ableton,” he explained. “I had about six or seven presets prepared, with a sequencer that let me generate random patterns. All the kick drums were also handled within Ableton. I also used a 303, an Octatrack for FX, percussion and loops, and a TR-808 for drums jamming.”

“The whole rig was mixed through a Pioneer V10, with three channels dedicated to Ableton and three for the machines, enriched by the onboard reverb”.

Each artist in the WSNWG live ensemble performed with their own dedicated mixer, either an Allen & Heath Xone:96 or a Pioneer V10, allowing full autonomy over their personal setup. All individual mixes were then routed into a central Pioneer V10, serving as the master mixer, operated by Rødhåd. Importantly, all channels remained open throughout the performance, reinforcing a sense of collective trust and fluidity. Rødhåd’s role wasn’t to control, but to subtly sculpt: adjusting gain levels when necessary or applying gentle master effects, such as filters or abrupt cuts, to guide the overall dynamic narrative without ever flattening the individuality of each voice.

JakoJako focused exclusively on modular melodies and drones, while Rodhad used a TR-8S, Novation Peak, and a GRP synth, navigating both drums and textures. Lady Starlight operated via an OXI controller, and Ignez employed an Ableton Push for sequencing alongside his Oberheim synth.

“There was no predefined structure. Each artist listened attentively, making space when needed. Leadership passed through glances, melodies emerged only when the frequency spectrum allowed. Only Rodhad and JakoJako had agreed in advance on a harmonic pad progression, everything else was pure improvisation”

This focus on live artists continued across the weekend. On Saturday, Peryl delivered a visceral machine-based live set, echoing the intensity of his recent appearance at Metropolis in Brussels. Using the updated TR-8S, an Elektron unit, and effect pedals, Peryl’s performance was a model of mental techno, full of surgical rhythm shifts and deep immersion.

Later that day, Luke Slater’s Planetary Assault Systems stormed the Kokerei stage. It was peak-time energy distilled, raw, relentless, and built on the unmistakable punch of the Roland 909. A masterclass in propulsion and tension, this live act left no room to breathe, a full-bodied journey into techno’s most driving territories.

The Saturday night culminated in a rare and highly anticipated B2B between Wata Igarashi and DJ Nobu. Having already delivered a closing set at last year’s edition, Nobu returned this time in a shared configuration that felt both intimate and transcendental. The dialogue between the two artists unfolded in long, immersive layers, textural, mental, and meticulously paced. Their sonic synergy was evident from the first beat, hypnotic sequences unfolding with precision, spiraling into moments of quiet intensity before plunging into darker, more abstract territories.

Sunday brought the Fuse Club to the forefront, as they curated the Kokerei mainstage. Marie-Julie, the club’s new resident, opened with a three-hour vinyl-only set. Complex, subtle, and elegantly constructed, her selection confirmed her reputation as one of the most refined selectors in today’s techno scene.

Elsewhere, the resurgence of deep techno became tangible. Luigi Tozzi and Claudio PRC, both known for their solo work and collaborative EPs, delivered an exceptional live set, a rare pairing that generated intense energy and crowd connection. By mid-afternoon, the air around their stage felt electric, and their interplay of textured atmospheres and organic groove positioned their set among Sunday’s standouts.

In a more subdued register, VC-118A revealed a new live direction, veering into deeper techno realms far removed from his earlier electro-influenced work. His updated sound design retained subtlety while embracing hypnotic propulsion.

Throughout the weekend, emotion played a silent but potent role. Especially at a festival like Stone Techno, where introspection meets collective euphoria, music becomes both an escape and a mirror. For many, this was more than a party, it was a brief, sacred detachment from the outside world. Familiar faces reappeared, conversations resumed where they had left off the year before. For three days, the Zollverein became a sanctuary where one could be entirely immersed in music, free of compromise.

While it is impossible to recount every standout moment, the final hours reminded us just how carefully Stone Techno crafts its narrative. Ben Klock’s closing set on the intimate Eisbahn Stage offered a masterful blend of depth and tension, a testament to his enduring command. Yet the final spotlight rightly belongs to Phara and Altinbas.

Their vinyl-only B2B, both as Fuse residents, was an emotionally charged finale. Altinbas, stepping out of his usual digital comfort zone, met Phara on his own terrain, the realm of pure wax. Their interplay alternated between abrasive and nostalgic, a nuanced, no-frills homage to techno’s roots and future. It was a moment of unity, intensity, and celebration.

Stone Techno 2025 is already behind us, but its resonance lingers. As always, it delivered not just a lineup, but a statement. A vision of techno as art, community, and sonic architecture. We leave Zollverein with tired legs, full hearts, and the firm conviction that we will be back.