The concert of James Holden & Wacław Zimpel at Colour Fest 14 is one of the most anticipated events of the 14th editionthe Anglo-Polish duo, among the most fascinating names of the’European electronics contemporary, opens the festival in the Day 1, Tuesday 11 August 2026, on the Falcone and Borsellino promenade by Lamezia Terme, the Riviera of Sunsets at Calabria. One of those evenings for which seaside festivals exist: cosmic music, Mediterranean landscape and golden light on the water.

About James Holden & Wacław Zimpel

James Holden is an English producer and DJ, born 1979, raised in Market Bosworth and graduated in mathematics at Oxford. In the 2000s he was a major player on the scene progressive trance - the single “Horizons” has become one of the anthems of the summer 1999 - before leaving that world to found in the 2003 its label Border Community, hothouse of artists such as Nathan Fake e Luke Abbott. From there, his music changed radically: records such as “The Inheritors” (2013) e “The Animal Spirits” (2017) have turned him into one of the key figures of the so-called cosmic music European, an area where electronic krautrock, modal jazz and psychedelia come together.

Wacław Zimpel is a Polish clarinetist and multi-instrumentalist classically trained, one of the most recognisable voices of the’avant-garde European. It moves naturally between avant-garde jazz, minimalism e Indian musicin fact, he is among the creators of the Saagara, together with the ghatam master Giridhar Udupa, and has to his credit solo works such as “Train Spotter” and the EP “Japanese Journal Vol.1” (2024). His clarinet, often the bass clarinet, is a hypnotic instrument, capable of building circular and meditative plots.

An encounter born at a festival

The duo's story begins in 2018, at the festival Rewire of The Hague: Holden reaches Zimpel to tell him that he is obsessed with his records, and discovers that the feeling is mutual. From that meeting comes first the participation of Zimpel to the band The Animal Spirits, then the debut EP “Long Weekend” at 2020. The end point - at least for now - is the album “The Universe Will Take Care Of You”.”, published on 13 June 2025 for Border Community: six tracks improvised in the London studio of Holden, recorded over the years whenever Zimpel was in town. A record built on the’pure improvisation, in which Zimpel even moves away from his clarinet to explore electric piano, lap steel and flutes, while Holden He combines his modular systems with hand percussion and the violin of his childhood.

The sound: modal trance and kinetic music

The duo works on the long time, on the repetition and on the modal trance. Holden manoeuvre modular synthesisers, electronic drums and generative patches built with customised software; Zimpel weave bass clarinet, khaen (the mouth organ of South-East Asia), melodic and flutes. The result is music kinetics e contemplative together: hypnotic, organic, designed to be heard in open spaces. Nothing to do with the coldness of certain club electronics - here, everything breathes, transforms in real time, and every concert is in fact a ’live concert'.’improvisation unrepeatable.

Here, in a nutshell, is what makes the live performance of James Holden & Wacław Zimpel:

• Live improvisationsets are never the same, built up note by note on stage.
• Acoustic and electronic instrumentsModular and bass clarinet dialoguing without hierarchies.
• European cosmic music: the legacy of the krautrock and the minimalism filtered by the present.
• Global influences: from the Indian music to the modal scales of South-East Asia.
• Immersive experienceA sound designed for open spaces and deep listening, ideal at dusk.

Why it works at Color Fest

La Riviera of Sunsets is not a slogan: light on the Falcone and Borsellino promenade, around 9 p.m. of August, è that golden light seen in few places in Italy. A set of Holden e Zimpel in that context is exactly the formula cosmic music + Mediterranean landscape for which there are festivals by the sea. The Colour Fest 14 - organised by What Are Clouds APS from 2012 - has always been a space dedicated to independent and avant-garde music, and the duo fits perfectly into the line-up of the Day 1, alongside names such as Apparat and the C'mon Tigre. For those seeking a broader experience, it is also worth discovering the other proposals among the Southern Italy Festival 2026.

When and where they play at Color Fest 14

James Holden & Wacław Zimpel are scheduled in the Day 1 of Colour Fest 14, Tuesday 11 August 2026, a Lamezia Terme (CZ), on the Falcone and Borsellino promenade. The festival takes place on four stages - including the Tramonti Stage (CUPRA Stage)the Pinewood Stage and the Future Stage - plus the Colour Market. All details on timetables and stages are on the official artist page and in the full line-up 2026.

Frequently asked questions

When are James Holden & Wacław Zimpel playing at Color Fest 14?

The duo is scheduled in the Day 1, Tuesday 11 August 2026, on the Falcone and Borsellino promenade by Lamezia Terme. The entire edition of the Colour Fest 14 the’11, 12 and 13 August 2026.

What kind of music do they make?

A form of cosmic music e modal trance built live, poised between electronics, krautrock, avant-garde jazz e minimalism. Modular and bass clarinet intertwine in long, hypnotic improvisations.

What is the duo's latest album?

Their most recent album is “The Universe Will Take Care Of You”.”, published on 13 June 2025 for Border Community, the label of James Holden. It is a record entirely improvised in the producer's London studio.

How much are tickets for Color Fest 2026?

I tickets start from 35 euro for the single day. Also available is the’Full Subscription for all three days. Attention: the subscriptions are running out. All rates are on Ticketmaster.

Where to sleep during the festival?

There are two agreed solutions: the Camping Ulisse (from 70 euro) and the Lido La Baia (from 60 euro). The Camping Ulisse is sold out for the 12 and 13 August: remains available the Lido La Baia, so hurry up.

Tickets and info

👉 Buy Color Fest 2026 tickets nowthree-day passes and single-day tickets on Ticketmaster, with prices starting from 35 euro. The subscriptions are running out and for accommodation there is only room at the Lido La Baiadon't wait until the last moment to secure the Day 1 with James Holden & Wacław Zimpel on Riviera of Sunsets.

Color Fest XIV - 11 / 12 / 13 August 2026 - Lamezia Terme - Riviera dei Tramonti - Calabria. Summer on a Solitary Beach.

Tickets and Info: https://colorfest.it/biglietti-info/