Now or Never 2025 has unleashed the next stage of its most ambitious program yet, adding seven major events that push the boundaries of electronic music, experimental performance and cultural celebration.
The latest announcements include a free opening night party featuring German techno pioneer Moritz von Oswald and radical Latin club sounds from across the diaspora.
From dubstep royalty and Singeli scene pioneers to post-punk minimalists and West African rhythm fusion, these newly announced events showcase the festival’s commitment to presenting cutting-edge artists alongside genre-defying performances. Several shows are already selling fast as Melbourne prepares for 11 days of music, art and technology that challenge conventional boundaries.
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Now or Never Opening Night Party kicks off Melbourne’s biggest experimental music festival
• Where: Fed Square Main Square, Melbourne
• When: Thursday 21 August 2025
• Cost: Free entry, all ages
Now or Never 2025 launches with a free all-ages winter rave featuring electronic music pioneer Moritz von Oswald at Fed Square. The German techno legend, who helped forge the Detroit-Berlin sonic connection and co-founded Basic Channel, headlines the opening night alongside local favourites Sleep D and Kia.
The opening night party delivers a stone-cold classic performance from one of electronic music’s most influential producers of the last three decades. Moritz von Oswald’s innovative dub techno sound transformed contemporary music and club culture, while Sleep D brings energetic techno and hypnotic prog excursions capable of turning any dance floor into a full rave workout.
Chuleo Club x Now or Never champions Latin club sounds across the diaspora
• Where: Miscellania, Melbourne
• When: Friday 29 August 2025
• Cost: Early Bird $27, First Release $33, Second Release $38, plus booking fee (18+)
Chuleo Club teams up with Now or Never for a night celebrating club sounds from across the Latinx diaspora at Miscellania. The lineup features trailblazing Argentinian DJ and producer Tayhana making her long-awaited Melbourne debut, alongside Anita B Queen, Zalina, Tina Disco and Sin Nubes.
Tayhana, a founding force behind HiedraH Club de Baile, leads a radical movement reshaping South America’s club scene and disrupting western dominance of the genre. Her razor-edged hard-dance style delivers forward-thinking club weapons infused with experimental sounds from across Latin America. Buenos Aires artist Anita B Queen brings magnetic stage presence and raw dynamic blends spanning hip hop, trap, afrobeats, Brazilian funk and drum and bass.
NO/GENRE x CURB DANCE II presents experimental live music and radical movement
• Where: Miscellania, Melbourne
• When: Friday 22 August 2025
• Cost: Early Entry $20 (before 9pm), General Admission $35, plus booking fee (18+)
NO/GENRE and Curb Dance return to Miscellania for experimental live and club music focused on affordable access to radical free-flowing movement and dance. The night features legendary post-punk minimalists Essendon Airport bringing their iconic DIY ethos to the stage, plus Queen Asher & Rehema Tajiri making their Melbourne debut.
The mother-daughter duo from Dar Es Salaam’s hyper-charged Singeli scene channels decades of experience and limitless kinetic energy, with Rehema’s commanding vocals and Queen Asher’s trailblazing presence as Singeli’s first female DJ. Los Angeles artist s280f beams in with epic collage music that welds industrial, hardcore, ambient and post-club sounds into uncharted sonic territory.
MUTATIONS delivers bass-heavy body moving music with dubstep royalty
• Where: Miscellania, Melbourne
• When: Sunday 31 August 2025
• Cost: General Release $40, Door $50, plus booking fee (18+)
Now or Never teams up with MUTATIONS, Miscellania’s longest-running in-house party, for a day-to-night session of bass-heavy, body moving music. UK artist Coki, dubstep royalty and co-founder of seminal DMZ label, headlines the lineup as an expert selector who continually redraws the lines between bass music and its many offshoots.
The producer who helped build bass music’s foundations continues rewiring them with every set, spanning grime, jungle, drum and bass to dubstep. Mumn Norm goes head-to-head with DJ Mum and Stormn Norm delivering bass-driven jungle sets and dub-inspired music for clubs and sound systems. Future-facing producer Yunzero delivers a perfect distillation of light and shade through hazy, bass-heavy electronic music.
Music in Exile presents genre-defying performances celebrating cultural heritage
• Where: The Curtin, Melbourne
• When: Friday 22 August 2025
• Cost: Early Bird $25, General Release $30, plus booking fee
Ajak Kwai, Mandeng Groove, Saray Illuminado Femmes and Boo Mojo join forces for a genre-defying performance curated by local label Music in Exile at The Curtin. Australian-Sudanese music icon Ajak Kwai commands the spotlight with unmistakable vocals and powerful tales of exile, hope and love shaped by South Sudanese heritage.
Mandeng Groove brings West Africa’s heartbeat to life with high-energy fusion of rhythm and jazz, blending soul, funk and groove into an infectious soundscape spanning continents. Saray Iluminado Femmes blur the line between music and ritual, weaving contemporary diasporic takes on Sephardic Jewish romances and Sevdalinka songs that draw listeners into an ancient yet ever-evolving world.
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