RIAA :: Program

The Plug: Exclusive 10% Discount Because you guys are the foundation of everything we do around the RIAA, we want to give back for your continuous support and arranged an exclusive 10% discount for you across all ticket categories. How to claim it: During the checkout process, right at the final step before payment, just enter the code RIAA in the "Discount code" field to unlock your 10% off. CODE: " RIAA " (Valid only until 01.06. // So don’t sleep on it!) Date: 19.08.2026 Location: Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal

ARTHUR VEROCAI & NU CIVILISATION ORCHESTRA 19.08. live at Internationales Sommerfestival Kampnagel Pretty sure Arthur Verocai doesn't need an intro for most of you. For everyone else: if you dig Brazilian sound waves mixed with strings, jazz, and psychedelic folk, this is it. When he dropped his debut studio album back in ’72, it was way ahead of its time but a commercial disaster that was slept on for decades until cats like MF Doom and Madlib started sampling it. Madlib even said he could listen to it every single day for the rest of his life, and we can only agree. Back to the here and now: On August 19th, Verocai is finally bringing that sound to Hamburg for his only German show in 7 years. Thanks to the initiative and guts of Kampnagel, "O Maestro" will be joined by the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, the magnificent guitarist/vocalist Rogê, and his son Ricardo on keys. If you haven’t spent time with the ’72 album yet, do yourself a favor and hit play. Let's have a great evening together. See you.

## Visitor Info ## Entry is free on all days. Just pick up your complimentary Plaza ticket at the entrance and take the long escalator up. The bar entrance is located on the 6th floor, right between the two escalators by the panorama window. ## A quick note on the weather ## We know the sunshine this weekend is tough competition, but we still hope you find your way to us. If you can’t choose between the sun and the music, we invite you to our two fantastic balconies where you can enjoy an incredible view and the beautiful weather at the same time.

Tomorrow: 64 Albums, 15 Watts, One Legend. The wait is almost over! Tomorrow, we start our 6-day journey into the musical mastermind of Miles Davis. Huge thanks for the feedback and for keeping us on our toes. While we’re playing a massive selection (rather than the absolute full discography), we’d be happy to play any "missing" gems for you soon at the new RIAA. Don't miss this rare chance to hear the 70-year-old Siemens / Klangfilm Bionor masterpiece in full glory at the Elbphilharmonie Bar before it returns to a private collection. Whether you're here for the Miles era or the legendary 15-watt sound, we can’t wait to see you there. R I A A

Why is it so special? Built in the 1950s for grand cinemas, this system is a masterpiece of engineering. The Bionor is all about scale, effortless dynamics, and a "live" feeling that today’s speakers simply can’t replicate. It doesn't just play music; it moves the air, making the instruments feel physically present in the room. So take this chance. This setup is a time machine, and as far as we know, this is currently the only place in Europe where you can experience this 70-year-old rarity in public operation. After the event, the system will return to its original owner, who has graciously loaned it to us, and will disappear from the public ear once again. Whether you’re a "sucker for good sound" or simply someone who loves music, you're more than welcome to hear what happens when hifi heaven meets the greatest jazz discography of all time. Come by, grab a seat, and let the sound do the talking. Stay curious. See you around. Team RIAA

Why is it so special? Built in the 1950s for grand cinemas, this system is a masterpiece of engineering. The Bionor is all about scale, effortless dynamics, and a "live" feeling that today’s speakers simply can’t replicate. It doesn't just play music; it moves the air, making the instruments feel physically present in the room. So take this chance. This setup is a time machine, and as far as we know, this is currently the only place in Europe where you can experience this 70-year-old rarity in public operation. After the event, the system will return to its original owner, who has graciously loaned it to us, and will disappear from the public ear once again. Whether you’re a "sucker for good sound" or simply someone who loves music, you're more than welcome to hear what happens when hifi heaven meets the greatest jazz discography of all time. Come by, grab a seat, and let the sound do the talking. Stay curious. See you around. Team RIAA

:: 01 - 06/05 | R I A A x MILES100 :: at Elbphilharmonie 01-03. May | 14:00 bis 01:00h 04-06. May | 17:00 bis 00:00h free admission on all days Hey folks, Sometimes, things come together for just a brief moment. We’d like to invite you to a very special listening session over the course of six consecutive days as part of the Miles100 event series at the Elbphilharmonie. How do you celebrate the 100th birthday of a visionary like Miles Davis? First, we’re transforming the pop-up space in the heart of the "Elphi" (remember our 'A Space Between' event in spring 2025?) into a sonic temple. Second, We play his entire album catalog in full lenght (64 LPs in total! - full schedule here) on a speaker system that is capable of capturing the soul of his music and widely considered the "Holy Grail" of audio: A stereo setup of Siemens / Klangfilm Bionor (Kl L433).

Quick reminder for today’s 'KISSA' Session. Don’t miss it! Next one won’t happen until July. Besides the ‘Miles100’ listening space at Elbphilharmonie on the 1st May weekend, we’re going off the radar for a while building the new RIAA. Piece by piece. Pull up while you can. _SUNDAY RECOMMENDATION_ And if you can't make it today or just fancy for another day at the Teehaus, we highly recommend the 'In The Park' event by our dear friend from Puresoul Records on Sunday March 29 from 3pm. < More Info Here >

When we first heard these three sound alchemists known as PEACE OF MIND INVESTIGATORS (Block Barley, Zoon van Hout & Hysteria) on a cold, cloudy night at the Locke, we were completely drawn into their world. They perform live with MPCs, synthesizers, loop machines, and live sampling. The sound is hard to describe, but it feels like teleportation into a futuristic, minimalist, dust-covered, and nearly hypnotic soundtrack. You’ll hear the DNA of Italian Soundtracks, Library records, Dark Wave, and Post-Punk, blended with the raw aesthetics of The Alchemist, Madlib, and Daringer. Is it HipHop? or a mystic soundtrack chopped up with sample-based beats that pulls you deep into an imaginary world? Who knows. We’re splitting their live set into several parts across the day. In between sets, the guys and The Crate label head honcho Ludwig Mausberg will be spinning records. The kind of gems that serve as the foundation for their live sound and the Hamburg-based label itself. Let’s stay curious. See you around next Saturday. Oh.. as usual free admission for all music lovers. Yours truly.

:: 28/03_SATURDAY | 16:00 - 21:30 :: 'KISSA DAYTIME' SESSION presents The Crate - Label Special w/ PEACE OF MIND INVESTIGATORS (LIVE+DJ) and Ludwig Mausberg (DJ)  Hey folks, Time flows in waves, and after a short hiatus, we’re finally back with a new session at the Teehaus (Große Wallanlagen). We can’t wait to see you all again and we're bringing some serious musical company.

'It's a wrap!' - Recap 2025 and KISSA Playlist Hello Team Telegram, You know the drill, year-end recaps usually start with something like “How did the year pass so fast? Bla Bla..” This time around, we’re just happy to say goodbye to another year without a permanent RIAA space. And don’t worry, that optimism comes with a reason: 2026 is shaping up to be something Special! We can’t spill the beans yet, but let’s just say… something’s cookin’. Stay tuned. As the year comes to an end, we want to revisit our RIAA excursions throughout 2025, many of which we were lucky to share with you in person and as promised we’re also dropping the playlist from our 'KISSA' community event. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support. We can’t wait to share more sound adventures with you in 2026. --> You can read our short recap and get the full playlist incl. a Spotify link HERE <-- Stay curious. Team R I A A

To get you in the right mood, you can listen to last year's playlist again.  >> CLICK HERE or the playlist cover below <<  Yes, unfortunately only on Spotify. Yep, it's super handy BUT please keep in mind that none of the artists we celebrate and appreciate can earn their living from streaming alone. If you like a song, please consider buying the records, merch, subscribing to their newsletter or seeing them live.

How to join? Since you're part of our newsletter and Telegram community, you belong to the group we feel most connected to. That's why we're giving you the opportunity to bring your favourite 'Sunday Chill' records. Of course, you’re just as welcome to come by without any vinyl and simply enjoy the community’s selections. To make sure as many people as possible get time behind the decks, we’re dividing the afternoon into two 3-hour slots — first starts at 15:00h, the second at 18:00h. Everyone gets 15 minutes, usually just right for 1–3 songs. Just be there at the beginning of one of the two slots and add your name and songs to the running order so you know roughly when it’s your turn. It might sound a little structured, but it worked wonderfully last time. ;) Come along, bring your besties and favorite 'Sunday Chill' songs and enjoy the day with us. Yours truly. Team RIAA

:: 14/12_SATURDAY | 15:00-21:00 :: 'KISSA' COMMUNITY SESSION AT TEEHAUS w/ curated by music lovers for music lovers 👋  Hey there, We’re wrapping up the year with one last get-together on Sunday after next at the intimate Teehaus (Große Wallanlagen / Planten & Blomen). True to the spirit of a community session, this one’s all about you — no guest DJs, just the RIAA community sharing their favorite music on our KISSA sound system. Last year’s session was a true highlight for us. Hearing how eclectic and spot-on your musical taste is left us genuinely impressed and the playlist created on the spot became our soundtrack for months.

RIAA x MARKK :: LIVE RECORDING Good things come to those who wait... many have asked for it. To be honest, we were a little hesitant about whether such a recording would find its place outside the museum. But now that the days are getting darker, we thought it's good opportunity to share this recording with you.  Recorded live at the RIAA Deep Listening Session inside the beautiful Haus Rauru at the MARKK on April 24.180min into a lesser-known side of the musical heritage of the continent - spiritual, hypnotic, and meditative. The event was split into three one-hour sessions, and this mix brings them all together into one continuous flow. Sorry - no tracklist available. BUT if you have any questions, please reach out to us through Instagram or email. Hope you enjoy the journey as much as we did playing it. *This mix is exclusively for our newsletter and Telegram channel subscribers.

For our final evening, we dove deep into the museum’s beautiful vinyl archive — pulling the records that have already cast their spell on us (and you) in past sessions, plus a whole wave of new discoveries waiting to shine. This time, we’ll travel across the African continent and its endless genres and rhythms: from the cosmic keyboards of Hany Mehanna - هاني مهنى in Cairo to the desert horns of Sorry Bamba in Mali; the twin voices of The Lijadu Sisters lighting up Lagos nights while Artur Nunes kept Luanda’s streets moving with revolutionary Semba. Down south, Movement In The City brought jazzy rebellion to Johannesburg, and Mahmoud Ahmedturned heartbreak into gold in Addis Ababa. The endless creativity reflected in this vinyl archive is simply stunning — and we hope it continues to inspire music lovers for a long time to come. We’re beyond grateful for this deep dive into the archive — for all the discoveries, the sounds, and the incredible energy we shared with you in these unique museum spaces. Our final session will take place in the MARKK Zwischenraum, right next to the archive. As always, entry is free. We recommend coming early and take your time to wander through the museum’s exhibitions — it’s more than worth it. See you out there. Team R I A A