Global Network for Cutting-Edge Music Phenomena

The Norient network creates a space for diverse music scenes and voices from around the world through multimedia projects. Founded in Bern in 2002 by ethnomusicologist Thomas Burkhalter, it has evolved from a music blog into a diverse audiovisual platform.
The online platform is the basis of Norient, on which journalism, art and science come together in multi-perspective texts, podcasts and experimental formats. The community examines global music phenomena without Westerncentric or exoticising lenses, collaborating with cultural practitioners and thinkers worldwide. With this critical approach, Norient publishes digital publications and books through its own publishing house, Norient Books—most recently the anthology Home is Where the Heart Strives which explores what place means in relation to music and sound. Projects like the TIMEZONES podcast series and Norient City Sounds virtual exhibitions present music scenes from Beirut to Bogotá through accessible, decolonial approaches. An international team also curates the Norient Festival in Bern, combining films, live performances, club events and discussions.

As a seismograph of contemporary musical trends, Norient makes worldwide artistic realities accessible to broad audiences while documenting and reflecting on the latest musical developments.