The fourth Tomorrow Festival, an annual non-mainstream music festival, will open Thursday this week at OCT-LOFT. The festival covers various styles of music, including experimental, rock, avant-garde, free jazz and world music, and focuses on the artistic perspective and creativity. The “tomorrow” in the name refers to a kind of spiritual direction. It implies the longing for new things and more possibilities, according to organizers Teng Fei and Fu Fei. The festival will feature many excellent artists including Pierre Bastien, Wu Tun, Maja S.K. Ratkje, Blurt, Kan Mikami, Marc Ribot and Fushitsusha. At a free warm-up event Wednesday, attendees will have a chance to win a lucky draw prize of free tickets and festival souvenirs. Dada Machines, a German music technology project, will play at a workshop during the event. The aim of Dada Machines is to enable novices and experts, musicians and music-lovers of all ages to explore novel ways of creating music. The project’s musicians invented toolkits that can turn everyday objects into musical devices, which are very simple to control and can be extended however you like. Ribot is a U.S. guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including free jazz, rock and Cuban music. Mikami is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter. His music, heavily influenced by American blues, was popular in Japan in the 1970s. Mikami also acted in cinema and is notable for collaborations with Shuji Terayama and his avant-garde theater Tenjo Sajiki. Ratkje is a Norwegian vocalist and composer. She performs and releases music for concerts, recordings, films, installations, theater and dance. She is also a recipient of a number of domestic and international awards, including two Edvard Prizes and the UNESCO Rostrum Award. Bastien is a French composer and experimental musical instrument builder. In 2015, he came up with a new project called “Silent Motors,” which features two frames with wheels and gears that are projected on a screen with an overhead projector. Dada Machines Workshop Time: 8-10 p.m., May 17 Venue: Old Heaven Bookstore Concerts May 18, 8-9 p.m., Pierre Bastien May 18, 9:20-10:20 p.m., Wu Tun May 19, 8-9 p.m., Maja S.K. Ratkj May 19, 9:20-10:20 p.m., Blurt May 20, 8-9 p.m., Marc Ribot May 20, 9:20-10:35 p.m., Kan Mikami May 21, 8-11 p.m., Fushitsusha Tickets: 100-120 yuan Venue: B10 Live Free lectures “The Ember of Poems and Songs: 50 Years of Kan Mikami” by Kan Mikami Time: 2-4 p.m., May 20 “Spaces of Individuality and Creativity in Post-War Japanese Underground Music” by Alan Cummings Time: 2-4 p.m., May 21 Venue: A3+ Free screening “20 Years of Underground Techno” by Amelie Ravalec Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m., May 21 Venue: A3+ Add: North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区) Metro: Line 2, Qiaocheng North Station (侨城北站), Exit B (SD News) | 