It’s all „About the Feeling“—Where Research Meets Live Music
What makes a live performance distinctive? And which aspects of a concert have the greatest impact on the audience’s experience? “About the Feeling” has been exploring questions like these since its inception as an experimental concert series rooted in research. Now, for the first time, the organizers are bringing together the findings to date at a conference on October 15, 2026, at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA), followed by a concert evening at the Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Preparations are already underway: Researchers have until September 6 to submit their work for the conference’s poster session.
The starting point for “About the Feeling” was the academic work of Nikita Kudakov, a rapper and researcher at the MPIEA. In his doctoral dissertation, he examined recurring body movements and verbal phrases in rap performances, as well as their function in communication between performing artists and the audience. “About the Feeling” became an important part of this research: Kudakov and his colleagues recorded the performances at the concerts and analyzed them, along with audience perceptions before and after the shows. Thus, the stage served not only as an artistic space but also as a field of research.
Over time, the idea emerged to apply the findings not only scientifically but also to make them available to artists, so that they could design their performances more consciously and build a stronger connection with their audience. This approach gave rise to the “Great Gig Group,” a spin-off project of the MPIEA. The group translates findings from empirical aesthetics into coaching and technology solutions for singers, rappers, DJs, and instrumentalists. At its core is an app that analyzes live performances and provides specific feedback on how to engage the audience. In addition, the team supports musicians in developing their stage presence and concert dramaturgy.
In April 2025, the “Great Gig Group” was accepted into the Max Planck Society’s MAX!mize incubation program. In addition to further developing the app and the consulting services, expanding “About the Feeling” is also one of the central goals. The October 15 conference and concert mark a milestone in this process. For the first time, researchers, artists, and music industry representatives will come together for keynote speeches, panel discussions, and a poster session. In the late afternoon, “About the Feeling” will then move to the Mousonturm artists’ center, where live performances and DJ sets spanning various musical genres will continue until midnight. This marks a logical continuation of the story: The research findings presented will meet the practical reality of the stage on the very same day—and the feeling that unfolds only through the shared concert experience.
Call for Papers
• Conference: About The Feeling 2026, a conference on live performance (approx. 80 participants) with an accompanying music festival (approx. 500 visitors)
• Date: 15 October 2026
• Venue: Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• Format: Poster session with approx. 15 contributions, DIN A0 portrait
• Language: English
• Submission deadline: 6 September 2026
• Notification by 14 September 2026
• Organizer: Great Gig Group
You will find detailed information on the Conference, the Call for Papers and the submission link here.
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