Regional Discrepancies 2026 Announced ft. Ryosuke Kiyasu (JPN), Shayne P. Carter & Kraus, Bruce Russell & Robbie Yeats + More

Pooped out by poptimism? Three chord punk feeling pretty passé? Then it's time to recalibrate your earholes and enter a whole new universe of sound by heading along to Regional Discrepancies 2026. Spotlighting "New Noises from Ōtepoti, Ōtautahi , Te Waiharakeke, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Tāmaki Makaurau, Naarm & Japan", the festival is happening over four nights at Audio Foundation and Whammy Public Bar this July.

The lineup of sonic greats includes Japanese snare drum soloist Ryosuke Kiyasu (SETE STAR SEPT, Fushitsusha) — whose 2024 visit to Aotearoa blew minds — a duo set by Dead C co-founders Bruce Russell and Robbie Yeats, pioneering electronic voyager Omit, Shayne P. Carter performing with Kraus (!), Naarm guitar experimentalist Chris Smith, plus a heck of a lot more. Chuck all other plans in the bin, grip the full lineup details below and head along to this world class festival brought to you by Audio Foundation, smack dab in the central city...

Audio Foundation presents Regional Discrepancies 2026
New Noises from Ōtepoti, Ōtautahi , Te Waiharakeke, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Tāmaki Makaurau, Naarm & Japan
Season passes and nightly tickets on sale HERE via UTR

Thursday 23rd July – Whammy Public Bar, Auckland (7pm)
Bruce Russell & Robbie Yeats, Chris Smith (Naarm), Uniform, Omit

Bruce Russell is an inveterate improviser and practitioner in sound,. Since 1987 he has been a member of the Dead C. He also performs with Alastair Galbraith as A Handful of Dust (since 1984). His solo guitar practice reconfigures the blues as a form of improvisational auto-destruction.

Robbie Yeats is a drummer from Dunedin, best known for his work with the Dead C, Ghost Bells & Big Roses.

Chris Smith is an Australian guitarist and songwriter who has been operating in and around the Melbourne indie rock and experimental/ noise scenes since the mid ‘90s. He is best known for his solo guitar work, largely instrumental and experimental in nature.

Uniform are a prolific arts collective featuring Tina Pihema (The Coolies) & Beth Dawson (Ducklingmonster).

Omit Electronic music enigma Clinton Williams aka Omit has been on a highly personal journey into sound since the late 1980's. Starting from scratch, using modified electric motors as his sole sound source, he has built up a home studio and battery of hand-made and salvaged electronic sound sources, with which to pursue his researches into the human psyche.

Friday 24th July - Audio Foundation, Auckland (8pm)
Big Roses, Zonal Plexus, K Group, Omit

Big Roses: Robbie Yeats & Joan George, Tina Pihema, Rachel Shearer Legends from Ōtepoti with special guests.

Zonal Plexus: Bruce Russell, Jeff Henderson, Ryan Tomov, Hermione Johnson, Chris Smith, JY Lee Epic sextet featuring two guitars, two prepared pianos & two baritone saxophones.

K-Group is Paul Toohey, of noted nz geological drone ensemble Surface of the Earth, who also has a solo album under this name on Corpus Hermeticum.

Electronic music enigma Clinton Williams aka Omit has been on a highly personal journey into sound since the late 1980's. Starting from scratch, using modified electric motors as his sole sound source, he has built up a home studio and battery of hand-made and salvaged electronic sound sources, with which to pursue his researches into the human psyche.

Saturday 25th July - Audio Foundation, Auckland (4pm)
Bruce Russell & Chris Smith, Luc Vitk & Zak Argabrite

Luc Vitk / Lucie Vítková is a composer, improviser, and performer (accordion, hichiriki, drums, synthesizer, harmonica, voice, and dance) from the Czech Republic and New York. They received their PhD from the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno (CZ) and conducted research at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (NL), the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia (USA), the Universität der Künste in Berlin (D), Columbia University in New York (USA), and New York University. They are currently a Lecturer at the School of Music, Waipapa Taumata Rau, Aotearoa / University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Zak Argabrite is a saxophonist, clarinetist, electronic artist, improvisor, composer, and researcher originally from Louisville, Kentucky now based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington New Zealand) after 8 years living in Lenapehoking (NYC).

Sunday 26th July – Audio Foundation, Auckland (7pm)
Ryosuke Kiyasu (Japan), Rui Inaba & Tae Kyung Seo, Shayne P. Carter & Kraus

Ryosuke Kiyasu began his career as a snare drummer in Canada in 2003. A driving force in the avant-garde music scene for over two decades, he has been a prolific solo performer while also contributing to the group SETE STAR SEPT and having served as the drummer for Keiji Haino’s legendary ensemble, Fushitsusha.
In 2018, a video of his live performance in Berlin went viral, garnering over 23 million views and sparking global conversation. This phenomenon led to features in major international media outlets, including BBC News and VICE. More recently, his unique performance style was highlighted in the British fashion magazine i-D, further cementing his influence across both music and contemporary culture.
His work has earned high acclaim within the world of classical percussion, leading to his invitation as a main guest for two consecutive editions of Germany’s Überschlag Festival, one of the world's largest biennial percussion festivals. In 2025, a dedicated experimental music festival titled Kiyasu Fest was organized by local fans in Bristol, UK, in his honor.
Beyond traditional musical boundaries, he has expanded his reach through collaborations with the fashion label Our Legacy and performances in contemporary art contexts. Performing over 200 shows annually across the globe, Ryosuke Kiyasu continues to redefine the very concept of music.

Tae Kyung Seo and Rui Inaba, a husband-and-wife duo, explore the intersection of sound, body, and perception through instinctive and improvisational practices. Seo captures the fleeting tension and resonance at the boundary between internal and external worlds, embracing the uncertainty of those moments. Inaba delves into the phenomenology and neuropsychological effects of music, working across bass, guitar, voice, computer sound, and visual mediums, inviting reflection through playful, open-ended questions. Together, they navigate these liminal spaces, creating work that feels both spontaneous and deeply reflective.

Shayne P. Carter is a New Zealand musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986 to 1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1995–2012).
Carter is a member of the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the New Zealand Herald Legacy Award (with Straitjacket Fits at the 2008 New Zealand Music Awards), and the recipient of several Aotearoa Music Awards including best band, album and top male vocalist with Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer.

Kraus is a producer of psychedelic music from Aotearoa/New Zealand. With over 20 albums released since the turn of the millennium, his work conjures a rich and evocative sound-world through vivid modal and minimal compositions for guitar, synth and drums. His recent releases meld sci-fi sound-design and hypnotic polyrhythms to create new forms of head-spinning electronic music.

Here's a selection of highlights from Ryosuke Kiyasu's 2025 tour of the UK and EU...

Experience 'Diamonds and Pearls' (no relation to the Prince classic?) from Kraus' 2024 album Crystal Motors...