For one week in March, a bitterly cold Berlin became a hotspot for hard-hitting, radical and politically engaged music making, as MaerzMusik welcomed some of the most forward-thinking composers, performers, speakers and thinkers through its doors. With by far the most representation across the week's events, it was composer/producer/DJ/transgender activist Terre Thaemlitz who assumed the role of unofficial artist-in-residence, with her appearances spanning two concerts, a talk, a DJ set (under pseudonym DJ Sprinkles) and a 30-hour performance of his latest album Soullessness, which was installed over the festival's opening weekend at the Martin-Gropius-Bau.