娱乐英语新闻:15th Ososphere Festival launches with performance by Gesaffelstein

STRASBOURG, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The 15th edition of the Ososphere contemporary music and arts festival begins Friday, with French techno artist Gesaffelstein at the Coop in Strasbourg.

Gesaffelstein, born Mike Levy, has reached an international audience through collaborations with French techno pioneers Daft Punk, and the American hip-hop star, Kanye West. He will perform a DJ to open the two-night event.

Ososphere is an annual festival of arts and music created in 1997 by Artefact, a cultural association formed in 1994 to promote contemporary and digital arts in Strasbourg.

This year's edition expects to welcome 10,000 spectators from across Europe, according to Artefact director Thierry Danet.

"The original idea was to create a situation that allows the spectators to view public spaces differently and create their own experiences," Danet explained Friday to Xinhua. "Ososphere is not just a concert hall -- we create a site where we can reinvent what it means to inhabit the city."

The festival will be held for the third year at the Coop industrial site, a former food-processing plant, now owned by the city of Strasbourg. Digital projections, light installations, and two stages allow guests a variety of experiences.

This year's festival theme is "tracing perspectives," and will continue with a yearlong extended program of events, including a series of conversation cafes to be held in association with cultural organizations around Strasbourg.

The set list includes live sets from German DJ Fritz Kalkbrenner and Danish producer Trentemoller on Friday, as well as live performances from Slovenian producer Gramatik and American rapper Freddie Gibbs on Saturday.