We are hiring.After producing 100 plus events worldwide, Refraction is launching IRL. A system where people check in at venues, earn IRL Points for participation, and carry reputation and rewards across cultural spaces.Open roles:Partnerships and Production CoordinatorSupport partnerships, coordinate event production workflows, and help manage collaborations across venues, artists, and partners.Product Manager for IRL Protocol and Loyalty PlatformLead coordination between engineering, design, and partnerships to develop the IRL check in system, rewards infrastructure, and product roadmap.Full details:https://refraction-irl.notion.site/careers-at-refraction-irlApply with CV and motivation letter:hr@refractionfestival.com

IRL just announced the 15 selected teams for the IRL Tour and committed $30K to community led cultural programming across key cities worldwide.Amsterdam is live now with a new IRL Map curated by FERMI. Independent dance floors, record shops, listening spaces, and spots that shape the city.Next up: New York City on March 5. GRANTED IRL at Boerum Studios with live jazz, dance, vocal performances, and meditation. Every stop includes an IRL Touchpoint with check ins and real time rewards.Read the full update and plug in here:
https://tinyurl.com/4t5rdkdv

We landed in Colorado for ETHDenver.This week: the IRL Map to Denver with 51 local spots, High Fidelity IRL at ESP Hi Fi with Yu Su and Nico Tobón, and the Vibez Lounge inside the main conference.If you are in town, start here.Full details, map, and lineup in the newsletter:
https://bit.ly/3LE3dWX

We threw 30 events in 13 cities last yearFrom packed clubs to photo booths in Rio to a cafe gallery in Buenos Aires, over 8,000 of you showed up and made it real. IRL became more than a concept. 41,000 engaged during IRL Summer, and 1,169 collected Refract Passes to help build what comes next.2026 is about depth. No more one-offs. We are building real continuity across the scenes that shape culture. Check-ins, rewards, and tools that carry your presence forward from one city to the next.→ Dive into what we did and where we are going https://bit.ly/3LE3dWX

At Devconnect Buenos Aires, Livepeer Foundation and Refraction put artists and technologists in the same room to talk about what AI is actually shifting.Authorship is getting blurry. Compute access is becoming cultural infrastructure. Discovery systems quietly decide what gets seen and what gets made.If AI is rewriting how culture is produced, the people building the tools and the people using them probably need to be in the room together.https://x.com/Livepeer/status/2008226304684888333

Here’s everything we’re hosting during Devconnect this week 🇦🇷AI x Open Media Forum (Nov 18, 2–7PM)
we’re starting the week with a dream half-day forum with Livepeer, with sessions with Zora, Base, FWB and Serpentine.
→ rsvp: https://luma.com/9q0swwroIRL Launch Party (Nov 18, 9PM–1AM)
celebrating the launch of IRL with our friends at Livepeer, FWB, Artdao, Syndicate, Zora, WalletConnect and Zerion, with music from local heroes Millos Kaiser and Camila Isabel.
→ rsvp: https://luma.com/jzjxyt37?tk=cLWKgnCafé.exe Exhibition (Nov 18, 9PM–1AM)
same place, same time as the IRL Launch Party, Artdao and Serpentine open Café.exe, showing new work from Alice Bucknell, Kim Laughton, Theo Triantafyllidis and othersCode x Culture at Palermo Wine Club (Nov 20, 6PM–1AM)
an easy night of music, indie games and good wine at Palermo Wine Club, with an all-night set by Jiminal (that’s me!)
→ rsvp: https://luma.com/zq7dzam9

Long before the world caught on to the depth of Brazil’s musical underbelly, he was already deep in the margins - digging, restoring, and recontextualizing forgotten sounds. Born in Rio and based in São Paulo, Millos Kaiser has become one of the country’s most respected selectors and researchers, known for rescuing obscure Brazilian gems and breathing new life into music that might’ve stayed sealed in crates.We first saw him play at Dekmantel Selectors 2023, a three-hour swell of joy, heat, and emotion that quietly became the highlight of the festival. His path since has moved through underground institutions across Latin America and festival stages like Dekmantel, Nuits Sonores, Rock in Rio, DGTL, and Time Warp. But his foundation is at home: co-founding Selvagem, the São Paulo street-party force that shaped a generation, and co-owning Caracol, the city’s first listening bar and a sanctuary for those who treat records as literature.His solo work - from the cult Onda de Amor compilation to his RA Podcast (the first ever by a Brazilian DJ), along with releases on L.I.E.S., Planet Trip, and shows on Worldwide FM - paints the picture of someone driven by a pure obsession to preserve, celebrate, and continually reinterpret the music of his homeland.We’re deeply proud to have Millos join us for the IRL Launch Party.Buenos Aires, you’re in for something special.RSVP → https://luma.com/jzjxyt37?tk=cLWKgn

IRL TOUR — OPEN CALL 💫We’re teaming up with independent organizers and collectives shaping culture through music, art, and shared experience.Selected partners receive up to 2.5k USDC + 2,500 $IRL and full marketing support to host an event between Jan–Mar 2026.Apply by Dec 3 → irl.energy/tour

18 Nov: DevConnect roll call! 🇦🇷Refraction lands at Valerie’s Factory for the IRL Launch Party — celebrating the official launch of culture’s rewards program with our friends and partners at Livepeer, FWB, Syndicate, ArtDAO, WalletConnect, Pudgy Penguins and ZoraExpect sounds from across the South American underground + a very special guest.📅 Tuesday, Nov 18 · 9PM—1AM
📍 Valerie’s FactoryRSVP ↓
https://luma.com/jzjxyt37?tk=cLWKgn

Striking yellow angles