OFF Festival Katowice 2019 There’s romance, noise, dancing, and outer space — Let the countdown to August begin!
With a name like the OFF Festival, we know we’ve got a high bar to clear. So we’re pleased to announce the first batch of artists heading our way next year. They’ll charm you, shock you and enthral you with their uncanny and unpopular music. Please welcome Daughters, The Gaslamp Killer, Perfect Son, Boogarins, Lebanon Hanover, and Bamba Pana & Makaveli.
Daughters
H.P. Lovecraft himself couldn’t have envisioned this monster in his most terrifying nightmares. Hailing from the author’s hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, Daughters emerged from the ashes of a grindcore band, and thought they’ve slackened their pace a bit, they haven’t given up their intense, incalculable way of playing music as if the world were about to end. The album You Won’t Get What You Want—already hailed as one of the most noteworthy releases of 2018—combines that passion with noise rock, industrial, post punk and metal. How does that blend fare on stage? Let’s just say there’s a reason why The Dillinger Escape Plan took Daughters along on their goodbye tour. The king is dead, long live the king?
The Gaslamp Killer
California’s William Bensussen launched his music career early, holding dance parties for family and friends when he was still a kid. He’s all grown up now, and throws parties that draw a worldwide audience. Bensussen is a producer who combines rock with underground hip hop, dousing it all in a psychedelic sauce or launching it into outer space. To find out what you can expect from The Gaslamp Killer, be sure to check out his debut LP Breakthrough or Gonjasufi’s A Sufi and a Killer, which he co-produced with Flying Lotus.
The Comet Is Coming
This comet is coming straight out of London. It might kill us, but only to bring us back to life. “The Comet Is Coming, signalling an end to life as we know it, heralding the dawn of a new age. In the inevitable physical destruction of the planet, a space is created where all notions of political, social and economic hierarchy will be at once obliterated and transcended,” reads the band’s manifesto. Sound familiar? This music is clearly influenced by Sun Ra, as The Comet Is Coming’s frontman and sax player Shabaka Hutchings (who also heads of Sons of Kemet and Shabaka and the Ancestors) proudly admits. Hutchings has actually collaborated with Sun Ra Arkestra, but he’s devised a new motor for cosmic jazz, and, with the help of his pals, the electro-funk duo Soccer96, he’s sending it into ever distant reaches of the galaxy.
Perfect Son
We’re always thrilled to welcome new and intriguing musical projects from Poland, and often feature artists from our friends at Sub Pop in Seattle, but we’ve never had the opportunity to combine both aspects—until now. Tobiasz Biliński, who performs under the moniker Perfect Son, is the first Pole to join the ranks of this legendary label, and though he first caught their attention as Coldair, he recorded his upcoming record, Cast (due in February) under a new name and with a new sound. His latest incarnation is just as good, but more distinctive, massive, and catchy. Congratulations to our friends at Sub Pop on making an excellent choice!
Boogarins
In 2018 Boogarins released an excellent live album titled Desvio Onírico, which couldn’t have had a better title: the band’s music truly combines dreams and flights. They start with psychedelic rock rooted in the Tropicalismo era and give it an original, modern twist. Things like this only happen in Brazil. But they’ve earned a following all over the world, touring with tUnE-yArDs, recording a session with KEXP, and performing at Coachella. There’s hardly a better setting for this sort of music than a warm summer night, so get ready: Boogarins’ show just might be one of the most intense experiences at next year’s OFF Festival.
Lebanon Hanover
Larissa Iceglass and William Maybelline make music that’s cold and raw, and yet endlessly romantic. It’s rooted in the post-punk and goth aesthetics of the 1980s, with nods to Joy Division, Krafwerk, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, but soaked in the absinthe and opium of turn-of-the-century artists. The duo released their latest album in March 2018: titled Let Them Be Alien, the LP is sad, dark, riveting and refreshingly different from everything else delivered by the main trends in European alternative music.
Bamba Pana & Makaveli
In the search for new sensations, the world of Western music has long been eating its own tail. Luckily, sources of fresh sounds still flow beyond the borders of Europe and North America. One noteworthy label is the recently established Ugandan outfit Nyege Nyege Tapes, which offers a portal into the crazy underground world of east Africa. One of the scene’s crown jewels is the producer duo Bamba Pana, virtuosos of the ultrafast genre known as singeli, the party soundtrack of Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam. These beats make footwork sound like music for hopeless romantics. Bamba Pana will be accompanied by the rapper Makaveli.
As we announced earlier, the OFF Festival Katowice 2019 will take place August 2–4 at its usual location, Three Pond Valley. Three-day passes are now available at the OFF Shop for 290 PLN. This price lasts until 24 February or until the first batch of tickets is sold out! Campground tickets are also available for 80 PLN.
About OFF
A truly unique boutique music festival, OFF Festival takes place in ‘Three Lake Valley’, Katowice – a beautiful green oasis in the heart of industrial Silesia. OFF Festival is a way of life, one that flies in the face of current trends and stays true to itself, and the ethos of organiser Artur Rojek is firmly aimed at supporting art and music with the festival bringing many acts to Poland for the first time. OFF Festival is growing in prominence year on year driven by the festivals forward–thinking, eclectic music policy. From the greatest alternative music stars from around the world to the increasingly strong Polish scene, OFF festival has inspiring music in abundance.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
8 Italian artists to see at Eurosonic
Italy’s fashion sense, cultural monuments, the beauty of its landscapes and art already have a global reputation. Now it’s time to get to know its contemporary music scene. In January 2019, the recently launched Italia Music Export (powered by SIAE) is heading to Eurosonic, bringing some of the most exciting new Italian talents to one of the world’s most important new music platforms.
The first thing you notice about the Italian 8-strong Eurosonic team is not only its diversity but also its unorthodox makeup that includes an electronic/jazz trombone experimental collaboration, a Mediterranean take on folk and Americana, LGBT + activist X Factor pop sensations and an energetic math/post rock trio. This is not a roster that bows to trends and conventions but proudly declares its special identity.
Already making waves is Any Other, whose recent LP and international shows have been gathering praise from the likes of The 405, The Line of Best Fit, Eclat Magazine, ByteFM and RadioEins. Italian Rolling Stone proclaimed that her brand of emotive introspective rock would ignite the Italian scene and boldly called her “Best Italian female musician”. Her Skin’s 2018 debut release of bright minimalist folk ballads won her many press fans and culminated in a support tour with Cat Power. Variously compared to Norah Jones, Lana Del Rey and Katie Melua, Violetta Zironi’s sound and her new EP 'Half Moon Lane' was described by Clash as “a gentle, easy-on-the-ear selection that continually surprises.“
Having already played Reeperbahn and Waves Vienna, The Pier are no strangers to international showcases. Back home in the south of Italy, their special brand of punk-infused math rock has catapulted them to the main festival stages and secured excited critical reception.
But it’s not all about the younger generation. Davide Tomat is a Turin-based sound designer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader with over 2 decades of experience. Hailing from Southern Italy, Gianluca Petrella is one of the most celebrated jazz trombone players in Europe. Their collaboration, with a debut release via prestigious electronic label !K7, Tomat Petrella creates a world of intricate textures, intuitions, and complexities, where beats and noise join the melodies of the trombone, that are then processed and reworked by the synths and the computers.
Machweo is the name of another Italian electronic project. Started in 2012 by Giorgio Spedicato, Machweo released 2 critically acclaimed LPs. Following a period of extensive touring, he took a year out and returned with a redefined idea of music rooted in human bonds and rituals. His new LP Primitive Music released via Oregon’s Lefse (Anna Meredith, Ulrika Spacek, Beechwood) is described as “an intuitive score of improvised music painted on a sheet.” and has the seal of approval from James Holden https://twitter.com/mrjamesholden/status/1025701202586157056
Sicilian Alessio Bondì started writing songs as a teenager. During his time studying to be an actor in Rome, he became drawn back to his Sicilian heritage and began working on songs that would makeup his debut album “Sfardo” that was released in 10 countries, translated into 6 languages and received radio play across Europe, incl. BBC Radio3 and BBC Radio Ulster.
Completing this multifaceted roster are Sem&Sténn who captured the nation’s imagination as X Factor contestants. Although the flamboyant duo have known each other since 2011, it wasn’t until 2016 that they released their first single. In the summer of 2017 they became contestants on the Italian X Factor, thrilling the audiences and scoring glowing critical reviews. Following their premature departure from the show, the pair released an LP and set off on a nationwide tour. In May 2018 Sem&Sténn accepted the Diversity Media Award won by X Factor Italia for “Best TV Show” and contribution to the messages of diversity and LGBT+ values in Italian society.
Italia Music Export showcases at ESNS 2019
Wednesday January 16
20:00 - Her Skin at Lutherse Kerk Kerkzaal
22:15 - The Pier at All Round Poolcentrum
23:35 - Sem&Sténn at News Café
Thursday January 17
20:45 - Any Other at Vera
22:40 - Violetta Zironi at Lutherse Kerk Kerkzaal
00:55 - Machweo at News Café
Friday, January 18
22:00 - Alessio Bondì at USVA
23:00 - Tomat Petrella at Simplon (Up)
More about The Artists
Any Other
Following the release of her latest LP “Two, Geography”’, Milan-based artist Adele Nigro is ready to take her emotive leftfield project Any Other to the next level. Adele writes, sings, plays, produces and arranges all of her songs, which bear the traces of several different influences, from the American indie-folk of Phil Elvrum (The Microphones, Mount Eerie) to the guitar work of Jim O’Rourke and David Grubbs, spiritual free jazz and orchestral arrangements as well as classic songwriting by Carole King and Joni Mitchell, all filtered through a thoroughly contemporary sensibility. Any Other also played Reeperbahn 2018.
Website:https://anyotherband.bandcamp.com/
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5RECxqPUWytzhwKabZ1lWx
Alessio Bondì
Alessio Bondì is an Italian singer/songwriter based in Palermo, Sicily. Singing in his native Sicilian dialect, Alessio brings his culture heritage to life with poetic and intimate folk music and primordial blues. His debut album Sfardo has been released through a partnership between Italian labels Malintenti Dischi and 800A Records in Europe and Brazil. Bondì released his second studio album, Nivuru in November 2018.
Website: http://alessiobondi.com/
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7wxtjKgJEIEs7ty2lZiEdZ
Her Skin
Her Skin (aka Sara Ammendolia) is an Italian folk singer and songwriter, with a natural, heartfelt voice and guitar-style all of her own. Born and raised in Modena, she started writing songs and performing acoustic shows in 2013. In 2016 she co-founded Italian independent label Tempura Dischi and released 2 self-published EPs. In 2017 Sara toured extensively and began landing support gigs with acts like Kele Okereke, ex of Bloc Party and Cat Power. In February 2018, Her Skin released her debut album “Find a Place to Sleep” via We Were Never Being Boring Collective. Her Skin is also confirmed for SXSW 2019.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/herskinmusic/
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zdyc0Juu2p2uVVISAhOJe?si=QjSjyHRLT3a4CTIsL8jfqw
Machweo
Machweo started life as a solo project of composer Giorgio Spedicato. Over the past 6 years his electronic venture has given life to 2 LPs that lead to an extended national tour and wide critical acclaim. In the summer of 2016 Giorgio decided to dedicate his time to the investigations of human connections and rituals. The main idea was to keep a circular and obsessive, yet melodic-driven rhythm for a prolonged period of time. The underlying purpose was a total immersion in and improvisation on a slowly drifting reiterative pattern. The result was “Primitive Music”, an album composed by Giorgio Spedicato and played by the musicians Dario Martorana, Marco Vecchio and Antonio Rapa.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Machweo/
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Mr3g9Iu3I1jnGYi2ATlH3#_=_
Sem&Sténn
In 2017 Sem&Sténn introduced themselves in the Italian X Factor with ‘The Fair’, an overwhelming darkwave song and self-produced tribute to the world of clubbing. After their premature departure from the show, they were on the cover of Pride Italia, which was followed by a release their first LP “OFFBEAT”. Between deconstructing gender stereotypes, winning awards and paying tribute to the pop culture of the 1990s, Sem&Sténn enjoy breaking the rules with the sound at maximum volume.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/semstenn/
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4urS4ezvKDRW6o0XQeRve5?autoplay=true&v=A
The Pier
Formed by Gabriele Terlizzi, Davide Pasculli and Danilo De Candia, the power trio comes from the south of Italy. Their repertoire includes both instrumentals and songs with English vocals. Often described as ‘indie math rock’, The Pier’s more accurate description involves a furious mixture of math, post-rock and post punk, with influences that include Don Caballero, Radiohead, Foals, This Town Needs Guns and Joy Division. Their New Album “Dead Reckoning” is released on December 7th via Kallax Records
Website: https://www.facebook.com/thepier314/
Music :https://open.spotify.com/artist/3zS3w4G232J242rCI9xmIh?si=R9oDVwx3RoW9JX2HwBK04g
Tomat Petrella
Tomat Petrella is the collaborative project between Davide Tomat ( aka Tomat ) and Gianluca Petrella. “Kepler”, their collaborative debut release on !K7 Records, is a musical beast that defies simple descriptions and neat labels.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/tomatpetrella/
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4PJBvk2Y2ZDNoGUxATE9Jl?autoplay=true&v=A
Violetta Zironi
Take folk, Americana and a mesmerizing voice, combine it with Mediterranean sensibilities, and you’ll get Violetta Zironi. Violetta started writing her first songs at the age of 16. After gigging with a country/blues trio in bars and festivals around the North of Italy, she decided to focus on creating her own music. Despite only being in her early twenties, Violetta’s CV already includes a stage duo with the legendary Ben E King and a European tour with Jack Savoretti. Violetta also performed at SXSW 2018.
Website: http://www.violettazironi.com/
Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/400WhVfB3ENcUBPUOkz0Qn?autoplay=true&v=A
About the Italia Music Export - SIAE
Italia Music Export is Italy’s first music export office, founded by SIAE in November 2017. Its aim is to promote Italian music worldwide, boost music export revenues and to support Italian music companies going global. While supporting the Italian music business, Italia Music Export also advises and assists international professionals interested in working with Italian artists and companies.
More info here: http://www.italiamusicexport.com/
ESNS 2019 CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Keynotes with Tom Windish, Richard Jones, Ben Chapman, Scott Cohen and more!
As well as all the amazing new artists performing at ESNS the conference program also includes many of the major players in the Live Music Industry.
Agent Tom Windish has been confirmed as keynote speaker during ESNS 2019. The US based founder of The Windish Agency and now senior executive at Paradigm Talent Agency, saw his agency grow from two to eighty employees before Paradigm acquired the independent agency in 2015. In Tom’s philosophy being an agent involves booking of course, but also involves a really important role in developing artists. He is known for developing the touring careers of such artists as Lorde, alt-J, The xx, Hot Chip and Billie Eilish. Working with these musicians from the early days of their careers, Windish has seen clients grow from playing small local venues to dominating stages at major festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Electric Daisy Carnival. Many have earned Grammy nominations and wins.
Panels will cover topics a diverse range of topics including The Agents Panel – The Big Four with Clementine Bunel (Coda Agency, GB) Jules de Lattre (United Talent Agency, GB), Ben Coles (CAA) and Carlos Abreu (WME, GB). The four well known UK based agents from US owned Agencies talk about the present exciting and variable state of their business, The Festival Panel - Big, Bold and Beautiful, with a series of video presentations, and insight into their programming and philosophy, featuring Michal Kascak (Pohoda Festival, SK), Mikolaj Ziolkowski (Open'er Festival, PL), Cindy Castillo (Mad Cool Festival, ES), Herman Schueremans (Rock Werchter, BE) and many more.
ESNS also celebrates its 20th anniversary partnership with the European Broadcast Union (EBU). Therefore the EBU will be more present than ever at ESNS. In addition to a BBC Keynote by Ben Chapman, Head of Digital for BBC Radio & Music, various EBU meetings and panels will take place at ESNS.
Movers and shakers also tell their personal stories and respond to questions you've always wanted to ask, over a relaxing bottle of beer or two in the Beercrate Sessions, with Adam Ryan on behalf The Great Escape (GB), Julia Gudzent from Melt Festival & Lolapalooza Berlin (DE) and Login Kochishki – Password Production (MK).
ESNS Tech
ESNS Tech brings some of the world’s most exciting music tech companies together, with contributions from artists, managers, marketers, investors, and many more at the intersection of the music business and tech. More news soon, check our website for updates.
Scott Cohen the founder of The Orchard, the worlds first digital music distribution company will present a keynote on the future of digital and what’s next after streaming.
Richard Jones manager Pixies & Agnes Obel, will also give a keynote on the importance of ‘direct to fan’ and digital sales management. Richard has worked in the music business for over 30 years as an artist, tour manager and artist manager. Starting as a musician, Richard recorded and toured with various bands before moving on to Polygram Records. Richard then went on to manage worldwide tours from the likes of The Spice Girls, The Beautiful South, Björk, PJ Harvey and many more. Richard currently runs the worldwide artist management company Key Music Management representing various clients including the Pixies, Agnes Obel, Dead Can Dance, Teenage Fanclub, The Fratellis, Mew, Jane Weaver, 808 State and The Slow Show.
EPIC
European Production & Innovation Conference (EPIC) will also take place during ESNS, with festival analytics being one of the hot topics during the sixth edition. All issues associated with restrictions as far as privacy ruling and laws are concerned as well as accessibility of festivals and events and the great need for recruitment within the sector will be discussed. EPIC is entirely dedicated to production and innovation at festivals and venues and offers the latest technological developments in areas such as ticketing, logistics, communication and mobility. You will receive advice on the state of affairs regarding health, safety and sustainability. You can meet the most experienced international production managers, suppliers, trade associations, event technicians, start-ups, venues and festivals, who share insights, developments and novelties about the present and the future.
More information on the conference program here: https://esns.nl/conference/
Don't forget to register!
If you do not want to miss out on all the action, don't forget to register! Registrations go up with €45,- on December 7th, so register now and save.
About ESNS
ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) is the key exchange for emerging European music talent, with a proven track record of helping to break new acts on the international music scene. With its first ever dual-country focus on the Czech Republic and Slovakia, ESNS stages more than 350 showcases alongside offering a full conference programme of around 150 panels and keynotes, alongside multiple networking opportunities and award ceremonies. The event attracts more than 4,000 conference delegates from all sections of the entertainment industry, including representatives of over 400 festivals.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
ESNS adds fourteen emerging artists to Eurosonic line-up
ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) previously announced 243 emerging acts already. Today, another 14 acts are confirmed to play Eurosonic in Groningen. Amilli (de), Annelie (nl), Belle Mt (gb), De Sluwe Vos (nl), Dorian Concept (at), Jacco Gardner’s Somnium (nl), Jarreau Vandal Live (nl), Klangstof (nl), Konni Kass (fo), La Fraicheur (fr), Mahalia (gb), Marc Melià (es), Pieter De Graaf (nl) and Remy (nl) will play a showcase in January.
The festival, with showcases by around 350 acts from Europe, takes place in the city of Groningen, the Netherlands, from January 16 - 19, 2019.
TICKETS AND REGISTRATIONS
Tickets for the festival and registrations for the ESNS conference are currently available via esns.nl. The deadline to register for the late rate is on December 7.
ESNS
ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) is the key exchange for emerging European music talent, with a proven track record of helping to break new acts on the international music scene. With its first ever, dual-country focus on the Czech Republic and Slovakia, ESNS stages more than 350 showcases alongside offering a full conference programme of around 150 panels and keynotes, alongside multiple networking opportunities and award ceremonies. The event attracts more than 4,000 conference delegates from all sections of the entertainment industry, including representatives of over 400 festivals.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
EXIT Festival Adds Greta Van Fleet, Phil Anselmo and many more to line-up lead by The Cure
Each summer, thanks to EXIT Festival, the colossal Petrovaradin Fortress in northern Serbia becomes a place of music pilgrimage for people from all over the world, and judging by the early bird ticket sales, it will be once again filled to the brim from July 4th to 7th next year!
Already announced rock giants The Cure will be joined by one of the most impressive rock bands of today, Greta Van Fleet! The unstoppable quartet from Michigan has stormed the world with such rock bravado that even Robert Plant confirmed them as today's incarnation of Led Zeppelin while Elton John said he did not see such energy in this whole century! Young rockers sold out their entire American tour, playing at gigantic stages of Coachella, Lollapalooza and Rock Am Ring, while their debut album reached the top of the Billboard charts only this month! EXIT also welcomes Phil Anselmo, the legendary frontman of Pantera whose biggest anthems will be played live in a set symbolicaly named after the band's best selling albums - A Vulgar Display of 101 Proof! Another inimitable metal vocal Tarja Turunen, ex-singer of the legendary Nordic band Nightwish, also joins EXIT lineup, together with other furious acts like Norwegian metalheads Arcuturus or the pioneers of the Swedish metal scene Entombed A.D. This proper guitar army grows even bigger with ska kings The Selecter, famed British punks Peter and the Test Tube Babies, and Californian hardcore veterans Total Chaos!
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/EziXYS2Tqo4
Greta Van Fleet, a band consisting of three brothers and their childhood friend, remind us of the very essence of rock’n’roll with every new performance: riffs that take over the body, bass and drums that drive it and a powerful voice that confirms the eternal life of rock'n'roll. The average age of band members is barely over 20, yet they have already conquered the American charts, with their debut album „Anthem of the Peaceful Army“, unveiled in October, which has already found itself on the top of Billboard Hard Rock and Top Rock lists, and took a very high third place on the general Billboard 200 album chart that has been dominated exclusively by pop artists in this century. The fierce vocals of 22-year-old Josh Kiszka captivate at first listening, and the ease with which he sings even the most difficult parts is enough to cause disbelief and comparisons to living rock god and Led Zeppelin frontman, Robert Plant! In an interview this year, where he was asked to point out his up-and-coming music favorites, Plant said: “There is a band in Detroit called Greta Van Fleet. They are Led Zeppelin I and they have a beautiful little singer”, and when the journalist said that it is incredible that someone that young can have such a huge voice, Plant jokingly added: “I hate him!” The seal of approval for Greta comes not only from Roger Glover, the bassist of Deep Purple, and famous actor Tom Hanks, but also from music icon Elton John, who personally called them and said: “This is the best rock’n’roll I’ve heard in the last 20 years!” Greta Van Fleet stirred the stardust last year, with their hit “Highway Tune”, the first of their three singles that reached first place on the Billboard rock chart, the last one in line being their newest hit, “When the Curtain Falls”. Their explosive success, the likes of which have not been seen for a long time, brought them to the prestigious Forbes magazine list “30 under 30” and gave them Loudwire Magazine’s award for Best New Artist!
Main Stage of EXIT Festival and the ground around it will be shaken by metal legend with a powerful vocal of ex-Pantera singer, Phil Anselmo, along with his new band The Illegals, and this performance, consisting only from Pantera songs, will be a must see for all true metal connoisseurs! Phillip H. Anselmo & The Illegals have published their second album this year, “Choosing Metal Illness”, rich with doom, thrash, punk and grindcore influences. The final product, full of distortion and Anselmo’s dominating vocals invokes the revolutionary sound of Pantera that irrevocably lifted the bar of the entire metal scene and retained its status as one of the best metal bands in the history of music.
EXIT Festival greets another figure that participated in the permanent shaping of the metal scene, Tarja Turunen! The ex-frontwoman of the best-known Finnish band, Nightwish, combined her operatic vocals and metal sound, bringing to life and popularizing an entire genre. After leaving the band, she dedicated herself to a successful solo career and her album “The Shadow Self”, published in 2016, found itself on the tops of rock and heavy metal charts on iTunes in several countries! This year’s undertaking, the live-art album “Act II (Live)”, apart from the effortless “switching” between the intimate and the grandiose, confirms that Tarja is one of the best live vocals ever to come out of Scandinavia.
The Petrovaradin Fortress and its fiercest stage, Explosive, will be conquered by the avant-garde black metal band and renowned member of the Norwegian music scene, Arcturus, as well as the pioneers of Sweden’s death metal scene Entombed A.D. Apart from them, three legendary bands are arriving to celebrate three awesome anniversaries! Two British bands, ska legends The Selecter and prominent punks Peter and the Test Tube Babies are coming to EXIT celebrating 40 years of tireless performances, while Californian hardcore punks, Total Chaos, arrive in the year when they mark three decades of music!
Tickets for EXIT are available via exitfest.org. The official tourist agency of the festival, exittrip.org offers tour packages containing tickets, as well as accommodation and transport options.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
ETEP Moves Europe: Looking back at 4,001 ETEP shows
ETEP 2019 to offer even more possibilities for emerging European Artists.
With 483 shows by 161 acts at 122 festivals, ETEP has generated a record number of bookings for the fourth consecutive year. Top acts included Superorganism, Zeal&Ardor, Altin Gün, Sigrid and Tamino. With 19 festival shows, this year’s highest scorer Superorganism managed to break the record number of shows that was previously held by SHAME last year. Eight new festivals, including Chinese event Clockenflap and Stereoleto in Russia will join the talent exchange programme in 2019, meaning that ETEP has expanded its geographical range even further.
ETEP 2018 artist top 10:
Superorganism (gb) - 19 shows
Zeal & Ardor (ch) - 13 shows
Altin Gün (nl) - 10 shows
Sigrid (no) - 10 shows
Tamino (be) - 10 shows
Cari Cari (at) - 8 shows
Tshegue (fr) - 8 shows
Alma (fi) - 7 shows
Dermot Kennedy (ie) - 7 shows
Alice Merton (de) - 6 shows
ETEP 2018 Festival top 10:
Reeperbahn – 33 ETEP acts
The Great Escape – 29 ETEP acts
Iceland Airwaves – 16 ETEP acts
Waves Vienna – 15 ETEP acts
Roskilde – 13 ETEP acts
Lowlands – 11 ETEP acts
Rock Werchter – 11 ETEP acts
Tallinn Music Week – 11 ETEP acts
By:Larm – 10 ETEP acts
Haldern Pop – 9 ETEP acts
View the full ETEP results via http://www.etep.nl/
ETEP 2019: even more possibilities!
We proudly welcome Clockenflap (cn), Kendal Calling (gb), Mad Cool festival (es), Rolling Stone Park (de), Stereoleto (ru), Truck Festival (gb), Wacken Open Air (de) Y Not Festival (gb) to ETEP in 2019, bringing us to a total of 128 ETEP festivals. Furthermore, we’d like to welcome our new partners: Czech Music Office, LaLa Slovak Music Export and Italia Music Export to the platform. By bringing them in to the ETEP family, ETEP further strengthens the opportunities for emerging European artists both inside and outside Europe.
Looking back at 4,001 ETEP shows
Since the start of the programme in 2003 ETEP has facilitated 4,001 shows by 1,445 acts in 34 countries, and we are very proud to have contributed to the careers of so many talented European acts. Many acts that received support from ETEP at the start of their careers have grown out to be very successful. Over the past 17 years, acts such as Agnes Obel, Ásgeir, Ben Howard, Benjamin Clementine, Calvin Harris, Franz Ferdinand, James Blake, MØ, Noisia, Selah Sue, The Editors, The Kooks, The XX, Within Temptation and Years & Years have greatly benefited from the support of the ETEP programme. More recently, acts such as Idles, Shame, Alma, Aurora and Dua Lipa played some of their first international shows with the support of the European Talent Exchange Programme.
We’re looking forward to seeing what the future brings, but one thing is set in stone: ETEP will continue to grow and offer even more artist great opportunities!
About ETEP
The European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP) was introduced in 2003 to stimulate the exchange of European artists across Europe. An initiative of ESNS, ETEP facilitates the bookings of European acts on European & international festivals outside their home countries and generates extensive media exposure for these artists in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) public radio stations, the European export offices and national and international media. This way, ETEP aims to give a boost to the international careers of European artists and highlights the participating ETEP festivals.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
EXIT's new No Sleep Festival gathered 25,000 people from over 30 countries in Belgrade
No Sleep Festival, the brand-new electronic music event in Belgrade, made by the team behind the Serbian multi-awarded EXIT festival, gathered 25,000 people from over 30 countries. The festival spanned from 15 to 18th November at 12 locations throughout the city gathering over 100 performers. The round'o'clock program saw some of the world's most acclaimed DJs including Nina Kraviz, Fatboy Slim, Cassius, Lee Burridge, DJ Tennis, Marcel Fengler, Francois X, along with the hotly-tipped techno acts like Dax J, I Hate Models and Randomer. Fans of the more avantgarde electronic scene enjoyed authentic sets by Aleksi Perälä, Molly, Olof Dreijer (The Knife), Agnes Aves, Black Merlin, Philip Berg, while both local and the regional scene were broadly presented by their key players like Marko Nastić, Dejan Milićević, MKDSL, DJ Jock, Nevena Jeremić, Filip Xavi, Avoid aka Vladimir Aćić, Sonja Sajzor, Monosaccharide, Johana, Schwabe (Tapan), 33.10.3402 and many others.
Thank you for No Sleep Festival 2018: https://youtu.be/071KPg6BuQA
The continuous 72h multi-venue party started on Thursday night at the festival's central spot, the Main Hangar in the Port of Belgrade, where Fatboy Slim had an exclusive show dubbed simply as the Warehouse Rave. The set was highly charged with both house and techno, crossing through acid belters and classic dance anthems, including the special remixes of his own chart toppers such as "Praise You", "Right Here, Right Now" or "Star 69"! At the moment when the whole world is watching her every move with the unprecedented attention, the Russian artist Nina Kraviz, brought white-hot atmosphere in her furious two-hour set in the Main Hangar, confirming her status among the leaders of today’s techno scene. In one of the most exciting techno lineups of the year, she was joined by the two young techno lions Dax J and I Hate Models, whose path to the very top is even more certain after the epic night at No Sleep Festival. After two days of raving, the Saturday night in the Main Hangar was reserved for uplifting, soulful, melodic and even quite emotional house music. No Sleep music platform, known for partnering with clubs like Fabric, Tresor, Sub Club, Arma17, Goa, Nitsa, and many more, in its evolution to a brand-new festival, hosted the iconic Parisian club Rex that celebrated its 30th anniversary in Belgrade, featuring Cassius, Lee Burridge, Molly and Pascal Walter, who were joined by the local heroes Marko Nastić and Petar Cvetković.
Nina Kraviz at No Sleep Festival 2018: https://youtu.be/6YIeGApzA4A
Over the whole weekend, the No Sleep Festival, whose roots are in showcasing world's top clubs at EXIT's iconic No Sleep Novi Sad stage, this time promoted some of the Belgrade's finest clubs like Drugstore, 20/44, Mladost, Gadost, Gajba, Mint, Pržionica, Tranzit and Dot, while also spreading to city's well known record shop Yugovinyl. That's a store where François X, the Parisian techno bard was buying old vinyls from the Yugoslav era in each of his frequent visits to Serbia, providing the No Sleep festival with an exclusive YUGO set at the well-known boat-club 20/44. He also played his techno master-class at the equally famous club Drugstore, joining the bill with Randomer and Olof Dreijer from the legendary band The Knife.
In parallel to music program and in partnership with SAE Institute, No Sleep Conference took place at Marsh Open Space in a bar-flooded area in Cetinjska street, featuring many of the festival's performers in various panels that focused on current trends and problems in electronic music. Some of the panelists included Dax J, Olof Dreijer, Philippe Zdar (Cassius), DJ Tennis, Molly, Francois X, Marcel Fengler, and many other who discussed on topics that ranged from running labels to social activism in the global music scene.
Next stops before its 2nd festival edition next November are the legendary No Sleep stages. The one from which it all started taking place next summer at the EXIT Festival, for which the club partners will soon be announced, and the second one is its beach edition at the Sea Dance Festival in Montenegro. No Sleep will also host parties in its partner clubs around the globe as it did before in London, New York, Barcelona, Rome and other places. Having in mind that its previous lineups featured Jeff Mills, Nina Kraviz, Moritz Von Oswald, Helena Hauff, Daniel Avery, Amelie Lens, Rødhåd, DJ Tennis, Denis Sulta, Charlotte de Witte, Red Axes, Tijana T, Mike Servito and dozens more, the future of the whole No Sleep universe looks very bright.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
Winners of Music Moves Europe Talent Awards Revealed
The first winners of the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards have been revealed. Following the announcement of the twenty-four nominees at Reeperbahn, an international jury selected twelve winners, who represent the European sound of today and tomorrow.
The winners are:
Bishop Briggs (UK) and Lxandra (FI) [Pop],
Pale Waves (UK) and Pip Blom (NL) [Rock],
Smerz (NO) Stelartronic (AT) [Electronic],
Rosalía (ES) and Aya Nakamura (FR) [RnB/Urban],
Blackwave. (BE), Reykjavíkurdætur (IS) [Hip Hop/Rap],
Avec (AT) and Albin Lee Meldau (SE) [Singer-songwriter].
The Music Moves Europe Talent Awards are the new European Union Prize for popular and contemporary music. The prizes will be awarded at ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) in Groningen. Additionally, the general public will select another winner from each category through the Public Choice Award through online voting, starting today. The Public Choice Award winners will be revealed at the award ceremony on Wednesday January 16, 2019.
The Jury
The international jury for the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards consists of Huw Stephens (Presenter BBC Radio 1), Julia Gudzent (Festival Programmer Melt!), Katia Giampaolo (CEO Estragon Club Italy), Kristian Kostov (Winner EBBA + Public Choice Award 2018) and Wilbert Mutsaers (Head of Content, Spotify Benelux). Representing the organizing parties are Robert Meijerink (Booker ESNS) as the chairman of the Jury and Bjørn Pfarr (Booker Reeperbahn Festival) as the vice-chairman of the jury.
The Prize
The aim of the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards is to celebrate new and upcoming artists from Europe and support them in order to help them develop and accelerate their international careers. Therefore, the prize package consists of €5000 tour and promotion support, several performances at ESNS, free publicity and a tailor made training programme.
Succeeding the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA), the annual Music Moves Europe Talent Awards are co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, with the additional support of the Municipality of Groningen, Province of Groningen and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The awards are presented by ESNS and Reeperbahn Festival, in cooperation with Yourope, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), International Music Managers Forum (IMMF), Liveurope, Live DMA, European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE) and Digital Music Europe (DME).
Music Moves Europe
Music is one of the most popular forms of art, widely consumed, and a vibrant expression of Europe's cultural diversity. Music Moves Europe, the overarching framework for the European Commission’s policies and actions in support of the European music sector, and Creative Europe, the EU funding programme for the culture and audiovisual sectors, aim to help the music sector flourish by, among other things, supporting the European Border Breakers Awards in previous years. As from now, to enhance creativity, diversity and competitiveness even better, this former prize is being replaced by the annual Music Moves Europe Talent Awards.
On the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards: www.musicmoveseuropetalentawards.eu
On Creative Europe: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/about_en
On Music Moves Europe: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/music- moves-europe_en
Facebook: Music Moves Europe Talent Awards,
Creative Europe Twitter: @mme_awards, @europe_creative
Instagram: mme_awards
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
ESNS adds new round of emerging artists to 2019 line up
Another 70 acts added to the line-up. Brides Of Lucifer (be), Bríet (is), Ina Wroldsen (no), LYZZA (nl), Ocean Wisdom (gb) and Perro (es) are among Eurosonic confirmations.
ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) previously announced 173 emerging acts already. Today, another 70 acts are confirmed to play Eurosonic in Groningen. Among the newly confirmed acts are Brides Of Lucifer (be), Bríet (is), Ina Wroldsen (no), LYZZA (nl), Ocean Wisdom (gb) and Perro (es). ESNS will be adding more up-and-coming European artists to its line-up in the coming weeks.
Today’s confirmations are: Akkan (es), Alessio Bondì (it), Andrra (de), Anna Leone (se), Antonia Vai (hu), Boxinbox (es), Brides Of Lucifer (be), Bríet (is), Cassia (gb), Cavetown (gb), Chloé & Vassilena Serafimova: Sequenza Live (fr), De Beren Gieren (be), Disiz La Peste (fr), Eerie Wanda (nl), Elderbrook (gb), Eliza (gb), Esinam (be), Fangclub (ie), Ferris & Sylvester (gb), Fjørt (de), Fogo Fogo (pt), Gato Preto (de), Glass Museum (be), Hania Rani (pl), Helen (ro), Her Skin (it), Hugar (is), Hyperculte (ch), Ina Wroldsen (no), Jansky (es), John Moods (de), Jungstötter (de), Karpov Not Kasparov (ro), Kawala (gb), Klimaforandringer (dk), Kokoroko (gb), Laura Misch (gb), Lewis OfMan (fr), Lilla Vargen (ie), Linn Koch-Emmery (se), Lord Kesseli & The Drums (ch), Lova (se), LYZZA (nl), Maarja Nuut & Ruum (ee), Maike Zazie (de), Mio (fi), Mnnqns (fr), Muyayo Rif (es), Naked Cameo (at), Ocean Wisdom (gb), Odd Beholder (ch), Onipa (gb), Perro (es), Phoenician Drive (be), Punčke (hr), Queen Zee (gb), Say Yes Dog (lu), Sea Moya (de), SEM&STÈNN (it), Shht (be), Someone (nl), Stikstof (be), The Slow Readers Club (gb), Thorsteinn Einarsson (at), Vinila Von Bismark (es), Warhola (be), Weed & Dolphins (by), Whales (pt), Yellowstraps (be) and Σtella (gr).
The festival, with showcases by around 350 acts from Europe, takes place in the city of Groningen, the Netherlands, from January 16 - 19, 2019.
Tickets & Registrations
Tickets for the festival and registrations for the ESNS conference are currently available via esns.nl. The deadline to register for the late rate is on December 7.
About ESNS
ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) is the key exchange for emerging European music talent, with a proven track record of helping to break new acts on the international music scene. With its first ever, dual-country focus on the Czech Republic and Slovakia, ESNS stages more than 350 showcases alongside offering a full conference programme of around 150 panels and keynotes, alongside multiple networking opportunities and award ceremonies. The event attracts more than 4,000 conference delegates from all sections of the entertainment industry, including representatives of over 400 festivals.
THE INTERNATIONAL RADIO FESTIVAL MALTA 2018 ROUND UP
The 9th edition of the International Radio Festival (IRF) took place at in the European City of Culture 2018 - Valletta, Malta - from 29th October to 4th November.
Celebrating the world's most sociable medium - music radio, IRF is the world’s leading industry conference and public on-air event to showcase and debate the curation and business of music radio content.
The IRF Malta edition proved that radio is very much alive and kicking and explored the way major broadcasting organisations are tackling the changing nature of audio consumption; alongside the challenges of podcasting and on-demand audio, with industry experts and leaders from broadcasters, production and technology companies.
The week started with 2 days of with programs about the host country Malta broadcasted live from the historic Piazza D’Armi in Fort St Elmo. Guided by IRF anchors Carly, Gaby, Nik and Normski programs included; Heritage Malta’s taste Maltese and Mediterranean history with Liam Gauci, multidisciplinary artist Ruth Bianco and Maltese architect Claude Borg talked about The Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS), Malta’s premier lifestyle magazine TEMPLE talking about their favourite things in Malta and D’Amato Records, the oldest record store in the world, taking listeners on a mesmerizing trip back into the past. Plus lots of fun and great music from Maltese radio stations Bay 89.7, Magic Malta 91.7 and Vibe FM.
Wednesday marked the start of the international radio shows kicking off Halloween with an actual knight, BBC broadcasting legend Mike Read who joined pirate radio pioneer Tony Prince for the UDJ’s show. Other stations getting involved included 102FM Tel, Aviv, Hits Radio (UK), Like FM (Russia), Rai Radio 3 (Italy), Pride Radio (USA) and Kasheme Zurich (Switzerland). In the evening IRF held a reception to honour the host country Malta with Guest of honour Minister of Tourism, Konrad Mizzi.
In a speech Konrad said “the event was a celebration of different channels coming together and I am delighted to be hosting it in Malta’ He continued “Malta has changed to become a city destination with a host of culture and nightlife and is a very welcoming place for holidays and business’.
On Thursday the live international radio broadcasts continued with Italy’s non-profit radio project for teenagers Radio Immaginaria, egoFM, (Germany), IFM (Tunisia), TRT (Turkey), Kronehit (Austria), Rising Star’ winner in the recent Mixcloud online radio awards Piñata Radio from France and influential pirate radio station Flex FM who’s phone lines jammed with the high number of calls. The broadcasts also received huge amounts of listeners almost crashing the website.
Thursday also welcomed industry professionals to Malta for the IRF Audio conference. With positive takeaways being that radio is alive and kicking and evolving to meet changing audience’s speakers included; Absolute Radio’s Content Director, Paul Sylvester, David Lowe, Trevor Dann and Paul Smith talking about the launch of BBC Sounds, Cliff Fluet exploring how Blockchain technology can benefit the radio industry, David Lowe explaining the process of creating the instantly recognisable BBC News theme music plus Nick Pitts (Jazz FM), Lindsay Wesker (Mi-Soul), Xanthe Fuller, Head of Community at Mixcloud, Martyn Ware founder of The Human League and Heaven 17 and many more. View full conference program here: https://www.internationalradiofestival.com/programme-audio-conference/
The remaining 3 days of the event continued to welcome radio stations from around the world broadcasting a wide variety of shows live from Malta including; Love Radio (China), Jazz FM (UK), Ibiza Sonica (Spain), The Big Time (USA), Sound of India winner RJ Devaki from Red FM, Mi-Soul (UK), Kiss FM (Australia), BBC 1XTra (UK), Mouv’ (France), Fun Kids the UK’s radio station for children and their families m2o Radio (Italy) plus the BBC’s up-and-coming hosts, Alix Fox and Riyadh Khalaf presenting their Unexpected Fluids show, Radio 1’s outrageous new sex podcast. View the full list of radio shows here: https://www.internationalradiofestival.com/programme/#radio-program
Other highlights included a pop event by local promoter district with Ibiza Sonica at the Sky Bar and a Medieval Banquet at The Maritime Museum to sample the history and flavours of Malta.
Listen again to all the shows online via Mixcloud here: https://www.mixcloud.com/IRF/
Listen to how the world sounds.
The International Radio Festival
The International Radio Festival (IRF) is all about Music Radio Content. The IRF was founded in 2010 to specifically celebrate radio’s on-air influencers and their production teams who command the trust and loyal “ear” of billions of listeners around the globe, and is unique in that the conference format offers invited radio stations the opportunity to showcase their chosen programme formats to attendees whilst simultaneously broadcasting said programmes live-on-air from the conference back to their home audiences, thus reaching millions of global listeners and making the IRF the largest media event of its kind.
www.internationalradiofestival.com
Malta Tourism Authority
With superbly sunny weather, fantastic Mediterranean food, a thriving nightlife and events calendar and 5,000 years of intriguing history, the Maltese archipelago attracts visitors from all around the world all year long. The island country has a plenitude of exciting landscapes, sport activities, historical spots, events, family entertainment programmes, restaurants, and much more to discover and to be cherished. The Malta Tourist Authority helps you to make your visit truly unforgettable - for pleasure or for business.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk