18 new names for Sziget Festival: Kasabian, Interpol, Billy Talent, Charli XCX, Metronomy and more
Sziget Festival, the one-week music and arts festival, will once again have a colorful and exciting line-up. This time Kasabian, Interpol, Billy Talent, Charli XCX, Metronomy and many more have been added. The 25th Island of Freedom will be held on a beautiful green island in the middle of the river Danube in Budapest between 9-16 August, 2017.
Sziget is a place where more than 50 venues await its Szitizens during 7 days non-stop party. Probably this is the biggest multicultural festival, where almost 500.000 people meet from more than 100 countries to celebrate. Awarded this year as Artists’ Favorite Festival at the European Festival Award, Sziget now received all awards that are out there on the European festival scene. The program is announced continuously, but this time organizers have added 16 new names to the line-up.
The music program always aims to be as colorful as possible, representing almost all genres. Among the 16 names now we can find many who will perform on the Main Stage of the island as Kasabian, Billy Talent, Jamie Cullum, The Kills, Clean Bandit, and Metronomy. The gigantic tent of A38 will host superb productions as Interpol, The Pretty Reckless, Fritz Kalkbrenner, Jagwar Ma, Charli XCX, Danny Brown, Cashmere Cat, Crystal Fighters, Flume while the home for electronic music, the Arena will welcome Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano as well as Maurice West. The energetic band, Leningrad will perform on the World Music Stage.
The party never stops on the island, but besides music there are hundreds of programs representing the most important performing arts as circus, contemporary theatre and dance, street theatres and many more. In addition, activities are uncountable when it comes to arts & crafts, sports, cinema. The full program with all fun, music, performing arts and activities will come in the upcoming months.
Names announced so far in alphabetical order:
Bad Religion, Billy Talent, Cashmere Cat, Charli XCX, Clean Bandit, Crystal Fighters, Danny Brown, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, DJ Shadow, Flume, Fritz Kalkbrenner, GTA, GusGus, Interpol, Jagwar Ma, Jamie Cullum, Kasabian, Kensington, Leningrad, Mac Demarco, Major Lazer, Maurice West, Metronomy, Oh Wonder, Oliver Heldens, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, The Kills, The Pretty Reckless, Tom Odell, Two Door Cinema Club, Vince Staples, W&W
To feel the real Sziget atmosphere watch the official aftermovie, summing up the 7 days craziness and vibe. Click here!
For more information check website: www.szigetfestival.com
Tickets available: www.szigetfestival.com/tickets
Contact:
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
Connecting Global Music Communities
Music PR | Festival PR | Event PR
Octave One Announce Love By Machine Tour
Detroit Techno duo Octave One have announced the first phase of tour dates to mark the release of their recent album ‘Love by Machine’. Quickly selling out as a double vinyl package, the Burden brothers are now gearing up to bring the experience live with reworkings of the album tracks as well as incorporating much new unreleased material into the form of ‘Love by Machine’ live. More dates to be announced.
First announced tour dates for 2017
Fri 03 Feb ´17 Dock Eiffel,, Paris - France
Sat 04 Feb ´17 Le Petit Salon - Lyon, France
Fri 17 Feb ´17 Kompass, Ghent - Belgium
Sat 18 Feb ´17 Fabrik - Madrid, Spain
Fri 24 Feb ´17 - Shelter, Amsterdam - Netherlands
Sun 26 Feb ´17 Warung, Itajal - Brazil
Tue 28 Feb ´17 D-Edge, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil
Sat 04 March ´17 Warsaw, New York - USA
Fri 10 March ´17 Brown Alley, Melbourne - Australia
Sat 11 March ´17 Days Like This Festival, Sydney - Australia
Sun 12 March ´17 Pitch Music & Arts Festival, Melbourne - Australia
Sat 25 March ´17 - Stereo, Montreal – Canada
Sat 1 April ´17 Chateau- Rotterdam, Netherlands
Thu 6 April ´17 Sub Club, Glasgow - UK
Fri 7 April ´17 MTW Offenbach - Germany
Sat 8 April ´17 Berghain, Berlin – Germany
Sat 13 April ´17 Fabrik, London - UK
Sun 16 April ´17 Wall, Milan - Italy
Mon 17 April´17 The Foundry, Belfast - Ireland
Sat 22 April ´17 Baby Club, Marseille - France
Mon 24 April ´17 Teatro Puccini - Florence, Italy
Sat 29 April ´17 Chanteclair, Vigo, Spain
Sun 30 April ´17 Hidden, Manchester - UK
Fri 5 May ´17 - Underground, Rouen, France
Sat 6 May ´17 - Dockyard Warehouse 2017 - Hembrugterrein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Love by Machine is a nod to the fact that the Burden brothers are such revered masters of their hardware. Both in the studio, where they cook up atmospheric house and techno with soaring synths and vocals and also in the live arena, where they are celebrated as one of the most accomplished and forward-thinking performers in the game today.
Say Lenny: “We’ve been exploring the theme of connection with this project. How technology gives us the illusion that we are closer to each other more than ever. At some point humanity crossed a line where the devices that we created to bring us together are the same devices that are blocking us from organic experiences.”
“Technology is only a tool, which we also had in mind during the recording process.” Adds Lawrence. “We decided to go back to how we used to make our records, when we didn’t have so many ‘sophisticated’ audio devices. Back to when we interacted in the studio together as musicians.”
CONNECT
http://www.octaveone.com/
https://www.facebook.com/octaveone
https://twitter.com/octaveone
https://soundcloud.com/octaveone
CONTACT
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
Connecting Global Music Communities
Music PR | Festival PR | Event PR
Dave Clarke Hosts Stage at Tomorrowland for 6th Year
Dave Clarke will continue to bring his passion for techno to Tomorrowland, flying the flag for the sounds of the underground and real techno for the 6th year in a row.
On Sunday 23rd July Dave will once again host the ‘Arch stage which was introduced to the festival last year, where he will present a broad range of cutting-edge underground dance music to the festival with something for every discerning music lover.
Stage line up to be announced soon. Watch this space.
Tomorrowland 2017 will take place at take place in Boom on two consecutive weekends from 21st – 23rd July and 28th – 30th July. This years theme is and the theme is a very circus-y Amicorum Spectaculum. More info and tickets here: http://www.tomorrowland.com/
ABOUT DAVE CLARKE
He may be known as The Baron Of Techno, a moniker given to him by renowned BBC Radio DJ / journalist John Peel, but Dave Clarke has an anarchist streak a mile wide and punk in his soul, having no truck with establishment figures or authoritarianism.
A hard working purist, forward thinking futurist, technology geek, part Gothic and gadget lover who embraced the digital revolution in an early stage while his peers where still sniffing the smell of vinyl, a format he hasn’t used professionally in eleven years. It’s unsurprising he revels in the libertarianism of the World Wide Web. It gives symmetry to his savvy techno vision.
As a talented DJ and producer Dave Clarke will continue his newfound love for making music, gather air miles by the gallon and preach his vision on techno both on the decks and on the radio, whilst never forgetting the long and bumpy journey he had to undertake to get where he is now: on top of the game, respected by both fans and peers and very much relevant in today’s scene. “He might be established, but he will never be establishment”. http://www.daveclarke.com/
ABOUT TOMORROWLAND
This year over 400 artists will once again be appearing on the various colourful stages that have been constructed in the spectacular festival park De Schorre in Boom. For three whole days, 180,000 visitors will immerse themselves in a magical world. The fairytale decor, gigantic dance valley, incredible fireworks and the best DJs in the world will provide an experience like no other. More info here: http://www.tomorrowland.com/
CONTACT
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@glopbalpublicity.co.uk
Liam Gallagher, Jake Bugg and Hardwell among first acts for EXIT Festival
The frontman of Oasis and one of the true rock stars, Liam Gallagher, will headline the EXIT festival in Serbia on July 6th! The hit documentary, “Oasis: Supersonic” on a recent run in the world cinemas, presented the story of the band who, in less than 3 years, had gone from their first gig to the greatest rock concert in British history. In the survey of Q Magazine from 2010, the public voted Liam as the greatest frontman of all times, topping legends such as Freddie Mercury, Jim Morrison, Robert Plant and John Lennon! His first solo album is one of the most anticipated in 2017 and even Robbie Williams, who often had media rows with him, is excited about it: “Liam was the voice of our generation and the soundtrack to our lives. I just want him to make a really great album, the world misses him and I hope it is brilliant.”
The main festival stage also welcomes the voice of a new generation, the popular 22-year-old English singer and songwriter Jake Bugg! He is coming to EXIT after three albums at the top of UK chart and performances on some of the greatest festival stages, all leading to the NME awards for the Best Solo Artist. This year will also continue the tradition of great parties after concerts at EXIT's Main Stage, and the first one will be hosted by the electronic trio headed by Alan Walker, the author of hits “Faded”, “Alone”, “Sing Me to Sleep” and others that have totalled in over two billion YouTube views! Saturday is reserved for the popular London hip-hop and dubstep band Foreign Beggars, while a true electronic spectacle is expected on Sunday, the last day on main stage! EXIT's Main Stage closing party made of banging beats and great visual effects will be commanded by no other than one of the today's greatest DJ superstars, Hardwell!
On the same night as Liam, another stadium act, Paul Kalkbrenner, is coming to EXIT, but to the festival's notorius Dance Arena! German techno producer recently performed in front of 500.000 people at the Brandenburg gate, confirming his superstar status. On the same bill, another German whose live acts have became quite a global sensation, Recondite, will too experience the breathtaking view of the fully packed Arena! Saturday at the Arena is always reserved for the greatest hitmakers, and the first in this unstoppable list is Duke Dumont, whose summer anthems “Ocean Drive” and “I Got You” reached the top of the charts, along with a Grammy nomination! This year, Robin Schulz will finally arrive at EXIT's Dance Arena after last year's cancellation due to sudden illness, only this time with another great hit single “Shed A Light”! They will both be joined by the young French star Kungs, whose megahit “This Girl” left behind hits such as “Happy” by Pharrell or “Chandelier” by Sia on the “Shazam's Hall of Fame” list! Just like the last year's “Techno All Stars” gathering at the Arena, this year it all leads to “House All Stars”, where together with Dumont, the other most-in-demand genre representatives will be on the same bill: Jamie Jones, Hot Since 82 and Black Coffee!
Heavy guitar sounds will be delivered on the metal, punk and hardcore stage of the EXIT Festival – Explosive! First seven bands to ignite the explosive lineup are lead by the famous German thrash metal band Destruction, who are coming to EXIT with a new album, on the eponymous “Under Attack” tour which will hit about 30 cities in Europe in only the first two months of this year! Legendary British hardcore punks, Discharge, whose songs were covered by Metallica, Anthrax and Sepultura, are coming back to the fortress with their new album “End of Days”, and they will share the night with the furious Mexican band Acidez! Special place in the program is reserved for the Detroit sensation and one of the most important death metal bands of new generation, The Black Dahlia Murder, headliners of the greatest metal festivals, and a band whose social networks have millions of followers! EXIT welcomes the up-and-coming American grindcore band, Full of Hell, British skate-punks from Darko, as well as the Romanian black metal mages Dordeduh, the descendants of the cult band Negura Bungeta!
Only 1 ticket for all 4 EXIT-run festivals in the region!
EXIT Team will connect four festivals in the region in a unique EXIT Summer of Love 2017. First of them is Sea Star, a new festival in Istria, held in the city of Umag on the 26 and 27 of May, with confirmed performances by The Prodigy, Dubioza Kolektiv and Urban&4. What follows is the Revolution Festival in Timisoara, on 2 and 3 of June, and right after the EXIT Festival (6-9 July) comes the fourth edition of Sea Dance Festival (13-15 July)! After many fan pleas, the offer “1 ticket = 4 festivals” will be extended until 30 January. In that period, each EXIT Festival ticket will be valid for other 3 festivals as well! All buyers, current or future ones, will only need to quickly register their EXIT tickets in order to use them to enter the other festivals too. Registration will start from 1st to 28th February at www.exitfest.org.
Contact:
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublcity.co.uk
Dua Lipa wins European Border Breakers Public Choice Award
The winners of the 2017 European Border Breakers Awards (the ‘EBBA'), the European music awards for emerging artists, were honoured this evening at the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival in the Dutch city of Groningen. Dua Lipa came out as the big winner of the evening, taking away the ‘Public Choice Award’ by an overwhelming amount of online voters.
Dua Lipa is a cool singer-songwriter from London, who writes love songs with a grand sound and a twist: strings, melancholic lyrics, electronic beats and dark, sensuous vocals. Hits include Be The One, Last Dance and Hotter Than Hell, proving that Dua Lipa is a mature artist in her own right, with a bright future ahead of her. Over the last year, she performed at a multitude of European festivals, including Lowlands, Frequency, Pukkelpop and Way Out West and charted in countries such as Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany and Austria.
The EBBA show also featured outstanding performances by all 2017 winners: Alan Walker (no), Jaakko Eino Kalevi (fi), Namika (de), Hinds (es), Filous (at), Jain (fr), Dua Lipa (gb), Natalie La Rose (nl) and Walking on Cars (ie). Also, and EBBA was awarded to Era Istrefi (al). In the upcoming year the EBBA TV show will be broadcasted by several European public channels.
Parts of the show can be watched through the EBBA's Youtube channel. [link: https://www.youtube.com/user/EBBAAWARDS]
The EBBA are funded under the European Union's (EU) Creative Europe programme. With the EBBA, the European Union wishes to highlight the success of 10 emerging European artists in selling albums and touring outside their home territory.
The EBBA
The EBBA celebrate new and border-breaking artists who are creating today and tomorrow's music. From Adele (gb) to Christine & the Queens (fr), the EBBA winners represent some of the standout European sounds of recent years. Other previous winners include Stromae, Gabriel Rios, Hozier, Of Monsters and Men, Mumford & Sons, Aurora, Disclosure, John Newman, C2C, Tokio Hotel, The Script, Years and Years, Robin Schulz, Carnival Youth, MØ and Selah Sue. Last year, 14 public TV stations televised the 2016 award show, which included performances by Oscar and the Wolf (be), Aurora (no) and Álvaro Soler (es).
From groups of enthusiastic gig-goers out on the weekend, through to an industry dedicated to making the music you love, ‘Music Moves Europe’. The EBBA is just one of the ways that the EU celebrates European popular and contemporary music, bringing the artists, the industry and the fans together to celebrate and enjoy the best of European music.
Every year, 10 European artists receive an EBBA in recognition of their success in countries other than their own. This success is measured by:
- airplay
- sales
- live performances in Europe
- position in the European Border Breakers Charts
The European Border Breakers Charts - launched earlier this year and compiled by Radiomonitor - rank tracks from around Europe based on airplay outside the act’s country of origin.
To be eligible for the 2017 awards, the artists must have achieved border-breaking success with their first international release in Europe between 1 August 2015 and 31 July 2016, and also come from a country participating in the EU's Creative Europe programme.
The EBBA, now in their 14th year, are an EU Prize, organised by Eurosonic Noorderslag in partnership with the European Commission (Creative Europe) and the European Broadcasting Union, with support from Buma Cultuur, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Province of Groningen, the City of Groningen and Music Week.
We thank SHURE for their technical support. The SHURE model 5575LE is the protected property of Shure incorporated and its subsidiaries
On Creative Europe: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/about_en
EBBA website: www.ebba-awards.eu
Contact:
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
Sziget Festival announce first names for 2017
Sziget Festival, the Island of Freedom, a week-long festival holiday in Budapest has just announced the first 14 names of the line-up. The announcements will be continuous from now on, featuring not only music, but contemporary theatre, circus, art and much more! Sziget is held between 9-16 August 2017 and passes for a discounted price are available till 31st December.
Sziget Festival takes place on a beautiful green island in the middle of Budapest, where more than 500,000 Szitizens unite from more than 100 countries to celebrate. Sziget has received the award for ‘Best Major European Festival’ twice, while last year it was awarded for the festival with the ‘Best Line-Up’. The program of Sziget breaks down to more than 50 venues, where one can not only plan to see top headline acts on the Main Stage, but can experience a unique vibe, where the program is on 24/7.
Hundreds of acts and programs will be announced in the forthcoming months, now starting with 14 names, representing different genres and keeping the music line-up as colorful as always.
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike will host the spectacular End Show of the 25th Sziget, happening as the last act on the Main Stage, on the last festival day. Major Lazer will also take over the Main Stage of Sziget as a headline act, plus Tom Odell and Two Door Cinema Club.
The gigantic tent of A38 will also host numerous acts. From the very firsts here are the following: Bad Religion, DJ Shadow, Kensington, Mac DeMarco, Oh Wonder, Vince Staples, GusGus and GTA.
Kicking off the program of the Arena: Oliver Heldens and W&W are the first to be confirmed. Many more are expected to be announced for even more venues in the upcoming months.
Tickets
During the kick-off 24 hours of ticket sales, more than 25% of passes were sold, while now one can buy passes for a discounted price until 31st December.
Tickets available: www.szigetfestival.com/tickets
First names announced (in alphabetical order):
Bad Religion
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike
DJ Shadow
GTA
GusGus
Kensington
Mac DeMarco
Major Lazer
Oh Wonder
Oliver Heldens
Tom Odell
Two Door Cinema Club
Vince Staples
W&W
To feel the real Sziget atmosphere watch the official aftermovie, summing up the 7 days craziness and good vibes. Click here!
For more information check website: www.szigetfestival.com
Contact:
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
EXIT Festival launch Sea Star in Croatia
Team behind EXIT announce sister festival at the Croatian seaside!
After nearly two decades of running the most successful festival in Southeast Europe, EXIT in Serbia, with sister events in Montenegro and Romania, the EXIT team is coming to Croatian seaside!
Sea Star, a new festival in Umag held from 26-27 May at the Stella Maris resort! First announced acts include of the most popular global bands - The Prodigy, with the local favourites Dubioza kolektiv and Croatian hosts Urban&4. The new shining festival of the Adriatic Sea will present artists from the global and regional music scene on six different stages. Along with the two official festival days, festival-goers can also expect a huge warmup party on Thursday, 25 May, as well as an afterparty for the fittest on Sunday, 27 May!
Sea Star Festival, Umag: https://youtu.be/gCJ28CWyEm8
The team that holds four awards for best European festivals will now connect all four of these festivals under the same umbrella: the EXIT Summer of Love 2017. Special holiday spirited offer is now available under the tagline "1 ticket = 4 festivals”, where each ticket bought for EXIT Festival in Serbia gets you complimentary tickets to the other 3 EXIT-run festivals in Croatia, Montenegro and Romania.
Starting things off for the EXIT Summer of Love 2017 is Sea Star, a new festival in Umag held from 26-27 May at the Stella Maris resort! First announced acts include of the most popular global bands - The Prodigy, with the local favourites Dubioza kolektiv and Croatian hosts Urban&4. The new shining festival of the Adriatic Sea will present a several dozen of the most important artists in the global and regional music scene at six different stages. Along with the official two festival days, festival-goers can also expect a huge warmup party on Thursday, 25 May, as well as an afterparty for the fittest on Sunday, 27 May!
The next chapter in the EXIT’s Summer of Love 2017 is the Revolution Festival that takes place on 2 and 3 June in the charming Romanian town of Timisoara. This, also EXIT-run event has been nominated in two categories at the European Festival Awards, for Best New and Best Small Size Festival in 2016.
Right after the globally acclaimed EXIT Festival that’s being held 6-9 July at the colossal Petrovaradin fortress, adventure heads south to the fourth edition of Sea Dance festival 13-15 July! This year was once again a great success for both EXIT and Sea Dance festivals, which combined make the EXIT Adventure, a unique holiday package that took nearly 300.000 fans on a life-changing journey through the Balkans.
This massive party starts each year in the second weekend of July at the globally acclaimed EXIT Festival in Serbia, and then travels to its sister Sea Dance Festival in the neighbouring Montenegro. More than 1000 international and local artists performed at 30+ very genre-diverse stages, spanning from the colossal Petrovaradin Fortress in Serbia (EXIT) to the historic town Budva in Montenego (Sea Dance)! EXIT had 4 official days and nights, with Sea Dance adding its 3, but for many the whole festival holiday lasted more than 10 days with camping next to the sandy beaches that both festivals have nearby.
To get connect it all even further, EXIT has started the biggest holiday offer in its history! Available only during the holiday season, the simply dubbed “1 ticket = 4 festivals” offer lets all current ticket holders and future ticket buyers for EXIT festival (priced at 99 EUR+b/f / £89+b/f), get free tickets to the remaining three festivals of the EXIT Summer of Love 2017 as a gift: Sea Star festival in Croatia (26-27 May), Revolution festival in Romania (2-3 June), and Sea Dance festival in Montenegro (13-15 July). The number of these tickets is extremely limited, and all buyers, current or future ones, will need to quickly register their EXIT tickets in oderd to recieve e-tickets for the other festivals. Registration will start from 1-28 February at www.exitfest.org.
Travel packages for EXIT and Sea Star Festivals at the special prices with tickets, accommodation and airport transfers will be available starting 20th December at Exittrip.org.
EXIT will celebrate 50 years since the Summer of Love 1967!
All four festivals by the EXIT team will also celebrate 50 years since the famous “Summer of Love 1967” next year, when the revolutionary hippie movement began and change the world forever by fighting for peace, freedom of speech, human rights, social, racial, and gender equalities. As the only contemporary music festival that grew from a struggle for social change and whose mission is to connect and foster growth in the region, EXIT would like to use this opportunity to protect the basic ideas from which the first music festivals came from during the end of 60s, such as Woodstock, Monterey and others, as well as to convey the messages of those movements which in today’s world are needed now more than ever.
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
The European Festival Awards Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Daniel Panaitescu
Working on Sziget Festival since its inception, Daniel Panaitescu was responsible for curating’s the event’s award-winning line-up, playing no small part in the ascent of the festival into an organisation of international renown. The Island of Freedom now attracts almost 500,000 attendees from over 100 countries per year, and this cosmopolitan convergence of like-minded individuals is owed in no small part to Dan’s eminent work as an international booking manager. With the festival’s annual line-ups spanning pop, rock, electronic, metal, folk, jazz, blues, alternative and even classical, Dan ensured that the festival truly catered for everyone – making him absolutely integral to Sziget’s atmosphere of inclusivity and togetherness.
Born in Brasov, Romania on 6 November 1955, Panaitescu was a restless child whose antics caused his mother to worry whether or not he’d make to adulthood. One such incident involved him climbing up to the top of a church tower, leaving his beloved grandfather with the task of gathering the men of the village to bring him down. A similarly dangerous pastime of Panaitescu and his friends was to throw each other’s bags onto the frozen sea as far as they could and then retrieve their own.
He was educated in Constanta, and usually spent summers in the countryside, either at the parish of his grandfather or with other relatives on his father’s side. In 1974, after graduating from the Mircea Cel Bartel lyceum, he was enlisted to be a soldier in the city of Galati.
Attending university in Bucharest, Panaitescu graduated with a degree in Economics 1980. In his spare time he worked as a tour guide of the National Tourist Office during his university years and undertook various internships. Following university he was assigned to work in Sighisoara, and discovered that administering sheets and records as an economist was something he considered pointless and unfulfilling.
As soon as an opportunity presented itself, he left that life behind, instead opting to establish a kindergarten and work there as a teacher, followed by tenures as a geography teacher, a miner, and a Spanish translator.
In 1989, he fled across the border to Hungary. "Do not shoot!" was the only Hungarian expression he knew at that time. Granted political asylum, his initial plan was to go further but this didn’t come to fruition. Instead he found friends, shelter, and work in Budapest – the future birthplace of Sziget. Despite settling in the Hungarian capital, he made every effort to return to Romania to visit and support his parents, whom he maintained a close relationship with.
Starting in the early 90s, Panaitescu became actively involved in the touring and concert organisation of the following bands: Beatrice, Pokolgép, Bonanza Banzai, Pál Utcai Fiúk, Európa Kiadó, URH, Sziámi, Auróra, and Hobo Blues Band.
Constantly in motion, he was a wandering soul, deeply interested in world affairs, politics, movies, books – and of course – music. He always carried a book with him, because a book could be handy at any time. Across his lifetime he visited nearly 50 countries, and respected all local cultures. Those close to him, however, noted that he often enjoyed the journey more than the destination.
Tragically, on July 15, 2016, Panaitescu was involved in a fatal car accident in Gyulafehérvár. He is survived by two children, Ádám and Zoia, as well as their mother, Kata Hocz. The bond between Panaitescu and Hocz was considered ‘a real Sziget love’, as the latter also worked on the festival as its Head of Finance before the birth of their children.
Panaitescu’s vast contributions to the festival industry and the admiration felt towards him from those within it, at every level, are the reasons that the European Festival Awards has named him as this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The European Festival Awards will take place on January 11, the first night of Eurosonic Noorderslag, at De Oosterpoort in Groningen, The Netherlands.
OFF Festival Katowice 2017: First Acts Announced
And we’re OFF! OFF is ON for 2017!
Swans, The Black Madonna, Circuit des Yeux, and Kikagaku are the first acts announced.
OFF are proud to announce that the experimental rock legends Swans are returning to Poland for a farewell show in 2017, to be held at the OFF Festival. Swans frontman Michael Gira will also serve as curator of the Experimental Stage. Plus Black Madonna, Circuit des Yeux, and Kikagaku Moyo also join the festival lineup, taking us from a dancefloor uprising in Chicago to a psychedelic trip to Japan.
The excitement is mutual. Here’s what Michael had to say about the event:
“The OFF Festival in Poland provides the highest possible musical experience for both the audience and the performers. I once played a show on the planet Venus, and compared to OFF, it was like singing to a gang of angry inmates in a dark cell in a federal penitentiary. The scenery is out of this world, the production is lubricated and sensual, but most importantly, the beautiful Polish people in the audience guarantee a year of sleepless, dream-drenched erotic and sorrowful nights filled with impossible longing.”
…But with one minor caveat: this time Michael’s desires will be fulfilled. First, the show in Poland will be his final performance with the band in this format (the group’s future remains uncertain, but this is definitely the end of Swans in their current form), and, second, he’ll also be performing a solo concert. Finally, Michael Gira is also coming to Katowice as a guest curator of the Experimental Stage, where he’ll be responsible for an entire day’s lineup. And he does have some experience in this regard: he crafted the program for Mouth to Mouth, held as part of the excellent Dutch festival Le Guess Who.
The 2017 OFF Festival Katowice will take place August 4–6, 2017, as always at Three Pond Valley. Tickets (price: 230 pln) are now available at the OFF Shop.
When The Black Madonna takes the stage, you know it’s about to go down. We’ve invited one of the world’s most popular and respected female DJs, one whose sets rest on the delicate balance between dependable hits and bold new discoveries, a well-regarded producer, to name but Exodus and A Jealous Heart Never Rests, and a resident host at the legendary Smart Bar in Chicago, which — under her curation — has been lauded as one the best clubs in the US.
“Dance music needs riot grrrls. Dance music needs Patti Smith. It needs DJ Sprinkles. Dance music needs some discomfort with its euphoria. Dance music needs salt in its wounds. Dance music needs women over the age of 40. Dance music needs breastfeeding DJs trying to get their kids to sleep before they have to play. Dance music needs cranky queers and teenagers who are really tired of this shit. Dance music needs writers and critics and academics and historians. Dance music needs poor people and people who don’t have the right shoes to get into the club,” says The Black Madonna, a woman who’s transforming club culture before our very eyes. We’re confident that her OFF Festival performance will be a transformative experience for us, as well.
Circuit des Yeux is the artistic alter ego of the American singer Haley Fohr, but it’s not her only one: she is also known to the world as the mysterious outlaw Jackie Lynn. In Fohr’s case, it’s impossible to determine with complete certainty the boundaries between the personal and the artistic. The intimate, disturbing songs performed in a low, dark voice pluck your most sensitive heartstrings, touching your most deeply-hidden spots and emotions. To experience this for yourself, try the album In Plain Speech (Thrill Jockey, 2015), recorded by Circuit des Yeux in collaboration with friends from the Chicago alternative scene: musicians involved in such projects as Cave, Bitchin Bajas, and Little Scream. Pitchfork calls it a “meditative and mesmerizing” album, and it’s hard to argue otherwise.
The name Kikagaku Moyo, as we all know, translates to “geometric patterns.” And there’s plenty of irony in that name, because while the music played by this Japanese band is full of elaborate but disciplined art-rock structures, they bend and dissolve in psychedelic acid. The musical references range from Krautrock to Indian ragas to their own local psychedelic traditions, chief among them being Acid Mothers Temple. You’ll find a sample of their sound in the OFF Festival Katowice 2017 promotional video. Kikagaku Moyo was founded in Tokyo in 2012, but they’ve already put out four albums, the latest of which, House in the Tall Grass, is a truly untethered flight into the stratosphere. Do you have the guts to get on board?
Contact
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk
European Border Breakers Awards Celebrate New Border Crossing Talent
On 11 January 2017, the Dutch city of Groningen hosts the 14th European Border Breakers Awards, the European music show dedicated to up-and-coming bands and acts. The Awards this year go to Alan Walker (no), Jaakko Eino Kalevi (fi), Namika (de), Hinds (es), Filous (at), Jain (fr), Dua Lipa (gb), Era Istrefi (al), Natalie La Rose (nl) and Walking on Cars (ie). The awards recognise new acts based on success outside their own country. The Awards are a chance to discover and celebrate the best of contemporary European music.
All the winners will feature in the award show, presented by hosted by celebrated musician and presenter Jools Holland. The show will be recorded for TV and is available to all European public broadcasting stations.
Public Choice Award - EBBA 2017
From 5 December, fans and EBU audiences are invited to vote for their favourite artist among the winners on the European Border Breaker website (www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu). The winner of Public Choice Award will be revealed live in Groningen.
Win a trip to the EBBA
Anyone who votes is in with a chance of winning an expenses-paid trip to Groningen for two to attend the award show. Winners will be picked by the radio stations of the European Broadcasting Union. Each winning voter will also be invited to attend a workshop hosted by the European Broadcasting Union on social media.
The EBBA
The EBBA celebrate new and border-breaking artists who are creating today and tomorrow's music. From Adele (gb) to Christine & the Queens (fr), the EBBA winners represent some of the standout European sounds of recent years. Other previous winners include Stromae, Gabriel Rios, Hozier, Of Monsters and Men, Mumford & Sons, Aurora, Disclosure, John Newman, C2C, Tokio Hotel, The Script, Years and Years, Robin Schulz, Carnival Youth, MØ and Selah Sue. Last year, 14 public TV stations televised the award show of 2016, which included performances by Oscar and the Wolf (be), Aurora (no) and Álvaro Soler (es).
From groups of enthusiastic gig-goers out on the weekend, through to an industry dedicated to making the music you love, ‘Music Moves Europe’. The EBBA is just one of the ways that the EU celebrates European popular and contemporary music, bringing the artists, the industry and the fans together to celebrate and enjoy the best of European music.
Every year, 10 European artists receive an EBBA in recognition of their success in countries other than their own. This success is measured by:
- airplay
- sales
- live performances in Europe
- position in the European Border Breakers Charts
The European Border Breakers Charts - launched earlier this year and compiled by Radiomonitor - rank tracks from around Europe based on airplay outside the act’s country of origin.
To be eligible for the 2017 awards, the artists must have achieved border-breaking success with their first international release in Europe between 1st of August 2015 and 31st of July 2016, and also come from a country participating in the EU's Creative Europe programme.
The EBBA, now in their 14th year, are an EU Prize, organised by Eurosonic Noorderslag in partnership with the European Commission (Creative Europe) and the European Broadcasting Union, with support from Buma Cultuur, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Province of Groningen, the City of Groningen and Music Week.
We thank SHURE for their technical support. The SHURE model 5575LE is the protected property of Shure incorporated and its subsidiaries.
Contact:
For more info and artist photos contact Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@globalpublicity.co.uk