Musical trips come in all shapes and sizes. They can be contemplated under the California sun, on the picturesque Island, enchanted into pop songs in Canada, or wrapped up in distorted guitars in a Warsaw garage. Devendra Banhart, Basia Bulat, and Rosa Vertov are here to explain.
Devendra Banhart
It’s impossible to sum up in just a few sentences the phenomemon that is Devendra Banhart, a versatile artist who borrows freely from different cultures, eras, and artistic trends, combining them into a new and original whole. Part of a movement known as New Weird America, his art is a marriage of music and visual arts in which North American folk resonates with Latin beats, while psychedelic hippy trips contrast with his intimate, contemporary lo-fi style. His new album, the successor to the excellent record Mala, is already in the pipeline, which means we can expect Devendra to reveal a new facet of his fascinating world this August in Katowice.
Kiasmos
The incorrigible dreamer Ólafur Arnalds is well known as the composer of beautiful neoclassical and ambient sonic landscapes, but you’ve probably also heard his reinterpretations of Chopin or the soundtrack to the TV series Broadchurch. Janus Rasmussen, meanwhile, is the backbone of the excellent electropop act Bloodgroup. The two met in the studio when Arnalds was brought in as a producer for some Bloodgroup recordings, but they soon realized that their collaborative ideas required a whole new format. Thus Kiasmos was born: an Icelandic duo that won the hearts of electronic music fans with their unique take on emotional minimal techno. You can only imagine what their music is going sound like under the clear August skies in Katowice…
Basia Bulat
A Canadian of Polish descent who, like Devendra, practices the enigmatic art of freak folk, though her newest album, Good Advice, released last month, would more aptly be described as freak pop: clever, catchy songs brimming with energy, always with a second, intriguing layer. Produced by My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, the record isn’t just a worthy successor to Tall Tall Shadow (nominated to both the Polaris and Juno awards), but is also a step towards a broader audience for this singer and multi-instrumentalist. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Rosa Vertov
They may be four young girls from Warsaw, but they don’t get an easy pass for being a “girl band.” Though they just appeared on the scene, Rosa Vertov will surprise you with their attitude and original vision. But don’t take our word for it: dive into the straightforward yet disturbing songs on their debut EP, released in September 2015 — on cassette only, for now. Look out for their new single any day now. And after their OFF Festival performance… well we don’t know what to expect, but we’re dying to find out.
Here’s the list of names announced so far:
Devendra Banhart, Anohni, The Kills, Mudhoney, GZA, Lush, GusGus, Thundercat, Minor Victories, Kiasmos, Napalm Death, Jaga Jazzist, SBB plays „Nowy Horyzont“, Sleaford Mods, DJ Koze, Zomby, Lightning Bolt, Andrew Weatherall b2b Roman Flügel, Brodka, Kaliber 44, Liima, Daniel Avery, Clutch, Mutoid Man, Powell, Zimpel/Ziołek, Basia Bulat, Syny, Beach Slang, Willis Earl Beal, Flatbush Zombies, Machinedrum, Yung Lean, Mass Gothic, Show Me The Body, Fidlar, Rosa Vertov.
OFF Festival Katowice 2016 – August 5th – 7th
More info and tickets: www.off-festival.pl
Contact:
Nikki McNeill | Global Publicity
nikki@46.32.240.39