Best Kept Secret 2024 blokkenschema dag 1 - vrijdag 7 juni 2024

DJ Tracksuit is a supreme collector of any type of dance music with a soul. Get ready to shuffle your feet to deep cuts from Africa, South-America to the Carribean. From house spirituals to bird sounds, Timothy Vandeputte digs for everything that suits his outrageously wide taste pallette. The guy is also happens to be an amateur chef, so he knows a thing or two about expertly mixing flavors.

Joiah's artistry is like a galaxy brain-scaled explosion of sounds. She weaves Cali, Colombia's bustling markets into ear candy with jazzy breaks, acid twirls, and dreamy vocals. Picture yourself vibing from a chill house party to a neon-lit club, all in one track. Indeed, Joiah's eclectism appeals as much to the listener as the dancer, which grants her a PHD in spirit lifting.

Amsterdam-based deck dynamo Berkan V8 enjoys a high-voltage mix of old-school cool and new-age beats, all revved up into his signature high-energy sets. The key words with Berkan are fearlessness and euphoria, delivering a unique assembly of acid techno, progressive house and ecstatic breakbeat action.

Amal, James Bangura, and DJ Nativesun are revolutionizing Black club music: a trio of dazzling trailblazers, blending styles like house, techno, footwork, two-step, dub, and baile funk in wildly imaginative ways. Black Rave Culture isn't just about the music; it's a celebration of Black identity, breathing new life into cultural history with every beat. The act of spinning tunes becomes a vibrant, living tapestry of sound and soul.

Cashu is one of Brazil’s most electrifying dancefloor activists and a true force of resistance and passion in São Paulo's queer music and art scenes. Her iconic party Mamba Negra attracts diverse communities in inclusive and safe spaces, drawing thousands to exciting off-the-grid locations. Her joyful and restless sets cover a confluence of styles, from atmospheric techno to boisterous breakbeat.

Fast-rising Dutch live phenomenon Droom Dit are a band to brace for, both emotionally and physically. They are an explosion of sex, violence, love and mundanity, performed with verve under a tapestry of cutting-edge pop, post-punk and alternative folk. Sam de Laat is blessed with voice that drips in gloomy romance, manic energy and deep yearning, making the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

We know better than anyone that you can never have enough St. Pauls in your lineup. Guess what: our beloved host at The Floor has some company this year. Led by belter extraordinaire Paul Janeway, Alabama's very own St. Paul & The Broken Bones are a top shelf dealer in pop music of the guttural variety: a vintage, true-blue blend of soul, funk, R&B and rock & roll.

If one band embodies a day at the French beach, look no further than alternative pop collective La Femme. Like an immaculate cocktail, the group cherrypick ingredients from any style they like – soul, disco, indie rock, punk rock, or movie soundtracks – and bend them into their own suave, earwom sensibility. La Femme are a grand bufffet of pleasure zones you need to submit yourself to at least once in a lifetime.

But of course, Viagra Boys bring the most vulgar and entertaining display of raw power of any punk band currently skulking the clubs and festivals. A more underrated part of this well-oiled Swedish powerhouse is how musically curious and proficient they are, with forays into jazz, country and kraut rock. A drill exercise of pure oomph, hilarity and foulness you can't help but love.

Disclosure are the musical definition of brotherly love. While some marquee EDM acts aim for big drops and humongous fireworks, siblings Guy and Howard Lawrence forge club anthems that settle for making you feel really good inside your own skin. A Disclosure set offers the perfect alchemy of emotion and ecstasy, a fine dining extravaganza in sound, melody and pulse. Standing still simply won't do.

Texoprint, formerly known as Kalaallit Nunaat, is one of the most intense upcoming bands from Dutch soil. Noise punk played at the absolute cutting edge, with volumes that exceed the pain threshold with the greatest of ease. The band's appearance also feels like a bit of throwback, a dynamic akin to three scowling outlaws from the Wild West shooting rounds at each other's feet. Brace yourself.

Seeing a Chastity Belt show is a way of being part of their inner circle for a brief moment. Their evocative indie rock anthems chronicle shared misadventures, rock bottom moments and intimate conversations with a disarming wit. Life can pull a fast one on you, but catching Chastity Belt will leave you with no regerts: they always maintain the right balance of fun, vulnerability, high-octane energy and warmth.

Upchuck are all about living life fully, connecting deeply, and embracing the joy of the moment. Their feverish protopunk/garage rock hybrid is rich in emotion and clever in songwriting. A loud and noisy celebration of youth, friendship, and rebellion. Imagine lively back-alley parties, passionate street protests, and the thrill of dance floors, all wrapped in a sound that's both raw and sophisticated.

Snõõper are a noise punk band employing cartoon physics quite brazenly and irresponsibly: unabashedly loud, theatrical and cranked up on adrenaline, sounding like a mixture of The B-52's and Devo overdosing on Marshmellow Fluff sandwiches. Don't be surprised if you encounter some weird shit during Snõõper's frantic set. Not your ordinary workout.

Blessed with a name that could have placed him right at the beating heart of the South London breeding ground, Nadiem Shah is in fact a romantic figure in the fruitful music scene of Belgium. For a decade he has been one of the driving forces behind Studio Brussel, selecting club ready tracks for shows like De Maxx and Sound of Sam, shaping cult favorites like Trash Radio ánd programming all the shows hosted by a DJ, including friend of The Floor, Eppo Janssen. Over the last few years he has been running the left field Eskimo Label, known voor edgy compilations like Next Wave Acid Punx. Needless to say that this Selector Gadget is meant to play the most eclectic dancefloor this side of Grevy’s zebra. Get ready for a locomotive set of Best Kept Secrets!

Though Katy Kirby's sprawling indie folk explores her confusion, they somehow feel illuminating and inviting. Kirby's coming-of-age songs interrogate her relationship with faith and her heady romantic encounters with a tongue-in-cheek wit that makes you want to root for her. So find yourself a cool dry place and let the timeless melodies wash over you.

Sparked by Lily Fontaine's quizzical and piercing lyrics, English Teacher mold catchy indie pop and acidic post-punk into something uniquely theirs. These brilliant newcomers stand on the outside looking in on current fads in music, which often fuels the original angle of their songwriting and arrangements. Bands this much fun and noteworthy from the starting gun, you gotta cherish 'em.

Truth be told, the world could use a bit more 'unhinged' to blast skin-deep formalities to tiny smithereens. Mannequin Pussy are more than obliged to hit Best Kept Secret with a slab of realness, churning out mascara-tears inducing, chandelier-swinging punk anthems by the dozen. Mannequin Pussy tell you it's perfectly okay to sometimes be a little messed up.

The name Minyo Crusaders isn’t just something that sounds cool. It embodies the overarching mission of this Japanese collective. You see, “minyo” is a collective term for forgotten Japanese folk songs, which the Crusaders splice with traditional styles that haven’t been forgotten: reggae, cumbia, and ska for example. Makes sense when you think about it, right? Never mind the music itself being as infectious as it is original.

As the son of a legendary Blockhead, Baxter Dury's life as been anything but ordinary, which luckily translates into some extra-ordinary records. Dury's bone-dry character sketches often find him at odds with the world around him, a fertile chasm for his wonky wave pop spiels to grow. Whether Dury depicts himself as Mr Maserati or the Prince Of Tears, the hats he wears often never quite match, with often hilarious results.

Alice Phoebe Lou came a long way from busking the streets of Berlin to captivating over a million listeners worldwide. The Cape Town-born musician pens atmospheric, deftly arranged songs, which feel like perfect companions for those tipsy, lovelorn strolls through the night. Bending styles like folk, synth-pop, indie rock and shoegaze to her whims, her songs glimmer like diamonds in the dark.

Rising Cameroonian-American star Libianca has a voice that transcends language, which is why she effortlessly switches between the many languages she speaks to reach the emotional core. Her single 'People' became a viral sensation for its raw honesty, making the heaviest confession of the song its main hook. No doubt that Libianca's distinct blend of Afropop, R&B, and gospel will shine bright at BKS.

From MF Doom to Colin Stetson all the way to Turnstile: artists from all walks of life orbit Planet BadBadNotGood. By themselves, these inventive Canadians command a groove that's equally devout to the lineages of hip-hop and jazz music. Never mind BBNG's peerless gift for spotlighting the talents of their many collaborators. And we haven't even mentioned those consistently dazzling, soul-replenishing live shows.

Omar Apollo's artistry is both modern and timeless. This Mexican-American megastar possesses a voice that captures an immense range of human emotion: heartbreak, desire, betrayal and melancholy. An old, larger than life soul trapped in a likewise large and spry 6'5 frame, Omar Apollo embodies fluidity and charisma, framing experimental R&B, neofunk and cutting-edge pop in his own distinct vocabulary.

Annie Clark is a musical chameleon and one of the few bona fide guitar heroes left: the kind of artist you can immediately recognize from her silhouette. St. Vincent's rich discography teems with provocative imagery, bold, playful experimentation and the ability to distort pop music into its own funhouse-mirror image. A towering, virtuoso stage performer who always courts the fantastical and the unexpected.

KI/KI stands at the vanguard of Amsterdam's club scene with her euphoric and sensual blend of trance, acid, soundscapes and techno. As a DJ/producer, label owner event curator, Kiki Wesselo is a true original who slashes through club conventions like a hot knife through butter. Her mission remains constant: we’re in this together, and sleep is overrated.