Best Kept Secret 2024 blokkenschema dag 3 - zondag 9 juni 2024

Lola Edo is a major Amsterdam mover-and-shaker, not to mention founder of queer bar ‘pamela,' A genre-bending maestro, Lola is known for her thrilling and unpredictable sets, journeying from the vibrant rhythms of Afro beats to the pulsating energy of electro house and bass. A delightful detour through the urban beats of UK Garage is not above her pay grade either. A true musical chameleon.

If heartbreak consistently produces music as incredible as Warhaus, we might all take a stab at it. Alas, it takes a deft hand to tame such a beast and Warhaus are a masterclass in suave, impeccably arranged anthems-of-woe of the Serge Gainsbourg and Leonard Cohen variety. With Maarten Devoldere – also of the fantastic Balthazar – as the head of the snake, Warhaus seduces your ears with every croon and crisply played note.

After nearly two decades of selling out venues, causing mischief and shaping pop culture itself, Dutch hip-hop pranksters De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig have only just begun. The trio of Vjèze Fur, Willie Wartaal and Faberyayo, alongside beat maker Bas Bron, put a wholly positive spin on ‘fucking around and finding out’, extending their unruly chemistry into joyous performances that simply never get old.

The classic folk troubadour with the golden voice seems to be a dying breed, but Tamino undeniably belongs in that great pantheon of artists. This Belgian-Egyptian songsmith is someone who commands silence and suspends time within the span of a single song, and once that otherworldly voice furls the heavens, get ready for some involuntary goosebumps and waterworks.

These French dance icons changed the game in a couple of ways. First, they proved the electronic music could expand onto the biggest of festival stages. And second, they carry a rock & roll swagger, flamboyance and outrageousness as a counterweight to the non-descript image that plagues many club figures. By mixing the classical with the cutting edge, everyone can feast during a Justice-romp.

Sprints fire off genuine, heart-on-sleeve, fist-in-air anthems packed with razor-sharp one-liners and fearless outpourings. A band of the truth and three chords, acutely revised and revamped within a punk rock idiom. With this Irish bunch, the personal is political and vice versa: topics such as the abortion rights, the homeless crisis and the class struggles are rooted in Karla Chubb’s raw personal anecdotes

A very unique gathering at The Floor. Legendary producer Dokter Moon will be playing a back to back set with his daughter. The gifted producer is an official member of the Wu-Tang Clan diaspora. He worked with RZA, created some of the finest Dutch beats ever for artists like Sticks and supergroup Great Minds ánd started a hip hop academy in Tilburg. The work of a true missionary starts at home. At Best Kept Secret he will be DJ-ing for the first time together with his daughter, only a few 12 inches away from their house. An emotional ride to the far side of organic hip hop sounds. Do not miss out on this one!

Hauptgast is an upcoming DJ, selector, radio host and producer. Originally from Essen, Germany where he secretly dreamt of the West Coast. No palm trees and beach boys, but the underground scene of The Hague (I-F, Legowelt, Bunker Records). Almost smelling the herring while residing in Utrecht, he is now making name for himself playing a highly kinetic mix of electronic body music and house with a 24 Hour Party People rave attitude, not afraid to explore the outer limits of the four-to-the-floor adagium. And to The Floor it is when Finn Pietrass aka Hauptgast graces the decks with his electronic novelties. Time to get wonky!

The queen of Amapiano is back at The Floor where she made her glorious festival debut two years ago. This time she takes us to the newest underground sounds conquering South African club life. Somewhere beneath the still resonating waves of Amapiano, Afro Tech and Gqom the next musical revolution is being born. Elements that define the 3 Step sound is the use of the kick, which is played in a beat of 3, and the snare drum that emphasizes the log drum and sub bass. The sound is also bolstered with African percussions which are usually looped, but provided with melodic elements like flutes, marimba and brass. Producer and DJ Unruly Phoenix is one of the leading figures in transporting this sound to Europe. The Floor is proud to bring her back home.

As a producer, Phillipi’s multiple stays at the DEEWEE studio (Soulwax, 2 Many DJ’s) in Ghent resulted in the release of his solo ep, called “Amadurecimento” as well as three other EP’s and one album, called “Paciencia” (for one of his other musical projects ‘Phillipi & Rodrigo’, together with Rodrigo Gorky). Some of his tracks have also highlighted fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton and Versace. As a DJ he has been spinning all over the world from Berlin’s Berghain right up to Lollapalooza in his native Brazil. Expect a skillful blend of disco, electro and house, with some exotic touches. To put it in his own words: Vibe de Verao!

The Floor is honoured to have the infamous duo of The Glimmers grace its stage. Whether it’s their own razor sharp productions, tasteful compilations or floor friendly remixes for artists like Roxy Music, The Glimmers represent that typical crossover sound of their hometown, Ghent. Listen to their alluring, genre-blurring mixes for DJ Kicks or FabricLive and you will understand why they were up there with the greats (Erol Alkan, Tiga, Joost van Bellen). We couldn’t have wished for a better act to host a Theme Time Golden Hour dedicated to the electro clash sound of the zeroes that is slowly but surely crawling its way back into collective consciousness via young DJ’s all over the world. Finding our edge!

With songs like 'Follow My Voice' Julie Byrne gives pretty sound advice on how to listen to Julie Byrne. As emotionally arresting as Byrne's alternative folk is, you can always trust her hushed, maroon-toned voice to offer comfort and generosity. Byrne courts heavy emotions like pain and grief with curiosity and care; potent modern hymns for clear days and moonless nights.

Water From Your Eyes may appear like wandering spirits jumped straight out of a Harmony Korine movie, in reality, their brand of bizarro pop is manifested from a keen ear of how the most iconic records are bred and birthed. Musical mad scientists-in-arms Rachel Brown and Nate Amos have cultivated their own mutant strand, a hex zone where industrial and chamber pop can somehow coexist.

There's a romance and danger to The Mysterines' blistering rock anthems, like bloody wolves chasing us through some blue inferno. With her bellowing voice and biting lyrics, Lia Metcalfe is a complete natural at commanding a stage; one reckons an early childhood encounter with Nick Cave helped sparked that path. Life can be a bitch, but when The Mysterines come storming through, life can feel pretty damn blissful too.

Just two albums in and Slow Pulp have already mastered the happy melody-downer lyrics dynamic better than most young rock bands. But that, however, would be an oversimplification of their appeal: their fuzzy indie pop just gushes with emotional flavors, from the early romantic jitters to the rip-roaring friendships of youth. Songs that hit like cool breezes outside of the car window on a warm summer day.

Who says you can't learn a thing or two when blithely freaking out to a bunch of electro pop bangers? On records like 'Flamboyant', 'My Agenda' and 'Fanfare', rising star Dorian Electra untangles issues like gender politics and online fandom with crisp, hummable hooks, essentially using pop music as a Trojan Horse to communicate something bigger.

Billy Woods's observant lyricism and multi-dimensional, sample-based productions, as both solo-artist and as one half of Armand Hammer with E L U C I D, earned him a reputation as one of hip-hop's leading lights. Finally gaining recognition from the mainstream after years of pushing sonic boundaries, woods cherrypicks creativity from all walks of human existence, from pop culture to sports to the communities he visits.

You know that feeling when you see an elite athlete make something that requires peak-human conditioning, coordination and flexibility look laughably easy? The Indien are the alternative pop equivalent of that. Rianne Walther and her band write expertly crafted songs that navigate arresting emotions with a sophistication and magnetism that's all too rare.

Jockstrap are the floodgates of pop music opening up: addicting hooks, drill-inspired breaks, wonky strings and dancehall-inspired bass assaults. They reality-bend familiar sounds into their own distinct pocket universe: one where the bizarre becomes ultra catchy and vice versa. Jockstrap shows are a ballroom blitz of eureka-moments that tend to leave an unforgettable impression.

The songs of The Haunted Youth – as the name plainly states – are not about dreaming about beautiful things, but the hurricane of feelings that bubble up when you choose to exist as an outsider. Joachim Liebens absorbs charged themes such as rebellion, depression, powerlessness and trauma with a warm soothing pillow of dreamy reverb and intoxicating, sun-kissed melodies.

Punk rock sensation Amyl & The Sniffers are not looking for trouble, they are looking for love. Trouble is, their version of love just so happens to be loud, boisterous and highly chaotic. A lot of the initiated believe that Amy Taylor and her cohorts are worth that particular kind of trouble, and frankly, so do we at Best Kept Secret.

Outside of David Bowie, how many artists have been as consistently brilliant in their constant reinvention? That list is very short: Polly Jean Harvey. Risque punk rock, avant-blues, inner city pop, free-form poetry, pastoral folk; she slips into any skin or style and crafts engrossing, era-defining records. Yet after more than three decades of not looking back, PJ Harvey remains as mysterious and magnetic as ever.

From the club all the way to the cosmos, the reach of Sam Shepherd – aka Floating Points – seems to expand to infinity. The renowned DJ, producer and composer explores the full spectrum of what music has to offer, traversing the realms of techno, jazz, classical and ambient like an omnipotent force. Each undertaking by Floating Points invokes new ideas, new discoveries and new promises.