Pukkelpop 2024 blokkenschema dag 2 - vrijdag 16 augustus 2024

A visceral assault on softer dispositions; a collision of skullcrunching guitars, head-wobbling synths and face-belting drums. Couple this with darkly humorous observations of personal mental struggle in a time of social depression and anxiety, and you’ve got... ‘SHITHOUSE’Made from an intense period of reflection during the Lockdowns, finally forming when Joe and Cal reconnected after a decade of odd jobs and projects.BIG SPECIAL are a band that wish to explore the bleak and beautiful honesty of a nation in an ever growing state of depression through personal experience, poetry, perspective as well as varied and creative music.Previously championed by the likes of; Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson on BBC Radio 6 Music, Amazing Radio, local stations and BBC Introducing up and down the country, as well as being the top of Brum Radio’s A-list for 2 weeks in a row.

Formed in 2018 in New York, Lip Critic is the project of Bret Kaser, Connor Kleitz, Daniel Eberle, and Ilan Natter. The band is comprised of two samplers, two drummers and vocals. Through their untraditional instrumentation, Lip Critic executes an eclectic blend of punk, hardcore, club, modernistic pop sounds, and structures without inhibition. Paired with eccentricgrandstand-style vocals, Lip Critic delivers a uniquely engaging live performance that rivals the hyper-stylized production on their records. These performances are heavily focused on improvisation and experimentation, including extended and remixed versions of songs, as well band members attaching portable lights to their bodies. Their projects include “Kill Lip Critic” in 2019, “Lip Critic II” in 2020 and “Lip Critic: Truth Revealed” in 2021.Lip Critic has earned early critical acclaim from NME (“on their way to becoming the next great NYC band”), Paste (“an apocalyptic wasteland of NYC’s best underground punk”), Rolling Stone (‘Songs You Need to Know’), Loud & Quiet (“one of NYC’s most talked about acts.”), Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC 6 Music, and Matt Wilkinson (“totally essential”) with anticipation of their debut album Hex Dealer in summer 2024.

Backxwash aka Ashanti Mutinta is a Zambian-Canadian rapper & producer based in Montreal, Quebec. She is most noted for her 2020 Polaris Music Prize-winning album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It.Her work is based in the horrorcore, hip-hop and industrial metal genres, and includes a culmination of themes around the intersection between faith, identity, and queerness. The poetry of her lyrics are the beginning of a cathartic healing process in which she is granting herself permission to be angry.In 2021 Backxwash released her 3rd album titled I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES and announced that it would be the second album in a trilogy. Whereas God Has Nothing was a study in mercy & forgiveness and provided some semblance of hope, I LIE HERE BURIED presents Backxwash finding solace in being completely consumed by her malevolent behaviors.Her latest album HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING (2022) is the final LP in the trilogy. It is entirely self-produced and includes instrumental and vocal features by Morgan-Paige, Pupil Slicer, Michael Go, Censored Dialogue, Sadistik, and Ghais Guevara.Her latest album I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES, features productions by Backxwash, clipping., Nowhere2Run, as well as features by Censored Dialogue, Lauren Bousfield, Sad13, and Ada Rook.

Bad Nerves are a five-piece power-pop, Rock 'n' roll band from Essex, UK. The bastard child of a Ramones/Strokes one night stand, they play ferociously fast distorted pop songs, with melodies that hook so deep, even the most skilled lobotomist would struggle to scrape them out.Dubbed the “crowned Princes of power pop”, the five-piece are setting a new standard for adrenaline-fuelled pop-rock music. The band were also recently hand-picked by Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) for his Oakland Coffee playlist as well as being labelled by Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) as one of his recent favourite bands.With a sound reminiscent of Jay Reatard, Supergrass and FIDLAR, Bad Nerves kicked off their highly-anticipated sophomore album with its lead single ‘USA’, complete with US and UK tour. Look for the full album to drop in 2024 after a string of high-octane singles.

SLIFT is made up of brothers Jean and Remí Fossat and Canek Flores, who first met the brothers Fossat at (of all things) school. After the band formally came together in 2016, they quickly made their 2017 debut EP, Space Is the Key, which merged stoner rock’s heaviness with the sugar-rush qualities of garage rock. From there, things only got weirder: The trio experimented with faster tempos and bongos(!) on the following year’s full-length La Planeté Inexploreé, and in 2019, their KEXP session recorded at the Trans Musicales festival in Rennes became a viral sensation, racking up more than 1.4 million YouTube views.

Brent Vanneste (gitaar/zang), Cis Deman (gitaar), Joris Casier (drums) en Jesse Surmont (Bas) timmeren al 18 jaar aan de weg. Eerst als Steak Number Eight (waarbij ze als jonge honden in 2007 Humo's Rock Rally wonnen), sinds 2018 als STAKE. De Voskenslaan in Gent is hun walhalla. Hier repeteren ze en namen ze ook 'Love, Death And Decay' op.

Anyone who hasn’t heard of Manz is missing out on a solid party. Born in 2001, this 23-year-old prodigy has already left her mark on prestigious stages, including Rock Werchter's The Hive, Snowcase, Polé Polé, and Brussel Brost. How did she manage that? Simple: It’s impossible not to move to her vibrant and eclectic blend of genres such as trance, house and hard groove. Prepare to be swept away by the dynamic beats and infectious energy of Manz.

BAVR isn’t your run-of-the-mill Belgian electro artist; his passion lies in the vibrant beats of uptempo house and UKG music, which he passionately weaves into his DJ sets. Based in Antwerp, he’s deeply embedded in the city’s vibrant music scene. His platform, ‘Love On Top Club,’ serves as a melting pot for these innovative sounds, attracting a diverse audience.Among his notable guests are Skin On Skin, salute, Conducta, Tarzsa, and Flansie, all of whom bring their unique flair to the Antwerp nightlife scene. What sets BAVR apart is not just his knack for crafting catchy UKG and house bops, but also his savvy approach to sharing them. His edits and remixes, which frequently blow up on SoundCloud, have become a staple in the playlists of electronic music enthusiasts and deejays worldwide.BAVR’s talent has taken him far beyond his native Belgium, with DJ sets in Milan, Barcelona, and Bristol showcasing his international appeal. Always ahead of the curve, BAVR’s foresight has earned him a dedicated following in Antwerp, culminating in his electrifying performance at Pukkelpop in the summer of 2023. And as anticipation mounts, BAVR is gearing up to unveil his original music in 2024, promising an exciting new chapter in his already illustrious career.

If Dutch producer and DJ Jarreau Vandal could be described using one word, it would be versatile.Raised in a musical family- with a grandfather who was a producer, and parents who used to be dancers at Amsterdam clubs-Vandal’s earliest memory of loving music is playing in his church band as a drummer.Having been exposed to a wide variety of musical influences right from gospel and soul to jazz and house, Vandal’s musical identity is organic as he aims to combine everything that inspires him, turning it into his own authentic, one-of-a-kind brand of music with a focus on putting out good vibes.

Robert Etheridge aka Dimension is one of the UK’s most unique electronic music artists. Defined by a clear aesthetic that bleeds through into his music and imagery, Dimension has announced himself as one of the new wave of dance music headliners.

Sigma are one of the biggest Drum and Bass artists in the world, amassing over 7 million global sales including hit singles Nobody To Love, Changing and Find Me. With two U.K. number 1’s under their belt and countless main stage festival performances around the globe, Sigma firmly cemented their place as pioneers of drum and bass crossing into the mainstream.The Sigma hit machine became a well oiled creation. The Life album became their calling card and they just kept on expanding their remit. Spreading out from drum'n'bass to house and pure pop, they proved that they could work with vocalists of all stripes - and that their DJ, and very soon live sets too, could work on the biggest stages to the most diverse crowds. And they kept working worldwide - "even though you might find you'd booked yourself to be in Estonia on Sunday and Ibiza on Monday and have to take six flights" - just barely keeping themselves fit and sane as they did. Over the next five years, they just kept on smashing the biggest festival stages across the world, and kept new tracks coming with a-list vocalists like Birdy, John Newman and Jack Savoretti - while Joe, as obsessive about prefecting technical skills in the studio as he ever was behind the decks, was lending production and songwriting skills to records by Savoretti, Take That and more.Hitting 2022, Sigma released new album Hope and are now returning to their roots for a summer of tear our drum and bass sets across Europe.

Op 25-jarige leeftijd heeft de opkomende drum 'n' bass artiest Andromedik al een behoorlijke indruk nagelaten op de scene. De Belgische artiest onderscheidt zich van veel van zijn peers met een bijna festival-achtige sound en heeft 2023 goed afgerond met twee spectaculaire debuutoptredens op de iconische Mainstage van Tomorrowland als eerste drum 'n' bass artiest in vijf jaar.Met een mooie reeks dancefloor hits als 'Forever’, 'First to Go’, en 'Take Me’, en collabs met verschillende getalenteerde muzikanten, zoals wereldwijd chart-topping artiest Lost Frequencies op de Deluxe Mix van zijn recente hitsingle 'The Feeling’, heeft Andromedik alleen al op Spotify meer dan 75 miljoen streams behaald.Met zijn stijgende populariteit is het geen verrassing dat je Andromedik’s tracks hoort spelen op internationale radiozenders als BBC Radio 1, Studio Brussel en George FM. Al dit talent heeft geleid tot een Drum & Bass Arena Awards nominatie voor 'World's Best Newcomer' in 2019. Andromedik is een veelzijdige DJ en producer die niet bang is om zijn publiek op te schudden met wilde edits, remixes en een brede muzikale kijk op het drum ‘n’ bass genre. Met alle energie die hij in zijn muziek stopt, maar ook in zijn performances op het podium, kunnen we met gemak zeggen dat Andromedik voorbestemd is om een toekomstige headliner te worden.

Flavour Drop is one of the newest faces of Studio Brussels! As a DJ, you can catch him every Friday alongside Flo Windey in the show: 'Eindelijk Weekend'. As a permanent value of the StuBru family, he's been impressing audiences at Rock Werchter and the StuBru Snowcase for several years. He brings an energetic mix of hip-hop, drum & bass, rock, and even the occasional reggae classic, spreading good vibes only. Besides his radio career, Flavour Drop wil be playing at lots of major Belgian Festivals in the summer of 2024: Tomorrowland, Suikerrock and even the mainstage of Maanrock & Campo Solar. For Flavour Drop, diversity is key! With his heavier drum & bass side, he'll be hitting the mainroom of Kompass Club in May, while during the summer, he'll unleash his tropical sweetness at stages like Afro-Latino Festival and Polé Polé Gentse Feesten. With his own concept, Flavãsoul, he has been a regular guest at the Ghent dance hotspot Charlatan since 2022. Additionally, with this concept, he has filled the stage at Polé Polé for three consecutive years and even has a stage at Tomorrowland in 2024! The ingredients for a FlavãSoul night can be found in the tropical higher regions, along with Flavour Drop's infectious energy! On stage, you'll find him alongside hype man MC Rim, ramping up the excitement even more. Catch Flavour Drop this summer at the big festival stages! With an energy this high, some people might say he’s UNSTOPPABLE!

Hailing from Brussels, Zouzibabe has quickly become a key figure in the city’s flourishing scene.Paradise City festival’s programmer by day, she seamlessly transitions into a DJ at night, bringing infectious and uplifting energy to the dancefloor. Her sets weave through vivacious house and break tunes, with proud R&B influences and a dash of pop. Her music radiates optimism and spontaneity, always staying on the warm and funky side.A regular of Belgian institutions like C12, Fuse, La Cabane and Ampere, as well as major festivals such as Listen!, Dour and Horst, her presence spreads across the country’s nightlife. She can also be heard on her monthly residency on Kiosk Radio, along with shows on Refuge Worldwide, Hör, Rinse France and Operator Radio. Away from the decks, she runs the feminist collective ‘Rebel’, committed to reshaping the club scene for the better, striving for a safer and more inclusive environment.

DC Noises is an Antwerp-based DJ with an intense love for the UK club scene. His affection was born from digging into daddy’s jungle records and a love for London.Cheeky wobblers and pounding breaks combined with some of UK funkiest grime are his trademark!Together with his brother, he is also organiser of Freed, a concept where he tries to highlight the UK scene here in Belgium.

Flansie, een in Tiel gevestigde producer, met een waanzinnige track record. Hij begon als Trap producer en heeft naam gemaakt door billboard-hitproducties te leveren voor artiesten als Trippie Redd en Lucki. Als frontman van zijn eigen collectief Goon-Tex zorgde hij ervoor dat hij zijn stempel drukte op deze scene.Flansie laat zich niet beperken tot één genre. Na zijn debuut in de housescene samen met Mall Grab heeft hij bewezen een veelzijdige producer te zijn. Met een mix van rauwe techno, breakbeats en old school rave tracks weet Flansie zeker elke dansvloer waar dan ook ter wereld te veroveren.

Julian McCarthy aka MCR-T has been delivering heavy trap and ghetto tunes now for several years.Always playful and experimental he has formed a unique sound combining different genres and styles which he constantly improves as part of the Live From Earth collective.

Living between Brussels and Amsterdam, the queer producer Stanislawa will give you a taste of her trancy sounds and 90’s techno grooves. This power force always kept an open-mind and an open-heart to push her values onto her music, and to give the crowd the best experience. Founder of the Deep Down East collective, she strengthened her presence in the Belgian scene, gracing iconic venues such as Fuse, Decadance, C12,  Funke and Kompass. Collaborations with Boiler Room, Modul’air, Kiosk Radio, Paradise City and collectives like Not Your Techno, Alliance Club and VESELKA have further enriched her artistic journey.On the 1st of May, she released her long awaited EP, Forever Strong, featuring 4 very unique personal tracks merging contemporary hard-hitting 909 kicks with 90s trancy leads.

Notoriously energetic, EMILIJA’s sound is a steamy collision of fast-paced 90’s rave elements, rolling grooves and sultry kicks to drive you into a frenzy. Mirroring her background- Lithuanian by way of London and now Brussels, her dynamic sets oscillate between hard house, hard trance and heavy breaks, fuelling your deepest, darkest desires from dusk til dawn. Best served hot.

Lander & Adriaan is a Belgian duo with drummer Lander Gyselinck (Stuff.,Beraadgeslagen,LABtrio) and Adriaan Van de Velde (Pomrad, Mauro Pawlowski, J. Bernardt).Their common fondness for slick digital synths and 90s underground dance music genres brought them together to submerge in symbiotic jams during the very first lockdown in 2020.After a bunch of very successful under-the-radar concerts, they recorded an album in the summer of 2021 that was released in the spring of 2022.Their gently disturbed mashup of 90s dance music genres like Chicago juke, Detroit techno, UK-Funky, Classic rave with corny jazz fusion and mundane jazz improv brings you to a pleasantly disturbed realm of unguilty pleasures, sheer weirdness and pure excitement. ‘Post Nudism Rave’ they call it. Others call it ‘free rave’, ’confusi-trance’ and ’sophisti-rave’. A shiny 3D pixie fantasyland juxtaposed with a gritty dark smokey underworld of slimy aliens and smelly trolls.You'll be experiencing the quantum thrills of interplanetary ambient drones, sweet drumming frenzy, pulpy saccharine melodies, mushy basslines, all gently weaved into raw sweat-drippy dance music. Get (half) nude and dance!

24 year-old Artemas, full name Artemas Diamandis, has only been releasing music since late 2020 but is fast developing a distinctive alternative pop sound through his relatable songwriting and captivating melodies. The self-taught multi-instrumentalist and unashamed pop music fan is a student of the YouTube generation of songwriters/producers. Hailing from Oxfordshire, but now based in London, Artemas made the most of being restricted to his bedroom through the pandemic, spending most waking hours during that time honing his studio craft.Since May 2023, Artemas has been independently releasing a song every 3-5 weeks, building directly with his audience and focusing on cultivating an online community around his music. His recent release ‘Cross My Heart’ quickly gained 500k streams in 24 hours with over 20k TikTok creations within its first week of release. The latest earworm single ‘if u think I’m pretty’ went viral online and entered both the Billboard chart and OCC Singles chart. Artemas’s music has now been streamed well over 100 million times.His early releases have seen him gain support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, Apple Music and Spotify. He was also recently the sole support for Rex Orange County at his huge headline show in London’s Gunnersbury Park, as well as other live performances at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Reading & Leeds Festival, Latitude Festival and more. Artemas’ eagerly anticipated mixtape ‘Pretty’ was released in February 2024 alongside 2 London shows which sold out in under 20 minutes. This is followed by a broader international tour just ahead of the Summer.

For Thee Sacred Souls, the first time is often the charm. The band’s first club dates led to a record deal with the revered Daptone label; their first singles racked up more than ten million streams in a year and garnered attention from Billboard, Rolling Stone, and KCRW; and their first fans included the likes of Gary Clark Jr., The Black Pumas, Princess Nokia, and Timbaland.

Romy Madley Croft is a musician, songwriter and DJ. First coming to prominence as a teenager as one third of the influential London group The xx, Romy has followed in footsteps of her xx bandmates Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith (aka Jamie xx) to carve out a hugely exciting solo career.  In 2020, she released her debut solo single "Lifetime" to widespread acclaim, followed by a collaboration with HAAi and Fred again.. ("Lights Out") and her 2022 breakout single "Strong" which became Romy's biggest solo single to date. 2023 will see the release of her highly anticipated debut album "Midair", featuring production with Fred again.. and Stuart Price. Her next single "Enjoy Your Life" is another prime example of Romy's "emotional music to dance to" and features the sampled vocals of the legendary Beverly Glenn-Copeland. A now-legendary pop writer, Romy has co-written each of The xx’s three acclaimed albums, Dua Lipa’s Grammy-winning hit single “Electricity” with Mark Ronson and Diplo’s Silk City), plus songs for King Princess and Halsey, among others. 

DJ St. Paul gelooft niet in genres. Een overtuiging die hem de geboren host maakt van zijn eigen stage op het Best Kept Secret Festival. Maar ook Lowlands, TivoliVredenburg en Club Smederij behoren tot zijn vaste adressen. Een persoonlijk hoogtepunt voor hem blijven zijn optredens als official support act van Tame Impala. En natuurlijk zijn terugkeer naar Pukkelpop. Samen met VJ Liza Renee. Let it happen! 

Engrossed in the world of books, Maisie Peters originally wanted to be an author before realising she could turn her stories into songs. Having written her first track at just nine years old, she began honing her songwriting skills, crafting the blueprint for her honest, witty and wholly relatable diary-style songs. After teaching herself guitar, Maisie took to open mic nights and busking around West-Sussex, using the money to launch a YouTube channel. Over time, she began cultivating what is now one of the most dedicated fanbases in modern pop. Sparking a label bidding war whilst still in school, Maisie eventually signed to Atlantic Records in 2018 and released her debut EP, ‘Dressed Too Nice For A Jacket’, later that year.In the years that have followed, Maisie has firmly established herself as one of the UK’s brightest new talents, racking up over a billion global streams and earning famous fans like Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sam Smith, as well as launching her very own virtual book club, with guests including Annie Lord, Bolu Babalola and Elif Batuman. 2021 saw her sign to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records, become one of the youngest musicians in history to write and curate a soundtrack for the second season of Apple TV+’s ‘Trying’ and follow in the footsteps of Billie Eilish and Megan Thee Stallion as an Apple Music Up Next artist. The year culminated with the release of her critically-acclaimed debut album, ‘You Signed Up For This’, which shot straight in to the Official Charts at No. 2. With her star continuing to ascend in 2022, Maisie went on to sell-out London’s Eventim Apollo in just an hour, play her second sold-out US headline tour and support Ed Sheeran on his mammoth UK/EU stadium tour.2023 proved another landmark year for Maisie - she sold-out Wembley’s OVO Arena, made her Glastonbury Pyramid Stage debut, embarked on her second headline US tour and landed her first UK No. 1 album with ‘The Good Witch’ (becoming the youngest British female solo artist to claim a No. 1 album since 2014, as well as being the youngest artist to claim a No. 1 since Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ in May 2021).

2023 has been a yet another phenomenal year for Tom Grennan. His new album What Ifs & Maybes which went straight in at #1 on the UK Albums Chart - his second consecutive #1 album following his breakout record Evering Road in 2021. Tom has accumulated over 1.3 billion streams and over 9 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone.The album followed Tom's BRIT Award nomination in the Alternative Rock/Rock Act category, marking his third consecutive BRIT nomination following Song of the Year with Mastercard for his international smash hit ‘Little Bit Of Love’, and Alternative/Rock Act, at the 2022 ceremony. Tom has also more than made his mark on-stage too, embarking on his first headline arena tour of the UK that culminated in a momentous show at London’s iconic O2 arena before shows across Europe. The tour saw Tom sell over 180,000 tickets and receive praise by fans and critics alike for his efforts to keep ticket prices low and accessible for all fans - dismissing all VIP and platinum ticket options across the tour. The day after celebrating his #1 album, he made his euphoric Glastonbury debut, and has also performed stellar shows at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Capital’s Summertime Ball and more.Tom also took part in the acclaimed charity event Soccer Aid 2023 that saw him not only flex his football skills, but perform live in the half time break, and go on to earn ‘Player Of The Match’ for the second year in a row.

After more than 130 dates around the world in 2019, a Boiler Room which elevated him as one of the most promising artists of the new generation, Folamour has become in a few months the spearhead of a solar and dancing music that affects the whole planet.The experience and musical sensitivity of Folamour are plural and successful. After playing drums, bass, guitar and percussion, he worked with the Opéra national de Lyon and collaborated on projects ranging from pop to jazz. Therefore, his pieces are always marked by a rich musicality, imbued with romanticism, poetry and emotions. Folamour is inspired by the values of classical music, funk and disco, but brings it its own special touch.

Meet Gianmarco Cellini, a Belgian-based artist with proud Italian roots who creates percussion-driven and dancefloor-ready electronic music inspired by traditional influences from across the globe. His eclectic DJ sets go from hard-hitting techno to sublime house music, reflecting his unique perspective on electronic music and his talent for creating an energetic and engaging atmosphere in whichever style he likes. More so, his live sets are characterised by infectious flows, driving basslines, and intricate percussion, creating a rich and textured outcome that sounds organic and electronic, modern and timeless.

The most enduring artists don’t just make songs: they invite you into an entire world. That’s the mission in a nutshell of Wasia Project, aka London-based siblings Will Gao (20) and Olivia Hardy (18), whose intoxicatingly honest alt-pop has generated an entire ecosystem of like-minded fans with deep connections to the band’s scalpel-sharp take on adolescent growing pains. “Our fanbase is very young as well, and they're growing with us,” says Olivia, “We’re so in touch with [our audience] because of social media, which helps us create a place of belonging where you’re not alone.”That ethos has made Wasia Project one of the UK’s most exciting new pop acts. The band has an online audience of over almost 200K, eight million Spotify streams, and, in 2022, the duo’s music was streamed in 179 nations around the world. You’d be forgiven for not knowing that many countries existed. But their massive reach is a corollary of their pan-global approach to pop.Will and Olivia’s music dynamically melds styles and influences that cut across genre lines — and even entire hemispheres of musical tradition. In their songs, hushed bedroom DIY combines with classical nous, and spiky disco melds with freewheeling jazz, in a merging that’s underpinned by the duo’s deep knowledge of both Western and East Asian Classical styles. Wasia Project kicked off 2023 with “Petals on the Moon,” a multifaceted slice of indie pop perfection with an air-punch of a chorus that’s so addictive it should come with a warning. As well as the monster hook, there’s a sly depth to Olivia’s vocals as she sings “I can’t help but feel I’ll always be so blue” that lends the song the emotional heft of a young Joni Mitchell or Rickie Lee Jones. The same emotional nuance coursed through the band’s 2022-released debut EP. Titled how can i pretend?, the four-song project’s songs could pull you from the brink of tears to unabashed euphoria in the space of seconds. “You can’t stay high all the time,” says Olivia. “Without the moments of feeling down, you can’t have the wonderful ones.” The siblings grew up in Croydon, south London, with childhoods that were underscored by music. “Every night we would just dance,” says Will. “It was like 18 years of a nightclub — but the music would play all day.” They were raised by a Beijing-born mum and British dad who had, as Olivis puts it, the “wackiest” taste, and whose CD collection included musical theatre soundtracks, ABBA, Queen, Frank Sinatra, ELO, and jazz, as well as Western Classical and music from China and Japan. Both learned instruments from a very young age, with Will opting for classical piano, and Olivia learning violin with the Japanese technique of Suzuki, which focuses on learning to play by ear rather than sheet music. While at primary school, Will joined an acclaimed local choral group. “When my voice was higher, I was in the Trinity Boys Choir,” he says. “I ended up doing lots of opera on quite big stages, like Glyndebourne in the UK. It sparked my love of performance, but there are also these spine-tingling moments on stage in opera that sparked my love of catharsis in general.” Olivia was less enchanted with the genre. “I never got into it,” she says flatly. “I was a firm hater!” But the siblings did share a love of Stephen Sondheim’s “big leaps and random chord changes,” and Will can remember the exact car ride where he heard “Hey Jude” — down to the “ugly-ass building” in Purley that they were driving past at the time. “It was the first time that I felt something with lyrics and melody joining together to portray an emotion,” he says. “Before that it was just classical music.”Drawing from a lifetime of immersion in various musical traditions, Olivia and Will first began sharing music on SoundCloud in 2019. Their first track “why don’t u love me,” created on Garageband, was a threadbare blues confessional that you could imagine hearing in a smoky 1950s Soho jazz club. In an auspicious signpost of the real-talking candour and humour that enlivens Wasia Project’s songwriting to this day, the song’s caption read: “Did they friendzone u? Coz same.” For how can i pretend?, the band ditched laptop software for professional recording with Luke Pinell, a producer and a member of London’s Suedejazz Collective. The beat-switching jazz ballad turned euphoric party-starter “impossible” was a particular breakthrough, melding Will’s background in jazz with Olivia’s pop sensibility. “Olivia actually wrote the song when she was 14 and it was just an acoustic number,” says Will. “I was like, "This song could have a drum beat and compressed vocals. That became a pure blend of both of our vibes.” While Wasia Project is Oliva’s first experience with the flush of fame, Will is already a household name thanks to his character of Tao Xu in the sunny high school love story Heartstopper, a graphic novel series turned global Netflix phenomenon. The band are refreshingly candid about the benefits of the Heartstopper connection, but rightly don’t let that association define them or their rapidly growing audience. “Heartstopper fans found the music and related the music, so there was definitely a bonus from that,” says Will. “But we’re seeing an incoming listening audience of music lovers, and areas outside of the universe of Heartstopper.” They’ll always be a spot at Wasia Project shows for the Heartstopper cast though, some of whom Will says have become “my best friends” — one recent show featured a “very hidden” Kit Connor in the audience, singing his heart out. Artists can put up walls between themselves and their fans. But Wasia Project take a sledgehammer to any dividing hierarchy between themselves and their audience, creating space for creative connection to flourish. At their sold-out December show at London’s Omera, the band partnered with a local bubble tea vendor to offer free drinks to fans, many of whom were under 18. The gesture invited fans to experience a nostalgic treat that’s close to the siblings’ hearts. “We wanted to give them something we've grown up enjoying,” explains Will. And in early 2023, the band personally wrote thank you notes to dozens of fans, sending custom-designed postcards inspired by traditional Chinese woodblock prints. “The personal depth to the music can be expressed in a whole bunch of different ways,” says Olivia. “It’s not just limited to a show and an album. There are so many cool things we can do.” In a music industry that puts a premium on trend chasing and viral hits, Wasia Project make the quietly radical move of choosing to play the long game — and doing it in their own relatably real way. “We’re brutally honest with each other and there’s no bullshit,” says Will, as Olivia nods in agreement, before adding, of their sibling bond: “There’s no stepping on eggshells with us. Basically, it’s pure authenticity because we know each other so well.”

Blondshell is the angriest, clearest, and most vulnerable side of LA-based singer/songwriter Sabrina Teitelbaum. Blondshell is a woman who knows where her wounds are and instead of looking away, she studies them, cleans them, and sews them back up.Growing up in the early 2000s, in a chaotic New York City household, Teitelbaum sought comfort in the music of legends like Patti Smith, Joy Division, and the Velvet Underground. In a fingerless gloves phase, she found Imogen Heap and Elliott Smith, singing their songs at open mic nights around Manhattan. She discovered her sexuality around this time and found confidence in her queer identity while walking around the Lower East Side, listening to Tracy Chapman and Sophie B. Hawkins.Teitelbaum quickly learned to tell her own stories through songwriting and found relief in confessional lyricism - equal parts devastating and droll, sexy and tempestuous, yet always deeply relatable. It took her some time and a previous project to find her sound, but she has always clung to uncompromising truth in music, having honed her technique with producer Yves Rothman.Over wailing guitars and a masterful sense of melody, Blondshell sings about getting saved “not by Jesus but by validation.” Although her tones are predominantly dark and brooding, there is a bright sense of hope that shines through her adventurous song structures and undeniable hooks. Why else would you sing about getting saved, if not for believing that things could actually get better?

For METTE, the route to music was circuitous but destined. Now, she has found herself ready to emerge with music that explores tender emotions, complex feelings, and her life’s narrative.Growing up, she railed against the small town monoculture of Alexandria, Minnesota. The daughter of two ‘army brats’ (both of her grandfathers served in the U.S Army), her familial home instilled in her not only a disciplined work ethic, but a passion for music. Anita Baker, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, Pink Floyd, Lauryn Hill, and The Delfonics were the soundtrack to METTE’s younger years. With an eclectic musical taste, METTE began taking musical theatre classes, learning to play the bassoon, and attending youth choir, where she felt the first firm draw towards performance. It quickly became clear that performing was the end game. “I didn’t have the confidence to do music straight away, but dance just came more quickly to me,” she says. Identifying as a Black woman of mixed-race heritage, METTE didn’t see herself often mirrored in the live performance space growing up. But suddenly in 2014, with one single phone call inviting her to audition as a dancer for Pharrell, her direction started to change.After traveling the world with Pharrell performing concerts all over the globe, METTE won the coveted starring role in the N.E.R.D and Rihanna ‘Lemon’ video. This opportunity hurtled her towards fame. After years of grueling touring, METTE found herself in London working on a film project and was inspired to explore her musical dreams. And then Covid hit. “I was going through something when lockdown hit. I hadn’t seen my mom for 18 months, and out of my longing came a song about mothering, birthright, and her legacy… a celebration of imperishable bonds.” The outcome was what would later become her single, Mama’s Eyes; a track that has filled dance floors across the world with its syncopated dance beat that gradually heats up into a celestial gospel choir preaching the chorus.METTE’s signature is music to move your body to. Unrestricted by the need to align with one genre, she finds her sound at the crossroads of dance music and a myriad of possibilities. Her fans will undoubtedly want to see her dance and express herself through movement, and they can and will get that.

The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Henry Counsell and Louis Curran, the men who make up Joy (Anonymous). Having established themselves during the Covid-19 era by playing impromptu meet-ups on London’s South Bank, they have graduated to bigger venues, and recorded their second album, Cult Classics. Their music revels in the euphoria of being alive and all the feelings, good or bad, that come with it. 

’s Lands beste hiphopcrew – zegt Humo – houdt zich grotendeels op in het limbo, om er maar heel af en toe zeer gericht en vol bombarie uit te komen. BAM!Voor een nieuwe plaat bijvoorbeeld, of een verjaardag. Of gewoon omdat de hoofdrolspelers niet anders kunnen. Als Kowlier en Buyse lang genoeg in hun winterslaap van zijprojecten hebben gezeten, borrelt de goesting weer op tot het kookpunt bijna bereikt is, kruipen ze uit hun West-Vlaamse ghetto en laten ze hun oldskool beats en onverstaanbaar vrolijke lyrics opnieuw op de wereld los.‘t Hof van Commerce, since 1998, Niemand Grodder!

New producer, new album, back on tour in the States. New times for Black Box Revelation. As the world recovered from last years' crisis, the duo from Brussels found their inspiration in Andy Savours' dark and hidden studios in West London. The producer, known for his work for Black Country, New Road, Arctic Monkeys and my bloody valentine, invited them to come over and work on their new songs and sounds. A great match it seemed, as the band’s urge for a rock ’n’ roll album, in the naive spirit of their debut Set Your Head On Fire, became unstoppable. No time to waste, because the rock duo had been asked overseas to play the notorious Psych Fest Las Vegas, following a grinding tour through the West of the US in August 22. These shows in the land of endless dreams were only a sneak peak of what’s coming... Black Box Revelation in its purest state of mind, including the pounding drums of Dries Van Dijck and the roaring guitars and screaming voice of Jan Paternoster. 

‘Skinty Fia,’ the title of the much-anticipated third album by Fontaines D.C, translates to English as “the damnation of the deer.”“And the Irish giant deer is an extinct species,” explains bassist Conor Deegan III aka Deego. “But ‘skinty fia’ is also used as an expletive, in the way you’d say ‘For fuck’s sake’ if you bang your arm on a table or whatever. We just thought there was something really beautiful about that, because it’s really representative of Irish culture in some sense. We were interested in the idea of something really precious or sentimental and attached to family, but also something that’s been taken away from us. Which doesn’t mean we can’t cherish it.”Indeed, and the band’s thoughts on Irish identity are crucial to ‘Skinty Fia’ as they have relocated from their home country. 2019’s ‘Dogrel’ was mostly set in Dublin and was littered with snapshots of the city’s characters, like the cabbie in “Boys In The Better Land” who “spits out ‘Brits out!’, only smokes Carroll’s”. By contrast, their markedly different 2020 follow-up ‘A Hero’s Death’ was largely written on tour and documented the dislocation and disconnection the band felt from Ireland as they had new adventures around the globe. This time, they’re addressing their Irishness from afar as they recreate new lives for themselves elsewhere and try to resolve the need to broaden their horizons with the affection they still clearly feel for the land and people they’ve left behind. “It’s about being Irish and expressing that in London, and what can you take with you that makes you feel connected to home,” Deego explains. “We really tried to hold on to the things that made us Irish. There’s a sentimentality of sitting in an Irish pub in London, surrounded by other Irish people and it’s 4am, the lights are going off and half-remembering these old songs. On the other hand, there’s something dark and a little bit bleak about that.”

Stormzy is a multi-award-winning musician who hails from South London, England. His three albums to date; ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’, ‘Heavy Is The Head’ and ‘This Is What I Mean’ all finished at #1 in the UK album chart, with the former two subsequently being nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. His remarkable ascent has been accompanied by his honest and relatable character. A true spokesman of black empowerment and social activism, Stormzy is one of the UK’s most inspiring figureheads who has consistently stood up for people from all areas of life; encouraging his fans and listeners alike to speak openly about their beliefs and fight for their rights. In July 2018, he announced #Merky Books, an imprint within Penguin Random House UK, dedicated to publishing the best new fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and in August 2018 he announced ‘The Stormzy Scholarship’, an annual studentship to fund black British students to go to the University of Cambridge. Since its launch, the scholarship has supported six Black students through their Cambridge education and - in addition to their contribution in 2021 - earlier this year HSBC UK pledged a further £2m in funding (total of £4m 2021-26), and is expanding its mentorship and internship opportunities for Black Heritage students. In June 2020, he announced the launch of his charity, #Merky Foundation, to which he pledged £10 million, over 10 years, to organisations, charities and movements that are committed to fighting racial inequality, justice reform and black empowerment within the UK. In November 2022, Stormzy announced the launch of his collaborative venture with Adidas titled #Merky FC; a programme committed to enhancing and protecting diverse representation within the football industry.In August, the award-winning rapper teamed up with All Points East (APE) festival for his own headlining day, “This Is What We Mean Day” featuring a full day of artists curated by Stormzy and APE. The festival, which took place at Victoria Park in London, included performances from Kehlani, Sampha, Knucks, Lucky Daye, WSTRN, Ms Banks, The No Signal Stage and more.

 It all started with Carlos – a construction worker Fred met after a show in Atlanta. It was one of those chance encounters that’s difficult to describe if you weren’t there. Fred’s video clips from the evening do some of the job; Carlos’ voice – a joyous Southern drawl proclaiming “I want you to see me, friend! We gon’ make it through” – does the rest. Now, Carlos runs as a motif throughout Fred’s music. “He basically already was a song,” says Fred, better known as London-based producer Fred again.., “I just had to play chords.” This began Fred’s process of transforming momentary snippets by setting them to music. He was compiling a diary, of sorts. Over time, the diary grew as Fred, 27, gathered clips from nights out, stored voice notes, and combed through social media – seeking out musical moments in the everyday ephemera of life.The first few times Fred lifted art from others – the poem that forms the base of woozy club stomper ‘Kyle (I Found You)’, or the haunting monologue about living with depression that leads ‘Sabrina (I Am A Party)’ – he felt terrible. This didn’t feel like a consenting collaboration. But gradually he came to terms with it, helped by the overwhelming support and gratitude he received when he showed his songs to the people whose work he’d interpolated. He doesn’t put out anything without strict approval.Actual Life offers a glimpse into how Fred sees – or rather, how he hears – the world, and the people who bring it to life around him. He doesn’t write about experiences; he takes experiences and turns them into songs. He’s wildly gregarious, laughs a lot, optimistic to the last. This all transfers. Over the past five years, he’s brought this inescapable charisma to his work with everyone from FKA twigs to Stefflon Don, BTS, Jayda G, Romy and Burna Boy. It helped draw UK drill rapper Headie One out of his comfort zone, on the pair’s collaborative mixtape GANG, to dazzling effect. He’s also, to state it more plainly, wildly successful: in 2019 he spent 15 weeks (just shy of 30%) of the year at number one in the charts.Fred says he doesn’t believe in talent. He’s thought about it a lot, he says. Perhaps he’s right. Or perhaps being surrounded day-to-day by so many extraordinarily talented musicians (and more than a decade of mentorship from Brian Eno) has coloured his view. Either way, this belief has blinded him to his unique talent for seeing the music in passing moments – and his ability to capture the emotion of those instances so vividly in notes of his own. He writes pop music in the purest sense: songs that could be about anyone, but will mean something to everyone. Soon, however, his own spontaneous, spooling solo project, Actual Life, would take on a heavier, deeply personal significance. Fred had been collating sounds and making songs for a while, with no real aim or end goal other than making music and experimenting with this new way of working. Mostly, he was pouring everyday joy and love into these songs. But the spiralling illness of a close friend gave his project a new focus. And, with huge and unexpected tragedy, gave the project an end date too. Loss and pain are a part of life, so they became a part of Actual Life too. Fred’s lyrics hang in the tension between euphoria and the worry that one day it might end. Even songs written before the deterioration of his friend’s illness took on a new shape through the prism of the pair’s experience together. Rapturous piano chords, rich synths, and driving kick drums exalt a deeper sorrow. One track on the album, titled ‘Me (Quiet Evenings)’, features only Fred’s voice. Set in the suffocating environs of a hospital ICU, the track takes the album’s centre point and provides its rawest, most vulnerable moment.When Fred talks, he’ll often break out mid-conversation to sing a handful of notes, or tinkle a two-note riff on the piano, to punctuate or emphasise his point. He lets the music add another layer of emotion, or fill in the gaps. Actual Life is Fred’s own journey through joy and grief. But his songs – which revolve around dance, longing, lingering touch – all communicate something more universally felt too. Something that lets the listener know they’re not facing this alone.(Will Pritchard, February 2020)

NAFT is a Belgian tech house brass band. With 4 horns and 2 drums, NAFT plays contemporary techno and house classics into a new sonic universe.

Introspective and alluring are just a few of the prolific ways artist and songwriter Dasha has been described. Armed with a passion for telling her true story, Dasha has just released her debut country album, What Happens Now? The focus track, “Austin” has created a phenomenon online with millions of people engaging with the accompanying line dance. The New York Times has even named ‘Austin’ “one of the signature country songs of the year.” Dasha’s delicate delivery paired with her audacious and unapologetic artistry allows the rising star to “win the hearts of listeners everywhere” (Country Swag), a feat proven by amassing over 200 million streams to date.Marking her biggest year yet, Dasha recently made her late-night debut on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing her massive breakout hit, “Austin” and the following week, performed at the CMT Music Awards in Texas. The track has been added into rotation on several Sirius XM stations as well as being Top 50 on the Spotify Global Charts, currently climbing Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, peaking at #28. The incredible support has allowed her to reach fans across the country and the world. Dasha's music is “rooted in mature songwriting and a layered soundscape” (Earmilk) and is characterized by its authenticity, raw emotion, and relatability, mirroring her genuine self-expression. Harkening back to her upbringing in San Luis Obispo, California, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter recalls being immersed in the world of country, folk, and Americana music from an early age. As she honed in on her talents, Dasha began captivating audiences worldwide with her TikTok fanbase - creating a highly engaged platform to showcase her new music. This credibility in her storytelling has led Dasha to a place where her artistry truly thrives, creating a new era that marks a significant turning point in her career.

Sylvie Kreusch is uitgegroeid tot een van de meest indrukwekkende en opwindende artiesten in Europa. Haar expressieve optredens en spannende mix van pop en alternatieve geluiden brachten haar werk onder de aandacht van toonaangevende media als The Washington Post, Humo, Beats One en Dazed.Haar baanbrekende muziek en visuele kunst maakt in hoog tempo indruk op globale schaal binnen de muziek, film en mode. In 2020 presenteert Azzaro Couture haar Fall 2020-collectie met een videoclip voor haar single 'Seedy Tricks'. De campagne gaat in première bij The New York Times en is geregisseerd door Alessandro Cangelli en de in Cannes bekroonde regisseur Lukas Dhont. Kreuschs schittert in oktober met het zinnenprikkelende ‘Just A Touch Away’, een samenwerking met fotograaf Joost Vandebrug en stylist Tom Eerehout.Kreusch maakt voor het eerst furore in België met art-rockers Soldier's Heart en daarna Warhaus, het soloproject van Balthazar's Maarten Devoldere. Na het uitbrengen van haar debuut-EP BADA BING! BADA BOOM!, komt haar artistieke visie tot complete wasdom op het aankomende debuut, het meeslepende Montbray.Een ding is meteen duidelijk: Kreusch is niet verlegen om het emotionele vuurwerk de lucht in te schieten. Ze graaft alle verboden passages van het liefdesverdriet op met speels voyeurisme. Montbray is een plaat die voluit ademt en ventileert: niet alleen vanuit de tekst en zang, maar ook binnen de unieke mix van stijlen en invloeden. Kreusch is niet geïnteresseerd in popmuziek met een concreet statement: mysterie, dubio en suggestie voeren de boventoon. Deze nummers sluipen in en uit verschillende golflengten, of het nu gaat om het impressionistische samenspel van Can, de schunnige proza ​​van Serge Gainsbourg of de theatrale pop-ambacht van Kate Bush.De stijlvolle art pop van 'Shangri-La' en de trippy, flamenco-achtige slow burner 'Ending Up Alone' zouden op geen enkele andere plaat naast elkaar kunnen bestaan. Maar op het overwoekerde, besmeurde doek van Montbray versmelten ze als geschilderde gestalten achteloos in het decor. Op het ontroerende 'Remake Of Truth' speelt Kreusch met dubbelzinnige verlangens naar het snelle, decadente bestaan, om vervolgens het mes op de keel te drukken. “And if you ever try to hurt my sister,” fluistert ze onderkoeld, “you better run, man / Run as fast as you can.”De oorwurm 'Walk Walk' komt niet tot stand in de drukke stad, maar in de rustgevende, pastorale sfeer van Montbray, het dorp in Normandië waar de plaat naar is vernoemd, en tevens de plek waar een groot deel van de muziek is opgenomen. De inspiratie voor het nummer overvalt Kreusch wanneer ze een groep honden euforisch ziet rondrennen in de weilanden, tevreden met de frisse lucht, de overvloed aan ruimte en de voeding van de natuur. Hun gehuil en geblaf vormen de starstruck getuigen die in een opslag weer verliefd worden. Montbray belichaamt die herontdekking van liefde en levenslust met evenveel dramatiek als brute, ongepolijste waarheid. De waarheid dat liefde misschien beperkt houdbaar is binnen een onuitgesproken leegte, of schuilend in de schaduwkant van een ander. Die liefde vloeit onstuimig en oneindig voort in Sylvie Kreuschs meest natuurlijke, gekoesterde habitat: op eenzame hoogte, onder het felste voetlicht.

At 25-years-old, British singer-songwriter Jorja Smith has already spent close to a decade soaring in the music world, with her gorgeous voice and searing pen. From Walsall, the West Midlands, Smith has collaborated with an astonishing roster of international stars like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Stormzy, Burna Boy, Kali Uchis, Popcaan; in 2018, she was the first independent artist to win the coveted BRITs Critics Choice Award; that same year, Lost & Found, her debut album, was released to rave reviews and a Mercury Prize-nomination. She also won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist in 2019, and was nominated that same year for the Grammy for Best New Artist. Beneath the surface of her successes, though, as she became a known entity in the public eye, Jorja Smith was growing overwhelmed with it all. And so it is that she arrived at the title for her long-awaited second full-length: Falling or Flying, a record that serves as a snapshot of a young woman growing up, confidently stepping into her light in the face of the whirring cogs of worry, and making music entirely on her own terms. Working with Walsall production duo, her old friends DAMEDAME*, it’s a sonically vast record – sometimes sleek and shiny R&B, sometimes vibey and heated UK funky, elsewhere intense and raw alternative. Lyrically, she delves into relationships – friendships, romances, the press, the music industry; but mainly, the one she has with herself. “I’ve gotten better at trusting myself, not doubting myself as much, and not being so affected and worried by other peoples’ opinions,” she explains with a smile, “So much of the time I think I’ve written a song about someone, and then realise I’m actually talking about myself. Sometimes these songs are just me being there for myself.” On Falling or Flying, then, Jorja Smith is reminding herself (and us), that whether things are up or down, she’s very much in control. In fact, as she grows and holds herself, she’s fully thriving.