Performers
AUDIO BULLYS (UK)
It is not true that the electronica and dance scene is dead. It certainly is not though so in England where interesting fruit is ripening on the trees planted two decades ago. The London-based duo of Simon Franks and Tom Dinsdale has been part of that since 2003 when they released their debut album, Ego War. As the benefit current electronica artists have is a higher degree of eclecticism than their predecessors used, Audio Bullys were not afraid to spice their house style with hip-hop, punk, or funky. It is no wonder then that the “freshener” worked. The track Shot You Down with a sample of Nancy Sinatra’s voice from their much easier and darker second album, Generation, scored Number 3 in the British charts. Suggs, the legendary frontman of the even more legendary ancestors of British ska – Madness, was one of the people who participated on the 2010 album, Higher than the Eiffel. More
!DELADAP FEAT. GIPSY.CZ (AT/CZ)
The Dela Dap band was founded as a project by Stani Vana, a Romani DJ, producer, and visual artist. Vana invited the Hungarian vocalist Melinda Stojka and her compatriot Tibor Barkoczy, a jazz pianist and arranger, to participate in the ensemble. Their music springs from Roma roots and attempts to join various cultures and centuries. After a series of single records, !Dela Dap released their first CD Cigani Rusza + Angelo with twelve tracks in the fall of 2004. The other albums, Dela Paji and Sara La Kali appeared in 2006 and 2008, respectively. For this summer, they are working on the new album, Gypsy Kicks. It is recorded in the broader, innovative line-up and shifts the sound to the modern conception of pop music. More
A-N-G FEATURING DJ BESHO (AFG)
An Afghan gangsta rapper is something we maybe have not seen in the country, not even at United Islands. He certainly is not one of those who need to read books about hard-knock life. When he was 10, his best friend was blown into pieces by a bomb and all his family left the country to escape from the war. They have seen the world: they have been to China, Russia, Germany, and Besho now lives in London. When he became a musician, he managed to get in touch with his home country, became quite popular and hit the airwaves of Afghanistan. “I am proud that Besho is Afghan,” one of his fellow compatriots has told to the Times recently. He says that his travels around the world have had a substantial influence on his music. After all, that also shows in the languages he raps his rhymes in – his native Dari, Hindu, German, and English. He says his number one model is Tupac Shakur, a man who was murdered “in style” at a drive-by incident. Besho, on the other hand, only fights with his music and rap; he is a fundamental opponent to fists and guns. That is the message he is trying to convey to his fans. Even rappers, too, need more than politics in their lives – his most famous songs are about love. More
AXMUSIQUE (PL)
This nontraditional duo of producers goes onstage with a lineup of three to serve the vocals, electronics, and percussion. Their music springs from two sets of roots: firstly, it is the passion for rock and roll with the sharp riffs and energetic vocals; secondly, it is an irrevocable need to build on the solid beats of dance music. As a result, the original electro-rock has the potential to appeal to both hypothetical groups of listeners. AXMusique will satisfy those who believe in traditional rock music (with the assistance of abundant sequencers and other gadgets) as well as the fans of break beat who can draw from the electronic rhythm potential the band has to offer. More
BARBARA NESBITT BAND (US)
Nesbitt is a singer-songwriter of the utterly typical American kind. A native to Virginia, she has been through all the “obligatory” life stages of the typical “troubadour with a guitar”: she has been a runaway teenager, founded several bands, and won several awards for Singer-songwriter of the Year in various local media both in her native state of Virginia and in her new home in San Diego, Texas. She has also performed with a number of true American music stars ranging from Meredith Brooks, Hootie & The Blowfish to Jerry Garcia. Her songs tell stories from her very private life and Nesbitt guarantees the lyrics with her life. Furthermore, American reviewers have been using descriptions such as “not since the best time of June Carter Cash and Emmylou Harris has there been such a unique voice”. It certainly will be worth the try to go and see her clairvoyance firsthand. More
BEŇA & PTASZEK (CZ/SK)
In their performances, Luboš Beňa, a veteran bluesman from Slovakia, and Matěj Ptaszek, a Czech vocalist, resurrect the “good ol’ times” of Black music in the USA in the 1920’s and 30’s. In their concept, this music certainly did not appear out of the blue: Beňa, probably the only one of Czech and Slovak blues musicians, took no chances and travelled through the area where the music was born, the states of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee, and drew experience right at the source. Matěj Ptaszek is a former busker for whom the street is the most natural environment for performing blues music. He sings in a falsetto which he amplifies with an old disc phonograph tube; this allows him to achieve the sound effect that is typical for the classic records of the music style. The duo have released several albums one of which was recorded in Czech Republic’s highest-security prison, Mírov. More
