Eurosonic Nooderslag 2018 will run from 17-20 January. An important exchange and networking platform for European music, the festival attracts over 4000 delegates, including 400 international festivals, 300 artists and a conference programme featuring 150 panels, keynote speakers, interviews, workshops, dinners, pitches, parties and meetings on the latest developments in the international music, media, and production.
This year’s roster is packed with a host of quality artists. We’ve picked out some of our favourites from this year’s line up:
Molécule (Friday, 19 Jan)
French producer and explorer Molécule has an affinity for creating music in harsh environments. In 2015 he released 60°43’Nord via Ed Banger Records, a concept album recorded at sea. His journey lasted 34 consecutive days, with no stops, aboard a 300-foot colossal shipping vessel deemed Joseph Roty II, with nothing but his ‘electro-survival-kit’ consisting of six keyboards, two guitars, three mics, seven effects pedals, a computer, a mixer, speakers and a beat box – to play, record and mix an album amidst the unforgiving icy ocean.
His latest offering was inspired through embarking on a life-changing, perception-altering expedition to capture the frigid flow of the Arctic Circle. The video for ‘Violence’ was directed by acclaimed indie videographer and visual artist Morgan Beringer (The Rolling Stones, Ghostly International, National Geographic) and features strong visuals of sled-hunting and tracking in a dizzying voyage through the frosted tundra.
Monolithe Noir (Friday 19 Jan)
Belguim-based producer and sound artist Antoine Pasqualini, better known as Monolithe Noir, started out his musical endeavours involved with pop bands, and participating in various musical projects. The young musician eventually discarded old composition habits and traditional instruments in favour of modular synthesis, to create his own idiosyncratic soundscape – melodies and drumming incorporating elements of drone and ambient. Read our interview with Monolithe Noir here.
Theodore (Thursday, 18 Jan)
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Theodore will be releasing his new single ‘Towards? (for what is to come)’ on March 2nd. Based in Athens, his unique mélange of influences allow a broad scope of movement from ethereal to post rock. He has has gained notoriety for his memorable live performances, dazzling audiences with his mesmerizing stage presence, and has written music for theatrical pieces such as Matina Megla’s Window, Vladan Nikolic’s film Bourek, and wrote a new score for Buster Keaton’s classic silent comedy of 1928, The Cameraman. Theodore and his band then performed the score live to the film screening, in the unforgettable setting of the Temple of Zeus in Athens.
Fusing classical composition with electronic elements to create beautiful, atmospheric and often cinematic songs, his sound is characterized by contrasting styles. Citing influences such as Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Doors, Chatzidakis, Vagelis Papathanasiou, Nils Frahm, The National, Olafur, Arcade Fire, Max Richter, Theodore fuses classical composition with electronic elements to create beautiful, atmospheric and often cinematic songs.
Pale Grey
Pale Grey are a dream-pop/indietronica trio from Liège, Belgium. They released their first EP in 2011, Put Some Colors, and went on to release Best Friends in 2013. After a host of successful festival appearances, the announcement of their upcoming album Waves has been met with excitement by critics and fans alike, and the trio have been hard at work promoting the new release on the road, and the video for their recent track ‘Late Night feat. Serengeti’ was premiered by Rolling Stone. Read our interview with Pale Grey here.
LUWTEN (17 and 18 Jan)
Tessa Douwstra, better known as LUWTEN, is an Amsterdam based singer, songwriter and sound artist. Collaborating with Frank Wienk (BINKBEATS) her debut album – simply titled ‘Luwten’ is an arresting exploration of sound and emotion.
She will be taking to the stage with a string of live dates in Europe over the next few months and will undoubtedly lull audiences into submission with her dreamy soundscapes and idiosyncratic voice. Read our interview with LUWTEN here.
Avec (Friday 19, January)
Austrian songstress AVEC is preparing to release a new album What If We Never Forget on February 9th. I the meantime, she has shared singles ‘Bones’, ‘Waiting For’ as well as ‘Waiting For Remixes’ which includes reworkings by electronic producers Alex Schulz, HOUT and Nora Medin.
Although inspired by the likes of Bon Iver, John Mayer, The Lumineers, Oscar and the Wolf, Kings of Leon, Daughter, RYX, AVEC succeeds in creating her own language, where her imagination and ideas come together in her music. AVEC’s sound is comparable to the magical atmosphere just before the sun sets behind the mountains. It is melancholic but hopeful: the sun will rise again tomorrow.
Diron Animal (Thursday 18 Jan)
Nirox Romão, or as he is better known, Diron Animal, was born and raised in Cazenga, Angola. There he quickly learned to make the most out of everything that surrounded him, an exercise in imagination that has stood him stead throughout his musical career.
His solo offering, Alone is an album that combines his many influences, from afro beat to afro house, from hip hop to funk, from kuduro to coupé décalé. His current moniker, Diron Animal reflects the purpose of the album: to put all of its listeners in a frenzied dancing state by summoning the animal inside that can only be brought out by the frenetic sounds of dance music.Read our interview with Diron Animal here.
For more info on Eurosonic Nooderslag go to www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl and follow them on Facebook.
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