BALKAN TRAFIK! FESTIVAL 19th-21st APRIL 2018 @ BOZAR 22nd APRIL 2018 @ Grand Place of Brussels PRESS KIT SUMMARY 1. PRESS RELEASE .......................................................................... 3 2. PROGRAM ................................................................................. 4 2.1 LINE-UP .......................................................................................... 4 2.2 THE URBAN CHAPTER ..................................................................... 8 2.3 HAPPENINGS ................................................................................ 10 2.4 EXPOS .......................................................................................... 13 2.5 WORKSHOPS ................................................................................ 15 2.6 FILMS ........................................................................................... 16 2.7 GIANT HORO ................................................................................ 17 3. PRACTICAL INFORMATION ....................................................... 18 4. PARTNERS ............................................................................... 19 2 1. PRESS RELEASE The 12th edition of Balkan Trafik is here ! Alighting at the BOZAR from 19 - 22 April 2018, this is the festival that celebrates the cultures of South-Eastern Europe and their relationship with Brussels, the capital of Europe. The programme includes Candan Erçetin, exceptional ‘urban arts’, the best of klezmer music and dub, powerful brass bands and great masters. Furthermore, Bulgaria is given place of honour in this year’s programming. Constantly evolving, Balkan Trafik! has moved forward at the same swift pace as progress in the Balkans. More than 400 artists from every country of South-Eastern Europe, covering all musical styles, will appear on 5 stages. This year, Bulgaria will play a starring role, providing around 100 artists from both Sofia and Plovdiv. Plovdiv, the country’s second largest city, is home to the prestigious Academy of music, dance and fine arts, and has been named European capital of culture for 2019. The whole program will be flavoured with Balkan Trafik’s trademark – a unique atmosphere where lots of artists jam together in an exotic setting. Candan Erçetin, the Turkish singer of Albanian origin, will open the festival on Thursday 19 April. On Friday 20 April, pride of place will be given to a new generation of artists engaged in cultural and social change. "Urban Chapter"will showcase the best of urban sounds from Bosnia- Herzegovina (Frenkie), Serbia (Marčelo), Bulgaria (SkilleR beatboxing), Roumania (Benji Horvath’s amazing slams) or furthermore from Kosovo (BimBimma). From the dynamic Belgian music scene, they’ll meet with Hexaler, Youssef Swat and Convok, among other headliners like DJ Odilon, all providing unique sets of beatbox, slam, hip-hop and urban dance. Also performing will be Dubioza Kolektiv, a well-known Bosnian dub group with politically engaged lyrics, and Džambo Aguševi Orchestra’s brass band, representing the best of modern and traditional music. Finally, Mitsoura, the Rom singer from Hungary with her unmistakably unique sound, will premier her latest creation. On Saturday 21 April, a diverse medley of styles and sounds, unique to Balkan Trafik!, will take to the stage. There’s klezmer music with the unrivalled Amsterdam Klezmer Band accompanied by the Hungarian Tambura band, Söndörgő, and the acclaimed Romanian brass band, Fanfare Ciocărlia. Living legends like Savína Yannátou, the embodiment of Albanian iso polyphony of the Albanian National Ensemble of Folk Songs and Dances and Bulgarian and Serbian polyphonies will also perform. Finally on Sunday 22 April, Brussels’ Grand-Place will host a giant ‘horo’ dance, the traditional communal dance of the Balkans and the Middle East. Open to all, the event will celebrate the diversity of Belgium’s capital. In addition to these highlights, Balkan Trafik! will offer dozens of other concerts, art installations, several exhibitions and lectures but also animations throughout the festival with the Kukeri group from Rakovski (Bulgarie). 3 2. PROGRAM 2.1 LINE-UP ♦ Candan Erçetin To open this year's Balkan Trafik Festival, the Turkish singer of Albanian origin Candan Erçetin is proposing a concert of music from Turkey and the Balkans. This now legendary Francophile figure on the Turkish scene debuted with the group Klips ve Onlar when she represented her country in the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest. After studying classical opera at the Istanbul Conservatory she quickly became a household name in Turkey as a host of television and radio programmes. Her first album Hazırım (I am ready), on which she sings songs from Thrace and Macedonia, shot to the top of the charts on its release in 1995. Over the years, success and prizes have followed, including two MCM awards for her video clips. While continuing her television work, in 2009 she was appointed lecturer at Galatasaray University and began to work more closely with international film production. After a career spanning more than 20 years she is now firmly established worldwide as one of the best interpreters of Balkan songs, whether accompanied by historical arrangements or contemporary sounds. 19.04 I 8pm ♦ Fanfare Ciocărlia Fanfare Ciocărlia (literally, the song of the lark) was founded in 1996 by Henry Ernst, when he discovered the brass band of Zece Prajini, a small isolated village in Romania. Recruiting a dozen of the band’s musicians, the German world music aficionado organised a triumphant first tour in his home country. The band has grown since then and now counts 24 musicians as members. They have performed across the world, bringing the tradition inherited from their ancestors alive like never before with the authentic spirit of gypsy music. The dizzying speeds at which they play, the sudden rhythm changes and extraordinary brass sounds, make this band stand out from the others. Playing Balkan grooves for more than 20 years, they are at ease with the gypsy repertoire, performing traditional Romanian songs, or jazz, rock and funk classics. To celebrate their milestone anniversary, they released a new CD titled Onwards to Mars, named ‘Best European Album of 2017’ by the Songlines Music Awards. In this album, Fanfare Ciocărlia explore Romanian folk, as well as contemporary Balkan music, and includes extraordinary musical collaborations, for example with Puerto Candelaria, one of the best Columbian cumbia groups. 21.04 I 00am ♦ Džambo Aguševi Orchestra The Džambo Aguševi Orchestra is without a doubt the best orchestra in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Džambo’s fame and talent is no coincidence. Born into a family of musicians, he was a child trumpet prodigy. He joined his uncle's orchestra at the age of 11, and that year he recorded his first CD. Winning all the major music competitions – including Serbia's prestigious Guča Festival, which brings together the best musicians in the Balkans – Džambo was soon lending his name to his own brass band. After going on to win every prize imaginable with this band, he was even asked to give other musicians a chance by no longer competing in international competitions! Today he has a large following in the Balkans and other countries where his popularity continues to grow. He is frequently invited to perform in Turkey where he can already boast a brilliant career stretching back a number of years and has played in countries including Australia, the United States, Mexico and across Europe. 20.04 I 11pm 4 ♦ From East to East From East to East was founded by Polish author-composer and pianist Yaroslav Gawryluk. They perform music from Eastern Europe that combines gypsy, klezmer and even Turkish traditions to create a truly unique sound. The audience is transported to the heart of the Balkans through vocal and instrumental pieces or dances, with accordion, violin, clarinet, classical guitar, double bass and percussion. With a reputation for attention to detail, the members of the group will take you on an exciting musical journey full of diversity. From songs driven by infectious rhythm to works of great emotion, you will find yourself fully immersed in From East to East’s unique atmosphere. 21.04 I 10:15pm & 01:30am ♦ Mitsoura In the 2000s, Mitsoura was one the best Hungarian ethno-electronic bands, famous for its search for a unique and unusually complex sound – a sound that was sampled by Beyoncé in Drunk in Love and used by director Tony Gatlif in the soundtrack of Gadjo dilo. After a seven year hiatus, the legendary Monika ‘Mitsou’ Miczura, one of the most respected voices of Rom music, and Mark Moldvai, the other historical bulwark of the group, got back together, and joined forces with exceptional musicians such as Andras Jeli, Barna Gabos and Sandor Fodo. Together, they have revisited traditional Rom and authentic folk music by mixing it with a collage of 21st century electro cinematic sounds, sweeping the audience off their feet with breath-taking visual effects. Prepare for a multimedia concert that will live up to Mitsoura’s extraordinary reputation! 20.04 I 10pm ♦ Bubliczki Founded in 2007, Bubliczki are seven of the most exciting musicians to emerge from the new Polish folk scene. Combining Kashubian culture with klezmer harmonies and Balkan grooves, they have performed hundreds of concerts. Overflowing with energy, Bubliczki are an incarnation of turbofolk, their explosive stage presence combining with the virtuosity of a Rom band! 20.04