Fri. 02 March — Sun. 04 March 2018
Doors at 15:00

KRAAK festival 2018

Miaux (BE), Felicia Atkinson (FR), Apulati Bien (FR), Ka Baird (US), Leila Bordreuil (FR), Sandra Boss (DK), Peter Burr (US), Liz Durette (cancelled), Capelo (BE), David Edren (BE), Jung An Tagen (AT), Lemones (BE), Osilasi (FR), Paradon’t (DE), Pinkie Bowtie (BE/NL), Red Brut (NL), SEF III (US), Still House Plants (UK), Transport  (DE), Zarabatana (PT), Peter Zummo (US), DJs Entr'acte & Risiko Press (UK/BE), DJS Hnos. González (VE/BE), Record Fair

Due to insane weather conditions, Liz Durette is stuck in Dublin and cannot make it for her concert on Sunday. Miaux will replace her.

We are very proud to announce KRAAK FESTIVAL 2018, our yearly exploration of an endless expanding universe that we call off-stream music! Also for this year’s edition we will take over the heart of Brussels, as we are again hosted by the fine people of Beursschouwburg. So buckle up, flex your eardrums and muscles for a 3 day journey through musical Imagination in its purest and challenging form!

Tickets:
Fr/Sa/Su: buy here.
Combi: buy here.


Fr   15 
Sa   30 
Su   15 
Combi   45 

LINEUP & LOCATIONS


Fri. 02 March 2018
Gouden Zaal / Café

19:00Doors
20:00Opening by Pinkie Bowtie
20:10Sandra Boss
20:45Osilasi
21:45Alone With The Moon (film by Peter Burr)
22:00Ka Baird
22:45Transport
23:45Arcology (film by Peter Burr)
00:00Jung An Tagen
00:45DJS Hnos. González (café)

Sat. 03 March 2018
Gouden Zaal / Café

14:30Doors
15:00Record Fair (café)
15:15SEF III
16:00Green / Red (film by Peter Burr)
16:15Leila Bordreuil
17:15Pattern Language (film by Peter Burr)
17:30Red Brut
18:15Still House Plants
19:00Break
20:15Zarabatana
21:00Descent (film by Peter Burr)
21:15Capelo
22:15Lemones
23:15Nematodes (film by Peter Burr)
23:30Paradon't
00:15Apulati Bien
01:00DJ's Entr'acte & Risikopress (café)

Sun. 04 March 2018
Gouden Zaal

15:00Doors
15:30David Edren
16:30Miaux
17:30Peter Zummo
18:30Peter Burr & Felicia Atkinson
19:30Closing by Pinkie Bowtie

Sandra Boss

Electronic composer and sound artist Sandra Boss reveils the sonic details in obsolete instruments and material through abstract compositions, sound installations and performances. Her work is structuralist at its core, researching the key elements of music — pure sounds, noise and crackle. She defines an alternative for the post-romantic narrative, applying a dehumanized view on music as a pure, and autonomous organism that appears in different, ever changing forms — ranging from exciting boredom, abstract sculptural phenomena or an emotional and physical engaging body.

Osilasi

Brussels based duo of harpist Léa Roger (Guili Guili Gulag) and drummer/singer Célia Jankowski (Vitas Guerulaitis). One can refer to a fine blend of post-velvet experimentation, spiritual free jazz, French prog folk and Malinese music, but that would equally distract one’s attention from their wild beauty and imagination.

Peter Burr

Peter Burr is an artist from Brooklyn specializing in animation and installation. A master of computer animation, with a gift for creating images and environments that hover on the boundary between abstraction and figuration, Burr has in recent years devoted himself to exploring the concept of an endlessly mutating labyrinth. Existing as stand-alone pieces, much of his work is also in the process of expanding into a video game, and both music, in collaboration with Lucky Dragons and Jlin. For the KRAAK festival 2018 he will present a series of films and a exclusive AV performance in collaboration with the Shelter Press head honcho and visual artist/musician Felicia Atkinson.

Ka Baird

Half of the free folk avant psych outfit Spires in the Sunset Rise, Ka Baird hovers through an brutal take on spiritual free jazz. With flute, vocals, loops and rudimentary electronica she creates on her debut album (Sapropelic Pycnic, Drag City) a swirling universe that recalls the Fourth World Explorations of Jon Hassell and alikes, but equally electro-acoustic compositions of Léo Kupper, in a vision of Alice Coltrane. The future of music is bright, exotic, colorful and is is called Ka Baird.

Transport

There is still big parts of unknown territory to be unveiled in the so-called KRAUT rock genre. Transport dedicates themselves to reviving and exploring those undiscovered realms. The collective is a free wheeling monster in Motorik Beats, psychedelic guitars and afrobeat bass grooves. Would you ever refuse a highly crafted coctail of Neu! and Can, spiced up with some Ralf & Florian and the best that current psychotropic music offers?

Jung an Tagen

Vienna-based post-millennial, hardcore arpeggiator and loose avant-gardist of all things new techno. The man proved with his latest record Das Fest der Reichen (edition Mego, 2016) that there is a direct link between hardcore gabba music and the sound experiments of the Darmstadt studio’s. In his universe, abstract electronic music is absolutely to dance on, and techno could be a banger in terms of hermetic experiment.

SEF III

Trio of Max Eilbacher, Alex Moskos and Duncan Moore that take the fine art of absurdist text-sound composition, electro-acoustic collages and sound synthesis into a playful field of performance, fluxus inspired poetry and confusing music. Highly recommended: the tape on the ever amazing Ehse Records.

Leila Bordreuil

This French, New York-based cellist improvises her way into unkown territories in the so-called dusty genre of improv and new music. She applies the cello applying as an abstract resonant body to challenge conventional cello practice. She is one of the rare cross breeds that equally masters sensitive micro-textural composition as vital and wild improvised noise. Collaborations are numerous and all-telling: with Nate Wooley, C. Spencer Yeh, Toshimaru nakamura, Susan Alcorn, Chris Corsano, Bell Nace and many more.

Red Brut

Marijn Verbiesen must be one of the forces that keeps the Rotterdam underground together, as being part of numerous projects (like Sweat Tongue and JSCA) and as organizer of the infamous Herman concert series. But she is foremost she is a highly talented musician that debuts with a stunning vinyl with highly personal tape collages on KRAAK. The future of musique concrète is here amongst us and is called Red Brut.

Still House Plants

Glasgow based avant-rock trio writing songs that are on the verge of collapsing, leaving a highly confusing residu of seemingly improvised drums, indie rock guitars and heart breaking blues singing. You can refer to Robert Wyatt, Ornette Coleman and Elysia Crampton, and even later days Talk Talk; but Still House Plants definitely has its own distinctive, unique and grand voice. Highly recommend: their debut tape Assemblages on the Glarc imprint.

Zarabatana

It’s hard not to mention Zarabatana and free jazz in one sentence. But this Portugese trio of drums, upright bass and trompet hi-jack the heritage of Art Ensemble of Chicago from the institution, and bring it back to where it belongs: in a urban complex of fast moving bodies, wild exotic night life and tranquilized woods.

Capelo

Brussels-based synth duo, and one of the revelations of last year with an amazing single on Lexi Disques. Deeply melancholic pop tunes from a by gone era, injected with euphoric melodies and rhythms. Pop music born in and for the ever vivid Brussels underground, ready to conquer the world.

Lemones

We are the Young Professionals, we have no genitals!

Another revelation born in the bedlam of the highly dynamic underground of Brussel. A (so-called) crap wave explosion that impersonates the best of no wave and dada performance — although they are too unique to reduce them to one or two art movements. Lemones practice the absurd as a highly form of art, rock ’n’ roll becomes a readymade in which self build instruments, chaotic songs and brutal energy are channeled towards a next level; be not mistaken, there is serious poetry in play!

Paradon’t

German electronic duo hailing from the Black Forest. The duo are Don’t DJ (part of the durian brothers) and Paraklang, bothe renowed solo musicians transmutating techno in a highly graceful formal experiment infused with trance elements and polyrhythms. Their EP Thrd Mpct Ep (DISK records) is universe on its own, but equally the best club music that we heard since ages.

Apulati Bien

Youngster who is part of the infamous Outreglot collective. He creates a warped out designer-drugged world with fragments of neo-juke, splatter beats and arrythmic sampling. Apulati Bien pushes the electronic realms of equally RP Boo and Hiele further into an radical terrain that is visceral, brutal and danceable. Post-Millennial madness from the true hearted international basement scene.

David Edren

David Edren is the real name of the man behind the long-running and synth project DSR Lines, and his disguise to explore theme-based (non-modular) sound synthesis. Last year he released the piece Electronic Gamelan Music (Social Harmony, 2017) in which he redefines the exotica style using midi-controlled patterns. The soothing and slowly transmutating compositions channel mind burning micro-experiences, and are one of the best current experiments in new age.

Peter Zummo

Legendary trombonist who comes out of the underground music scene of New York in the late 70ties and 80ties. Mostly reknowed for the collaboration with Arthur Russell, his own work displays a similar naivity, openness and highly evolved conceptualism.

Liz Durette (cancelled)

Miaux

Synth queen and master of post-romantic melancholia.