Stavroz is big. Considering the facts that this Ghent-based collective has been releasing a string of solid EP’s over the years (through labels like Laut & Luise, Délicieuse Records, Denature Records and their own Moodfamily) and that they have played sold out venues in every corner of the world, it's remarkable they have not yet been featured on any major magazine cover. More so, few people may actually know that other than Amelie Lens and Charlotte De Witte, Stavroz was the third act representing Belgian club music on Coachella this year.

Since the release of their debut EP in 2013, IJsbrand De Wilde and Gert Beazar – both DJ's and sound engineers – made Stavroz grow into a full band, now joined by Pieter De Meester and Maxim Helincks. Although the guys have a background in club culture, they have a unique way of stretching their concept of dancefloor music by blurring tempos and taking the listener into new and surprising directions. Some call it electronica, while other fans came up with the name gangster jazz. For the guys themselves, organic house still covers the load. We met with Gert and IJsbrand – both incredibly down-to-earth dudes – at their headquarters in Ghent for a little coffee chat.

Hey guys, how has summer been treating you?

IJsbrand: We already had a lovely time. In addition to clubs and festivals, we are increasingly playing concert venues. It's completely different. To start playing around 9 in the evening, instead of in the middle of the night, squashed in between other DJ’s. That's nice.

Gert: We recently did some shows like that in Turkey and Germany. It's an evolution that we've been pushing ourselves towards. Later this year, we also have gigs like this in New York and at Amsterdam Dance Event.

It seems you're quite big in other countries. Is that a matter of local taste?

G: Maybe, yes. Perhaps we are more associated with fluffy techno here in Belgium. In each region, genres evolve in their own way and at their own pace. Our music was picked up much faster in the Middle East and The Netherlands for example. That said, we can definitely not complain about the chances we are getting here. This summer we played Extrema Outdoor, Paradise City Festival and WECANDANCE. In September, Antwerp’s Docklands Festival will be added to that list. Our DJ-sets also regularly bring to Fuse club.

Although you started out as a duo, it seems that Stavroz has, both in the studio and on stage, become a full band thing.

IJ: That has grown organically. We just wanted to be a band.

G: On stage, we are two producers and two multi-instrumentalists. Maxim is predominantly a guitarist and Pieter mostly plays bass (or the occasional saxophone). Additionally, we all play a little bit of keys.

IJ: We also have a mixing console on stage. I do the front of house mix, which makes sense for our setup.

G: Many mixers (sound engineers) give priority to the instruments over the beats. In a certain way, we actually want our set to sound like a DJ-set, so the music has to pop out, not because of the instruments but from the rhythm and groove. Not everyone understands that well. IJsbrand is part of the production process of the music, so he perfectly understands how the live results should sound.

How do you figure out the energy and flow of a DJ-set as a 4-piece band?

G: This evolution towards a live performance where the crowd is constantly engaged on the dance floor did not go without a struggle. We didn't really have an example either. Of course, there are Belgian bands like Soulwax or Goose, which do something similar, but our music, certainly in the beginning, was a lot subtler and softer. That made it harder for people to really let themselves loose on the dancefloor.

IJ: It was a matter of trial and error. By playing live, our sound has also become less subtle.

G: On the other hand, sometimes cool song ideas emerge on stage. Occasionally you do something different, by accident or on purpose, and then the rest picks up on it. From these moments, some songs came out that are a bit heavier or more guitar-oriented for example.

So, future releases might sound rougher?

G: They may sound a little rougher than five years ago, but it is not Rammstein. It's still intimate. You can be rough and romantic at the same time.

At the same time, you also manage keep the tempo quite slow on the dancefloor.

G: We play a lot with the tempo during our sets.

IJ: It can go in all directions. We even go up towards 192 bpm in our current set.

G: A vibe does not depend on a certain tempo. It’s the atmosphere that prevails.

IJ: When we are playing at a moderate pace, we still put a certain rhythm into it, so the music doesn’t feel to slow for the listener.

G: Much like sex, you can also reach a climax if you go slow (laughs).

When will there be new music?

G: Around the turn of the year we'll release a new EP on our own label, Moodfamily. There's more in the pipeline of course, but we can’t tell you about that just yet.

IJ: We also made music with David Poltrock. It is not yet clear where we will release that one. It's a funny collab, because David used to be our teacher in school and now we’re having studio time with him. He really is a super nice guy and an incredible musician.

What does that collaboration sound like?

IJ: There is some prepared piano in there, which is his signature sound of course. There were no rules, we just started jamming. Afterwards, we took those recordings to our studio and started cutting them up and arranging them. Now we are working it out, sending files back and forth. We love where it’s going.

You mentioned your label, Moodfamily. What's the story behind it?

G: It's an agency too. We run the whole operation together with some friends. We're mainly involved in the creative side of the label alongside AMyn. When we’re not in the studio or on tour, we try to make as much time for the label as possible. It's something we just really enjoy.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIJ: It’s\nmore than that. If you release on other labels, you often have to wait for a\nlong time. You end up in a queue of releases, which could sometimes take months\nor even years. If we want to release something in the short term, we can do\nthat with Moodfamily. As we constantly meet new people and see different\nplaces, our sound is always evolving, so being able to act fast is important.\nIt’s a strange idea to realize that something that I make today, would only be\nreleased in 18 months on another label.

In which ways does all the traveling affect the music?

IJ: Sometimes it does, very directly. We made the Gold Town EP in Mexico. In one of the tracks, 'All Day I Zama', there’s a recording of a local we met who was blowing on a seashell. We threw it in a sampler and made it into a synth.

So are you always armed with a recorder?

G: We try to be, but in the end, we always find ourselves recording with our telephone.

IJ: We make a lot of music on the road. When we have a few days off, we'll be working on new ideas. Sometimes, when Gert makes something and goes away for some time, I'll get behind his laptop. I usually messed everything up by the time he gets back. It's a fun process, actually. I also enjoy making music on planes.

G: You don’t want to know how many different Ableton files I get from IJsbrand called ‘vliegtuig’ (‘airplane’ in Dutch, ed).

How does it feel to be on the road constantly?

IJ: It's heavy, but the energy you get from the crowd is always worth it. It’s so nice to see that something you made at home can suddenly produce such a feeling with an audience in another country. That's an amazing feeling.

G: It’s still hard to imagine that we get bookings in such faraway places. I never thought that would happen. And to meet so many different people, but then again also see many of the people you met before in all outskirts of the world.

Any favourite destinations by now?

G: Belgium, still. In one way or another, we are always nervous here. That has to mean something.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIJ:\nTrue. I'm never stressed, except when we play Belgium. You get more\nsatisfaction when you're playing at home. It's like a game of football.

Catch Stavroz on Docklands Festival in Antwerp op Saturday September 21. All info and tickets can be found here. Follow Stavroz on Facebook to stay in the loop with new music.

On Saturday August 24, Joyhauser will play an exclusive 12-hour DJ-set on the beach of Recreatiedomein De Ster in Sint-Niklaas. That’s actually quite remarkable for a local DJ act. The Limburg-born duo of Joris Cielen and Stijn Vanspauwen has been waiting patiently for their moment of glory. Finally, it seems that their moment has come. 2018 was as big of a breakthrough year as you could possibly wish for: going from dropping a debut EP to touring South America in the space of months is a pretty phenomenal feat. In anticipation of next week’s marathon showcase, we pinned Joris and Stijn down for a quick update on everything Joyhauser.

What advantages does working in a duo have over working solo?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere are loads of advantages, you literally have more\nhands to work with. Nowadays, good DJ-sets are not enough to break through on a\nhigher level. Great set of producer skills and the ability to create and\nmaintain a strong image have become just as important. We are lucky the two of\nus are very complimentary in that regard. Furthermore, we have a lot of fun\ntogether; at home, in the studio, during our time off, but most importantly when\nwe’re on the road together. You often hear about DJ’s that deal with loneliness\nand depression; our friendship works as a remedy against that. We’re convinced\nwe would never stand where we are today if we worked on our own.

When did your careers really lift off?

From 2018 onwards, our careers really started to grow rapidly because of many different reasons. First of all, that's when we started coming out with our own productions, the result of years of work in the studio. Amelie Lens really gave us a strong push upwards when she started playing our track Galaxy Phase in her DJ-sets. Not much later we released our C166W EP on Monika Kruse’s Terminal M record label. That gave us an international boost. Other than that, we got picked up by Ugur Akkus (manager at Labyrinth Club and Extrema Outdoor Belgium, ed.) who added us to his Labyrinth Agency. He really believed in us, so he gave us a platform on which we could build our national and international careers. Lastly, getting a load of big festival bookings last year further propelled us forward.

You recently quit your day jobs to focus on your career. How does that feel?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIt finally feels incredibly\nliberating. The weekly workload was getting really heavy and this was beginning\nto take its toll. For a long time, we tried to combine both sides of our lives\nbut at a certain point you need to take a leap of faith. At the moment, we have\na lot more time to allow ourselves to grow as artists. We have fixed meetings\nevery week and when we hit the studio we’re a lot more productive. In the past,\nthe only moment we could really work in the studio was on Sunday evening,\nusually after a full weekend of gigs. We would arrive at work the next morning\nwith barely any sleep. This had a negative impact on our creativity and energy.\nHard times.

So at which point should an artist decide to quit his/her job in order to focus on music?

That’s not an easy decision. You need to estimate the right timing for yourself – and that timing is different for everybody. There are so many things you need to take into account. Money has never been our motivation, but the reality is that splitting everything 50/50 doesn’t make it easy to support two households. Last year we decided to go all in and give everything we had to make it. Luckily, it lead to the situation we’re in right now and we haven’t regretted this one bit.

Belgium seems to be doing pretty well when it comes to techno: Amelie and Charlotte are currently peaking high on the world stage and a handful of others (like yourselves) are gaining more traction every day. What is it that makes Belgium unique according to you?

Belgium has always had a strong image when it comes to electronic music and\nnightlife. The Sound Of Belgium (the\n2012 documentary by Jozef Devillé,\ned.) illustrates that beautifully. It’s crazy to see how Belgium played a\nleading role back in the early days of raving. Sadly, a lot of discotheques\nfrom that era have closed down, but the seeds had been planted. Charlotte De\nWitte and Amelie Lens are two of the best examples of that. Their impressive\nachievements have put our country back on the map, giving both the younger and\nolder generations something to be proud of. Whenever we’re abroad people tell\nus “Belgium is doing great” or “there is a Belgian sound you can find\nthroughout the music of all of you”. I think we can all be grateful to them for\nthat. I’m sure a lot more talent will follow in their footsteps. 

How does the Belgian crowd compare to crowds elsewhere?

Belgium is and always will be our home; so that’s something special, you know. People here are the reason we grew into what we are now, so they are part of our success. It’s not something we forget, so it’s always a special moment when we play in front of a home crowd. There’s just a lot more emotion involved.

You have been playing music across the globe: what surprised you the most about the tour life?

\nWe recently finished our first South-America tour. It surprised us how well people\nalready knew us. Both our headline shows in Colombia and Uruguay sold out and\nmany people wanted to get a picture with us. Walking through the crowd over\nthere proved a lot harder than doing the same thing in Belgium. Whenever we\nplayed a production of our own during our DJ-set, people recognized it and\nstarting screaming. This proves how important social media and\nstreaming services are when you want to develop your sound globally.

What’s the best piece of advice you could give anyone that travels as much as you do?

Not to drink alcohol on tour and to get to bed early after each gig! A piece of advice we don’t always follow ourselves (laughs). As true beer lovers we just can’t help it! We do like to party from time to time. Although usually, we have good intentions in the beginning of the weekend. There’s so much more to being a DJ than just playing your set. For us, it doesn’t feel right to go straight from one gig to the next. We value our time with fans, so we always try to show our appreciation to them and the promoters that booked us.

What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you in general?

Make sure you have a plan, have patience and believe in yourself. We see a lot of enthusiastic young producers and DJ’s that are so eager to make it like Amelie Lens of Charlotte De Witte did. It’s not that easy. You really have to give yourself a lot of time to develop yourself as an artist and as a DJ. The former has become even more important nowadays; you may be a great DJ, but you need to be great producer too if you want to break through internationally. Similarly, great producers aren’t always the best DJ’s, even though that’s what people expect when they come to see you play. When you can’t deliver on these kinds of moments, you can find yourself in a dead end.

Another important thing is the need to build your fanbase. In the end, fans are what you build your career on. From the beginning we have always been focused on getting a good reputation in Belgium. Behind the scenes, we were spending all our free time in the studio, waiting years before we even sent our first tracks to record labels. That patience paid off, because quality trumps quantity. Once you have a plan, you got to try and stick to it. After the success of our Galaxy Phase release, many record labels and artists came knocking on our door for new tracks and remixes. At that point you have to stay sober and think ‘which labels are right for me?’ and ‘where do I want to go with this'? Credibility and identity are crucial.

You guys are set to do an all-day-long open air party in Sint-Niklaas next week: a 12-hour marathon. How do you prepare for a set like that?

\nWe will dig very deep in our crates to prepare for this set. We’ve been\nfollowing the techno scene since we were 16 years old, so we’ll make sure to take\nour audience on a trip through older and newer music. Many of our fans are\nyounger than we are, so it’s a lot of fun to see them getting blown away by\nclassics while others get nostalgic. That’s a challenge we really want to take\non. It will be a trip down memory lane, although I’m sure that even 12 hours aren’t\nenough to play all the music we want (laughs).

Any other projects in the pipeline we should know about?

Musically speaking, we’ve made a remix for 2 Belgian guys that will come out in September (more on that soon). We’re super happy to drop our second EP on Terminal M somewhere in October/November, because reactions upon playing some of the tracks out in our DJ-sets have been amazing. Of course there’s more in the pipeline, but unfortunately we can’t share everything just yet!

\n\n\n\n\n\n

When it comes to gigs, many things are about to happen. Our schedules are filled out well until the next summer, so we don’t really know what’s happening to us! The past year we’ve been getting some attention from countries close by, like Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, but by now people are reaching out from further beyond. We are planning tours in North America, Asia and even Australia. Lastly, we received a confirmation that our absolute dream gig will happen! More news on that later! The future is looking brighter than ever. 

Follow Joyhauser on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest and greatest. On Saturday August 24, Joyhauser will play an all-day set at Recreatiedomein De Ster in Sint-Niklaas. More information and tickets can be found here.

In our newly revived Tour of Duty video series, we tag along with some of Belgium’s most interesting artists during their worldly adventures. Whether it’s a superstar DJ dashing from one club to the other or whether it’s a band with a particular mission, our camera is there to capture every special moment in all its glory. First up in this new season: blackwave.

Few bands in Belgium have gathered a massive following quite like blackwave. did in recent years. The group around producer-rappers Willem Ardui and Jay Walker has been shooting for the stars, selling out De Roma in their hometown Antwerp (twice) and scoring gigs like Pukkelpop’s mainstage this Friday. Their infectious mix of hip hop, soul, jazz and funk presented in an impressive live show is a formula that is destined to turn heads wherever they go. With an their album on the way, we followed the guys during their short UK tour in Reading and London, discovering the dynamics behind a young and growing band that aims to break through across the border.

blackwave. is playing Pukkelpop’s main stage on Friday August 17. Follow blackwave. on Facebook, Spotify and Instagram to make sure you’re in the loop.

Some have already obtained small successes, spending years in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to shine and others have barely left their bedroom studios. Some aim for headlining festival stages, others aim for nothing in particular – but all of them have developed a sound with the potential to turn heads. With this feature we shine a light on some of the most interesting new musical talents our tiny country has to offer.

While Belgium is familiar with Maghreban culture in many ways, music is usually not one of them. Most Moroccan songs easily get labelled as ‘Arabic’ – or even worse, ‘world music’. For the most part, influence from this part of the world has remained fairly absent from the Western clubbing circuit. But if there’s one artist on a mission to change that, it’s the Gan Gah. While the Brussels-based Lowup-affiliated artist and DJ is not a complete stranger for attentive ravers in his city, his output is gradually getting more recognition across Belgium and beyond. When Reda came to Belgium 8 years ago, little did he know his music would become the nation’s best example of cross-pollination between traditional Moroccan and contemporary European club cultures. Surely this guy has a good story to tell. Time to discover how it goes…

How did music enter your life?

I’ve been making music since I was a little kid in Agadir, where I grew up with gnawa music all around me (indigenous folk music from North Africa, ed.). We would participate in carnivals with our homemade instruments made from scrap, which is how I first discovered ‘the rhythm’. At the same time, I started listening to a lot of music on cassettes. My mom used to have them on when she was working at home, so I’ve been growing up with music from the very beginning.

And how did eventually that lead to making electronic music?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere was a moment when I had quit my job and\nlots of free time suddenly became available for me. So I put all my attention\nin making music. Any type music that is, I didn’t have a particular genre or\nstyle in mind. I was looking to make something that reflects my personality and\nmy experience as a Moroccan immigrant being influenced by Belgian clubbing. I\ntried to balance my influences and translate this into new music, which I think\nI’ve succeeded in after a long phase of trial and error.

In which ways do you like to combine different music genres into your productions?

In essence, what I do isn’t that extraordinary. I just put the spotlights on a particular rhythm, I don’t chance too much and I don’t try to invent something new. If you overthink some things you end up making experimental music, which is fine, but to me, club music should be something that’s easy and dance to listen to. So yes, I let myself be influenced by the rhythms from places like Morocco, North Africa and the Middle East; but for the bass and all the rest my favourite genres I’m influenced by would be UK Funky, trap or even classical music. In the end I never mess with the rhythms too much. It’s a fine balance I’m constantly aware of.

You’re an enthusiastic vinyl collector. Do you use a lot of samples when you make music?

I enjoy collecting old vinyl to listen to, but I never use samples. I’m not mad at people who do, but when I have a rhythm in my head and I know how to make it myself, I’m just going to play it myself. So everything you hear on my tracks is self-made, even though it does sometimes sound like it’s sampled, which is exactly what I’m going for. What you are hearing are the results of many studio sessions, either from me or from friends in Morocco and Algeria. To me, digging for old records is about educating yourself about the culture that sprouted music I enjoy listening to. How did they compose and arrange music back then? How did they translate the groove? That’s really important for me.

In which ways does your current hometown, Brussels, play a role in your development as an artist?

Brussels is a city I truly adore, especially everything under the 1000 postal code. It’s my favourite place because there’s a certain ‘human warmth’, you know? People greet each other on the streets and stuff like that. It reminds me of the neighbourhood in Morocco I used to live in. I feel great here. It might well be the best place to live (laughs).

Lots has been said in recent years about the label ‘world music’. Critics say it’s an outdated way of putting anything that’s not Western music into one category. How do you feel about this debate as an artist who gets his inspiration from so many different cultures?

\n\n\n\n

If we’re honest, ‘world music’ is literally all the music. Techno is world music too. It wasn’t invented on Mars; you know? People need to change to way they are putting music into categories. As long as the music makes you dance, smile or sweat on the dancefloor, it doesn’t need categorization. As far as I’m concerned, we need to stop putting any music that comes from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America or Asia under that hideous ‘world music’ banner. How are you going to call Moroccan music just as ‘African music’? Africa is a continent, with many different regions, each with dozens of different countries – just like Europe. We’re not putting all this music from Europe together as ‘European music’ now are we? People don’t always have bad intentions, but because we’re not always able to know exactly where something came from, the easy solution is to just call it ‘world music’. It shows we still have a lot to learn.

That brings us to another related issue: cultural appropriation, the exploitative co-option of elements of one culture by people from a different one. Now that many DJ’s and artists are looking further and digging deeper for inspiration, the risk that some identifying cultural tropes are being taken out of context (and used as if they were the artist’s own ideas) is higher than ever. What’s your advice for anyone who’s interested in working with external influences the right way?

There are a couple ways of approaching this cultural appropriation debate. There are people I admire because they do their research, connect with other people and try to find a mix of external an internal influence that results in a beautiful product. It’s a cultural exchange between both parties. So if you are interested in making a particular style of music, try to understand the culture where this music originates from. It’s really not cool when artists copy or sample something and then say “ok, my work is done here”. If you are really interested in this music, you should also understand why you do it. Do you use it because it’s hype and you can make some money of it? Or do you use it because you really love it? It’s like coming out of high school and having to decide what job you want to do; you need to pause for a moment and think ‘why’?

Whenever a particular music style gets a lot of attention, like Afrobeat and Afrohouse for example, every producer just copies the other and it all ends up sounding the same. I love how it leads to some deserved attention, but we must remain attentive to respect the elements that make a genre so special. Otherwise, we risk losing it to a mainstream sound that’s blind for the original message of this music. I say that because once it’s gone that way, we all end up forgetting it down the line.

You’ve been traveling to a couple of interesting places around the world for your music recently. Which are the memories you won’t forget anytime soon?

Last year I played music at the Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda. The journey from A to Z was a long and arduous one. Just getting to the site from the airport took more time than the actual flight! The festival was such an inspiring mix of nationalities from all over Africa and the rest of the world. Turns out Ugandan music is so incredibly diverse! Given the less-than-ideal circumstances of organizing an electronic music event in this part of the world, they have done a great job at attracting (sometimes surprisingly big) artists from around the world. I even played on the biggest marimba (a sort of xylophone, ed.) in the world over there. Over 20 people play the same instrument at the same time; someone is on bass, the other is on the high notes, etc... It was absolutely genius. People were getting down on my DJ-set without prejudice. I also recorded a couple of new tracks with Congolese rappers over there (which have yet to come out). In short, it was amazing to be a part of it.

Which other music is yet to come out?

\n\n\n\n

I have recorded something with my mate Ozferti, which will be a sonic journey from Iraq to Brazil. That should still come out this summer!

Never miss a beat from Gan Gah by following the man on Facebook, Soundcloud or Spotify.

Every year, the nation’s most cherished beat battle showcases Belgian bedroom talent with a fierce knock-out tournament. The beat makers got to work (aka make a killer beat) with a selection of given samples from one of the nation’s most famous crooners: Will Tura. From the 125 submissions and 16 participants, Susobrino took home the gold medal for the second year in a row. As part of the price, the Hasselt-based producer had the opportunity to meet the legendary Mr. Tura. Ever wondered how the man would react to the sound of a bunch of kids remixing his classics? We got it all on video.

The complete remix compilation by Champion Sound is out today, including Will Tura remixes by Louislava, Nightshop, Roshima, Shlundee and a whole lot more. Listen or download right here.

Si tu ne veux pas gaffer en racontant à tes meilleurs amis qui sont les artistes à suivre sur les réseaux sociaux, tu dois alors savoir qu’ICO se prononce « Eye-co », et que le jeune homme a été recommandé par YouTube Music dans sa liste des « Ones To Watch 2019 », et est depuis peu l’un des onze artistes qui fait partie au niveau mondial du Youtube’s Foundry International Artist Development Program, un honneur que des artistes tels que Rosalia et Dua Lipa avaient déjà eu par le passé. Et ce n’est pas un hasard, car ICO est suivi par 284.000 fans sur la plateforme vidéo, et ses vidéos sont facilement vues par plus d’un million de personnes. Il y partage régulièrement un clip vidéo qui emmène le spectateur dans son univers décontracté d’une manière tellement stylée que même une rue bruxelloise quelconque par un jour d’automne maussade ressemble à un décor californien. Il est donc grand temps de faire plus ample connaissance avec cet artiste, car après Romeo Elvis, Angèle, Stromae ou Damso, ICO est la prochaine révélation de la Belgique francophone !

Remontons une année en arrière, jusqu’au printemps de l’année 2018. Le refrain de « Capsule #3: Dafalgan » – ces capsules sont de courtes vidéos autonomes consacrées à chaque fois à un thème spécifique – possède environ tous les éléments qui font qu’ICO est tellement bon. Il rappe avec une bonne dose d’humour et d’autorelativisation sur ses (et nos) problèmes quotidiens, tels que ces rhumes permanents qui compromettent sa street credibility. Son inspiration, il la trouve principalement dans sa propre vie et celles de ses potes, a-t-il récemment confié dans une interview concédée à Alohanews. « Quand on sort avec les potes, on balance des punchlines », qu’il intègre immédiatement dans sa musique. Et même si tu ne comprends pas toutes les finesses et les références dans les chansons d’ICO – « Capsule #7: Octogone » parle de la dispute qui a dégénéré entre les rappeurs français Booba & Kaaris – elles n’en restent pas moins très catchy. En plus, ça te permet d’apprendre de nouvelles choses.

Ses paroles sont à chaque fois analysées en long et en large par ses fans très actifs sur les réseaux sociaux, ou par le biais du site de paroles Genius.com. Il touche les gens en abordant ses thèmes sous un angle tout à fait unique, comme dans « Capsule #4: Siri » où il se moque de l’assistant vocal d’Apple. Autre thème caractéristique : la phrase récurrente et également le titre de son dernier album « Dis Pas Wallah ». Wallah est une expression arabe qui signifie que tu jures quelque chose par Allah ou Dieu. Dans l’univers d’ICO, ça devient « Dis pas wallah, tu manges un Big Mac ». Ne va pas y chercher de grandes thèses politiques ou de la grandiloquence, ça sonne bien, c’est tout. On balance des punchlines, quoi.

ICO appartient à la génération de rappeurs new school. Il confie à Alohanews qu’il ne boit pas, ne fume pas et qu’il sort à peine, sauf pour ses concerts. « J'bois pas d'alcool, c'est haram » (haram est l’expression arabe pour désigner qu’il s’agit d’un péché) rappe-t-il dans « Pause Kellogs » sur son premier album sans titre sorti en 2017. Et aussi : « Le rap, c'est pas le ghetto ». ICO est un garçon sensible. Il passe 12 de ses années d’enfance au piano, et ne découvre le rap et le beatmaking que des années plus tard. En tant que pianiste, il est très sensible à la musique classique, raconte-t-il dans une vidéo de Tarmac, la plateforme urban de la RTBF. Il apprend à écrire des mélodies, et compose la musique pour « Wolves », un morceau sur le premier album sacré disque platine de l’artiste wallon Loic Nottet, lequel a représenté la Belgique à l’Eurovision en 2015.

Sur ces entrefaites, ICO termine\nses études à la Solvay Business School, et commence à travailler comme\nconseiller financier. Il décide de prendre les rênes, et s’entoure d’une équipe\nbien soudée d’amis intimes. ICO est en quelque sorte synonyme du DIY : il se\nfiche des structures existantes. Il crée lui-même la production de la musique,\nl’artwork et les vidéos avec l’aide de ses amis, mais surtout sans les maisons\nde disques traditionnelles. Oublie les CD, les LP ou le merchandising ;\njusqu’ici, ICO partage sa musique et ses vidéos gratuitement via YouTube,\nSpotify, Instagram et Facebook. Ce sont surtout ces images filmées, captées par\nl’objectif du talentueux vidéaste bruxellois Bilal Lamarti (Billy Arty), qui\nfont office de cartes de visite créatives. Ce sont des enregistrements très\ncourts – style instantanés – et très stylés de la charmante personnalité de ce\njeune homme, qui font penser aux premiers pas de cet autre génie musical\nbruxellois, Paul Van Haver, plus connu sous le nom de Stromae. 

Aujourd'hui, ICO a le monde à ses\npieds. Il est allé à Los Angeles pour enregistrer la vidéo de Tututu, une\nchanson si accrocheuse que l’on reste la fredonner dans sa tête. Le titre est\naussi un avant-goût de son nouvel album qui sortira à l'automne. Les fans d'ICO\nl'adorent, et ont pu découvrir le nom de cet album dans sa toute dernière\ncapsule, également appelée « L'album ». Cela prête à confusion ? Un\npeu. Cela témoigne de la grande ingéniosité de l’artiste ? Bien sûr ! La star\nde YouTube, Léticia, a réussi à déchiffrer le code en convertissant les\nchiffres de la vidéo en lettres. Curieux ? Consulte les commentaires !

Suivez ICO: Instagram / Facebook / YouTube

Met Unknown Territory graven we dieper in de minder voor de hand liggende partysteden. In Brussel, Antwerpen, Gent of Luik kan je feesten in grote nachtclubs, maar die grootsteden hebben echt geen monopolie op een stevig avondje stappen. Talent te over in onze provinciesteden, al botsen muziekpromotoren hier wel op fikse uitdagingen: doing more with (a lot) less. Voor de overtuigde organisator met een missie om kwaliteitsnightlife een plaats te geven in het lokale uitgaansleven gelden er namelijk andere - geschreven en ongeschreven - regels dan in een vaak oververzadigde grootstad. Dus. Waarom niet eens onbekend terrein verkennen volgend weekend? Bij deze heb je alvast een idee waar je moet beginnen in Mechelen.

Het nachtleven in Mechelen bruist. Daar zijn de lokale organisatoren in de Dijlestad unaniem over. “Tien jaar geleden was er amper een nachtleven. In de laatste vijf jaar is veel veranderd”, vertelt Peter Neefs van Kurabu. Kurabu is, net zoals Metadrome, Lunar, Ongehoord, In Utero, Donderdans, Living Room en Kabaal een van de vele crews die sinds een jaar of vijf weer vorm geven aan een Mechelse nachtcultuur. 

Franky Jones, geboren en getogen in Mechelen is een veteraan uit het nachtleven. De Bonzai-legende schreef in 1993 geschiedenis met een van de grootste dansvloerklassiekers die ons land telt: The First Rebirth, een anthem dat hij samen met collega producer Stephenson 'per ongeluk' op een kwartiertje in elkaar flanste. Hij woont al 45 jaar in het centrum van de stad: “Ik maakte de evolutie van dichtbij mee en zag Mechelen in de jaren 80 en 90 openbloeien om vervolgens rond de eeuwwisseling weer in elkaar te zakken”. Als tiener begon Jones, inmiddels een vijftiger, plaatjes te draaien op schoolfeesten en in bars. “Muzikaal was er altijd een breed aanbod in Mechelen. In mijn eerste jaren draaide ik hip hop, soul en funk. In andere danscafés werd er avant garde muziek gedraaid.”

“Mensen kwamen daarvoor van ver”, beaamt Jan Straetmans van Lunar, een collectief dat voortvloeide uit het lokale jeugdhuis Joko. “In de jaren 80 was Mechelen een trekplijster. Uit alle kanten van het land, en uit buurlanden, kwamen mensen naar danscafés zoals Club Revue.” Club Revue was een toonaangevende new wave discotheek. Naarmate trends evolueerden groeide het uit tot een plek voor new beat en house. En zo waren er ettelijke feestzalen en clubs in de omgeving van Mechelen. De Oscars, Sotscop, Beethoven, De Valentijn, Martinique, Het Arsenaal, De Jimmy's... Stuk voor stuk gaven ze kleur aan de Antwerpse provinciestad. 

Dat gold ook voor Radio Reflex, een lokaal radiostation dat in 1980 de ether inging, en, niet in het minst, enkele toonaangevende platenwinkels. Een boegbeeld daarvan was Wif Records. “De platenwinkel in de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwstraat had naast USA Import en Music Man een van de grootste stocks in België”, vertelt Jones, die zelf ook ooit achter de kassa van Wif stond. “In de jaren 80 en 90 kwamen DJ's en muziekliefhebbers uit heel België er afgezakt voor de laatste nieuwe releases.” Ook platenwinkels als LP Discount, Gilbert Govaert's Popcorn en BCM maakten, elks op hun moment, een muzikale hotspot van de stad. Daar kwam eind jaren 90 verandering in. De platenverkoop daalde naarmate de mp3 opkwam en de stad maakte het steeds moeilijker voor organisaties om events te organiseren. “Van 1998 tot 2010 viel het nachtleven stil”, vertelt Jones. “Mede door een stadsbestuur dat alles doodmaakte. Er was geen plek meer om te feesten.”

Die plek is er nu wel. In de laatste jaren werd er door het stadsbestuur weer zuurstof en ruimte aan jonge organisaties geboden. Onder andere met Transit M, een oude werkplaats van de NMBS op het Douaneplein. De hangar net buiten de stad werd omgebouwd tot een plaats waar jongeren naast een skatebowl en repetitieruimtes ook twee eventlocaties kunnen vinden: De Loods en De Club. Vandaag gaan daar de meeste events door. “Het is moeilijk om ergens anders een ruimte te vinden waar je tot 5 uur 's morgens kan doorgaan. We zouden graag in het centrum van de stad een feest organiseren, maar dat is niet eenvoudig”, vertelt Peter Neefs van Kurabu. Daar is Jan Straetmans van Lunar het mee eens: “We krijgen een goede ondersteuning van de stad, maar er is een tekort aan ruimtes in het centrum. Er zijn nog enkele cafés die soms een DJ programmeren in het centrum. Maar om tot in de vroege uren te dansen moet je al snel naar het Douaneplein. Mechelen heeft een mooie evolutie doorgaan in het centrum, maar qua uitgaan is het er niet op vooruitgegaan. De stad focust zich in het centrum liever op jonge dertigersgezinnen dan op feestende jeugd.”

Die beperkte keuze aan locaties houdt de Mechelaars echter niet tegen. Maarten Boodts is een van de breinen achter Metadrome. Als werknemer bij Hexagon, een licht- en geluidsbedrijf, voorziet hij de meeste events in De Club en De Loods mee van materiaal. “We hadden al het gerief. Dus waarom geen feest organiseren met de muziek die we zelf willen horen?” legt hij uit. Op de vorige affiches sierden Hans Bouffmyhre en Tommy Four Seven. “We zijn zes jaar geleden met Metadrome gestart, toen de grote technogolf nog niet de toppen bereikte die het nu doet.”

\n\n\n\nOok\nKabaal verkent sinds drie jaar het techno-spectrum. “Er gebeurde niet heel veel\nin Mechelen qua underground events”, vertelt organisator Axel Van Deyck. “Onze eerste events waren meteen uitverkocht. We\nproberen steeds kwalitatieve line-ups te brengen met lange sets door de\nheadliner. Ik ben geen voorstander van korte sets. Artiesten moeten een verhaal\nkunnen vertellen.” En sets durven uitlopen. “Nico Morano kwam eens spelen. Toen ik hem ging vragen hoe lang hij\nnog wou draaien zei hij: 'Geef me een seintje als het 5 uur is, dan stop ik.' Het was ondertussen half 6”.

Maar het is lang niet enkel techno dat de klok slaat onder de Sint-Romboutstoren. De heren van Lunar hebben memorabele avonden met San Soda en Robert Bergman in hun geheugen gegrift, en maken er hun missie van om nog verder te kijken dan clubmuziek. “Met Lunar willen we een zo breed mogelijk aanbod van elektronische muziek in de stad laten horen”, vertelt Jan Straetmans. Dat blijkt ook uit hun samenwerking met Kunstencentrum nona, het kunstencentrum pal in het midden van de stad. “Die samenwerking geeft de kans om nieuwe dingen uit te proberen voor een publiek dat misschien meer aansluiting met theater en jazz, dan met EDM heeft.” Onlangs organiseerden ze Kinetic Sound Night. Een avond waar meer ruimte was voor performances en installatiekunst. “Mensen reageerden heel enthousiast. Die piste willen we verder verkennen.”

Met het Kurabu-collectief bundelt Peter Neefs, samen met vier vrienden, de liefde voor eclectische dansmuziek: “Naarmate het nachtleven aan het evolueren was wouden we tegengewicht bieden aan de commerciële muziek, en aan de hardere techno en tech-house concepten die hier populair zijn.” Zo brachten ze onder andere Daniel Wang en Nosedrip naar de Dijlestad. De avonden financieel bolwerken is niet altijd even eenvoudig op een plek waar het draagvlak kleiner is dan in grote steden. “Bookers sturen ons evengoed de standaard riders op waarbij ze een viersterrenhotel of dure wagen voor het transport verzoeken. Dat terwijl we maar een event met een capaciteit van 250 personen organiseren. We moeten ze dan overtuigen met onze visie.”

\n\n\n\nFeesten\ngeven in een kleinere stad brengt ook voordelen met zich mee. “Er hangt een\nintieme sfeer, iedereen kent elkaar, mensen komen voor de muziek”, vertelt\nMaarten Boodts. Als we vragen of er sprake is van onderlinge concurrentie wordt\ndat meteen afgekaatst: “De promotors in Mechelen zijn goed op elkaar\ningespeeld. We werken samen in een kleine stad. Het zou belachelijk zijn om met\nelkaar te concurreren. Met de trein ben je op 20 minuten in Brussel en op 18\nminuten in Antwerpen. Daar worden feesten op een andere schaal georganiseerd.\nIk gok dat de concurrentie eerder daar zit.” Axel Van Deyck volgt die\nredenering: “Ik ben heel blij dat er meer en meer organisaties underground\nevents beginnen te organiseren in Mechelen, ik zie ze niet als concurrentie\nmaar eerder als partners om de scene in Mechelen naar een hoger niveau te\ntillen.”

“Mechelen komt van ver,” vertelt Peter Neefs, “in de afgelopen tien jaar is er veel veranderd. Het is een heel aangename en mooie stad geworden om in te leven. De stad doet goed werk. Maar voor een bruisende scene heb je niet enkel de stad nodig, maar ook investeerders en een draagvlak. Dat is nu aan het groeien. Er komen bijvoorbeeld veel horeca en musea bij. Het muzikaal aanbod groeit nu langzaam mee.”

“Er is veel vraag naar elektronische muziek”, vertelt Maarten Boodts. Dat heeft de stad inmiddels ook door. Mechelen heeft met Maanrock het grootste gratis stadsfestival in Vlaanderen. Tot voor kort was er geen elektronische muziek te vinden maar sinds vorig jaar is er een luik voor clubmuziek.” Dit jaar hosten Metadrome, Lunar en Kurabu er elks een dag op De Koer: een driedaagse dansmarathon die deel uitmaakt van het festival. Het wordt steeds meer en meer, de tendensen en het publiek groeien. Ik geloof erin: over een paar jaar komen mensen uit andere steden ook tot hier voor events.”

Whenever you have a chat with a friend that has just come back from a party weekend in Berlin, chances are you’re going to get a lecture about how amazing it was to go out until 10 a.m. in the morning. The thing is, going out in a city like this is fundamentally different for a wide variety of reasons, but one of the key questions many ravers like to ponder about is ‘why don’t clubs in Belgium stay open longer’? Sure it would be nice to do as you would in Amsterdam and get up early on a Sunday morning to go to the club, knowing that it will remain open until much later. After all, weren’t ‘after clubs’ a Belgian speciality in the early 90’s? Sometimes, the occasional ‘really long’ party does occur, especially for New Year’s Eve celebrations. But why isn’t this more common throughout the year?

\n\n\n\n“By virtue, I believe it’s in our rights to go\nout when we want and how long we want”, says Bert Vanlommel, former manager at Klub Goud and TRANS in Antwerp and promoter of Full Circle. “But I’m not sure these long parties are really needed\nhere in Belgium”. A relatively unexpected opinion, right of the bat. Currently,\nthe regulations around the operating hours of nightlife businesses are dictated\nby the municipality in which they are located. In other words: there is no federal\nlaw that says until what time you are allowed to go out. In theory, if a\nnightclub wants to stay open until 12AM, it can do so, as long as there is a\nclear line of communication between the city on one side and the promoters on\nthe other. Some city councils are more receptive towards these proposals than\nothers; although in general, it doesn’t seem that most club owners are actively\nadvocating a regulated 24-hour license – which is something you wouldn’t expect\nas their business is, well, selling as much tickets and drinks as possible.\nLonger clubbing means more money, no?

Let’s address the elephant in the room now. Nick Ramoudt, manager at the long-running techno institution Fuse explains why he is not in favour of a 24-hour license for nightclubs. “Let’s not be blind to the issue of serious substance abuse”. It is most definitely true that very few people are able to dance through the night altogether without some additional ‘help’. Surely, most of the patrons in a club know how to behave, but it would be naïve to assume there wouldn’t be a rise in drug-related issues when round-the-clock parties become more common.

One of the direct implications of such a licence would undoubtedly be the rise in attention nightclubs will receive from the authorities. This can be a bad and a good thing. “It would lead to more transparency and control, taking the business out of relative obscurity”, explains Vanlommel, contradicting Ramoudt, who fears that the stigma around substance abuse means tighter measures: “an excess in drug use will ultimately lead to more scrutiny and security measures from the authorities, which in turn will create a situation in which we have less freedom than we currently have”.

Now, venues in certain other cities are able to host marathon parties because of a simple reason; they have large numbers of experienced and educated music fans that frequently visit nightclubs. Over time, Berlin and later Amsterdam have attracted club crowd from all over the world, thus creating a healthy and versatile nightlife scene that is well-developed and able to offer a wide range of different kinds of events every weekend. Club folk over there – generally, not always – is more used to experiencing different ways of club culture: starting the night much later or only heading down to the party in the morning instead for example. “We don’t really have that culture over here”, says Vanlommel. “Eventually, you do need that kind of crowd to support 24-hour-long parties and keep them up to standard. On the closing weekend of Klub Goud for example, we hosted an extended party that lasted from day to night to day again – and at the end you’re mostly left with the last few standing”. Ramoudt concurs: “After like, 10 or 12 hours the vibe on a party in Belgium starts to change: things get a little edgier. Some people perfectly know how to handle themselves, however, but there are always some that push things too far”.

A different, more optimistic perspective on these matters is given by Jens Grieten, owner at Ghent’s iconic Kompass: “a 24-hour license would create the possibility for promoters to experiment more, like moving the party outdoors in the morning (given that the venue has an available outdoor area) or letting the sun shine through the windows. Playing with the cycle of the sun allows you to program different kinds of artists when the mood of the party changes”. It does sound alluring to rave it out on a proper 4x4 techno set, before winding down with a deep house-y sunrise mix before you head home. Additionally, the promoter is able to cater to different kinds of music fans, as the party is not just about one vibe anymore. People that prefer to go clubbing during the daytime now don’t have to change their sleep cycle if they have to work the next morning. ‘But wait, there are daytime parties already’, you may think. But as many know, most of these only really get going in the late afternoon and early evening, by which time the morning and its ‘magical atmosphere’ have long passed already.

\n\n\n\nBut who in their right mind dances for 24 hours\nstraight? “It’s not necessary to spend all those hours dancing”, adds Grieten.\n“You can have a break, get some sleep, take a shower and just come back. I\nbelieve it’s better to give people the choice to go home when they feel like,\ninstead of closing a packed club at 7AM. It’s better to let it fade out”.\nAlthough that last statement is definitely not true for every club, but the\nidea that this should be an option for promoters if they wish is something that\nshould be debatable.

But it’s not just the mindset of the club crowd\nthat needs to change if we want a healthy scene that can support\nround-the-clock events. Promoters themselves need to change their booking\napproach: instead of focussing the whole event on the peak time set of one\nheadliner that plays a 2 hour set between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., they need to make\na daring step towards scheduling long sets that span multiple moods during over\nthe course of the extended operating hours. “I wouldn’t mind to see an\nevolution in this direction”, says Vanlommel. “The club experience then becomes\nsomething ‘endless’”. It’s this ‘endless feeling’ your friend who went to\nBerlin last weekend keeps talking about.

There’s also a way of meeting in the middle, as Ramoudt suggests: “it would be nice if you could be granted a 24-hours license 4 or 5 times a year if you can give valid reasons why you would need to keep a party going for such a long time”. Apart from New Year’s Eve, special occasions like openings, closings or anniversaries are the kind of events that come to mind. Aside from what these regulations would look like exactly, the process of laying down the groundwork for them will start an open conversation about clubbing culture with not just the authorities, but the municipality and the neighbourhood residents as well. Too often, proper conversation about nightlife is not taken at face value by people that don’t actually go clubbing. We may have overcome the organized demonization of discotheques in the second half of the 90’s, but those negative connotations still linger on in the general public. This impedes any real progress for the nightlife economy. Regardless of the outcome, a dialogue is necessary to go forward. Take Amsterdam for example, where a ‘night mayor’ is appointed to function as a bridge between politics on one side and the club people on the other. This spokesperson may not have much power to actually change regulation, but it makes the conversation about these matters a lot easier for all parties involved.

In part, you could definitely say the Belgian nightlife crowd isn’t ready for a 24-hour license. But if there are no club events that regularly span from night to day, then how could one ever learn to appreciate it? Like many things, this too is something that people just need to get familiar with, we guess. Clubbing culture could be a lot more colourful and versatile – and we shouldn’t always go to Berlin or Amsterdam to experience realize that. No one can really deny nightlife isn’t doing good in Belgium if you see where we came from in a not so distant past; but this doesn’t mean things can’t get better. In conclusion: do we urgently need a 24-hour license for our clubs? Not really. Is it absolutely necessary asap? Again, not really. But could it be the catalyst for the transformation and improvement of the quality of our club culture? Most definitely.

Summer is here and you know this means festival time. One of Belgium’s favourites is Dour: five days of love and alternative music. Eclecticism, celebration and musical discovery are deeply rooted in the festival's DNA since it's early days. Prepare yourself for total immersion in underground music with more than 200 artists on seven stages ranging from hip hop to heavy metal, from industrial techno to global sounds, from electro to reggae and from indie rock to electronics. Dour has always been at the forefront of pushing new genres of music but after more than 30 years, how does the festival manage to stay on top of the game? Which novelties can we expect for this year's edition? How does the future of Dour look like? We sat down for a chat with Alex Stevens, one of the Dour music programmers.

2018 meant a big change for the Dour festival: the historical charming slag heap was replaced by the wind mill park. How did the organisation assess the move to the new site?

Moving our playground was a huge challenge. It was necessary however, as the previous site didn't meet today's standards anymore. The festival had become too big. At the same time, we think it is important to dare to evolve constantly. It’s not obvious for a 30-year-old festival to adapt to today's reality. The easiest thing would have been to keep doing what we were doing, but our audience evolves continuously. The majority of our original audience grows older and a younger audience with different musical preferences takes its place. Simultaneously, the way people discover and consume music changes. So it’s important to question ourselves continuously, our whole team is imbued with the question: 'which kind of innovation can we introduce this year?' Last year's conclusion was positive: the festival made significant progress on convenience, not only for the visitors but for our staff too, without changing the spirit of the festival. The sunset between the windmills gave it a magic touch, it was the cherry on the cake.

What 's new this year?

As everything worked out well last year, the overall setup of the site won't change much. The Red Bull Elektropedia Balzaal however, will be completely redesigned. Last year was great, but we think it lost a bit of its magic: by entering the festival site you immediately bumped into the Balzaal. Maybe that was a bit too obvious. On our former site, this stage was kind of hidden; you had to walk a bit to discover. Once you were there, it was like entering a cathedral: first you saw it from behind and by walking into it, you discovered its magic. So this year, we will invert its orientation and add some novelties; our visitors expect that from us. Here’s a sneak peek: we will line up three huge screens, covering a total size of half a football field.

Another change is the transformation from 'La Caverne' to 'La Salle Polyvalente'. It was impossible to make a strictly metal line-up for four days, so we decided to diversify the selection of artists on this stage. Saturday will be dedicated to all things metal, Thursday will be all about underground hip hop, on Friday it’s dub and reggae’s turn and Sunday will be about the new French pop movement. At night, solid techno and twisted electro will rule over the stage. Consider it as a Lablo XL. As the name 'La Caverne' didn't really capture the multitude of niches, we decided to rebrand it as 'La Salle Polyvalente'.

\n\n\n\nThe other stages remain what they are known for: The\nLast Arena is the main stage for our headliners, Boombox is the attraction for\nthe younger generation that loves all things hip hop and urban; La Petite\nMaison Dans La Prairie focusses on indie music in all its forms, Le Labo is the\nintimate club to discover the bands of tomorrow regardless of genres and the\nDub Corner remains the meeting area for dubplate lovers.

There are plenty of festivals every summer. How does Dour distinguish itself?

Especially 'La Salle Polyvalente' and 'Le Labo' will feature artists you won't come across on other festivals. Acts such as Skee Mask, Ansome and Under Black Helmet play a kind of raw, industrial techno that’s lacking on other events of this size. This is also the case the sounds of artists like Kampiré, a DJ from Uganda or Moonshine, a Canadian collective. Both can be filed as ‘global sounds’, they fit perfectly in the Dour line up. This variety of genres and bands sets us apart from other festivals.

With 40 acts out of 240 featured artists, Belgium is well represented in the line-up. We suppose this isn't a random choice?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTen years ago we consciously chose to retain a part\nof the line-up for homegrown artists. At that time there weren't hardly any\nBelgian headliners making it abroad. That was until Stromae and Selah Sue\nstarted making waves. Nowadays, we have a whole generation headlining festivals\naround the world such as Damso, Roméo Elvis, Angèle, Charlotte De Witte\nand Amelie Lens. We are more than\nhappy to have all of them headlining Dour 2019. The former two will perform in\nthe Last Arena, the latter two will tear down the Balzaal. We have been\nfollowing each of them from the very beginning of their careers, so we are very\nproud with the way things have been going for them. Moreover, we have reached\nthe perfect balance: two female and two male artists, two Flemish and two\nFrench speaking artists (laughs). This is Belgium at its best! Besides these big\nnames, we selected plenty of upcoming Belgian artists. They are so many to pick\nfrom nowadays; we really had to make tough choices. I remember some years ago\nwe really had to dig deep to find them and today they have become a natural and\nessential part of our festival.

Any gigs in particular you are looking forward to?

I am very curious to see The Brums perform live on Saturday, a group from Liège bringing a mix of jazz, groove and electronics. I also look forward to Disclosure, Koffee, Ansome, etc. Too many to sum them all up here.

We talked a lot about music, but Dour is also famous for its particular atmosphere, what is the secret behind it?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPeople come to Dour festival to live the moment\ntogether with friends, regardless of nationality, work or social status. The\nfestival is a world on its own for five days. Our slogan 'Dour mon amour' is\nvery simple: have a good time and talk to each other. These are the simple\nthings we lack in our daily lives sometimes. At Dour, we forget everything and\nwe focus on the moment. Consider it a form of collective meditation, pursued by\n50.000 people a day.

Last year Dour celebrated its 30^th birthday; what will the festival look like within 30 years from now?

That’s hard to say, but probably it won’t be about music only. I hope by this time we’ll have a lot of audio-visual art as well. I guess technology will be very present and will contribute to the interaction with the audience. I’m thinking about music or art created live in interaction with the audience. Probably the festival will become even more of an experience, a bubble in which we could all live together for 5 days. Looking back at the past, I think the festival will become more diverse. Compared to the early days with just one stage with live music, present day Dour has become very diverse with 7 stages, multiple campsites, an enormous audio-visual production, lasers, etc... My main concern has to be that we need to keep doing things differently than other festivals. If we would lose this attitude, the spirit of Dour won't be the same anymore. Only time will tell!

Dour Festival will take place between July 10 and 14. All information and tickets can be found on their website. Feeling lucky? We have 4 combi tickets left to give away. Fill in the form  below and by Wednesday we'll contact the winners personally.