BRDCST is back again. On April 8, 9 and 10, BRDCST showcases the best of avant-garde pop, futuristic hip-hop, grime, African black metal, Chicago footwork, jazz, electronic music, contemporary classical, improv and more.

FRIDAY APRIL 8th

BRDCST gets off to a flying start by giving the Ugandan Nyege Nyege Tapes and sister label Hakuna Kulala carte blanche. Acts include percussion trio Arsenal, grime artist Ecko Bazz and the futuristic hip-hop of Mc Yallah x Debmaster and the unparalleled DJ Marcelle. Jana Rush demonstrates why the Guardian calls her “an electronic visionary”. There’s also a slot for sensational afropunk by Avalanche Kaito on the first day of the festival, as well as Farida Amadou and Lucy Railton, two rising stars in the world of experimental music. The bill is completed by sensational trumpet player jaimie branch.

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JAIMIE BRANCH – FLY OR DIE (us) 

The Chicago-based International Anthem is without a doubt the most exciting jazz label of recent times. It has a delightful punk attitude and has taken the inspiring likes of Angel Bat Dawid, Alabaster dePlume and trumpeter jaimie branch under its wing. Branch’s albums Fly or Die and Fly Or Die II were praised by both The New York Times and The Wire. Anyone who has seen her live knows what an impressive experience that is. Exciting, tenacious and 100% punk.

BRDCST LABEL FOCUS: NYEGE NYEGE TAPES x HAKUNA KULALA 

Never mind Detroit, Chicago or Berlin. The most exciting electronic music at present come from east Africa. A stack of releases are associated with the Kampala-based (Uganda) Nyege Nyege Tapes and its sister label Hakuna Kulala. While the mothership focuses on ‘outsider music’, Hakuna Kulala issues electronic club music from the underground. BRDCST is proud to welcome Mc Yallah x Debmaster, Ecko Bazz, Arsenal and Duma.

HAKUNA KULALA PRESENTS MC YALLAH x DEBMASTER (ug/ger) 

MC Yallah has been a regular on the African hip-hop scene for twenty years, and is now on the brink of an international breakthrough. She has a unique way of blending conscious, futuristic hip-hop, grime and punk with a hint of trap, and creates a sensation at every festival she shows up at: from the Venice Biennale to Le Guess Who? in the Netherlands recently. MC Yallah switches masterfully between English and a handful of African (Bantu) languages. Together with beatmeister Debmaster, she’s recently reworked a beautiful track by desert blues icons Mdou Moctar.

HAKUNA KULALA PRESENTS ECKO BAZZ (ug) 

The Ugandan grime artist Ecko Bazz is worshipped by artists like Aphex Twin and Death Grips. It’s little wonder that his excellent track, Nightmare Song, feels explosive, claustrophobic and captivating all at the same time. Mmaso, his new album released soon, also sounds threatening and ominous.

NYEGE NYEGE TAPES PRESENTS ARSENAL (ug) 

The Ugandan percussion trio Arsenal – not to be confused with the Russian psych/jazz band of the 1970s or the American band of ex-Big Black guitarist Santiago Durango – is Nyege Nyege Tapes’ brand-new signing. BRDCST will introduce the trio to Belgium. They describe themselves as an “808 cargo cult percussion troupe”. Stylish and thrilling.

AVALANCHE KAITO (bf/be) 

Pretty much everyone who has seen Avalanche Kaito – musicians from the Brussels’s music scene – is overwhelmed by them. Knack Focus: “We were blown away by this energetic Belgian post-punk/no-wave trio, led by a griot from Burkina Faso.” Het Leids Dagblad: “An overwhelming dose of afropunk.” Louder Than War: “They are sensational! An enervating wall of noise given a focus by the incredible presence of the singer.” Avalanche Kaito made their debut on the classy Glitterbeat Records, also home to such artists as Altın Gün and Gaye Su Akyol.

JANA RUSH (us) 

Jana Rush was born and bred in Chicago, the birthplace of footwork. The genre – a form of rapid-fire streetdance in battle style – originated in the 90s with tempos of 160 bpm and took influences from house and techno. Her album Pariah from 2017 is still causing a stir. The foundation of her latest album, Painful Enlightenment, is still footwork, but also embraces experimental electronic music. “Stunningly original music. An electronic visionary”, said the Guardian.

LUCY RAILTON (uk) 

British cellist and composer Lucy Railton is one of the new stars of experimental music. Her many musical interests have led her to collaborate with Kali Malone, Stephen O’Malley, Beatrice Dillon and others. Live, she regularly brings pieces by Pauline Oliveros, Xenakis or Morton Feldman to life. Her most recent work positions itself somewhere between modern instrumentalism, electronica and musique concrète. Labels like PAN and Editions Mego are her home bases.

FARIDA AMADOU (b) 

Self-taught Farida Amadou gets some exciting sounds out of her Fender bass. In her relatively short career, collaborations with the likes of Peter Brötzmann, Thurston Moore and Wolf Eyes have put her on the map at home and abroad.

BRDCST EXCLUSIVE: LUCY RAILTON (uk) x FARIDA AMADOU (b) 

Lucy Railton and Farida Amadou take part in an exclusive and unique duo improvisation set during BRDCST.

NYEGE NYEGE TAPES PRESENTS DJ MARCELLE/ANOTHER NICE MESS (nl)

DJ Marcelle: "Good music should be something that stimulates you, pesters you, makes you happy, and moves you. That is largely absent in the DJ world. Here, the only thing that matters is escapism, hedonism and making money." Point taken! DJ Marcelle is the embodiment of punk within the predictable dance scene. We instantly became fans when we heard a track by one of our favourite dub pioneers Impact All Stars in one of her sets.