Dedicated to promote and ensure the export of Luxembourgish artists abroad, Kultur | lx joined forces with the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival to organise SPARK – Jazz from Luxembourg. This small festival aims to put light on Scottish and Luxembourgish jazz scenes, and will take place from March 24th to 26th at the St-Brides Centre in Edinburgh (UK).
The Festival will feature projects by leading Luxembourgish and Scottish musicians, like Tele-Port and AKU! on March 24th, and Dock in Absolute and Dave Milligan Solo on March 25th.
SPARK also seeks to favour artistic encounters by reviving some existing collaborations and ties between Luxembourgish and Scottish musicians, but also by creating new synergies. This takes the form of two- or three-days residencies, during which musicians will be able to work and create together. The results of these collaborations will be presented on March 25th and 26th.
Marc Demuth and Konrad Wiszniewski, whose collaboration was largely acclaimed in the press some years ago, will return in a quartet setting, whereas Michel Meis will continue his companionship with David Bowden, whom he met in the frame of Criss Cross Europe. Last but not least, willing to develop the career of young jazz musicians from Luxembourg, the trumpet player Daniel Migliosi will start a brand-new collaboration with the pianist Pete Johnston, in a trio with Andy Robb (bass) and Dough Hough (drums).
For more information: https://www.edinburghjazzfestival.com/
From November 3 to 5, Luxembourgish acts, KLEIN, Francis of Delirium, and Tuys, descended into the beautiful town of Reykjavik for the first Iceland Airwaves festival since the pandemic. Kultur | lx has been planning their first iteration of “|lx finest – Sounds from Luxembourg” at Airwaves since the festival’s bookers saw KLEIN perform at Eurosonic back in January 2020, so it was a particularly special moment to see fans (new and old), along with a local and international industry (made up of bookers, managers, labels, and media), fill the venues of the three showcasing acts.
Each group had the opportunity to play a first slot on days 1 and 2 before the “|lx finest” showcase event, which took place on the third day at IÐNÓ (with a capacity of 350 people). The showcase was preceded with a networking reception for professionals attending the conference and included a small Luxembourgish delegation, made up of artists and festival bookers, as well.
One important feature of the festival’s conference is the wide range of international media present. The reaction on the shows, particularly for Francis of Delirium (who already have had a banner year), was among the strongest of any Luxembourgish presence at a showcase festival to date. Some of the top music blogs in the world covered the bands’ shows, with Stereogum proclaiming “Francis Of Delirium proved to be one of the most impressive revelations of the whole weekend…These were visceral, invigorating performances, some of the best of Airwaves 2022” while Loudersound said “when TikTok discovers Bahrich’s perfectly-pitched adolescent angst anthems, she’ll be flying.”
As one of the world’s most extraordinary new music showcases, Iceland Airwaves ended up having one of the strongest and most diverse bills in the festival’s 20 plus year history, including Arlo Parks, Amyl & The Sniffers, and Metronomy. With Iceland’s natural wonders often claiming the title “the greatest show on Earth”, Iceland Airwaves was one-of-a-kind offering and Kultur | lx was very proud to be part of it.
WHAT THE MEDIA ARE SAYING :
STEREOGUM
Iceland Airwaves Made Its Real Deal Return For 2022
“Francis Of Delirium proved to be one of the most impressive revelations of the whole weekend. First with a set at Gamla Bíó early in the evening on Friday, then again at Iðnó on Saturday, the Luxembourg group brought a heavier, grungier interpretation of their early material to Iceland. These were visceral, invigorating performances, some of the best of Airwaves 2022 — and a promising glimpse of whatever Francis might pursue on their debut album.
LOUDERSOUND
“The real joy of Airwaves, however, is stumbling upon artists you’ve never previously heard of … such as Francis of Delirium from Luxembourg, fronted by vocalist/guitarist Jana Bahrich.”
“Performing at Gamla Bió the following evening, Francis of Delirium impress too. Louder elected to check out the trio after hearing 2021 single Quit Fucking Around on the festival’s smartly-curated Spotify playlist, and it’s a highlight, alongside 2020 single Circles, in a charmingly ragged set which calls to mind ’90s indie rockers Pavement, Belly and Arlington, Virginia’s Tsunami. When TikTok discovers Bahrich’s perfectly-pitched adolescent angst anthems, she’ll be flying.”
“Bright young guitar-pop out of Luxembourg. One of the two best singalongs of the festival.”
PASTE
15 Bands to See at Iceland Airwaves 2022 (Francis of Delirium)
“Paste hailed Francis of Delirium the indie-rock project of Luxembourg-based musician Jana Bahrich, as the Best of What’s Next in 2021. Bahrich’s sound splits the difference between Smashing Pumpkins and Caroline Polachek, as she told us at the time, ‘merg[ing] this grunge, ‘90s, guitar-driven stuff with more pop melodies.’”
“Music, performing arts, literature and visual arts – in addition to cinema, which is strongly represented at this year’s Cinémania festival, Luxembourg has a rich and diverse culture, which I am happy to see exported this autumn in several venues in Montreal“, highlights Sam Tanson.
Within the framework of Luxembourg, the country of honour of the CINEMANIA festival, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg invites to discover other aspects of Luxembourg’s creation between music, performance, dance and literature. Beyond the highlight at the PHI centre on November 3, Kultur | lx is expanding its programming and allowing artists to present themselves at major platforms and festivals on the Montreal scene. The establishment of a new partnership with the Centre des auteurs dramatiques de Montréal opens a three-week residency to two authors.
03.11.2022 | PHI Centre
17h : Networking Event
Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg invites professionals from the Quebec cultural scene to come and exchange ideas about Luxembourg’s creation and to share their desire for cooperation.
6pm – 9.30pm: Performances
Free registration HERE
A/V performance (duration 33′)
MINERALS | Andrea Mancini (creation 2022)
Copyright – Yves Conrady
An exploration of the fascinating world of minerals in an audiovisual and sound performance.
Concert (duration 40′)
THIS IS KARMA
Copyright – Shade Cumini
Pop, folk or electro, the musician draws from a multitude of influences to build dense, soft and yet powerful pieces.
Dance performance (duration 30′)
ART. 13 RUNWAY / EDDI VAN TSUI COMPANY
Copyright – Eddi van Tsui
In “Art. 13 Runway” the theme of migration merges with that of fashion. A hybrid form created and adapted for the PHI centre that integrates its architecture, consciously playing with the audience’s perception to move and exceed the limits of the stage.
Continuing the discovery…
04.11 | 18h | Darling Foundry, Montreal
Open Studio With Suzan Noesen
As part of her residency at the Fonderie Darling (September-November 2022), Suzan Noesen opens the doors of her studio to discuss her project and her research.
fonderiedarling.org | suzannoesen.com
07.11 – 12.11 | Luxembourg delegation at the CINARS Biennial
Every two years since 1984, CINARS has organised one of the most important international meetings of the performing arts in Montreal with more than 1900 professionals from 54 countries, including 433 of the most important presenters in the world. This year, the artists invited to the PHI Centre and the Machine Room Festival will be accompanied by Kultur | lx to meet international professionals.
cinars.org
07.11 – 28.11 | Centre des auteurs dramatiques
Author in residence: Sophie Langevin and Ian De Toffoli
Founded in 1965 by six authors, the CEAD now has over 290 members. An association of authors serving authors, CEAD is a centre for the support, promotion and dissemination of French-language drama in Quebec and Canada. It occupies a unique place in the theatrical landscape, both in terms of the number of its members and the objectives of research and excellence that it pursues. The CEAD is involved in collaborations with other countries. Luxembourg is invited for the first time to benefit from these programmes.
www.cead.qc.ca
17.11 | 4pm | Quai des Brumes + 10.45pm | Casa del Popolo
C’est Karma – M for Montreal Festival
For the past 17 years, M pour Montréal has acted as an essential catalyst for the Quebec and Canadian music industry, both for emerging artists and those developing their careers outside of Quebec. The event offers a series of conferences where local and international music industry professionals gather. For this first Luxembourg participation, the artist C’est Karma will be honoured.
mpourmontreal.com
19.11 | 5pm | Centre du théâtre d’aujourd’hui
Perspectives d’auteur-rices: l’écriture en chantier. With Sophie Langevin and Ian De Toffoli
Festival la Salle des machines
La Salle des machines is a unique event organised by the Centre des auteurs dramatiques. As part of this festival, authors offer the public dramaturgical meetings around their texts in progress. Ian De Toffoli and Sophie Langevin, in residence at CEAD, will discuss writing in progress and their respective practices.
lasalledesmachines.net
Kultur | lx would like to thank its partners for the opportunity and the realisation of this programme: the Film Fund Luxembourg, the Cinemania Festival, the Phi Centre, the Fonderie Darling, the M for Montreal Festival and the Centre des auteurs dramatiques de Montréal.
In November, let’s spread our imaginations and meet around the artists and creations of Luxembourg!
This year, Fifty Lab is inviting the most promising upcoming talents for three days throughout iconic venues in the heart of Brussels. A unique take on the traditional showcase festival, Fifty Lab takes recommendations from some of the most influential Belgian and international musical programmers (i.e. Primavera Sound, Down the Rabbit Hole, Montreux Jazz Festival, Pukkelpop, Couleur Café, and Luxembourg’s very own Siren’s Call Festival). The audience will discover the next musical crushes from all genres and nationalities.
Kultur | lx is proud to be presenting the first Luxembourgish artist at Fifty Lab, MAZ. Risen out of the ashes of early 2000’s Metal and Rock influences, MAZ is known for delivering a powerful and truthful message to his audiences with a determination to not only scratch at the surface, but to tear through it and see what lies underneath. With a sharpened musical and visual identity, the young rapper wants to give the voiceless not just a voice, but also an uncompromising vision and thus urging his listeners to drop the self-imposed masks and all other unnecessary superficialities to eventually find their true selves.
Want to join MAZ Friday, November 18th at Fifty Lab? Kultur | lx is inviting a small Luxembourgish delegation to attend the festival. Professionals can apply for financial support to attend via the Kultur | lx “Support for mobility, research and career development.” More details here.
MAZ at Fifty Lab
Friday November 18th
8:40 – 9:20 PM | L’ARCHIDUC
More information here.
M for Montreal (M pour Montréal) returns for a 17th edition this November 16-19, 2022. Now recognized as Quebec’s most important initiative for indie music exports, the event is renowned as a showcase festival and international conference, taking place every November.
Kultur | lx is proud to be presenting the first Luxembourgish artist at M for Montreal for the first time, C’est Karma. The showcase arrives in the context of a broader Luxembourgish presence in Québec this November. The country of honor at the CINEMANIA festival, Kultur | lx will also be making a presence at the Centre PHI on Thursday, November 3rd, where C’est Karma will also be presented. The event will offer local professionals the chance to meet the team and experience various aspects of Luxembourgish creation, between music, performance and dance (learn more).
With her third EP, “Amuse-Bouche,” Karma’s style is covered in noise/industrial and hyperpop influences. The daughter of two first generation immigrants, and supporters of feminist and LGBTQ+ causes, she approaches music as a tool for social change, also attacking the inaction on the climate crisis and the disparity between the filthy rich and the less fortunate (although she sometimes indulges in more sentimental remarks or mentions her love for pasta).
Join C’est Karma at M for Montreal on Thursday, November 17th at Quai des Brumes.
Thursday, November 17, 4 PM
at Quai des Brumes
4481 Saint Denis St, Montréal
Second show confirmed:
Thursday, November 17, 10:45 PM
at Casa del Popolo
4873 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal
Kultur | lx headed to Reeperbahn Festival for the first time since its inception from September 21-24, 2022, continuing Luxembourg’s celebrated Friday evening showcase and networking series (a former music:LX initiative for the Pop/Rock/Electro sector). The event/series has now been rebranded to “|lx finest — Sounds from Luxembourg” and featured three Luxembourgish artists, Francis of Delirium, TUYS, and The Ferocious Few, at HÄKKEN on Friday, September 23rd.
We kicked off the festival on Thursday, September 22nd with an evening N-Joy Bus session right off Reeperbahn’s famed Spielbudenplatz with The Ferocious Few, organised by NDR radio. We continued on the Friday with a networking cocktail with over 240 registered delegates, including a small Luxembourgish delegation made up of pros from den Atelier, Rotondes, BEAST, and Unison Studios.
TUYS starting the musical portion of the evening with a full house of delegates and local fans there to watch. It’s always a real feat to have a full house, especially on Friday during such a busy conference like Reeperbahn where you’re competing for attention and attendance with so many different events happening at once. We were so proud to see each of the three acts have a full house of pros/audience in attendance!
Concluding the week was Francis of Delirium, who performed their official Reeperbahn Festival slot on Saturday at Molotow, in connection with their Music Moves Europe nomination (and ESNS Exchange look). The show marked the band’s final date following their cross-EU/UK tour opening for Soccer Mommy.
After being postponed now for 2-years due to COVID, KLEIN, Francis of Delirium, and Tuys have been reconfirmed for this year’s Iceland Airwaves Festival, taking place November 3 – 5. This is the very first time that Kultur | lx will be heading to Iceland to put on our dedicated showcase series, “|lx finest — Sounds from Luxembourg,” set for Saturday, November 5 at IÐNÓ from 20h00.
Attending Iceland Airwaves this year? Stop by early for our networking event at 6:30pm with beer, wine and softs! RSVP HERE.
Saturday, November 5th at IÐNÓ
Vonarstræti 3, 101 Reykjavík
6:30 pm – Networking Reception
7:30 pm – Doors open to the public
8:00 pm – TUYS
9:00 pm – Francis of Delirium
10:00 pm – KLEIN
Second slots confirmed for the artists:
KLEIN
Thursday 3rd November,
Gaukurinn @ 21:40
Francis of Delirium
Friday 4th November,
Gamla Bíó @ 19:20
TUYS
Friday 4th November
Iceland Airwaves Center Stage @ 22:00
As one of the world’s most extraordinary new music showcases, the annual festival is set to be one of the strongest and most diverse bills in the festival’s 20 plus year history, including Arlo Parks, Amyl & The Sniffers, and Metronomy. With Iceland’s natural wonders often claiming the title “the greatest show on Earth”, Iceland Airwaves is similar in its one-of-a-kind offering. The festival’s musical diversity is as spellbinding as its host city Reykjavík and the incredible nature surrounding it.
About the artists
TUYS
Between energetic live shows and cinematic videos, psych-pop TUYS craft an exuberant mix of artistic sophistication and pop hooks. Their music is accompanied by visual storytelling that explores metafiction and aesthetic satire. The now berlin-based band have toured throughout Europe, playing festivals including MS Dockville, FOCUS Wales, Reeperbahn Festival,, and The Great Escape and have supported The 1975, Everything Everything, The Kooks, and Thirty Seconds To Mars. TUYS are set to tour in the Fall 2022 and spent the summer at Ghost City Recording Studios to record their upcoming album.
“TUYS are quietly making waves across Europe.” – CLASH
Francis of Delirium
With three EPs, Jana Bahrich’s Francis of Delirium have quickly caught attention, finding champions in the likes of Pitchfork, Stereogum, The FADER, Paste, DIY, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, 6Music, Radio 1, KEXP, NPR and more. She was recently shortlisted for 2022’s highly prestigious ESNS Music Moves Europe Award and continues on a cross EU/UK support tour with global indie-rock sensation, Soccer Mommy. Hailed as a Gen Zer excitingly redrawing 90s classic indie rock, a deep admiration for contemporary acts such as Car Seat Headrest and Mitski is also abundantly clear.
“Feels like the blueprint for something grand.” – Pitchfork, 7.4 EP Review
KLEIN
In his project, Jerome Klein works on an array of contrasts in a minimalist setting, slipping into a misty mood of melancholy and dark tones. In this almost pure setting, his music surprises with loud splinters of light, explosion of energy and even frenetic ecstasy when the musicians let their passion take over. After releasing their first EP beginning of 2019 and touring for almost 2 years, playing shows at Tallinn Music Week (EE), Cairo Jazz Festival (EG), Daegu Jazz Fest (KR), MENT Ljubjana (SI), and Magnetic Fields Festival (IN), among many others, 2022 marks a first break for KLEIN into a creative process where they will tour off their latest album, Sonder, out now on Cristal Records.
“An awe-inspiring immersive experience, whose brilliance of execution never diminishes the intense emotional capabilities.” (“Une impressionnante expérience immersive, dont la brillance de l’exécution n’affecte jamais les intenses capacités d’émotion.”) – Paris Move
Kultur | lx is headed to Paris-based music festival and conference, MaMA Festival, this year for a fresh take on music:LX’s previous joint showcase action, Salut Voisins! This time, we’re partnering up with our export partners from Wallonie-Bruxelles Musique (BE) and Italia Music Export (IT) for “Ciao Voisins!” to each present one artist/band in front of music industry professionals on Thursday, October 13th at Madame Arthur.
Representing Luxembourg will be none other than hyper-pop artist, C’est Karma, who has had a fantastic couple of years in the French market, including a performance on the coveted ARTE Concert Festival in 2021. Karma recently announced a small French tour leading up to MaMA Festival at the beginning of October.
Between hyperpop, alt-pop and noise influences, the 20-year old C’est Karma presents her version of audacious pop inspired by artists like SOPHIE, Charli XCX or Arca. With lyrics that are often politically charged, C’est Karma offers us a soundtrack of her generation. As she approaches music as a tool for change, Karma doesn’t shy away from social issues that are close to her heart talking about feminism, climate change or expressing her frustration with the inequality of the capitalist system.
Join us Thursday, October 13th at Madame Arthur. We will take care of beverages with Belgian beers and Luxembourgish wine thanks to the support of the Mission culturelle du Luxembourg en France.
Ciao Voisins! @ MaMA Festival & Convention / Paris (FR)
Thursday, October 13th @ Madame Arthur
75bis R. des Martyrs, 75018 Paris, France
Line up:
13:30 Doors
14:00 Post Nebbia (IT)
14:55 Tukan (BE)
15:50 C’est Karma (LU)
More information & registration
More on MaMA Festival :
From the 12th to the 14th October 2022, MaMA Music will give the chance for agencies, labels, publishing or management companies to have their artists – wherever they come from – to play in front of an international audience of music professionals, media and Parisian festival-goers. MaMA Music will showcase over 120 bands taking place across 10 emblematic venues and unusual places of Paris’ Pigalle and Montmartre districts.
On the convention side, more than 6,500 professionals can be expected at MaMA festival and considered one of greatest French gathering points in the music industry. By day, MaMA puts together a conference program featuring over 40 international speakers and 170 panels, keynotes, workshops, match-making sessions and cocktails for music industry actors. Music industry highlights will be covered such as: finance and values, marketing and communication, innovation and data, entrepreneurship, brands and media, international markets, publishing, cultural policies, synchro, creation and autoproduction.
As part of Kultur | lx’s partnership with the Excite network and BBC Horizons / Gorwelion this year, KLEIN has been chosen to perform at Sŵn Festival, an award-winning multi-venue music festival. Based in Cardiff’s city centre since 2007, Sŵn focuses on new music, emerging artists and homegrown acts and will take place between October 21 and 23.
Performing on Sunday, October 23rd at Tiny Rebel, KLEIN works on an array of contrasts in a minimalist setting, slipping into a misty mood of melancholy and dark tones. In this almost pure setting, his music surprises with loud splinters of light, explosion of energy and even frenetic ecstasy when the musicians let their passion take over. After releasing their first EP beginning of 2019 and touring for almost 2 years, playing shows at Tallinn Music Week (EE), Cairo Jazz Festival (EG), Daegu Jazz Fest (KR), MENT Ljubjana (SI), and Magnetic Fields Festival (IN), among many others, 2022 marks a first break for KLEIN into a creative process where they will tour off their latest album, Sonder, out now on Cristal Records.
Excite is a highly-collaborative project between nine partner organisations based across Europe (BE, DE, DK, FI, LU, NO, NL, SE, UK) and leverages a dynamic mechanism to expedite the internationalisation of young artists and music businesses earlier in their careers and development. The delivery model is built around a core of ten partner festivals in their respective markets, with a small number of associated festivals and conferences in different territories – plus a curated stage which took place this year at The Great Escape in Brighton, UK.
More info at : https://swnfest.com/line-up/
Kultur | lx is headed to Reeperbahn Festival for the first time from September 21-24, continuing Luxembourg’s celebrated Friday evening showcase and networking series (a former music:LX initiative). Rebranded as |lx finest — Sounds from Luxembourg, three of the most buzz-worthy alternative rock acts from the Grand Duchy will take the stage at HÄKKEN on Friday, September 23rd: Francis of Delirium (“Wolf Alice’s darker ego… absolute goosebumps” – BBC Radio 1), The Ferocious Few (“rollicking, soulful, garage-rock” – Wired Magazine), and TUYS (“emotive psych-pop delivered by the Berlin-based collective” – Wonderland).
Are you attending Reeperbahn Festival as a pro/delegate? Stop by early for our networking event at 7:30pm with great food, drinks, and Luxembourgish Crémant! RSVP HERE.
Friday, 23. September at HÄKKEN
Spielbudenplatz 21/22, 20359 Hamburg
7:30 pm – Networking Reception (only for delegates)
8:15 pm- Doors open to public
8:30 pm – TUYS
9:30 pm – The Ferocious Few
10:30 pm – Francis of Delirium
11:10 pm – After Party
TUYS – 8:30 PM
Between energetic live shows and cinematic videos, psych-pop TUYS craft an exuberant mix of artistic sophistication and pop hooks. Their music is accompanied by visual storytelling that explores metafiction and aesthetic satire. The now berlin-based band have toured throughout Europe, playing festivals including MS Dockville, FOCUS Wales, and The Great Escape and have supported The 1975, Everything Everything, The Kooks, and Thirty Seconds To Mars. TUYS are set to tour in the Fall 2022 and spent the summer at Ghost City Recording Studios to record their upcoming album.
“TUYS are quietly making waves across Europe.” – CLASH
The Ferocious Few – 9:30 PM
The Ferocious Few blend high paced rock ‘n roll, folk lyrics, a punk edge and a rockabilly sensibility. Think Nirvana meets Johnny Cash. Their rousing guitar riffs and drum kicks brought the attention of countless stages across America, such as Coachella, SXSW, Lightning in a Bottle, and Burning Man, in addition to tours with renowned artists like Cyndi Lauper, Lynyrd Skynrd, Billy Idol, Mumford and Sons, Moby, plus a stop at the Beatles 50th Anniversary concert in NYC to co-host and perform.
“”Fernandez’s voice, a shellshocked croon that conveyed the sort of wideeyed fear of the almighty that the Band used to conjure 40 years ago.”” – The New York Times
Francis of Delirium – 10:30 PM
(+ Saturday, September 24 / 9:30 PM @ Molotow / Club)
With three EPs, Jana Bahrich’s Francis of Delirium have quickly caught attention, finding champions in the likes of Pitchfork, Stereogum, The FADER, Paste, DIY, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, 6Music, Radio 1, KEXP, NPR and more. She was recently shortlisted for 2022’s highly prestigious ESNS Music Moves Europe Award. Hailed as a Gen Zer excitingly redrawing 90s classic indie rock, a deep admiration for contemporary acts such as Car Seat Headrest and Mitski is also abundantly clear.
“Feels like the blueprint for something grand.” – Pitchfork, 7.4 EP Review