TUYS | Everyday Soleil
Single release: March, 10 | TWO STEPS TWICE records
Everyday Soleil is a track about the sunlight that a relationship can bring to our lives. The song comes with a new part of TUYS’ upcoming short film
“Reality Management Ltd.” in which TUYS turn into a company selling realities to frustrated clients. The band has performed at the last editions of festivals such as Reeperbahn Festival, Iceland Airwaves or ESNS and will tour Europe in May after the release of their album. The latest single “Look Alive” has been playlisted in All New Rock (US), Indie Goesting (on the cover), New Music Friday BE or All New Noise.
«Tour mates of The 1975, Everything Everything and Imagine Dragons, TUYS are kicking off their 2023 with a stellar new single, ‘Look Alive’» – House of Solo
Pleasing | feed me to those I envy the most
Single release: February, 14 | TWO STEPS TWICE records
EP release: April, 7 | TWO STEPS TWICE records
“feed me to those I envy the most” is Pleasing’s second single of the upcoming EP titled “for us to escape”. The tale started with “the structure’s above” where a divine being descends to question Patrick’s pursuit for meaning. This time, Pleasing unleashed noisy synths, uncontrollable screams and melodic atmospheres to throw back any frustration at one’s biggest judge: Yourself. From feelings of inferiority to egocentric and bitter behavior, the judge will use every expectation you have towards yourself to bring you down.
“Pleasing has achieved a master stroke: his new song makes depression tangible without trivialising it.” – Kulturnews
Sheebaba | bruit_RE
bruit_RE digital release: February, 24 | Katalog records
bruit/bruit_RE physical vinyl release: March, 14 | Katalog records
During the recording and production of their debut EP “bruit” in early 2022, Sheebaba quickly realised that the material they gathered is capable of more than just what they are able to do with it. The universe of Sheebaba is ever expanding and so are the possibilities of their output. In order to reveal what their songs can become if interpreted by someone else, Sheebaba gave the stems to some of their favourite artists from Luxembourg, Germany and the UK and let them run wild with it. The result is an EP that flows in the same vein as the group‘s usual work, yet coming from a bunch of different angles.
Seed to Tree | Major Lydian
Single release: March, 17 | Pop-up records
On their new single Major Lydian, Seed to Tree is taking a new turn on their musical journey, walking down the memory lane of new wave and dream pop. Their newest song is loaded with pop-cultural references hinting at David Bowie, The Talking Heads or 90s cult movie Trainspotting. But besides being an homage to all the influences that have been part of the band’s history, the song is mainly a realisation that the band Seed to Tree has become more than the sum of all their inspirations. After playing music together for more than a decade, the four musicians are finding their comfort of a home town in creating songs together that have an identity on their own.
ENGLBRT | Harm
Single release: February, 24 | Listenrecords
Both musicians draw on a long legacy of omnivorous instrumental and genre-bending music, with a sound that is slow and widescreen, incorporating elements of electronica, contemporary jazz and well-crafted indie-pop. As if working from a lab setting, the duo composed by Georges Goerens and Niels Engel, isolates samples from their common musical lexicon to unearth hidden relationships, always leading to the discovery of enticing combinations. Those first experiments and songs shaped the nature of the collaboration resulting in their debut EP Odes to Everything to be released on the Berlin-based label Listenrecords in 2023. Taking cues from the endless scroll of everyday life, ENGLBRT delivers a dazzling soundtrack to our accelerated culture, shaping new sonic possibilities in the process.
Josh Island | Rewind
Single release: March, 17
Album release: September, 15
With “Rewind” Josh calls on listeners to take a step back when things don’t work out: “We all have moments that we worry about what’s next, a fear of failure. Sometimes you’re not comfortable with a situation, things don’t go to plan or you’re simply unsure what steps to take. Take a step back – and start over again.”
This theme not only comes up in the lyrics, but also in the song’s arrangement, with lots of reverse effects and repetitive riffs. Rewind is a pop-rock track full of driving guitars, rhythmic vocals and a massive, crescendo finale. The single was produced once again by Nelson Canoa (Sara Tavares, Carminho), who also produced Josh’s last EP and upcoming album. Musicians from The Black Mamba (Eurovision 2021) formed his studio band during recordings.
CHAiLD | Close to You
Single release: March 17 | Beast records
Close to you is a romantic sing along in the car pop song. It is about the genuineness of the first love and how it makes us feel like we’re on top of the world. Along the lines of Julia Michaels and Tate McRae, imagine this song to be a warm and nostalgic ray of sunshine as we’re slowly coming out of winter.
https://chaild.lnk.to/CloseToYou
CHAiLD | Urgent Care EP
EP realease: April 14 | Beast records
“This world just seems a bit too heavy sometimes. I seek shelter in my inner world, my dreams and my imagination. As I close my eyes, my mind slows down and I feel myself fading away to peaceful places. “Urgent care” is a collection of songs about vulnerability and healing from trauma through honesty with oneself and others.
I wrote it in a time where I felt hopeless, and in which songwriting was my way to cope with my anxiety. In a way, making this record was my “urgent care”” – CHAiLD
MAZ | LAST DAY
Single release: February 17 | Beast records
LAST DAY is Maz’ second single of his “EMO SEASON EP” campaign. It’s a song about trying to enjoy every last bit of every single day because it might be your last. « There’s not enough time in this life to play a fake and restricted version of who you really are ; free yourselves! ». This is a one of the brighter tracks in the rather dark Univerze of Maz, combining pop and punk-rock elements which will make people feel like it’s summer during the cold and dark winter.
EDSUN | Carter
Release : March 24 | Beast records
“Artists get taken advantage of a lot of the time. This is a reminder to ask for what is yours. As an eye witness I can say that we are getting tired of excuses. Business is Business, now cut my check.”- EDSUN
Make sure to check out the upcoming single on release date!
As a trumpet player, composer, arranger and conductor, Gast Waltzing started 2023 with numerous concerts and artistic encounters that show the diversity of his projects and musical interests: a collaboration with the jazz musician Kyle Eastwood, a new CD release with Myles Sanko and the Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg, concerts worldwide with his long-standing artistic partner Angélique Kidjo, but also Shiho, the mythical band Alphaville, as well as Morgane Ji. All these international collaborations, that Gast Waltzing had with many other musicians such as Gregory Porter, Dionne Warwick, were all steps that paved the way to a Grammy Award winning in 2016.
Gast Waltzing was indeed awarded this outstanding distinction with Angélique Kidjo in 2016 for the album “Sings” recorded with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg (429 Records). This project started years before, when the conductor suggested the Beninese singer to arrange her most successful tracks for symphonic orchestra. A crazy project, according to Kidjo, which won over the audience and is still filling concert halls today. The duo has just returned from a series of concerts in the south of France with the Orchestre national Avignon-Provence in January, and then in Tromsø and Bodø (NO) with the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra in February, showing how this project has managed to conquer the whole of Europe.
This collaboration with Angélique Kidjo, coupled with the Grammy, allowed Gast Waltzing to gain a certain notoriety and to be increasingly identified as a conductor of his own arrangements and compositions. This is how the project “Eastwood Symphonic” was able to grow. Developed with the renowned jazz bassist Kyle Eastwood, it is described as a “musical road-movie” giving a tribute to the music scores of Clint Eastwood’s best movies, orchestrated by Gast Waltzing. “Eastwood Symphonic” premiered at the Nancy Jazz Pulsation festival in 2022, and will start its tour in May with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (NO), the Czech national Symphony Orchestra (CZ), the Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg (LU), the Orchestre régional de Normandie (FR), and the Orchestre national d’Avignon-Provence (FR). Many other concerts are to be announced soon.
Gast Waltzing also reinforces his identification as conductor and orchestrator through an upcoming release on which he contributed under both hats: the singer Myles Sanko is indeed to publish a recording of his concert with the Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg in 2020.
Beyond the international collaborations and the Grammy Award, which he considers more as a “facilitator” than as an end in itself, Gast Waltzing’s great strength undoubtedly lies in his openness and his involvement in projects with diverse musical aesthetics. He will for instance conduct the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg with the German band Alphaville, who celebrate their 40th anniversary and look back on their greatest hits, for a tour across Germany and Switzerland. On the jazz side, 2023 will punctuated by concerts with the singer Morgane Ji, and the development of the project “Peace, Drugs and Love” with the violinist Jean-Jacques Mailliet and the contemporary music ensemble United Instruments of Lucilin.
All this eclectism reveals Gast Waltzing’s willingness to differentiate, something he considers a pillar of his career, and which he intends to cultivate for the projects he is developing for the years to come.
Confirmed dates:
05.05: Eastwood Symphonic, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger, Norway
17.05: Eastwood Symphonic, Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
20.05: Eastwood Symphonic, Orchestre Régional de Normandie, Coutances, France
27.05: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Konzerthaus, Freiburg, Germany
28.05: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Liederhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
29.05: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, KKL, Luzern, Switzerland
16.06: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Isarphilharmonie, München, Germany
17.06: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Meistersinghalle, Nürnberg, Germany
21.06: Eastwood Symphonic, Czech national symphony orchestra, Prague, Czech Republic
08.07: Eastwood Symphonic, Umbria Jazz festival, Umbria, Italy
15.07: Eastwood Symphonic, Orchestre de Cannes, Cannes, France
18.07: Eastwood Symphonic, Orchestre d’Avignon-Provence, Avignon, France
19.10: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany
06.11: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Tonhalle, Düsseldorf, Germany
13.11: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany
14.11: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Theater am Aegi, Hannover, Germany
04.12: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Philharmonie, Essen, Germany
Bach Stage, Francesco Tristano and Leo Margue (Scala Music)
Release on March 3rd, 2023 on Scala Music.
“He used to play Bach concertos standing, with energy and vivacity! With this album, pianist Francesco Tristano shakes all our habits. Have we ever listened to these concertos with such an obsessive rhythmic, with 2022-composed cadences, and with such a young and committed ensemble? Without disavowing the interpretations from the past, it is a real slap in the face that awakens our vision of the cantor’s work.”
Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto No. 1 in D minor BWV 1052
Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto No. 4 in A major BWV 1055
Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto No. 7 in G minor BWV 1058
Source: Scala Music
The Aquatic Museum, Claire Parsons & Laurent Peckels – Global Project Grant laureate 2022
Upcoming singles to come. Stay tuned.
A genre-breaking project, The Aquatic Museum skilfully combines the colour palettes of jazz harmony, the delicacy of a chamber ensemble, and the energy of a pop band. Carefully crafted compositions take us on a journey that reinvents the sound of pop delicately weaving moving lyrics with a spectrum falling between the poles of minimalism, the epic, and everything in between. This is chamber pop.
The collective – founded by singer-songwriter Claire Parsons (UK/LU), musician and app developer Laurent Peckels (LU) and in praise of folly violist Nicole Miller (US) – extends beyond European borders bringing together an arsenal of individually accomplished musicians and multimedia artists to bring the album, live concept and app to life striven by the determination to go beyond conventional ways of creating, releasing and performing music.
First single Large Pleasure Watercraft and Trash Tub are available on all platforms. To watch the videoclips directed by Jeanne Held, click here.
Source: The Aquatic Museum
Prismatica, Pascal Schumacher & Goldmund Quartet
Vinyl release on March 31, 2023 under Berlin Classics
“Last summer, I took some time to imagine how to translate the reflections and the different faces of a prism after a commission for string quartet by Goldmund Quartet cellist Raphael Paratore. It was quite a challenge. My new composition “Prismatica” comes as a result of these explorations, and is available on all streaming platforms. In spring, a physical release on vinyl is planned under Berlin Classics.”
Source: Pascal Schumacher
CTRL Variations, Pascal Schumacher, Michel Welfringer, Ian Monk & United Instruments of Lucilin
Vinyl release on April 28th, 2023. More info on the release concert here.
“Is it a love story? Undoubtedly. Is it a play about the strange relationship between people and their computers? Likewise (after all, among other things, quite a few annoying spam mails are given musical honours in it). Is it experimental literature? Certainly, at least in part, because one of the actors from the Oulipo circle of authors around Raymond Queneau and Georges Perec is involved in it. Is it film music for an abstract film with letters instead of actors? In a way, that too (as Pascal Schumacher says? “Film music is cooler to write than other music anyway.”).
When jazz musician and composer Pascal Schumacher, typographer Michel Welfringer and writer Ian Monk join forces to write variations on CTRL (control? the control key? the sounds C, T, R and L? the letters?) for the ensemble United Instruments of Lucilin, a kind of controlled loss of control is preprogrammed.”
Source: United Instruments of Lucilin for 33,7
Coming home, Mathieu Clément
Release on March 24th, 2023, Double Moon Records (Challenge Records) in the series JazzThing Next Generation.
In February 2022, the young drummer Mathieu Clément recorded his first album Coming Home, to be released on March 24th 2023 under Double Moon Records (Challenge Records) in the Jazz Thing Next Generation Series. The music he writes, which can be described as straight ahead/modern jazz, reminds of the compositions of Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter or Thelonious Monk. A first tour (16-28 March) will bring him to Cologne, Luxembourg, Mainz, Dresden, Leipzig, Nürnberg, Vienna and Salzburg.
Source: Mathieu Clément
Mozart : Piano Sonatas Vol. 4, Jean Muller
Release on March 3rd on Hänssler Classic.
Jean Muller just published the fourth volume of Mozart’s complete piano sonatas, after the publication of the first three albums, which were widely praised by the press. This new album makes us discover sonatas no. 7, 13, and 15, and “place the pianist in the first rank of important Mozart interpreters” (Pizzicato.lu)
A few months after the nomination of the Artist Management Programme laureates, Kultur | lx is thrilled to announce the names of the mentors who will accompany them for the next two years.
This mentoring programme will give Elvis Duarte and Stephanie Baustert the opportunity to have a tailored coaching with experienced music managers through six individual sessions per year.
Stephanie Baustert will receive the advice of Danielle Oosterop, founder and CEO of Danielle Oosterop Music Management.
After studying history, Danielle Oosterop started working until she decided to quit and travel around South America for six months, where she went on to work as a tourist guide for four years. During this time, when in Amsterdam, she attended many concerts, and got to know the Dutch jazz scene. She was asked to work for Michiel Braam, a jazz pianist and leader of several ensembles, doing everything: booking, production, publicity, administration, as well as fundraising. After ten years, she started her own booking agency based in Amsterdam. She worked for artists and bands like Mats Gustafsson, Paal Nilssen-Love, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Nate Wooley, Julien Desprez, Rodrigo Amado, Atomic, Martin Küchen Angles 9 and Gabriele Mitelli. She books tours for them mainly in Europe, but also occasionally in the US, Canada and South America. She takes care of production, and sometimes tour management – which she likes best – as well.
Elvis Duarte will be mentored by Niels Walboomers, President of Warner Music Group Benelux.
Niels Walboomers has a long track record in the music industry. With his brother Marc, he founded ‘Walboomers Music’ in 1996. He began as a music distributor for genres such as hip-hop, Latin, reggae, and world music, after which the company expanded as an independent label and music publisher and branched out into artist management. In 2010, he started at Sony Music Publishing as managing director Benelux. He also joined the board of music publishers association NMUV. Between 2014 and 2018, he served as NUMV chairman. He is also a board member of Belgian music publishers association BMPA and secretary of the Supervisory Board of collecting society Buma/Stemra. In 2022, Niels has started as President Records & Publishing – Warner Music Group Benelux
Committed to promote artists from Luxembourg, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will be present for the second consecutive year at jazzahead! in Bremen, Germany.
This presence will be made possible through a booth which will give all the professionals involved in the Luxembourg jazz scene the opportunity to meet the foreign delegations attending this key trade fair for the jazz sector.
In 2022, jazzahead! gathered 2700 participants from 55 different countries. A central platform for the jazz sector, taking place every year in Bremen, the event gives rise to formal and informal networking, as well as showcases and conferences. In 2022, first year during which Luxembourg presented a national booth at jazzahead, 14 people from Luxembourg’s jazz scene (artists, bookers and managers, promoters) came to Bremen and had the chance to meet all the professionals attending the event.
In order to give artists and independent professionals the opportunity to attend the event and expand their network, Kultur | lx provides financial support.
We are looking forward to meeting you at the booth nr. 6B31! – more information to follow.
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/
And that’s a wrap on ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) 2023! MAZ, Francis of Delirium, and TUYS, all made Luxembourg proud through their performances throughout the Groningen, Netherlands-based showcase festival. For Francis of Delirium and TUYS, this was their first live-and-in-person event at ESNS after being presented digitally the past two years due to the pandemic. MAZ on the other-hand (selected with Luxembourg’s public service radio station 100,7) made his ESNS debut.
“It was an honour to be at Eurosonic this year,” said MAZ. “I’ve played a lot of showcases around Europe over the years, yet everywhere you go, ESNS is always talked about as ‘the spot to be,’ so I was really glad I was chosen to perform.”
We kicked off the festival week on Wednesday, January 18th with a late-night News Café session featuring psych-pop band TUYS, who have been part of the ESNS Exchange program for a couple of years now. Playing at ESNS not only means playing at the festival in January. Acts that played at the festival also are a part of the ESNS Exchange programme. ESNS Exchange, the European Talent Exchange Programme, was introduced in 2003 to make the ‘exchange’ of European artists across Europe possible on a greater scale than ever before. An initiative of ESNS, ESNS Exchange facilitates the bookings of European acts on festivals outside their home countries and generates extensive media exposure for these artists in cooperation with Euroradio, export offices and local media (our local media partner is 100,7). This way, ESNS Exchange aims to give a boost to the international careers of European artists.
Yann Gengler (Bass and singer) of the band mentioned they “had the chance to play at least three ESNS Exchange festivals last year through the program (Iceland Airwaves, FOCUS Wales, and Reeperbahn Festival). It was an amazing experience to perform shows and get to meet new artists and professionals in various markets.”
We continued on Friday with three more shows. Francis of Delirium performed a few songs to a packed Plato Records Store performance in the afternoon followed by their official ESNS showcase at the mythical and sold out VERA. The band’s two shows arrived off the back of their live performance last year at ESNS’s Music Moves Europe Talent Awards, of which the band was nominated.
“We got to come up to Groningen to perform at the awards ceremony, however due to the pandemic the city was completely shut down, so we didn’t get to perform in front of an audience.” Lead singer and guitarist Jana Bahrich mentioned. “So it was really exciting to be at ESNS23 this year and to see the city buzzing with the eclectic mix of acts playing around the city.”
MAZ finished the musical portion of the week with a full house of fans and delegates at the Grand Theatre Main, a strong performance that Dutch public broadcasting company, RTV Noord, gave an “11/10 (!).”
WHAT THE MEDIA ARE SAYING
“It’s the weekend and everyone feels [the enthusiasm], because there is plenty of dancing and jumping. Also by this reviewer.’ His verdict: 11/10 (!).” – RTV Noord
“Francis of Delirium ripped through an impressive show of 90s inflected alt-rock with all the fervour and grit of a teenage nightmare.” – The Line Of Best Fit
“…[Francis of Delirium] showed some real emotion in ‘Quit Fucking Around’ that really clicked. Bahrich is only 21, there is still room for growth. What she has already said makes us look forward to more.” – HUMO
“At the Grand Theatre, MAZ delivered an energetic show and wowed the room with an epic performance. His rhymes came as if from the flint. His stylistic jumps from rap to metal to emo kept one on edge. We are curious how things will continue for our famous rapper.” – 100,7
The year 2023 starts with a couple of releases in classical/contemporary music and jazz!
Naama Liany – Daydream (Origin Records)
Liany’s new album, Daydream, is a stunning example, bringing together works on the subject of dreams by Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Federico Mompou and Albena Petrovic. The album was developed with the support of the prestigious Philharmonie Luxembourg and recorded at their magnificent facilities with the help of an award from the country’s Ministry of Culture. Dreaming is an apt subject for Liany, whose parents recall her waking up at the age of four and recalling a dream where she sang in front of a crowd of joyful listeners. The repertoire is comprised of hand-picked, rarely performed pieces by 20th which are tied into one unifying theme. The repertoire speaks of the experiences one may go through the night, through dreams, and at dawn. The solitude of night resembles the solitude that was forced on the musicians, without their audiences. From this solitude came the great motivation of creating this exciting program. Some of the pieces are not always the easiest to digest musically and are challenging harmonically, lyrically, and conceptually, just like any other 20th-century art. However, it is Liany’s goal and knowledge from previous programs, to make it accessible and relevant to the broad public. Musically speaking, the repertoire presents clear playful melodies which are accompanied by somehow awkward, dissonant-colored piano chords. This constant dissonance is similar to dreams where the plot might make sense to the dreamer, but with displaced backgrounds and situations.
Release date: 13 January 2023
Source: Naama Liany
supported by Kultur | lx – promotion support
Raíz, Triana y Luca
Merging melancholic melodies inspired by folkloric music, Raíz is Triana y Luca’s first single original single from their upcoming debut EP. With powerful vocals, sublime guitar, and the accompaniment of a string ensemble, Raíz is a forceful yet delicate composition which tells of a compelling story on migration. Bringing listeners on a journey of blended cultural sonority, Raíz is intimate and emotive.
Raíz was composed by the duo with a string arrangement by Latin Grammy award winning arranger Gustavo Jaramillo Pimentel. Recorded at Tritone Studios (LU) and produced by Mike Butcher (producer of Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, Jaco Pastorius), it is part of their 5 song debut EP which is set to be released in June 2023.
Release date: 13 January 2023
Phase O, Phase O (Badass Yogi Productions)
Recorded during the summer-heatwave of 2018 “Phase 0” is the result of a few sessions of improvised music at Rameldange’s famous “Ricording Studios”. Gathering musicians from different musical worlds the music on this album is a real journey, going from mysterious atmospheres over free-jazz to stoner rock.
Dedicated to the memory of Itaru Oki and Steve Kaspar who were masters of free-jazz and soundcollages themselves, this album is almost alchemistic in its trying to establish music within utter chaos.”
Release date: 29 November 2022
Credits:
Renata van der Vyver , Viola
Pichel Pilz, Bass clarinet
Paul Gehl, Guitar
Vedran Mùtic, Bass
Benoît Martiny, Drums
Rico Querin, Soundcontrols
Auke Triesschijn, Coverdesign
Rico Querin, Mix and Mastering
12Also in 2022, classical music and jazz from Luxembourg made its way into the international press. Here are some impressions.
Maxime Bender Universal Sky, Fall & Rise, CamJazz
“At a time where self-written compositions are more a norm than a exception, the pieces distinguish themselves by their ability to not place the writing process at the forefront, but rather to convey a strong and accessible musical message. “Universal Sky” weaves an interlacing of sound colors going from intangible and air echoes with pure energy and jerky rythms, creating a perfect contrast between the four instruments. Maxime Bender turns out to be a goldmine of inspiration, sound and idea” – Fränkische Zeitung
“(…) so many references-reverences that only strengthen this dreamy odyssea, simoultaneously melancolic and solar”– Jazz Magazine
Zala & Val Kravos, Piano Duet, Ars Productions
“a beautiful and lively CD, full of vitality” – Rodolphe Bruneau-Boulmier, En pistes!, France Musique
“A brother and a sister, both pianists, present Piano Duet, a great record. Mozart and Schubert hold the most prominent position, but you can also discover Françoise Choveaux’s Fantaisies. These two rascals deserve an attentive ear!” – Frédérick Casadesus, Le Club de Mediapart
“With the duo Zala and Val Kravos, a double star has emerged that will continue to shine for a long time to come. This young duo has great potential, as their debut CD proves.” – klassiekcentral.be
Francesco Tristano, on early music, Sony
“For the most part of the album, the percussive is very much in the foreground, the groove and the rhythmic component that Francesco Tristano particularly appreciates in early music.”– Rainer Baumgärtner , rbbkultur
“The Juillard School-trained pianist presents the early music solidly: in the nimble fugue-like movements (Prélude from Bach’s English Suite No. 2 in A minor), the voices mesh like the cogs in clockwork.” – Thorsten Preuβ, BR Klassik
Sascha Ley, In Between, Jazzhaus Musik
“[Sascha Ley] creates a world with its own parameters, based primarily on reduction and pure accuracy of expression. “In Between” : One indeed lands in an in-between realm. It is an exciting place.” – Susanne Müller, Jazz Podium
“With her musical concept, Sascha Ley seems to me to be a personality who stands somewhat apart from the so-called jazz scene and is very interesting not only for that reason.” – Jazzfun.de
Pascal Schumacher, LUNA, Neue Meister
“Luna” is even more contemplative and tender, also because Schumacher used softer mallets than usual. The Luxembourger layers with great sensitivity vibraphone, synth surfaces and reduced beats, sometimes reminiscent of ambient pioneers such as Cluster” – Jan Paersch, JazzThing
Sabine Weyer & Dimitri Maslennikov, Brahms Connection, Quartz
“One of the very best albums for cello and piano that I’ve ever heard in four decades as a reviewer.” – Phil’s Classical Reviews
“Overall, despite many individual differences in detail, Dimitri Maslennikov and Sabine Weyer convincingly establish a common viewing height between these deeply romantic masterpieces” – Stefan Pieper, Orchester Graben
Gilles Grethen, State of mind, Double Moon
“An album filled with lyrical images, with beautiful and clear guitar and trumpet solos.” – Jazzfun.de
Albena Petrovic, Dreamlover
“There are beautiful things in this score by Albena Petrovic” – En Pistes contemporain!, France Musique
We’re kicking off 2023 with one of the most exciting showcase festivals of the year! MAZ, Francis of Delirium, and TUYS, are all headed to ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), which is set to take place live-and-in-person from 18-21 January, 2023. Francis of Delirium and TUYS both were presented digitally during the festival’s online conference the past two years due to the pandemic while MAZ (selected with Luxembourg’s public service radio station 100,7) will make his ESNS debut. This will be a unique year in that it’s the first time ESNS has confirmed three Luxembourgish acts at the annual event (in years past only two were sent).
More info on each of the artists can be found here.
Discover the schedule below.
TUYS | Wednesday 18 January
23:35 – 00:15 at News Café
Francis of Delirium | Friday, 20 January
20:45 – 21:30 at Vera
12:50 – 13:10 at Plato Record Store
MAZ | Friday, 20 January
21:30 – 22:15 at Grand Theatre Main
ESNS, the key exchange for emerging European music talent, is thrilled to welcome its visitors back to Groningen in The Netherlands. The festival remains one of the most important events for emerging artists each year, who have the opportunity to perform in-front of a selection of 4.000 delegates and around 40.000 visitors. The organisation also helps to stimulate and push the circulation of European music across the continent and beyond.
Artists who perform for Eurosonic are also added to the ESNS Exchange programme which helps to facilitate the bookings of European acts on festivals outside of their home countries and generate extensive media exposure for them in cooperation with the EBU (of which 100,7 is part of), export offices (including Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg) and local media. As part of ESNS Exchange, Luxembourgish acts Francis of Delirium, TUYS, and Klein, all of which have been part of the recent ESNS Exchange program, were able to perform at festivals like Reeperbahn Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, FOCUS Wales, Maifeld Derby, and most recently all three at Iceland Airwaves.