TIMINGS

With great enthusiasm, AB presents the 6th edition of BRDCST! Our annual high mass for the musical adventurer will welcome roughly 30 artists from four different continents from 7 to 9 April. 

On 7, 8 and 9 April we’ll immerse you in today’s sharpest music. 

► SATURDAY APRIL 8TH

KODE 9 PRESENTS ‘ESCAPOLOGY’ (LIVE A/V SHOW) + SARATHY KORWAR PRESENTS ‘KALAK’ + TOM SKINNER PRESENTS ‘VOICES OF BISHARA’ + STEVE GUNN X DAVID MOORE PRESENT ‘LET THE MOON BE A PLANET’ +  TIM HECKER + ILL CONSIDERED + STEVE GUNN x ZOH AMBA + TAQBIR + BLOEDNEUS & DE SNUITKEVER + BOLIS PUPUL – LIVE SYNTH SET + LIONSTORM + VIEZE MEISJE + DJ MARCELLE / ANOTHER NICE MESS + AMBER MEULENIJZER

Day 2 of BRDCST hosts three big names from the London jazz scene: Tom Skinner (The Smile and Sons of Kemet), percussionist Sarathy Korwar and the superb Ill Considered. Kode9’s show will be (to quote Boomkat) ‘SO FUCKING NEXT LEVEL’. Vieze Meisje will serve up ‘powezie’ set to music and Dutch queer rap act LIONSTORM will raise a middle finger to the heteronormative standard. The ambient electronic artist Tim Hecker will present new work while songwriter Steve Gunn will perform not once but twice: Firstly with pianist David Moore (Bing & Ruth), then with the impressive 22-year-old saxophonist Zoh Amba. Double the fun! And the fun will continue on the dancefloor later that evening with DEEWEE protégé Bolis Pupul and DJ Marcelle.

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KODE9 PRESENTS ‘ESCAPOLOGY’ (LIVE A/V SHOW + DJ SET) (gb) 

If you want to understand Kode9’s musical openness as well as his identity, follow our step-by-step plan! #1: listen to his dub-infused albums ‘Memories of the Future’ (‘06) and ‘Black Sun’ (‘11) recorded with soulmate/MC The Spaceape (RIP) and hear how timeless they still sound. #2: listen to ‘FABRICLIVE 100’, according to Resident Advisor ‘a landmark mix’ that he put together with Burial and is a comprehensive illustration of his visionary musical thinking. #3: explore his label Hyperdub with characters like Burial, Klein, Lee Gamble or Moor Mother. #4: listen to his latest album: ‘Escapology’ on which Kode9 experiments with Chicago footwork, South African gqom, minimal techno and UK funky. To quote Boomkat: ‘THIS IS SO FUCKING NEXT LEVEL’. Kode9 is way ahead of his time. Now in Belgium for the first time with his A/V show.

Please note: this show consists of two parts: a LIVE A/V SHOW followed by a DJ SET, both lasting 45 minutes.

SARATHY KORWAR PRESENTS ‘KALAK’ (gb) 

The CV of Sarathy Korwar – a percussionist born in America, raised in India and resident in London – certainly looks impressive. His debut ‘Day To Day’ (‘16) came out on the famous Ninja Tune label. Four Tet and Gilles Peterson instantly became fans. He developed his A.R.E. project with the aid of Hieroglyphic Being and the master himself, Shabaka Hutchings. In 2018, he revisited classics by Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders and Don Cherry with Upaj Collective.

On his latest album ‘Kalak’, Korwar sets out an Indo-futurist manifesto with help from New York producer Photay the likes of Danalogue, Tamar Osborn and Al MacSween. De Volkskrant praised the album in a five-star review: ‘A masterful blend of Indian percussion, jazz and dance.’

TOM SKINNER PRESENTS ‘THE VOICES OF BISHARA’ (gb) 

In Tom Skinner (The Smile and Sons of Kemet) we have ensnared a stalwart of the London jazz scene. His debut EP ‘The Voices of Bishara’ is undoubtedly an 18-carat jazz album. He has borrowed the title from a 1978 album - ‘By Myself‘ - by cellist Abdul Wadud, which he played on endless repeat during Covid. The album came out on his own label Bishara, Arabic for ‘the bringer of good news’. Skinner: ‘We pay homage to that idea by collectively spreading light where there is increasing darkness.’ Uncut: ‘Voices of Bishara's blend of spiritual jazz, melodic hooks and propulsive rhythms makes for a remarkably refreshing record; strings bark, reeds howl and Skinner's drums dance in ecstasy.’

Good news: Skinner is bringing with him to BRDCST a handful of key players from the London jazz scene, including Kareem Dayes (Yussef Kamaal) and saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael (SEED Ensemble) who recently debuted on Shabaka Hutchings’ label Native Rebel.

TIM HECKER (us) 

Following the release of the fantastic ‘Ravedeath, 1972’ (‘11) and sister album ‘Dropped Pianos’ (‘11), Canadian composer Tim Hecker is still among the leading figures of the experimental ambient scene. His solo albums (on labels such as Kranky and 4AD), soundtracks (including for the BBC series ‘The North Water’), work for contemporary dance as collabs (with Ben Frost, Daniel Lopatin and Arca among others) have all received great praise from the press, fellow musicians and music fans. His body of work is often described as ‘structured ambient’, ‘tectonic colour plates’ or ‘cathedral electronic music’. ‘There are few ambient electronic artists as consistent and groundbreaking as Tim Hecker, even if the terms ‘ambient’ and ‘electronic’ barely encompass the scope of his work.’ (Stereogum) Hecker continues to reinvent himself. The proof is in his two most recent albums ‘Konoyo’ and ‘Anoyo’, both recorded in a Japanese temple with a classical gagaku ensemble. Brand-new work is set to be released on the eve of BRDCST. 

STEVE GUNN x DAVID MOORE PRESENT ‘LET THE MOON BE A PLANET’ (us) 

The American songwriter/guitarist Steve Gunn performs twice at BRDCST (see also STEVE GUNN x ZOH AMBA) outside his comfort zone. On his album ‘Nakama’ Steve Gunn had his songs reworked by ‘people that I admire knowing that their music is an inspiration to me’. This honour went not only to Mdou Moctar and Circuit des Yeux but also pianist David Moore (Bing & Ruth) who remixed the song ‘Reflection’. They now build on this partnership on ‘Reflections Vol. 1: Let the Moon Be a Planet‘, out in the spring on the New York label RVNG Intl. (home of Lucretia Dalt, Horse Lords, etc.) The result is an instrumental masterpiece in the spirit of Terry Riley, in which Gunn weaves his melancholy guitar melodies into Moore’s minimalist piano playing.

STEVE GUNN x ZOH AMBA (us) 

The American songwriter/guitarist Steve Gunn performs twice at BRDCST (see also STEVE GUNN X DAVID MOORE PRESENT ‘LET THE MOON BE A PLANET’) outside his comfort zone. He will embark on an improvisation with the impressive 22-year-old Zoh Amba. In short – and yes, this is quite a statement – Zoh Amba equals Albert Ayler. But then with the breath of a 22-year-old woman who received the blessing of none other than John Zorn at a young age. Amba - Sanskrit for ’mother’ – grew up in Tennessee, played guitar and wrote songs until Charlie Parker crossed her path and she instantly fell for the timbre of the saxophone. That path soon took her to (free) jazz greats like John Coltrane and Albert Ayler who became her shining examples.

Her eagerness and perseverance culminated in 2022 – at the age of 22 – in no fewer than two albums under her name. ‘O, Sun’ even came out on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, and he also produced it. On the album ‘Bhakti’ (‘Devotion to God’) she demonstrated her own signature sound: furious, yet gracious.

ILL CONSIDERED (gb) 

The latest superb product - they seem to be endless – from the London jazz scene. Ill Considered hold freedom in high regard and consider structure to be restrictive, so enthusiasm and energy prevail. The result? ‘Free jazz’ à la Pharoah Sanders with hefty doses of afrobeat, Ethio jazz and echoes of grime and dubstep. King Shabaka Hutchings is also a fan, and in 2018 invited them to the renowned Le Guess Who? festival that he curated.

Their latest and tenth album ‘Liminal Space’ features such names as Theon Cross and Sarathy Korwar and was described by The Jazz Mann as ‘an impressive piece of work, skilfully combining elements of jazz, ‘world music’ and modern production techniques to create something powerful, distinctive and deeply personal.’

TAQBIR (mo) 

BRDCST is so impressed by the veiled Moroccan punk band Taqbir that they’re playing on every day (!) of the festival. Their debut EP ‘Victory Belongs To Those Who Fight For A Right Cause’ features only four songs and clocks in at seven minutes. Think Cocaine Piss meets The Slits meets X-Ray Spex. Live, they are ‘a blast of compressed rage’ (The Wire). 

Taqbir are serious: ‘By pushing their anger towards the sexism, homophobia and racism that lingers like a dark, poisonous fog around Moroccan culture, Taqbir play a very dangerous game. They are putting themselves on the frontline, risking potential imprisonment, death threats and more, just to escape the cultural prison they’ve grown up in.’ (The Quietus) Frontwoman Aicha (a pseudonym) and her band perform behind veils to conceal their true identities out of fear for repercussions.

VIEZE MEISJE PRESENTS ‘LIFE IS A VIEZE CIRKEL’ (be) 

Vieze Meisje is a collaboration between Maya Mertens and Azertyklavierwerke. She: a Dutch dramatist residing in Brussels – pens headstrong ‘powezie’ (poetry) that is heartwarmingly frank, hilariously funny and sometimes shamelessly elegant. He: a graduate cum laude in jazz piano from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp – conjures acrobatic beats, loops and noises that form the soundtrack to a deconstructed dance party that ends in sonorous chaos. Her debut EP ‘Life Is A Vieze Cirkel’ came out recently on the excellent ROTKAT label. However, be warned: before you really notice, you’ll have entered the Vieze Cirkel of life.

LIONSTORM (nl) 

BRDCST is crazy about the EP ‘Kannibalisme & Masturbatie’ by LIONSTORM (yes, all capitals if you don’t mind), who claim to be the first queer rap act from the Netherlands. This Amsterdam duo - Skerrie Sterrie and Vuige Muis – recently conquered the Dutch underground with their rebellious, activist hip-hop and punk that concerns squirting and inspecting erections. While Thierry Baudet is allowed to carry on spewing his nonsense in the Netherlands, LIONSTORM’s videos are removed from Instagram and YouTube for being too explicit. ‘Lionstorm is raw, filthy, sexy and confrontational,’ said Trouw. But LIONSTORM also have a point of contention: ‘We’re just as clear and direct about our sexuality as many male Dutch rappers are about the sex they have with women.’ Their lyrics represent a form of protest against the heteronormative standard.

BOLIS PUPUL – LIVE SYNTH SET (be) 

DEEWEE protégé Bolis Pupul has seen international success in recent months with his partner-in-crime Charlotte Adigéry. He’s also very productive as a solo artist: for example, the release of his recent 12” ‘Neon Buddha’ and a number of well-received live solo sets (from Primavera Weekender to the London O2) in which he uses analogue synthesizers and sequencers. A perfect quote: ‘Pure danceable craftsmanship. The kind that gives machines an organic aura and, for a few seconds, gives you a glimpse of the soul hidden between cables and keys.’ A perfect choice for fans of Chris & Cosey, Yellow Magic Orchestra or the DEEWEE studio’s dancefloor material.

BLOEDNEUS & DE SNUITKEVER (be)

Bloedneus & de Snuitkever is the nom de plume of Brussels sound artist and Aulos player Lukas De Clerck. The Aulos is an ancient wind instrument comprising two double-reeded pipes. De Clerck creates contemporary compositions in a totally unique way. His debut ‘Milli Mille’, on which De Clerck delved deep into the possibilities of his handcrafted instruments, came out on KRAAK last year. His reverb-drenched drones resurrect the spirit of the mythical satyr Marsyas.

BRDCST BY NGHT: DJ MARCELLE/ANOTHER NICE MESS (nl) 

At the request of the BRDCST audience we welcome back DJ Marcelle who switches smoothly between dub, jungle, post-punk and techno using all three (!) of her turntables.    

Last year, Marcelle transformed BRDCST into one big dance party. And DJ Marcelle is also the embodiment of punk in an often too predictable dance scene. Oh yes, DJ Marcelle’s music plays from New York to Tokyo. From Primavera Sound to Nyege Nyege Festival. And at BRDCST. A request? Finish on the stripped-down Scout Niblett version of Althea & Donna’s ‘Uptown Top Ranking’! BRDCST BY NGHT? Hell yeah! 

AMBER MEULENIJZER (be)

Amber Meulenijzer lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. With a background in sound and visual arts, she tries to research the tension between these fields. Combining everyday wonder, intuition and a general curiosity for the limits and flexibility of different materials, she creates work with theatrical, cinematograhic and poetic elements. The role of silence and spectator are investigated, playing with presence / non presence. Where does sound meet material? When does the ear guide the eye? What does the body need in order to hear? Who sings? Who listens?

The last years she has specialised in research revolving around horn speakers from old intercom systems, bringing them to different contexts and landscapes. For Broadcast she will bring a set with these speakers, tailored to the acoustics of AB Salon.