BRDCST is AB’s brand new indoor spring festival, one whereby we focus on musical limitlessness. The name is a direct reference to the retro futuristic electronica-pop of English band Broadcast, which released inspiring albums like ‘Haha Sound’ and ‘Noise Made By The People’ over the past decade. Artists who feel strongly about musical innovation will form the focal point for BRDCST.

GoGo Penguin (UK)
Wonderful to see how jazz has managed to reinvent itself time and time again over the past 100 years. From swing to bop, from cool to free jazz and fusion, then to end up in the hands of contemporary trendsetters from the indie corner, such as BadBadNotGood, Portico and – man of the year now already – Kamasi Washington. More than appropriate addition: Britain’s GoGo Penguin.

The future jazz – Aphex Twin meets – of Chris Illingworth (piano), Nick Blacka (double bass) and Rob Turner (drums) sounds both fresh and intellectual because they know how to keep their sophisticated arrangements light and airy. Their latest album ‘v2.0’ was a gem that was even nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. What’s more: standing still is not an option, as has already been proven by a sold-out AB Club (’14) and at Gent Jazz (’15). Crucial footnote: their new album ‘Man Made Object’ (to be released in ’16) is being warmly embraced by the legendary Blue Note Records.

 

Pomrad (B)
With such a strong international representation, we could almost forget that there is quite a bit of jazz talent walking around in our very own country. So too: synth-jazz man Pomrad – aka Antwerp’s Adriaan Van De Velde – who scored a radio hit in ’13 with his ‘Pomslap’. In other words: Daft Punk in Herbie Hancock style, sailing along on the wave of new artists like Lido and Romare but with an entirely identifiable own ‘wobble’ sound. With three on stage, Van De Velde & Co ensure in any event that there is a true electro-jazz spectacle.

 

De Beren Gieren (B)
De Beren Gieren are ‘brain’ Fulco Ottervanger (see too: Stadt) on piano, Simon Segers on drums (both known from Stadt) and Lieven Van pée on bass. The trio threw their third instrumental longplayer ‘One Mirrors Many’ onto the market in September ‘15. The album swings in all directions: from experimental piano melodies and strangely screeching, dissonant sounds that you can’t place… all the way to improvisational jazz via funky double bass rhythms. We even find ‘One Mirrors Many’ to be one of the best Belgian things we’ve heard this year.