FEBRUARY NEWS

Things are really bustling in this world on the brink, but at least you’re reading something that’s not the news right now ~ writing words is definitely not getting any easier. But for now these spaces still exist where we can be and let be, we’re not taking them for granted and maybe you’ll want to be part of these temporary safe havens filled with sound and wonder, if you let it go that far. Our editorial line has never been a straight one, so we’ll just let the facts do the talking:

OUT NOW: AILBHE NIC OIREACHTAIGH - LUX GRATIS CD

The military-industrial complex as a begetter of environmental sounds is the unlikely starting point for Ailbhe Nic Oieachtaigh’s new album out on KRAAK, Lux Gratis. Following a residency at Q-O2 in February 2024, our most beloved Dublin violist drives her sonic travels beyond her trusty strings into earthier territories of long rumblings tones and repetitive industrial clatter. The viola remains a constant, this time joined by the organ’s ominous whirr, an unsettling conjunction of electronic sounds and the salient punctuations of sax and clarinet to breathe disquiet into the mix. Lux Gratis is a work of unrest, edging the listener into a space of foreboding inconstancy that inhabits and expresses ~ in the most poetic of shapes ~ the uncanny spirit of these times.

And in that spirit, KRAAK and Q-O2 are stoked to host the release concert for Lux Gratis this Friday 21/02 at the Q-O2 homebase.! Ailbhe will be joined by Sam Comerford (tenor sax) and Viktor Perdieus (baritone sax) for her performance. It will also be the debut show of new-fangled duo Steenkiste & Bischoff and their ringing drone magic, in what promises to be a night of auditory rapture alongside all ye eager-eared out there. All info here!

KRAAK FEST GEARED OUT

Finally it’s all out there for the world to see: full KRAAK Festival 2025 lineup, info and more is up on our website and all across the land ~ this year we’re stoked to invite:

Carme Lopez (ES), De Vlaamse Primitieven (BE), Giulio Erasmus & Ex-Worm 3000 (BE), Leo Chang (US), Michaela Turcerová (DK), Muon S (FR), Rhodri Davies (UK), R. Moro (IT), Seraphim Blush (UK), Shitty Shed (FR), Statoil (NO/DK), The Shadow Ring (UK), DJ Hyppocampo (BE)

Tickets are going FAST ~ already over 50% of them sold 😱 so nab your spot at Het Bos this way. We’ll also be kicking off the yearly artist features on our website this week, hope you got your reading glasses on because CONTENT about to hit the roof.

And for the Antwerp-dwellers out there, we’ll also have our yearly pre-fest WAV show on Wednesday 5, featuring the bedlam poetry of Edgar Wappenhalter and chosen tunes by the grasshoppy crew of Oei! Can’t wait to be there already ~ in three weeks!!

RADIO ROUNDUP

Because we’ve barely socialized enough for odds & ends!

• Dylan “Tuuttuuttuuut” brought the legendary Kosmo J aka Daddy Belgrado to the Kiosk Radio plateau for an epic bring-your-dad-to-work day ~ a father/daughter voyage featuring two generation’s worth of party staples and dank tunes <3
• Double GG trouble on DNVG with Norwegian outsidercore rep Gaute Granli visiting the Radio Panik studios to dig into former/current projects as well as
• On LYL we did the first of (not that) many KRAAK Fest specials ~ a straightforward mix on our show SOUNDS ALL CAPS by the kraak GG to lay out the vibes and moods of this year’s fest in a different layout than on the day itself
• And GG’s nocturnal visit to Radio Scorpio’s Sterrenplaten was another milestone in the KRAAK Fest promo tour, with the yearly grilling by Sam & Maarten for more context on who’s who and what to expect in Het Bos on March 8 🌚

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