Brother Dieleman, grandson of Jan Bakker and the last smith of Spui, creates an idiosyncratic kind of gospel in the Zealand dialect. For many years, he has delighted Zealand living rooms and stages alike with songs filled with sin and soul, always with Zealand in the background as a mystical haven. His 2012 debut was … Continued

Born in Tehran (1969), Ali Boustan is both a musician and a graphic artist by profession. He received his basic trainings on the Setar, starting at age of 14, from Mohammad Firouzi, Parviz Meshkatian and Mohammad Reza Lotfi. Later he also enjoyed the apprenticeship of late Master Ahmad Ebadi whose guidance established Ali’s approach to … Continued

Saba Alizadeh born in Tehran, Iran is an unparalleled figure at the forefront of Persian music. Renowned internationally as an experimental music composer and master instrumentalist of Persian music (playing the Kamancheh). He is the son of the world renowned Hossein Alizadeh and has toured worldwide for the past decade. Saba studied photography for his … Continued

Visual artist Brian Elstak is a bona fide storyteller. He has appeared in De Correspondent, The Black Archives and in the Stedelijk Museum, as well as on various album covers and in video clips. He has written the bedtime stories he told his own children down, and added illustrations. Recently, TROBI has appeared on the … Continued

Record spinner Wim Behre has a passion for vinyl, both vintage and modern. He spins soul, country, funk, rhythm & blues, garage rock, punk, psychedelic, jazz, reggae and rock ’n roll. His stuff is danceable, moving, and ‘you-can’t-be-serious-how-great-this-is’ great. He has been the regular presenter on the Once upon a time in the West festival … Continued

Singer-guitarist-producer Skinny Pelembe corrals together a cast of talented friends for his new EP ‘Sleep More, Make More Friends’. It’s his most ambitious release to date, boasting a different group or artist featuring on each of its tracks, each of them an act he’s met through music or through linking with Brownswood’s celebrated talent development … Continued

Hermine Deurloo’s approach on the chromatic harmonica is often characterized as a rich and varied sound, with effortless fluency. Hermine studied saxophone at the Amsterdam Conservatory. At the same time, she taught herself to play the harmonica. She has performed all over the world and with musicians such as Jim Black, Han Bennink, Tony Scherr, … Continued

Emma-Jean Thackray is an award winning composer/ producer/ arranger/ instrumentalist/ singer and as a recent RBMA alumni, has been described by RBMA as “one of the UK’s most exciting new jazz artists”, as “somewhere between Madlib and Ornette Coleman” by Djam La Revue, “one to watch” by the London Evening Standard and as “supremely talented… … Continued

Jos Nargy and Joep Hendrikx are the founders of the Poezieboys (Poetry boys). Inspired by the legendary 1966 night in theatre Carré, organised by Simon Vinkenoog, they got together with musician Bas Prins to present the best of contemporary poetry. Their goal: a sold out venue that steams and cheers for poetry. After all, the … Continued

Norwegian author Johan Harstad (1979) already established his reputation with his novel Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? His latest novel Max, Mischa and the Tet Offensive (2017) was praised by press and public and tells about displaced theatre director Max Hansen, who as a teenager emigrated from Norway to the … Continued

The sunniest DJ in the Netherlands will raise the room temperature to tropical conditions! Those who seek the elusive sunshine of the Netherlands need only wait for nightfall and look to the club music scene in The Hague, where DJ Sunny Sjoerd reigns supreme. DJ Dunny Sjoerd (a.k.a. Sjoerd van Schuylenburch) has cultivated his role … Continued

Kavus Torabi is an experimental/ psychedelic musician with a long history in the field. He fronts his own band, Knifeworld and plays in Gong, Guapo and was previously a member of the clad Cardiacs. He runs the boutique record label, Believers Roast, has collaborated with a wide range of left-field artists and co-presents The Interesting … Continued

From 1996 to 2007, Kris De Decker was reporting on cutting-edge science and technology as a freelance journalist for newspapers and magazines in Belgium. In 2007, he moved to Spain and started Low-tech Magazine, a popular international blog that focuses on the potential of past and often forgotten knowledge and technologies when it comes to … Continued

With a career of more than fifteen years, Smets is artist, researcher and curator. He has directed numerous creative collectives across Europe, South America and Africa that have produced a large body of work focused primarily on social interaction with public space. Using existing social structures and local customs as a starting point, Smets presents … Continued

Steve Davis was the most successful professional Snooker Player of the 1980’s, winning a total of 28 major ranking events including 6 World Championships. In recent years his involvement in snooker has been limited mainly to TV punditry, which has given him far more time to indulge in his musical hobby, namely collecting left field … Continued

Tracyanne & Danny is a new collaborative project between singer-songwriters Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura) and Danny Coughlan (Crybaby). Tracyanne hails from Glasgow, Scotland. London-born Danny is based in Bristol, England. Their paths first crossed in 2013 when introduced by mutual music industry pals. Tracyanne dug Danny’s Crybaby album (released on Helium Records) and invited him … Continued

StringTing is a flagship ensemble from Tomorrow’s Warriors, the celebrated hothouse for young jazz talent in the UK. Led by violinist Rhiannon Dimond, they are blazing a wide trail for women and strings in jazz. StringTing’s musicians are core players in Tomorrow’s Warriors’ acclaimed Nu Civilisation Orchestra and are ones to watch as they begin to … Continued

Maarja Nuut & Ruum is a new artistic collaboration that mixes ancient Estonian folk and psychedelic electronics, producing a timeless, hypnotic sound. Maarja Nuut is a fiddle player and singer who incorporates technology into her music, in a way that strengthens and elevates folk-influenced pieces in a modern way. This way, she creates an atmospheric … Continued

Peter Buurman was born in Amsterdam, grew up in Brabant and graduated with a degree in Dutch language and culture. He is the editor at De Speld and writes for #BOOS and Zondag Met Lubach. He made the podcast De Oosterhouw which was discussed by Dutch newspaper NRC, De Morgen and Radio Noord. Above all, his … Continued

Lewsberg from Rotterdam is a four-piece rock group named after writer and fellow Rotterdammer Robert Loesberg, famous for his dangerous novel ‘Enige Defecten’ from 1974 (never translated). Some Lewsberg songs also refer to other local writers and a sense of poetry infuses the bands’ work. The self-titled album by this band is not really typically … Continued

Baltic folk music from Estonia can call forth an idea of magical, but antiquated sound. Not so with Maarja Nuut’s tunes. This fiddle player and singer incorporates technology in a way that manages to strengthen and elevate folk-influenced pieces in a modern way, that creates an atmospheric and meditative atmosphere. Rather than removing the ‘natural’ … Continued

Gary Crosby, double bass player, composer, music arranger and educator; undeniably one of the best and often referred to as the Godfather of the scene but it is clear that his direction and singular focus is to to make other people shine. He was the founder member of the celebrated group the Jazz Warriors in the … Continued

Momtaza Mehri wraps big topics in small conversation, resulting in titles like ‘The Apocalypse will taste like grape juice’. ‘We wanted a glorious ending. We wanted a movie. We dreamed of a finale to freeze the blood. Each day we’d wake to someone’s world ending. As sure as milk froth and betrayal, we saw our … Continued

SOLD OUT This event is only accessible with a separate ticket. The admission is 15 euro* and is available through Ticketmaster. Free entrance with your 2 or 3-day passe-partout on the basis of available seats (or, Email to reserve a seat: corina@crossingborder.nl) From the manic Lumberjack to the Robinson Crusoe-type “It’s man”. Michael Palin (1943, Sheffield, … Continued

Fantastic Negrito is an unapologetic powerhouse whose sounds force you to dance with abandon. His band combines raw content with immaculate execution, both rhythmic and melodious. Xavier Dphrepaulezz hustled his way up from Massachusetts runaway to lauded Grammy winner. Before his Fantastic Negrito persona took hold at age 45, he coasted through a life of … Continued

Grown-up lullabies – the buzzword that coins the feel of Gabriel Royal’s music, makes perfect sense once you hear him play. This Oklahoma-born, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and cellist had his start performing for commuters in the New York City subway stations. The Huffington Post once dubbed him ‘Brooklyn’s best busker’. Royal continues to frequent the subway, … Continued

Indie-folk singer songwriter Pitou is a Dutch musician who lets intellect, gentleness and empathy shine through in her songs. Her voice has been called one of the most arresting to emerge from this year. Human emotion stands front and centre in this Amsterdam-born performer’s repertoire. Her moving vocals have captured the attention of the audience since … Continued

Sofie Lakmaker nam na een jaar Russisch studeren en een jaar Literatuurwetenschap het besluit om filosofie te gaan studeren, en staat nu op het punt om te beginnen met haar master. Tot haar zeventiende wilde ze vooral profvoetballer worden, maar die ambitie ruilde ze in voor een liefde voor schrijven. In de zomer van 2017 … Continued

Bregje Hofstede published her debut novel De hemel boven Parijs in 2017 and was nominated for the Libris Literatuur Prijs, the Anton Wachterprijs and the Gouden Boekenuil. Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant said: “Hofstede’s debut stands out in how immaculate it is, the build-up is calm with more action in the right moments, just like the … Continued

Pete Wu loves writing, giving interviews and telling stories in various different forms. As a freelance journalist and editor, he writes about identity, emancipation, among other things. He graduated in American studies, media philosophy and journalism and worked at NOS, Quest, VPRO, IFFR and VICE before ending up at Brandpunt+ as an online writer. Besides … Continued

Jack Underwood is an abstract wordsmith whose poems almost feel like overheard snippets of a conversation that you don’t know the story behind. His talent lies in stopping you in your tracks, capturing your attention in a curious moment with a day-to-day feel. Underwood asks young poets to imagine that “your poem is a complete … Continued

Some poets with a political agenda represent or fight for a specific group of people. In Anthony Anaxagorou’s case, he represents poets themselves. Specifically, those who aren’t automatically accepted as poets. The Independent describes Anaxagorou as ‘a vastly accomplished, unconventional, selfless poet, keen to nurture the poets of tomorrow.’ Using his words to take on the … Continued

Hannah Sullivan is a scholar in the field of literary language, who recently published her debut poetry collection. Sporting a PhD in English and American Literature from Harvard, Sullivan is passionate about how authors write and revise. She studies the process of innovation, and how style can be reinterpreted. Her first book, ‘The Work of … Continued

Rachael Allen is a young artist who uses her contemporary surroundings, one of her works reflects trending social media topics, like memes from the website 4chan. Allen presents her works in many forms. She is the poetry editor for ‘Granta’ and co-editor of independent poetry press ‘Clinic’ and the online journal ‘Tender’. A pamphlet of … Continued

Sarah Arnolds graduated in 2014 from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie with a major in Image & Language. Ze writes film scripts, poetry and stories, worked for De Gids and now works for Elle. In 2015/2016 she participated in the Slow Writing Lab, the talent development trajectory of the Nederlands Letterenfonds. Last year she joined the … Continued

Self-taught illustrator Ramón Esono Ebalé, alias Jamón y Queso, is from the sovereign African state Equatorial Guinea. He lives and works in Paraguay. Using his passion for drawing as a tool to resist the dictatorial regime of his country, he has won several international awards and competitions. Ebalé’s art has been shown in exhibitions worldwide, … Continued

Comic creator Karrie Fransman uses graphic arts as a playground for visual storytelling, creating worlds by inserting her bold and versatile style into graphic novels, strips, digital comics, sculptures and even virtual reality. Her works have been published worldwide, among others in The Guardian, The Times, Time Out, The Telegraph, the BBC, The New Statesman, … Continued

For over 25 years, Joost Pollmann has been stepping up as an ambassador for the comic as a medium in the Netherlands and abroad. He has presented various lectures and exhibitions about visual culture, organised twelve comic festivals, published multiple essay bundles and written reviews for Dutch newspaper the Volkskrant. Among his projects are his … Continued

The work of Jeroen Janssen is injected with a strong dose of humanity. His projects contain life stories and travel sketches, enabling him to evoke a strong folk feel for various cultures and peoples. Janssen is a comic artist, illustrator and colourist who studied at the Saint-Luc Art Institute in Ghent. He started drawing comics … Continued

Paolo Giordano (1982, Turin) never intended to become a writer. Let alone turn into one of Italy’s most praised writers of our time. After receiving his master’s degree in physics with honours in 2007, he worked on a project co-financed by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare and wrote a PhD in theoretical particle physics. … Continued

“49 years of creation off the beaten path. MAGMA had to be created, if not by me, then by someone else.” Christian Vander, July 1996 The formation at Crossing Border festival consists of  Christian Vander and Stella Vander, and they will be making a near-exclusive appearance at Crossing Border. Founded in Paris in 1969 by … Continued

Birney is the winner of the 2017 Libris Literature prize. The novel that won him this award, De Tolk van Java (The Interpreter of Java), is based on Birney’s experiences with his father. The story offers a unique perspective on the Indonesian War of Independence (1945-1949), laying bare the ugliness of the Dutch colonial history. … Continued

Byron Rich is an artist, professor, and lecturer born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His work exploring speculative design, biology futures, and tactical media has been widely shown and spoken about internationally. He pursued a degree in New-Media at The University of Calgary before finding himself in Buffalo, New York where he obtained an MFA in … Continued

Imagine yourself working as a bartender, serving a screenwriting customer you slightly know and ask him to take a look at the finished manuscript you worked on for the past year. The screenwriter passes it on to a befriended musician, who at his turn hands it to a former bandmate who now works as a … Continued

Pianist Guy Van Nueten could read notes before he could read the letters of the alphabet and since then he has made music. As a teenager, he became interested in pop and rock music and after his studies, he became the frontman of The Sands where he wrote the hit April and June. He then … Continued

Moses Boyd Exodus’ frontman is the south Londoner Moses Boyd, a progressive Jazz musician leading the British jazz renaissance with his subtle but prodigious drumming skills and production work. He’s a drummer, a composer, a bandleader, a music producer and a label owner. At 26 Boyd is a MOBO (music of black origin) jazz-award winner … Continued

Belgian indie band Douglas Firs, led by Gertjan van Hellemont are back with a fresh, new sound. In 2012 Douglas Firs released their debut album ‘Shimmer and Glow’ and the response was like a dream for any new band. Singles played on the radio and a tour of Europe. The second album was a blues, … Continued

Straight out of Havana, Cuba comes Orquesta Akokán. Akokán is a Yoruba word used by Cubans to mean “from the heart” or “soul” and Oh! do they bring soul to the stage. The band is a joy for both first-time audiences, who will find it almost impossible not to move along with the deeply soulful … Continued

Ponti is a story told from the perspectives of three women, a story of friendship and memory over the decades. We meet Szu in 2003 as a bored and anxious 16-year-old who lives with her aunt and mother Amisa. Szu’s beautiful mother, Amisa, was discovered by a film producer in 1977 and cast in a … Continued

Kukolka, the debut novel by Lana Lux, is a moving story that takes place in Ukraine in the nineties. The main character is seven-year-old Samira (nickname Kukolka; little doll in Russian), who lives in a house with no electricity, hot water or a toilet. Despite her meagre existence, Samira is satisfied: she has her own … Continued

Argentine writer and cultural journalist and the son of novelist Héctor Libertella and poet Tamara Kamenszain, Mauro Libertella was included in Bogotá39, the list of the most striking young Latin American writers of the moment in 2017. His debut Mi libro enterrado (My Buried Book), explores the relationship he had with his father and addresses … Continued

Rashif El Kaoui is a multi-talented artist. He graduated in 2014 at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp with the title Master in Word Art and since then has been an actor, teacher, rapper, audio-maker and writer. In 2016 he won the El Hizjra Literature Prize in the prose category with Madame Assorti, a masterfully structured, … Continued

Saskia de Coster is the author of a quirky oeuvre. Her sixth novel Wij en ik (We and I) is a bulky family novel that takes place in an upper-class environment full of drama and family secrets. To promote this novel she started ‘Project 397’, where she read one page a day of the 397-page … Continued

Dean Bowen (1984) is a poet, performer and psychonaut. During his explorations in the universe of the mind, he examines the dynamics of the composite identity and how this relates to a political and social situation. His debut collection Bokman is lyrical, passionate and furious; a personal quest that reveals universal patterns and allows many … Continued

Richard Powers is an American novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology. Like in Galatea 2.2, a story about an artificial intelligence experiment gone awry, and in Orfeo, where we follow Peter, a retired avant-garde composer, who is mistaken for a bio-terrorist after being caught with a makeshift genetics lab in his … Continued

Murat Isik is the author of the novels Verloren grond (2012) and Wees onzichtbaar (2017) Both novels are family histories with a poignant father-son story. Wees onzichtbaar (Be invisible) is about a family’s struggle with a tyrannical father and is also an ode to the Bijlmer (a suburb of Amsterdam). It’s a coming of age … Continued

Theo Loevendie was reported missing twice as a toddler because he took the expression ‘follow the music’ quite literally and followed a brass band on parade. Music was his greatest inspiration since childhood. At home, the only music he got to hear were kitsch folk songs, but his teacher at elementary school introduced him to … Continued

Maartje Wortel (1982) was kicked out of the School for Journalism because she made up too much. Nowadays, she writes novels, short stories and has transformed into one of the most recognised faces of her generation. For her debut, Dit is jouw huis Maartje received the Anton Wachterprijs (for the best Dutch literary debut), and with … Continued

Charlotte Mutsaers is a writer and painter, but also an animal lover and forever young. She received the P.C.Hooft prize in 2010 for her oeuvre. She lives in Amsterdam, Ostend and France and last October published her latest book: Harness of Hansaplast. Mutsaers studied Dutch and taught at a high school, whilst studying drawing and … Continued

Lina Wolff is a Swedish author and translator. She studied literature and language studies at the University of Lund and spent a few years living in Spain and Italy, where she worked as an interpreter and as a sales agent/trade agent. Her earlier work includes a collection of stories and the novel Bret Easton Ellis … Continued

Oyinkan Braithwaite has wanted to become a writer her whole life. When she was eight years old, she dreamed that she would have long hair by her twenty-first birthday, she would be a famous writer and would be married to a Mr Rochester type. She studied law and creative writing, worked for online magazines, the … Continued

Eva Meijer is an artist, philosopher, author, and singer-songwriter. She published several short stories and poems in literary magazines. Her debut novel, The Shiest Animal, was nominated for various prizes. In 2013 her acclaimed novel Adventures in Animal Activism followed. In 2016 Animal Languages was published, in which she investigates the languages of animals and … Continued

Dramatist, essayist and writer Sasha Marianna Salzmann (1985) was born in Wolgograd in the Soviet Union. Living in Moscow until she was ten years old, she moved to Germany as a Jewish refugee, carrying a suitcase full of books. She started writing plays and books at a young age. Her debut novel (about twins who … Continued

How to merge Eastern sounds and Western music? Pianist Rembrandt Frerichs has been experimenting with this concept for years. His trio’s performances regularly feature guest players on ancient traditional instruments. On these occasions, Rembrandt uses a specially built fortepiano, a replica of the instrument from Mozart’s day, with its ‘unique, poetic sound’. For the listener, … Continued

Over the past decade, Daniel Blumberg has released an extensive catalogue of music under different names, collaborating with musicians, writers and filmmakers. Hans Ulrich Obrist describes him as “one of London’s most exciting emerging new artists”. Most recently Blumberg has been playing and recording at London’s Cafe Oto, working intensively with a core group of … Continued

St. Paul & the Broken Bones released its second full-length album, Sea of Noise – a quantum leap in sound and style for the Alabama-based band. Since their 2013 debut Half the City – ‘60s soul fire with latter-day influences like Bowie and Prince – they evolved, deepened and broadened their musical reach and lyrical … Continued

José Eduardo Agualusa was born in Angola in 1960 and currently resides on Mozambique Island. Of Portuguese and Brazilian descent, he is well known for his writings both in Angola and the rest of the Portuguese-speaking world. His work has been translated into 25 languages and garnered worldwide critical acclaim. He recently won the International … Continued

Marente de Moor (1972) grew up fascinated by Russian culture, moving to Russia just after the collapse of the Soviet Union. She lived there for eight years, attended drama school in Saint Petersburg, and worked as a reporter and columnist. Her collected columns appeared in 1999 as Petersburgse Vertellingen (‘Petersburg Stories’). After her return to … Continued

Sandro Veronesi (1959) is one of the foremost Italian authors writing today. A recipient of the Premio Campiello and the Premio Strega, Italy’s biggest literary awards, his writings are internationally acclaimed and his work has been translated into dozens of languages. His novels The Force of the Past and Quiet Chaos became international bestsellers. In … Continued

Edoardo Albinati (1956) worked as a teacher at an infamous Roman prison for twenty years. He is the author of several novels and short story collections, as well as the writer of screenplays for Italian directors Matteo Garrone and Marco Bellocchio. He broke through both in Italy and internationally with his novel La scuola cattolica. … Continued

German-Austrian author Daniel Kehlmann (1975) was born in Munich, grew up in Vienna and studied philosophy and literature until he almost finished a doctoral thesis on Immanuel Kant – but he had already completed his first novel while still a student –  and decided to become a writer instead. Nonetheless, he has held lectureships at … Continued

SOLD OUT This event is only accessible with a separate ticket (10 euro*). Free entrance with your friday dayass or 2 or 3-day passe-partout on the basis of available seats. Email to reserve a seat: corina@crossingborder.nl Starting his career as a medievalist, British historian Sir Ian Kershaw (1943, Oldham, England) is now known as one of … Continued

Abdelkader Benali’s work is characterized by a respect for literary tradition and for language itself, which he describes as the gateway to human compassion. His hope is that children will learn more about literary history as well as the languages and cultures of ethnic minorities. Benali moved to the Netherlands from Morocco at age four; … Continued

For Simone Atangana Bekono, poetry provides the best means of exploring issues of layered identity and (black) solidarity. Obtaining a degree in creative writing from ArtEZ school for the arts in 2016, her graduation project Hoe de eerste vonken zichtbaar waren, a collection of letters and poems, was published by Wintertuin Uitgeverij and Lebowski Publishers. … Continued

Radna Fabias (Curaçao) tells her story in Habitus, a compelling poetic debut. She pulls out all the stops, demonstrating a stylistic range which stretches from experimental narrative verse to short, lyric pieces. Her verse keeps readers on their toes, inviting us to engage with vital themes like poverty, feminism, social inequality and sexism. But despite … Continued

Michael Fehr (1982) is a firm believer in the power of spoken word, thriving on the connection with his audience and the energy of live performance. A self-styled storyteller, the epithet seems equally fitting where his writing process is concerned, as due to impaired vision, Fehr writes his books by dictation. A native of Switzerland, … Continued

Cynan Jones’ (1975) stories are born from the rugged Welsh landscape of which he is a life-long native. Rejecting material wealth, Jones lives in a self-built cabin, has driven the same car for 14 years, and writes all his books using only pen and paper. This sparse simplicity is reflected in his superb writing style. … Continued

Ever since the appearance of his debut novel in 1995, Tommy Wieringa has been an unstoppable force in Dutch literature. Despite penning nine novels, including several bestsellers, winning multiple awards including de Gouden Uil and the Libris Literatuurprijs, and being named ‘The Netherlands’ best writer’, Wieringa stays down-to-earth. By not putting his faith in critical … Continued

Xylouris White represents the collaboration between legendary Greek singer and lute player George Xylouris and Jim White, the Australian drummer known for The Dirty Three. They released three albums together, combining free jazz, rock and traditional Greek influences in their songs. Their latest album Mother was released in January, again produced by Guy Picciotto from … Continued

Crossing borders isn’t a big deal for her. Being born near Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Sierra Leone and the UK, this author lived in Iran, Thailand and Zambia. Not only does she go from place to place herself, her stories travel too. Most of her books have been translated into 18 languages and her … Continued

Joe Armon-Jones combines free-flowing, dynamic energy with a bigger vision. A prodigious, head-turning keys player, debut album Starting Today is a showcase for his ludicrous chops on the piano and the like-minded, equally talented bandmates who join him on the record. But there’s a clear, tangible thread which runs through it too: from hip-hop to … Continued

Eloisa Amezcua is an Arizona native. Her debut collection, From the Inside Quietly, is the inaugural winner of the Shelterbelt Poetry Prize selected by Ada Limón. A MacDowell fellow, she is the author of three chapbooks and founder/editor-in-chief of The Shallow Ends: A Journal of Poetry. Her poems and translations are published or forthcoming in … Continued

Independently, Baird and Lattimore cultivated highly individual and idiosyncratic tools of expression. Baird’s timeless, soaring voice, guitar, and drums have underpinned pastoral and folk rock explorations as a soloist and with Espers and Heron Oblivion. Lattimore’s LPs of mysterious, spectral experimental harp sounds move and unfold like films and nature itself. The list of artists … Continued

Gavin Bryars started out playing bass as a philosophy student, but soon traded jazz improvisation for composing. Crossing over to the US, the British musician became a unique and groundbreaking composer. His track record is imposing, including opera, vocal pieces, concertos and ballets, in genres ranging from minimalist and experimental to historicism, avant-garde and neoclassicism. … Continued

Israeli composer, guitarist and producer Yonatan Gat is in a genre of his own. He originally founded the revolutionary punk band Monotonix, that became infamous for its powerful live performances, controversial enough to get them banned in Israel. He started recording under his own name in New York, adopting a unique, experimental sound. Gat’s latest … Continued

After seven years of endless activity on all kinds of stages, Seward has crafted a vibrant sonic manifesto, drawing upon the multiple dimensions of their free song and apotropaic performances. Mixing traditional percussion and experimental broken drums, a distorted banjo with sound-effects, diverse vocals, electric guitars, manipulated speeches and samplers, upright bass and horns, Uncut … Continued

Honey Harper is both an old and a new project. The songs were written in the past three years, but they’ve been around for much longer. They resist temporality and eschew spatial specificity. Whether they were written on a lake in northern Ontario, a haunted hotel room in Atlanta, or in a car at 5 … Continued

Kees ’t Hart (1944) is a novelist and writer of essays, short stories, and poems. His novel De revue was shortlisted for the Libris Literatuurprijs and won the Multatuliprijs. Ter Navolging made the shortlist for the AKO Literatuurpijs. More recently his best-selling novel Teatro Olympico was also shortlisted for the Libris Literatuurprijs.

Benjamin Glorieux is a cellist, composer and conductor. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he lives in the Flemish Ardennes. Apart from his solo projects and performances, Benjamin is always looking to forge new alliances with musicians from various national and musical backgrounds. In 2018, he collaborated with artists like Hermine Deurloo, Anthony Romaniuk, Dick Van Der … Continued

The Netherlands Music Prize jury about Ties Mellema: “Mellema consistently treats the listener to a new understanding of whatever piece he is playing, in jazz it known as improvisation, in classical it is called interpretation.” At the age of eight Ties Mellema decided he wanted to play the saxophone. His father played Charlie Parker to … Continued

The Iranian Hossein Alizadeh (Teheran, 1950) is a leading figure in Persian music, with an impressive worldwide performance record. His technique on the Persian long-necked lute (tar) is best compared to that of flamenco guitarists. Alizadeh is classically trained in the forms of traditional Persian music, studying with Persian masters the likes of Ali Akbar … Continued

American singer-songwriter Alela Diane thinks female musicians with children deserve more attention. Despite the music industry’s tacit taboo where singing about the beauty and pain of motherhood is concerned, this is exactly what her fifth album Cusp does: “I hope that by exploring motherhood in song, I can help demand respect for the lifegivers we … Continued