Dourfestival 2026 – 15 juli t-m 19 juli 2026 – een historische editie!
EEN HISTORISCHE EDITIE 2026, EN 2027 IS AL GELANCEERD
Vijf dagen, 220.000 bezoekers, een terrein dat geen seconde stilstond. Editie 2026 gaat de boeken in als een van de sterkste uit de geschiedenis van het festival. Amper afgelopen, of de volgende editie is al in beweging: Dour 2027 vindt plaats van 7 tot 11 juli, en het wordt een grote.
www.dourfestival.eu
Tomorowland 2026 - Millions of beats and millions of views: Tomorrowland closes the gates of the Belgian Consciencia chapter
Across two sun-drenched weekends, 400,000 People of Tomorrow from over 200 countries shared six primal emotions and one world of music. And the Consciencia story has only just begun.
End July, 2026 - The music has faded. The lights have gone dark. And yet, something lingers in the air above De Schorre: the unmistakable feeling of having lived inside something extraordinary.
For two consecutive weekends in July, Tomorrowland Belgium 2026 welcomed 400,000 People of Tomorrow from over 200 countries to the grounds of Boom. What brought them together was not just music. It was a world built entirely around the six primal emotions at the heart of this year's theme, Consciencia: Wonder, Love, Anger, Joy, Desire and Sadness. Across 16 spectacular stages, each corner of the festival became an invitation to feel something real -- and to feel it together.
And for the millions who could not make the journey to Belgium, the world came to them. Tomorrowland's global livestream reached a record-breaking 233 million views across YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms, surpassing last year's 193 million and setting a new high watermark in the festival's history. In living rooms and on phone screens across every continent, hearts beat in unison with every drop, every melody, every moment of silence before the music takes over again.
A universe brought to life
Consciencia was not merely a theme. It was a shared experience, a creative universe that breathed and shifted across every stage, every light installation, and every set over the course of two weekends bathed in warm Belgian summer sun.
On the mainstage, the world's greatest artists gave everything they had. Martin Garrix delivered a closing spectacle that felt like the final chapter of a story worth reading twice. Calvin Harris turned the crowd into one single, euphoric organism. Dimitri Vegas commanded the stage with the energy of someone who understands, bone-deep, what Tomorrowland means. Amelie Lens held the night with raw intensity and relentless precision. David Guetta and Hardwell each brought their own brand of spectacle and craft. Lost Frequencies filled the afternoon with the kind of melody that follows you home and Charlotte De Witte surprised the People of Tomorrow with an unannounced performance.
Armin van Buuren guided his audience through highs and lows with the warmth and precision of someone who has stood on this stage many times and still treats it like the first. Steve Aoki turned his set into an event within an event, welcoming Latin superstar surprise guests Farruko and Greeicy to the stage in a moment that sent the crowd - and social media - into a frenzy. Afrojack and R3hab united for a b2b set of uncommon chemistry. Netsky reminded every corner of the crowd why drum and bass, when done like this, feels like a heartbeat. John Summit drove the dancefloor to the edge and held it there. NERVO brought their dual force of energy and sharp musicality. Oscar and the Wolf blurred every boundary between electronic and emotional. And Bebe Rexha became the very first American popstar to bring a New Religion to the iconic Freedom stage.
On the darker, deeper end of the spectrum, Sara Landry, Indira Paganotto and Miss Monique each carved out something singular: sets that held tension, pushed limits, and never let go. Symphony of Unity, as it does every year, stopped time entirely.
Belgium showed up for itself. Andromedik, Amber Broos, and MANDY each took the stage with the pride of artists who know exactly where they come from - and exactly where they are going.
From the youngest DJ, Knox Kind at only 11 years, old to the festival's oldest performer, Eko Roosevelt at 83 years old and everyone in between: Stories were told, memories were made, and passion was shared.
New names, new stories, new chapters
Perhaps no story of Tomorrowland Belgium 2026 is told more powerfully than the one written by those making their mainstage debut.
Novah arrived on the mainstage and left it transformed. A set that moved between raw feeling and pure spectacle, it announced a name that belongs in the biggest conversations in electronic music - and proved that Consciencia had room for the future as much as for the icons.
Marlon Hoffstadt brought his infectious blend of house and personality to the mainstage in a debut full of joy and complete self-assurance. And Chase & Status, legends of the UK drum and bass scene, delivered a debut that felt both long overdue and perfectly timed: a set that bridged worlds and left tens of thousands of people breathless in the best possible way.
Keep the Music Going
The experience does not end here. From today, fans can relive the complete Tomorrowland Belgium 2026 experience, with full DJ sets available on Tomorrowland's YouTube channel. Those looking to keep the festival spirit alive can also tune in to One World Radio, where exclusive replays, festival highlights and the full soundtrack of Consciencia continue throughout the coming weeks.
The most played tracks of tomorrowland Belgium 2026
Prospa & Cloonee - Free Your Mind
Bountyhunter - Woops (Dimitri Vegas & Junkie Kid Remix / BRANDON Remix)
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Marlon Hoffstadt & DJ Konik - Makina Time
Martin Garrix & Third Party - Carry You (feat. Oaks & Declan J Donovan)
ANOTR - Talk To You (feat. 54 Ultra)
Dimitri Vegas & Pat B feat. Sylver - Turn The Tide
Hugel & Solto - Jamaican (Bam Bam)
Avicii - Levels
Pupa Nas T & FOVOS feat. Denise Belfon - Work Edit
Rihanna & Calvin Harris - Where Have You Been (various remixes
The journey continues
Two weekends. Sixteen stages. Six emotions. 233 million views. And 400,000 people who stood together in the Belgian summer and felt every single beat.
But Consciencia's story is far from over. The creative universe born in Boom will now travel across continents, as the theme makes its way to Tomorrowland Thailand and Tomorrowland Brasil, connecting three festivals across three corners of the world through one shared language of emotion. Wherever the next chapter unfolds, the feeling will be the same.
www.tomorrowland.com
V2 records news – Julia Holter – album ‘Materia’
JULIA HOLTER Releases New Single "My Lost One"
From forthcoming album "Materia"
Out August 21 on Domino
LISTEN TO "MY LOST ONE" HERE
Julia Holter - My Lost One (Official Audio)
Julia Holter shares "My Lost One," the enchanting new single from her forthcoming album Materia, out August 21 on Domino.
"'My Lost One' is a witchy folktale inspired by children's books with creepy rhymes and nonsense syllables, trees growing through living rooms, and animals doing things in clothes," says Holter. "I imagine wildlife moving into my home, a superimposition of the outdoors and the indoors. I think about a squirrel cooking a meal on my stove. What are we conjuring, and what are we truly longing for?"
Materia, which also features the previously released single "Fantasy," is available to pre-order on Black vinyl with a doubled sided poster/lyric sheet, as well as CD with lyric booklet, and digitally.
Julia Holter always knew there were multiple forms her song "Materia" could take. The tune's dynamic, Hildegard von Bingen-inspired melody and dense modal chords stood on their own without a complex arrangement on her wondrous 2024 album Something in the Room She Moves, but she felt a lingering desire to expand the texture and stretch out the harmony.? Though she could hear the potential orchestration in her head, Something was already abundant with layers of sound by the time she finished it. She stuck with the original form of "Materia," then, her cresting voice and blue Wurlitzer hosting games of harmonic hide-and-seek above subtle electronics.
But on the new Materia, a kind of companion LP or sequel to Something, Holter has realized not one but two distinct versions of the song. "Materia 2" is a hallucinatory dream of drum machine, fretless bass, and clarinet, Holter's voice spiraling through the ether alongside that of Jessika Kenney. She reconsiders the lyrics, too, novel fragments of surrealistic images reinforcing the original's link between spirit and body, between love and blood. And on "Materia 3," Holter literally slows down the take from Something. (It's intended to be experienced as a?"bonus track" in an homage to the CD era of her youth.) The change not only emphasizes the unpredictable glory of the harmonies within but also reiterates the song's emotional sophistication, the sense that it's about learning how to live.
Materia is only seven tracks long, but Holter works in nearly that many modes here. There is the slowed "Materia" and the version reimagined for two voices, of course, but there are also two tracks that spooled out of the DAW project files and full band she built for Something. There are two astounding improvisations: one where she manipulates her voice so that each word seems to contain a symphony and another that is one of Materia's most spellbinding and emotional pieces, "My Twin," from which Holter lifted a riff to build the song "Fantasy." These seven songs show that Holter is among her generation's most open writers of art-pop, moving among ideas and idioms with exploratory aplomb. Materia is a kind of playground for Holter, where each distinct scene steadily coheres into a moving whole.
Keen observers will recognize "The Laugh Is in the Eyes," released as a single in 2024 as Holter toured Something. Indeed, the band from that record-Elizabeth Goodfellow (drums), Devra Hoff (fretless bass), Maia (flute), Chris Speed (saxophone and clarinet), Tashi Wada (synthesizers), and Kenny Gilmore (co-production, engineering, mixing)-reappears here, as does Holter's sumptuous imagery: mountains in blue skies, bunches of wildflowers, flutes at play. "I need to learn to make the sweetness stay," Holter sings over a fascinating rhythm that always seems on the verge of tumbling over itself. That romantic glow also courses through "Fantasy," one of the most compulsive and engrossing songs Holter has ever recorded. For two minutes, she seems to stare from a window, daydreaming about all the goodness that can be. And in the chorus, she is ushered forward by Goodfellow's drums taking over where the drum machine left, the rhythms and the textures bursting all around like summertime fireworks. But this dream that seems to arrive is yet framed by a grounding uncertainty: "Blink at the light and hope to survive."
Though Holter has collaborated with many exceptional musicians in the last 15 years, solo work has always been key to her process, including unfettered improvisations where she builds melodies and harmonies in real time. Two of them are absolute highlights here. Taking its name from ancient water clocks, "Clepsydra" considers the absurdity of time, the way our need to quantify something that simply exists can make prisoners of us all. Aside from rewritten lyrics, it is heard here as she originally recorded it; the processed vocals reiterate how alien the concept of time can be and turn it into a sort of otherworldly love story. And though the 10-minute masterpiece "My Twin" was improvised by Holter alone, mostly in one take, it is a brilliant consideration of forking paths and multiplicity. Holter is in dialogue with another version of herself, considering the pleasure and pain into which we simply seem to stumble. Holter became a mother and lost a nephew while writing Something and many songs on Materia, and the imperialistic and violent behavior of her country have left her, along with so many others, shaken; this song is a reminder that gratitude is precarious but beautiful, and that presence is necessary.
There has always been a welcome fluidity to Holter's work. On those earliest records, it was the way the sound seemed to bubble up from beneath a cloudy surface. On subsequent records, she would play with song forms, performing multiple versions on the same LP, as she has now done again across Something and Materia. And there's the way her songs have always flowed into unexpected paths, curving left when you might have expected a straight line. Materia is the most compelling and concise expression yet of this fluidity-as a composer, as a singer, as a person who experiences, feels, and wonders. At one point, what became Something in the Room She Moves was titled Materia, a name Holter once worried might sound too serious; there was always something more to it, though, and here it is.
Tracklisting:
The Laugh is in The Eyes
My Lost One
Fantasy
Materia 2
Clepsydra
My Twin
Materia 3
Ierse singer-songwriter en Oscar-winnaar Glen Hansard (56) overleden bij motorongeval
De Ierse muzikant Glen Hansard is op 56-jarige leeftijd overleden. Dat melden Britse en Ierse media op basis van zijn management. De zanger kwam afgelopen nacht in Dublin om het leven bij een motorongeval.
Het ongeval werd kort voor 04.30 uur lokale tijd gemeld bij de hulpdiensten. De omstandigheden zijn nog onduidelijk. De politie riep getuigen op zich te melden. Hansard laat een vrouw en driejarige zoon achter.
Hansard was leadzanger van rockgroep The Frames, maar was ook te zien en horen in de hitfilm The Commitments uit 1991. In 2007 won hij een Oscar voor Beste Originele Song voor ‘Falling Slowly’, dat hij schreef voor de low-budgetfilm 'Once'.
(bron: Humo)
Onlangs verscheen ‘Don’t settle’ en ‘Transmission west’
Even voorstellen – Glen Hansard – announces ‘Don’t settle – Transmissions West’
Franse dj Kavinsky (50), bekend van hit ‘Nightcall’, dood aangetroffen in woning
De Franse dj en producer Kavinsky, bekend van de wereldhit ‘Nightcall’, is overleden. De artiest, wiens echte naam Vincent Belorgey was, werd dinsdagavond dood aangetroffen in zijn woning in Parijs. Hij werd 50 jaar
(bron: Het Nieuwsblad)
Dit was Boomtown 2026
Boomtown 2026 – 25 jaar, van 17 juli t-m 23 juli 2026 (Gentse Feesten) - Wat. Een. Week. Zeven dagen lang zetten jullie de Kouter op zijn kop. Wat zijn ze voorbijgevlogen! 45.000 nieuwsgierige oren, dansende benen en bezwete lijven maakten onze 25ste editie onvergetelijk. Van keiharde moshpits tot zwoele raves en rustgevende ochtendyoga: 70 concerten lang vonden jullie de weg. Een immense dankjewel aan onze meer dan 200 helden van vrijwilligers én aan jullie, de beste kwaliteitszoekers van het land.
Jullie maakten Boomtown magisch. Tot volgend jaar! Noteer in je agenda: 16 tot 22 juli 2027 ❤️
www.boomtown.be
www.democrazy.be
Even voorstellen – Spice f°ck – debut album, ‘evidence’
SPIKE F*CK ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM
“EVIDENCE”
OUT OCTOBER 2ND VIA SACRED BONES RECORDS
“ALL BY MYSELF” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsDhinAAt4
LIVE Oct 27: Bruges, BE - Cactus Club
For ten years Spike F*ck has existed more as a messy myth than an artist; sporadic works forever poised on the precipice of triumph, rumours of death or insanity and so on. His Smackwave EP (Partisan), now a decade old and certified cult classic was aptly censored by media outlets. The release addressed themes as literal as the title suggests; drug use, gender identity, Catholicism and existentialism.
Soon after, Spike was swept up in the whirlwind of unexpected success, going from underground warehouse parties and impromptu performances on Melbourne trams to catching the eye of Rick Owens, draped in high fashion and editorial photoshoots accompanied by interviews in which he gave unrelenting and uncensored details of his life. On the precipice of breakthrough, Spike disappeared. It had all happened in a flash, he was gone; and it seemed as if the artist witnessed by others was merely a relic of that time period, or possibly a figment of their imagination. Bootleg uploads and comments on old YouTube videos discussed possibilities that seemed wild but believable, given Spike’s nature, fueling rumours of monastic solitude, relapse, or reinvention. Only the most sincere kept the myth alive. Their recent return to performance showcased that Spike had been thoroughly consecrated in underground memory with three sold out LA shows and two sold out nights in NYC.
Luckily, the devotion to his music persevered, somewhat bolstered by his inconsistency and inaccessibility. This inexplicable goodwill towards his artistry is perhaps partly due to Spike’s timeless, pained and confessional lyricism, though more pointedly, the fragility of a life mired in addiction. His being or works does not question the virtue of life, but simply addresses the numb, pragmatic and far more immediate matter of surviving another day, an almost ineffable sentiment only justified by his distinct, poetic audaciousness.
Spike F*ck returns. He’s signed with Sacred Bones Records and has announced his long anticipated debut album evidence, due October 2. The album is a brazen proof of life statement. Convicted by the outlandish idea of evidencing a ‘you had to be there’ mentality, the record honours the presence in body, a record to be felt, never to be rationalized. evidence isn’t forthcoming in providing explanations of Spike’s absence. It isn’t a tell-all collection of songs about obsession, guilt, nor is it a document of the subsequent transformation, or enlightenment. Spike’s prior fixations on the questions of man or woman, drug addict or ascetic, trickster or rockstar, have driven an unmitigated pursuit of knowing a ‘true self’. This pursuit is no longer his chief concern, nor is he plagued by over conceptualization of who he is but simply, when he is. For this is Spike F*ck, and this is evidence.
Lead single “All By Myself” is an expert fusion of new wave, glam and soul with a vocal performance that oscillates between being blasé, vulnerable and manic. With its feelgood, family-friendly punk doo-wop production, Spike is misleading on if his joy comes from the pride in solitude, or from loneliness and a ‘give me everything’ mentality in the act of shooting heroin. Of “All By Myself” and its video, Spike tells –
“If someone asks: what does it mean? We’ve done the job.
As society has abandoned mythologies, we must create our own… that sounds trite and I’m not quite sure how to defend that statement really. We’re not existentialists. In any case, we also live in a completely schizophrenic society in this sense, so the idea to create a story of a war hero/criminal undergoing an absurdist spiritual transformation seemed almost obligatory. Purgatorial musings, heaven and hell, redemption, fantasy, a mushroom that talks so on and so forth.
People understand truth through analogy, moreover, parables. We sought to create something about redemption, forgiveness, faith, hope and charity that is available to whomever seeks it. I may not be the most reliable narrator, I admit that freely, yet the fantasy of it all is healthy. So is a dose of whimsy or even a small dash of grand delusion.
So this video, along with the entire record, is a series of clues, a collection of pieces of evidence… Hopefully this video raises more questions than it answers.”
While plans had been in motion to release his now-shelved, ‘original’ debut record, Pure O, Spike was gripped by an insatiable urge to complete and present evidence. Written and recorded in 3 months alongside producer Adam Hyde (Keli Holiday), the record is informed by the realization he could not think his way into a state of emotion, only graduate into it; a process outside his control. There was a desire to evidence the mix of frustration, confusion and resentment; all too familiar feelings Spike had tried in vain to repress.
As Spike says, “this record is carnal and confident. I wanted to approach songwriting in the same way a director shooting a slasher film does. Get to the point and make people feel it all. I want this record to cut like a sharp knife”. Citing Pere Ubu, New York Dolls, The Temptations and Bettye Swan as key influences, and inspired by the banned 1971 manual, The Anarchist Cookbook, Spike sought to create something unsettling and perplexing, yet simple. It’s a rush to listen to, as if tagging along on a particularly wild night out. At once it is fun and memorable, but also truly life-altering as if you hit a pedestrian in your car and fled the scene, left to grapple with the thrill, guilt and fear of being caught.
evidence is an album that lives outside the limits of discourse; its purpose is eponymous and self-evident. It is what it is, and is subject to interpretation. There is no point in interrogating attachments, virtue or value. The only rightful way to live is to be.
evidence Tracklist:
1. CAN’T GET IT UP
Even voorstellen – Nikki Nair – EP ‘sick dimension’
Producer en DJ Nikki Nair brengt op 7 augustus zijn EP Sick Dimension uit. Nair bouwde zijn reputatie op als een veelzijdige buitenstaander in de DJ-wereld. Zijn werk bruist van frequentie-experimenten. Op zijn nieuwste project speelt hij dan ook met oldschool housemuziek, die hij met de eindeloze mogelijkheden van sound design weet te mengen. De kracht van zijn werk zit in zijn voortdurende zoektocht naar vernieuwing, waarvan de Sick Dimension het bewijs is.
Zijn grensverleggende sound bracht hem samenwerkingen met grote namen als Hudson Mohawke, Ahadadream en The Avalanches, terwijl hij remixes maakte voor artiesten als Caroline Polachek en Kylie Minogue en uitbracht via toonaangevende labels als onder andere Warp en Hyperdub.
Recente hoogtepunten zijn een uitverkochte januari-residentie in Phonox (meer dan 2.000 verkochte tickets) en zijn debuut in de Panorama Bar van het iconische Berghain. Binnenkort staat hij op het programma bij Tresor, dh2 LA en Venue MOT.
Mattan records/dh2
Sony Music latest news
Chloe Qisha - Baby Girl
Chloe Qisha brengt haar nieuwe single ‘Baby Girl’ uit.
Over het nummer zegt ze: “Het is een nummer om je vriendinnen in de bloemetjes te zetten. We worden voortdurend met elkaar vergeleken, terwijl we eigenlijk vooral bewondering voor elkaar hebben en elkaars grootste fan zijn.”
Daarnaast heeft Chloe een drukke zomer voor de boeg met optredens op festivals in Japan, België, Nederland, Austin en New York, evenals op Boardmasters, Wilderness Festival, Reading & Leeds en vele andere festivals.
Ook kijkt ze vooruit naar de release van haar mixtape ‘Fantasize’, die in oktober verschijnt.
Baby Girl - song and lyrics by Chloe Qisha | Spotify
Lizzy McAlpine - The light in the painting
Lizzy McAlpine brengt haar nieuwe single ‘The light in the painting’ uit, samen met de bijhorende videoclip.
Het nummer is de eerste vooruitblik op haar vierde studioalbum 'Angel', dat op 18 september verschijnt.
Volgens McAlpine gaat het lied over de euforie van een nieuwe connectie en vormt het de perfecte introductie tot de muzikale wereld van haar nieuwe album.
The light in the painting - song and lyrics by Lizzy McAlpine | Spotify
Angèle - Dis-le (acoustic)
Na het succes van ‘Dis-le’ verrast Angèle haar fans met een nieuwe piano & vocals-versie van de track.
Op vraag van haar publiek, dat op sociale media massaal om een uitgeklede versie vroeg, keert ze terug naar de essentie van het nummer met een intieme interpretatie waarin piano en stem centraal staan.
De opname werd vastgelegd tijdens een livesessie op daken in New York. Een video van deze track volgt snel.
Dis-le (Acoustic) - Single by Angèle | Spotify
JENNIE - Less than a Lover
JENNIE brengt haar nieuwe single ‘Less than a Lover’ uit, samen met een bijhorende videoclip.
De zomerse alternatieve popsong verkent de emoties van een relatie die zich ergens tussen vriendschap en liefde bevindt, met zachte gitaarpartijen, vintage keyboards en JENNIE’s kenmerkende vocals.
De videoclip, gebaseerd op een verhaal van JENNIE zelf, toont hoe een fictief liefdesverhaal tijdens de opnames van een kortfilm met vrienden voor een onverwachte dynamiek zorgt.
Less than a Lover - Single by JENNIE | Spotify
ALBUMS
Tyla - A*POP
Tyla brengt haar langverwachte tweede studioalbum 'A*POP' uit.
Met de succesvolle singles 'Chanel' en 'She Did It Again' featuring Zara Larsson bouwt de Zuid-Afrikaanse superster verder op het wereldwijde succes van haar debuut.
Op 'A*POP' presenteert de tweevoudige Grammy-winnares een zelfverzekerd, grensverleggend en internationaal geluid dat haar positie als een van de grootste pop- en Afrobeatsartiesten van het moment verder bevestigt.
A*POP - Album by Tyla | Spotify
The Strokes - Reality Awaits
The Strokes brengen vandaag hun langverwachte zevende studioalbum ‘Reality Awaits’ uit.
Het album werd opgenomen in Costa Rica met de legendarische producer Rick Rubin en afgewerkt op verschillende locaties wereldwijd.
‘Reality Awaits’ markeert de eerste nieuwe muziek van de band sinds het veelgeprezen ‘The New Abnormal’ uit 2020.
Met de eerder uitgebrachte single ‘Going Shopping’ bouwen de New Yorkse rockiconen verder op het geluid waarmee ze sinds hun doorbraak in 2001 een hele generatie hebben beïnvloed.
Reality Awaits - Album by The Strokes | Spotify
Future – California Girls
Future - California Girls (Official Music Video)
VINYL
Sophie Zelmani - Sophie Zelmani
De Zweedse Sophie Zelmani debuteerde in 1995 met haar titelloze album.
De wereld maakte meteen kennis met haar prachtige stem en melancholische nummers die thuishoren in dezelfde tijdloze sfeer als die van Leonard Cohen en Bob Dylan. Haar songs kwamen zelfs terecht in 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' en 'Dawson's Creek'.
Deze nieuwe versie van haar debuut verschijnt op 1.000 genummerde stuks op blauw vinyl via Music On Vinyl.
www.sonymusic.com
Trefpunt festival 2026 + Jonge Wolven 2026 – Gentse Feesten
Tien glorieuze dagen die moeiteloos overliepen in tien glorieuze nachten.
Tien dagen. Genoeg tijd om een plein en een park te laten aanvoelen als een tweede thuis. Genoeg tijd om duizenden onbekenden te zien uitgroeien tot gezichten die ge elke avond opnieuw tegenkomt. Genoeg tijd om te vergeten welke dag het eigenlijk is en alleen nog te tellen in dag één, twee, drie, vier...
Van een openingsstoet die de stad wakker schudde tot Fins keelgezang waarvan ge nog altijd niet weet hoe een mens dat uit zijn lijf krijgt. Van een Dinsdagclub op zondag (want waarom ook niet?) tot folkconcerten waarbij ge elk moment een hobbit uit de struiken verwachtte. Barcelona? Gent. Midden-aarde? Ook Gent
Het plein, het park en de straten daartussen werden tien dagen lang bewoond door de schoonste mensen. Mensen die bleven hangen. Mensen die nieuwe vrienden maakten aan de toog. Mensen die elkaar elke avond toevallig opnieuw tegenkwamen. Mensen die eigenlijk naar huis moesten, maar daar collectief geen haast mee hadden.
Gelukkig maar.
Want ondertussen passeerden er om en bij de duizend concerten, acht podia, een literair festival, vurige debatten, dansworkshops voor wie dacht twee linkervoeten te hebben, circus dat de zwaartekracht persoonlijk beledigde, theater dat tegelijk luidruchtig als zacht was en vuurshows waarbij zelfs de zon even respectvol opzij ging.
Jonge Wolven 2026
De jury van de 20e editie van Jonge Wolven heeft de hoofdprijs toegekend aan Big Muffin'.
Zo 26 juli | 19u00 | Walter De Buckplein
Je knippert één keer met uw ogen en hop, de 20ste Jonge Wolven zit er alweer op. We waren nog maar net bekomen van de vorige editie, of daar stonden alweer 18 artiesten klaar om de toekomst van de Belgische muziek, poëzie en performance een stevig duwtje te geven.
Negen dagen lang kreeg de jury een lawine aan talent voorgeschoteld. Luisteren, kijken, overleggen, nog eens luisteren en af en toe eens stil worden van wat er op een podium gebeurde.
Want elke editie bewijst hetzelfde: de toekomst van de podiumkunsten staat niet op de kalender, die staat gewoon al op een podium in Gent. En zoals bij elke wedstrijd hoort daar op het einde ook een winnaar bij. Niet omdat de anderen minder waren, maar omdat kiezen nu eenmaal deel van het spel is. Proficiat aan iedereen die meedeed, en een extra buiging voor wie met de prijs naar huis vertrekt.
De jury - Merci om de knopen door te hakken. Dat scheelt ons weer eindeloos discussiëren aan den toog.
De grote winnaar? Big Muffin'!
Met een uitgekiende liveshow, bakken ambiance en een podiumprésence die meteen duidelijk maakt: ze staan er.
Hun garage-post-punk dendert vooruit op snedige riffs en teksten over de kleine en grote beslommeringen van jonge Antwerpenaren (lees: meisjes...). Alles voelt spontaan, maar zit strak in elkaar. Je ziet een hechte band die vooral speelt zoals ze zelf willen spelen – en net daardoor werkt het zo goed.
Sommige bands groeien uit hun repetitiekot.
Big Muffin groeit stilaan uit de kleine podia.
De afgelopen jaren gingen deze bands er met de hoofdprijzen vandoor
SUNA (2025)
Koala Disco (2024)
STEVE (2023)
Kleinpunk (2022)
Men in Tears (2019)
Kolonel Djafaar (2018)
BODA BODA (2017)
Alaska Gold Rush (2016)
Massa Nobu (2015)
Band of Eli (2014)
Al Di Miseria (2013)
Jah Generation (2007)
Scrappy Tapes (2012)
Renée Sys (2011)
The Imaginary Friends (2010)
Rauw & Onbesproken (2009)
Varili (2008)
Pias news – Noonzy – new single, ‘if i were you’
NEW SINGLE 'IF I WERE YOU' OUT
DEBUT ALBUM "PLAN IS BAD"
OUT ON OCTOBER 2, 2026
VIA PLAY IT AGAIN SAM
Noonzy - If I Were You
23.10.2026 — ANCIENNE BELGIQUE, BRUSSELS
Following on from the release of his last singles Easy & Yeah (I'm In), much-loved, up-and-coming singer-songwriter Noonzy returns with If I Were You, the latest track to be lifted from his forthcoming debut, Plan Is Bad. The album is set for release on the 2nd October via Play It Again Sam.
Discussing If I Were You, Noonzy has said:
"This song went through a ridiculous number of shapes and forms. Originally, it was a pretty aggressive pop-rock song, haha. I love the soft, tropical-pop track it eventually became. It was the first song that Bullion and I ever worked on together, and it was the last one we finished. In the end, we built the entire song around the chorus melody. We got Nathan Pigott to double the chorus whistle melody on clarinet. During that recording session, we ended up experimenting with a few more clarinet ideas as well. To this day, I still find the long, stretched-out clarinet bed in the bridge incredibly satisfying when it kicks in. It's one of those moments in a song that never seems to lose its magic for me."
On this new material, Noonzy's style has evolved further into groovy electronic productions as he collaborates alongside renowned British producer Bullion (Ben Howard, Nilüfer Yanya), allowing his artistic identity to become increasingly distinct.
Noonzy brought a handful of existing demos to London, which gradually evolved into unexpected mixes and final versions. Blind trust in each other's ideas and a leap into the unknown gradually became the central theme: guitar songs were recorded without a guitar, entire verses vanished like snow in the sun, and tempos were constantly adjusted. Many of these choices were so-called lucky accidents, such as a drum machine that refused to accept the correct time signature and thus offered a whole range of alternatives. He is embarking on a new path, bidding farewell to his former DIY, lo-fi indie approach and making room for experimentation and a loss of control within a pop format. The result is his very first studio album, Plan Is Bad.
TRACKLISTING
Boy Could I
Plan Is Bad
Easy
Look at That
Not Lost
Yeah (I'm In)
Talk To Me
If I Were You
Dream
All Rise
Lou Koller, Sick of it all, overleden
Lou Koller (59), de frontman en medeoprichter van de Amerikaanse hardcoreband Sick of It All, is overleden. Dat meldt de band op sociale media. Koller leed al langer aan slokdarmkanker.
Koller richtte Sick of It All 40 jaar geleden op samen met zijn broer Pete. De band bracht een tiental albums uit.
Sick of It All speelde vaak in ons land, onder meer op Graspop.
"Met ongelooflijke droefheid melden we het verlies van onze broer Lou Koller", schrijft de band op sociale media. "We hebben een iconische frontman verloren."
"Lou had het vermogen om tijdens onze shows met een glimlach en een sarcastische opmerking ieders humeur op te krikken. Overal waar we speelden wist hij mensen voor zich te winnen, ongeacht hun cultuur of afkomst."
(bron: VRT news)
Amenra, OLT Rivierenhof, Deurne op 22 en 23 juli 2026 – Pics
Amenra keert terug in de magische setting van OLT Rivierenhof. Zelfs voor twee avonden!
Na een doortocht langs uitverkochte concerten in Ancienne Belgique, is het weer tijd voor Amenra om het amfitheater van ’t OLT uit z’n voegen te doen daveren.
De intieme sfeer van OLT Rivierenhof zet meteen de toon voor de sfeer die de band wil uitdragen: een beklijvende ceremonie waarbij muziek centraal staat.
Hun oeuvre is nu nog verrijkt met nieuwe EP’s ‘De Toorn’ en ‘With Fang And Claw’; ze sluiten een hoofdstuk en vormen de brug naar het langverwachte album Mass VII waarvan de releasedatum nog niet bekend is.
(bron: OLT Rivierenhof/Arenberg)
LIVE 2026 + Pics
Amenra - try--out - Door merg en been
Drie avonden Amenra in Brussel - Schreeuwen tot het stil wordt
Neem gerust een kijkje naar de pics 22-07-2026
Amenra
https://www.musiczine.net/index.php/nl/component/phocagallery/category/10022-amenra-22-07-2026?Itemid=0
PVRS
https://www.musiczine.net/index.php/nl/component/phocagallery/category/10024-pvrs-22-07-2026?Itemid=0
Siem Reap
https://www.musiczine.net/index.php/nl/component/phocagallery/category/10023-siem-reap-22-07-2026?Itemid=0
Org: OLT Rivierenhof, Deurne
Even voorstellen – Black Marble – Life in small places
BLACK MARBLE “LIFE IN SMALL PLACES”
21/08 (sacred bones/konkurrent)
“Jim Carol New Year” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe7rCyhot_k
Now Black Marble, aka Chris Stewart, announces plans to release Life in Small Spaces, his first full-length album since 2021’s Fast Idol, due for release August 21st, 2026 on Sacred Bones.
Black Marble's Life in Small Spaces is an album of commentary, analysis of the music industry, discussion of authenticity, and a letter to all independent creatives in the world. Drawing on early American left-of-the-dial “college radio” staccato guitar lines (recalling Pylon, The Necessaries, and R. Stevie Moore), and live drum samples (a nod to Wire’s simple metronomic style), the album takes on more of a live sound, trading in Stewart’s usual walls of synths.
According to Stewart: “I always knew a lot of people in music struggled to make ends meet, but it surprised me to learn that the people you thought would be doing well often weren't. For me, seeing the business from the inside like that changed how I looked at things. When I looked up to see a new artist on a billboard, I started to wonder, will I one day have to pretend to be something I'm not, in order to succeed? The life of an artist goes on after your moment ends, you know? So who do you want to be in the end and how do you want to be seen by the people that know you? I made Life In Small Spaces while thinking about that, and for me, it serves as my own ideal for living an artistic life. I'm doing it as a vocation, not some last ditch effort to escape to some other world. I made this record not only as a way of saying that, but as a way of saying it's ok to feel that way. It's ok for people to sacrifice some degree of creature comfort in order to live a life you believe in. And it doesn't have to be an endless search for something just out of reach, it can be a permanent way of being and something that sustains you.”
The announcement is accompanied by the lead single “Jim Carol New Year” which comes with a video starring Chris Stewart, directed by Clayton Hunt. “Jim Carol New Year” (its title a nod to both author, poet, and musician Jim Carroll, and holiday season carols) casts another critical eye on life, rejecting false promises of religion, advice from so-called experts, or easy answers in favor of self validation and independence of thought. While drawing us in with a more rhythmic synth melody, twirling listeners into an illusion of joy, the phrase “I forgot my money” is used over and over to convey all the things the protagonist isn't buying. “If you want to be free,” Stewart says, “you have to watch out for some of life's classic pitfalls.”
With regard to the video, Clayton Hunt shares: “Chris had an idea of a house in the distance with two travelers being drawn toward it. We wanted each traveler to represent a different version of the journey. One traveler struggled unprotected against the landscape, the other was cautious, outfitted in an orange hazmat - type suit. I decided to shoot 16mm and capture everything against the green landscape, creating a vibrant contrast. That imagery helped guide the production and inform the story.”
Black Marble hummed to life in the fall of 2012, switched on by the early aughts New York City synthwave revival. Today, fourteen years on and seven releases later, Chris Stewart continues to make records hunched over machines that warm to the touch when turned on and need to be coaxed to stay in tune. His albums, written, recorded, and delivered solely by Stewart, remain singular visions, with songs that seek to convey a diffuse pastiche, now shaped by a desire to wrap the whole thing in a message that speaks to where he’s been and where he wants to go.
His latest vision, Life in Small Spaces, sees Stewart comment on the music industry and his role within it, reflecting on how underground music has changed over time, and how a blueprint for keeping things simple and being true to oneself is the only ideal for living in this complicated landscape.
Stewart's desire to span time with his ideals intact shows up in the songwriting, which retains the project’s pop-sensibilities while adding new tricks to the bag. Life in Small Spaces trades walls of synths for more left-of-the-dial, “college radio”-inspired guitar. Stewart explains the reason for the change as a way to “create this chime-y hypnotic quality. Like a radio dial that is between two stations.”
On a first listen, the album lives up to this billing as sounds seem to come from some lost radio station during a Saturday night mix. However, on second listen, certain themes and characters emerge from Stewart's stories. Overarchingly, these are people expressing some of life's deepest dissatisfactions or labouring under some cartoonish delusion that affords them some immunity.
“It Always Comes to Me,” introduces a self obsessed and arrogant protagonist that believes they can talk their way into and out of anything. Lost in the delusion that looking out for oneself at the expense of others is a mantra, not knowing that ultimately, they are the architect of their own isolation and loneliness. A new sonic landscape is the backdrop here, with leading bass and guitar tones that hail in the warmth and personal touch of a live performance, guiding us into the album’s first chapter.
Stewart stands firm in his convictions on “Other Man's Dream” – “I could never go crazy, for the other man's dream, to be free of the sad life that's coming after me” he sings as he points out that people that we seek validation from aren't the people who have to live with the results of our decisions. In life's spaces, big and small, it's us who have to live out the lives we've chosen and only us who can determine its value.
“Anything,” sonically the most upbeat song on the record, is in its message anything but. “I want to dream us up. I’ll do anything, but it’s not enough!” is a lamentation full of snarling frustration with the gap between perceived and felt experience, and a message for anyone who’s ever felt like an imposter, unable to feel the joy that society tells us comes so easily to everyone else.
Through Black Marble’s entrancing electronic tones, Stewart further confronts difficult themes, “Missing History” with its more synth-centred clinical feel explores the idea of lacking a true cultural identity and heritage, and the lasting weight of a nation’s past. “Panopticon Calls” with its jivey beat and bouncing bass melody, shifts perspective to a paranoid, shut in person, pulled deeper under the influence of media and external pressure before breaking free.
Visually, Life in Small Spaces features Stewart alone on the cover in a sparse room, surrounded with an eruption of confetti – an image that reflects a self-contained world that may appear small, bleak and cluttered, but is fully his own. A fitting frame for a record that embraces limitation as a form of clarity, and one that tells the story of choosing a simple life, giving up stability and comfort for an existence of bold and engaging connections. This further reflects Black Marble’s confidence in not only his artistry, but the community that has grown and evolved around the project over the years. “[Life in Small Spaces] is what I want to talk about as an artist. It's where I am at this exact moment and I know I'm not alone in how I feel.”
This sentiment isn’t a disclaimer. It’s the point. Life in Small Spaces, with its introspective lyricism disguised neatly within Black Marble’s radiant musicality, is an earnest analysis of the pressures that shape artists. It is an invitation to accept and consciously agree to a more minimal lifestyle for the sake of creative expression and freedom, and to never need to compromise your values for the tempting illusion of success.
Tracklisting
1. It Always Comes to Me
Nederlands 
Français 
