Subbacultcha Belgium December 2019/January 2020 by Subbacultcha

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground December 2019 & January 2020

Become a Subba cu before 25 Dec a ltcha member nd get 1 month for free!

19 on S A M X e t cod n u o c s i .be d Use the w.subbacultcha ww

s u b b a c u l t c h a e v e n t s i n December & January

Music

13.12 Mega Nouveau Perreo with Bea Pelea Beursschouwburg, Brussels

02.12 White Hills + Martin Bisi 13.12 Moâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Juice: Maurice Fulton & Magasin 4, Brussels Bufiman Maaltebruggekasteel (Democrazy), Ghent 04.12 Peuk + Brorlab Super Fourchette, Brussels 14.12 As One + Cecilio & Laurine + Gwenan + more! 05.12 4th Stream Festival Day 1 C12 (Crevette Records), Brussels VOLTA (Bozar), Brussels 18.12 75 Dollar Bill + PEGA + Klein 06.12 Nuit Europalia Romania Volk De Koer (Vooruit & Kraak), Ghent Brass, Brussels 18.12 Yung Mavu Het Depot, Leuven 06.12 Basic Moves back at Chez Jacques 20.12 Sweaty Palms afterparty Chez Jacques (Basic Moves), Brussels Onderstroom, Antwerp 06.12 Huna presents: Moving Still + 20.12 Honey Dijon + Azo JazzDee Amigo, Ghent C12 (Benediction), Brussels 07.12 NAH + Old Painless + Osica 21.12 Blazej Malinowski + Claudio La Zone, LiĂ¨ge PRC + more! C12 & C11, Brussels 07.12 Montage x Consouling 31.12 A. Brehme + Dardenne & Minus One, Ghent Thomas Hayes + more! C12, Brussels 07.12 Salon #03 with Bok Bok Amigo, Ghent 11.01 Lower Dens Botanique, Brussels 07.12 C12 X ARGOS = 30

C12, Brussels

12.12 Dis Fig

25.01 Efdemin & Marco Shuttle + Patrick Russell + Bryan C12, Brussels Kasenic C12 (Bunker NYC), Brussels

12.12 Chanoirs at C11

All eve

nts ar e

18.01 Sweaty Palms

Botanique, Brussels

free f o

r mem

bers. J

26.01 The Sound Of The Belgian Underground Ancienne Belgique, Brussels

oin at

subba

cultch

a.be

Amigo, Ghent

Theatre

13.12 Anatomie van pijn – Lies Pauwels NTGent, Ghent 19.12 Permanent Destruction

KVS, Brussels

16.01 Congolisation

KVS, Brussels

Cinematek, Brussels

11.12 Elephy presents Margaret Salmon Beursschouwburg, Brussels 18.12 Sorcerer

KASKcinema, Ghent

20.12 The Dead Don’t Die De Cinema, Antwerp AP: The Wild Goose Lake 19.12 UGC, Antwerp 26.12 Cinema Galeries, Brussels 30.01 Girlhood

Cinematek, Brussels

Expo

re- (fo Be sub r f com e s o to cribe rmer a me con to ac mb tin ou tive er ue r d me or you igit mb r m al m ers em em ) ber be shi rsh i p

03.12 Hi, Mom!

Film

until CAMP – Beginnings 22.12 Argos, Brussels month Roger Ballen – The Theatre of of Dec the Ballenesque and Correspondances Centrale, Brussels

All events are fr

ee for members.

Join at subbacult

cha.be

CENTRE FOR FINE ARTS BRUSSELS

11 – 15 DEC. ‘19 TV SERIES ON A CINEMA SCREEN PALAIS DES BEAUX-ARTS BRUXELLES PALEIS VOOR SCHONE KUNSTEN BRUSSEL Rue Ravensteinstraat 23 1000 Brussels +32 2 507 82 00 / bozar.be

THE ONLY TV SERIES FESTIVAL IN BELGIUM

intro

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground The sound of the underground is, by definition, unheard. It rattles and moves explored terrains, stirring the land imperceptibly. Yet, like an earthbound tremor, it sends shockwaves. The sound of the underground may be restrained and unspeaking, but it is ultimately expressed in the expansive convulsions of frameworks known and understood. In our little country, the sound of the underground is not a sound: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a feeling, a movement, a fabric that tears and mends itself into a lush web of far-reaching incidence. Enter this experience without trepidation, for the sound of the Belgian underground will shake you to your core.

thu

05.12 EARTH / HELEN MONEY Drone metal pioneers present brand new album

wed

18.12

i.s.m. KRAAK & DE KOER

fri

31.01

rock / instrumental / psychedelica

75 DOLLAR BILL / PEGA / KLEIN VOLK rock / drone / folk

Experimental blues, dino-postpunk & unhurried ambient

XYLOURIS WHITE / NÂ HAWA DOUMBIA folk / rock

“Intense, joyous, rugged music” THE NEW YORK TIMES tue

04.02 An evening with RYLEY WALKER ‘Solo acoustic’ folk / singer-songwriter

Exclusive Belgian gig + new album

21.03 OUT THE FRAME LUNCH MONEY LIFE / SEQUOYAH MURRAY / TRISTAN / KRANKK / ROEDEL + more tbc with All Eyes On sat

Explore the unfolding universe of hip hop!

Hip Hop

hip hop / electronica / nightlife

e info & tickets vooruit.b

content

subbacultcha events 11 - 35 Loïc Le Hécho 36 - 39 Ben Bertrand 40 - 41 Chibi Ichigo 42 - 45 Rogergoon 46 - 47 Ikraaan 48 - 49 Partners 50 - 51 Old Painless 52 - 53 Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe 54 - 57 Grid Ravage 58 - 59 Clara! y Maoupa 60 - 61 9

DEMOCRAZY MUZIEKCLUB GENT 04.12

TRIXIE WHITLEY

05.12

FULCO + MAURO PAWLOWSKI

05.12

THE STEVE HILLAGE BAND AND GONG

06.12

DEAD MAN RAY

VOORUIT HANDELSBEURS VOORUIT HANDELSBEURS

06.12

SONS + THOSE WHO DIDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T

08.12

SOUND TRACK: FINALE OOST-VLAANDEREN

14.12

CARLTON JUMEL SMITH

14.12

SUGAR CANDY MOUNTAIN

14.12

YUKO: AFSCHEIDSCONCERT

18.12

JAN VERSTRAETEN + ECHO BEATTY

19.12

AUTUMN FALLS: ORANGE BLACK + PICK A PIPER

20.12

25Y TOUTPARTOUT: SLOTFEEST

07.01

UMUT ADAN

08.01

JOEP BEVING: SOLO PIANO SHOW

01.02

BIG NEXT: KATE DAVIS

29.01

IVY FALLS

14.02

ELEFANT

CHARLATAN

20.02

LIP SERVICE

CHARLATAN

28.02

A SPECIAL NIGHT WITH BRUTUS

03.03

THE GURU GURU

04.03

BERAADGESLAGEN

06.03

MATT WATTS GROUP

11.03

GHOSTEMANE

VOORUIT

12.03

DUB FX FT. WOODNOTE

VOORUIT

12.03

KOMPROMAT FT. VITALIC & REBEKA WARRIOR

21.03

FRANC MOODY

VOORUIT DE CENTRALE CHARLATAN TREFPUNT CAMPO HANDELSBEURS CHARLATAN VOORUIT TREFPUNT VOORUIT TREFPUNT HANDELSBEURS

DEMOCRAZY.BE

HANDELSBEURS DE CENTRALE DE KOER HANDELSBEURS

VOORUIT CHARLATAN

music White Hills + Martin Bisi

2 Dec - Magasin 4, Brussels 19.00 - €10 - free for members Continuing with their 25th anniversary celebrations, the guys of Magasin 4 have invited psychedelic alternative rock band White Hills, who will be heating up the stage with distorted guitar riffs, groovy basslines and a dash of shoegaze. Experimental vocalist and guitarist Martin Bisi, who has produced albums for legends like Sonic Youth, Swans and Helmet, among others, will be joining them for this psychedelic event.

Peuk + Brorlab 4 Dec - Super Fourchette, Brussels 20.00 - €5 - free for members Prepare those eardrums to be tickled by Peuk and Brorlab, as the girls at the fork have scheduled a

noisy evening. Brorlab will open the noise festivities with their drum computer molding into streams of intense punk. Shortly after that, Peuk, who has been praised across the country from north to south as the grunge rock band to witness in 2019, will hop on stage to take you right back to the 90s. Yep, this is your last chance to get rid of that FOMO.

4th Stream Festival Day 1: 2 Times Nothing 5 Dec - VOLTA (Bozar), Brussels 20.00 - €12 - free for members These five crazy musicians met at art school during their teen years in Brussels, and the band was born very soon after. Good luck trying to pin down the style; their music is unclassifiable – a deliberate choice for these musicians who offer an extraordinary electronic sound, with whiffs of jazz, hip hop and funk. Surely some of the new cool kids on the block! Wanna know more about these boys? We’ve got you covered; check out our interview online ;-)

e free All events ar

. for members

Nuit Europalia Romania ft. Borusiade + La Mverte + Alexander Arpeggio & Maria Balabas + Bogdan Orbita + Fais le Beau 6 Dec - Brass, Brussels 21.00 - €10 - free for members Europalia is all about promoting European artists in Europe. This year, Romania gets put in the spotlight. To close off this years edition we get to discover all the good things that the Romanian electronic scene has to offer. On the menu: an eclectic mix of 80s synth music with industrial soundscapes and abrasive techno grooves with krautrock.

Basic Moves back at Chez Jacques ft. Hicham + Malika + Andrew James Gustav + Boudewijn Ericx 6 Dec - Chez Jacques (Basic Moves), Brussels 22.00 - €10 free for members before midnight

Adventurous Belgian club label Basic Moves is coming back to Chez Jacques – a small-capacity club in a basement in Molenbeek – with a party that will keep you warm for Sinterklaas night. With a lineup comprised exclusively of vinyl lovers and dedicated diggers, expect mixes filled with surprises and unexpected bangers.

Huna presents: Moving Still + JazzDee 6 Dec - Amigo, Ghent 23.00 - €8 free for members before 1 AM Moving Still’s music is definitely a clash of cultures. Middle Eastern sounds mix with heavy bass beats – as his latest remix of a Sidi Mansour track, premiered on RA, testifies. The other guest on the decks is JazzDee, a young Belgian DJ who favours vinyl over CD. You might have seen him at Dour festival last summer, where he slashed genuine breaks and mixes, from funk to house. All eve

nts ar e

free f o

r mem

bers.

NAH + Old Painless + Osica 7 Dec - La Zone, Liège 20.00 - €8 - free for members Michul Kuun, aka NAH, descends upon La Zone, zeroing in on his own specific brand of ever-evolving sonic explorations rooted in electronic, hip-hop, jazz, funk and who-knows-what. Joining the Philly sound alchemist are Belgian talents from two ends of the spectrum, Old Painless and Osica – the former promising a barrage of no-holds-barred noise-hop, while the latter deliver terrain-shaking, modular synth-driven techno.

Montage x Consouling: Ziùr + épong + Bolt Ruin + Barst 7 Dec - Minus One, Ghent 22.00 - €10 free for members before midnight

Minus One becomes the meeting point for Consouling and Montage, who are celebrating the release of Berlin artist Ziúr’s album ATØ – which praises, as the musician puts it herself, ‘the alliance to take over the world’ – and épong’s new and so-far mostly dance-oriented album Drank, in which the artist continues to explore distorted nighttime pulses. The lineup is expected to be simply epic, featuring above all must-see-live Barst, Dutch DJ Zeta Lys, dark sets by Bolt Ruin and Brusselsbased DJ crat.

Salon #03 with Bok Bok 7 Dec - Amigo, Ghent 23.00 - €5 free for members before 1 AM Amigo is opening its doors on 7 December for Salon #03. For this occasion, London-based DJ, producer and Night Slugs label founder, Bok Bok, will be featuring an outstanding blend of energetic mixes that include an infinite number of musical genres and styles he has absorbed from his travels – from Hong Kong to Austin and from Chicago to Tokyo.

ALL CONCERTS - BOTANIQUE.BE

C12 X ARGOS = 30

Dis Fig

ft. Donato Dozzy + Omar S + A Brehme + Kafim + Kong 7 Dec - C12, Brussels 23.00 - €20 50% discount at the door for members

The transcendent vocal waves of artist-producer Felicia Chen, aka Dis Fig, are going to overflow the stage at Botanique. Dis Fig’s sound is reminiscent of The Knife – meets the intensity of Portishead – meets the bass traits of The Bug – all bristling with rebellious energy and drenched in profound emotion. Should be one hell of a gig! All re

nt eve

Get dressed, put on comfortable shoes and be ready to dance, smile, hear, think and celebrate cause Argos is inviting all of us at C12 to blow their thirty candles together. Behind the decks, Omar S will be flipping records straight from his finest Detroit-style backlog, and the all-female London collective SIREN will bring along their high energy sets. Argos will add their touch with a screening loop of works from their collection representing the ‘essence’ of the organization.

12 Dec - Botanique, Brussels 19.30 - €14 - free for members

e fre for . ers

NAOMI VELISSARIOU / THEATER UTRECHT  19.12.2019

PERMANENT DESTRUCTION:

THE HM CONCERT “An intense, schizophrenic theatre concert that rips apart the mind and the body ” -De Morgen 



LOUIS D'OR BEST DIRECTION

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW

WWW.KVS.BE

Chanoirs at C11 ft. Ultra Sunn + Louis Vogue + Lux18 12 Dec - C12, Brussels 22.00 - €5 free for members before 1 AM Get used to it, black cats have overtaken Brussels and this month they’ll rule C12 for an evening. The Chanoirs guys have invited post-punk band Ultra Sunn for a heated performance. This recently formed duo from Brussels, composed of Sam Hugé (former leader of the rock band Fantøme) and Gaelle Souflet, will be in good company as DJ sets by Chanoirs residents Louis Vogue and Lux18 will open and close the festivities.

Mega Nouveau Perreo with Bea Pelea

is a party concept aiming to showcase Latin, Caribbean and African urban music in a safer space. This edition’s headliner is Bea Pelea, a restless young artist born in Spain, raised in South America and now touring the world with her explosive brand of reggaeton.

Mo’ Juice: Maurice Fulton & Bufiman 13 Dec - Maaltebruggekasteel (Democrazy), Ghent 22.00 - €12 - free for members The lineup for this edition of Mo’ Juice looks like it could repeat the success of its last edition. Maurice Fulton can call himself one of house music’s true originals. The eccentric producer and DJ often roams the more left field spaces in the genre. Remember Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters? Yeah, this guy had a hand in its production. Dekmantel protegee Bufiman will be supporting him this evening.

13 Dec - Beursschouwburg, Brussels 22.00 - €10 free for members before midnight While dancehall, reggaeton, etc. can be associated with macho and sexist behaviour, Nouveau Perreo

All even ts are f ree for

membe

rs.

IN CINEMAS ON THE

1ST OF JANUARY

As One + Cecilio & Laurine + Gwenan + Paramida + Zaltan + more!

instrumentals. You’ll also get to meet the b2b DJs Cecilio & Laurine (a.k.a. Slow Life) with their house and techno beats inspired by the Detroit sound. As for the rest of this roster managed by Crevette Records, you’ll have to come down to discover it for yourself.

75 Dollar Bill + Pega + Klein Volk 18 Dec - De Koer (Vooruit & Kraak), Ghent 19.00 - €10 - free for members

14 Dec - C12 (Crevette Records), Brussels 23.00 - €15 free for members before 1 AM Do what you think is best tonight, but if we were you we’d cancel all your plans, switch to airplane mode and head down to C12 for a top-notch night. On the menu, you’ll find our favorite parisian Zaltan from record label Antinote who will play high energy, pummeling bass, and deeply grooving

Jazz up your Wednesday night at De Koer with the unconventional blues of 75 Dollar Bill, post-punk from Pega and the engulfing ambient waves of Klein Volk. 75 Dollar Bill might give you a hard time attempting to frame their musical genre, as their sound ranges from African blues to space-jazz and New York no-wave. Brussels-based and brewed dino postpunk trio Pega are expected to smash it with their catchy guitar riffs and snazzy vocals. And if you’re looking forward to dissolving into the calming ambient flow, Klein Volk’s spellbinding synths will work for you just perfectly. See, we have it all covered!

All events ar

e free for mem

bers.

Atonement, 2019 ÂŠ Roger Ballen, in collaboration with Ronny Delrue and Marguerite Rossouw

CENTRALE for contemporary art

Place Sainte-Catherine 44 Sint-Katelijneplein Bruxelles 1000 Brussel(s) www.centrale.brussels

5 min Bourse/Beurs

Yung Mavu 18 dec - Het Depot, Leuven 20.00 - €15 - free for members From his massive 2017 viral hit ‘Black Magic (Black Harry Potter)’ to latest single ‘Madonna’, Antwerp’s rising cloud rapper Yung Mavu has proven that not only has he got a keen eye for pop cultural references, but also a keen ear for melodic flows. With that said, his sophomore record, Matter Of Time finds the hip-hop upstart stepping up his game, focusing on more substantial topics like family and the daily grind.

Sweaty Palms afterparty 20 Dec - Onderstroom, Antwerp 23.00 - €8 - free for members

afterparty is free for members, not the show by De Ambassade.

Honey Dijon + Azo

20 Dec - C12 (Benediction), Brussels 23.00 - €25 50% discount at the door for members Brussels genderbending and label defying collective Benediction welcomes Honey Dijon to C12. Hailing from Chicago the DJ, electronic musician and fashion icon brings house sets that unite past and present, making it impossible to get distracted. Benediction, or in its extended version ‘Benediction Rituels Exceptionnels’, honors queer culture, cabaret and inclusivity.

Sweaty Palms have prepared a well-established afterparty lineup, presenting Exalt and their electro Italo disco, Konna with a promising selection of tracks from trance classics to sunshine house as well as the spicy tracks of DJ Peugeot. What else to say? Expect a decent amount of wiggling bits, pals. Note: only the All events ar

e free for mem

bers.

Blazej A. Brehme + Malinowski + Dardenne & Claudio PRC Thomas Hayes + Cio D’Or + Davy + Kafim + Miko Oki + Adema + & Zeta Lys + Cleveland & Lola Haro Rey Colino + Gay Haze DJs + more! 31 Dec - C12, Brussels 23.00 - €25 50% discount at the door for members

21 Dec - C12 & C11, Brussels 23.00 - €15 free for members before 1 AM Heavy ambient night ahead with Polish DJ and producer Blazej Malinowski and his deep techno soundscapes, the hypnotic acid and dub from Claudio PRC and the reverb-infused electronic dance beats of Cia D’Or!

All events

That’s it, that’s another year down the gutter, time to get working on those resolutions again. But before we close off twenty nineteen completely, let’s party one last time. For this occasion, the boys at C12 are organizing their annual get together. You’ll get to be grooving to the hypersensitive deep techno beats of Brussels DJ A. Brehme, while our ragazzo Cleveland will be teaming up with his buddy Rey Colino to break into the new year with a sensory overload. Brussels night life tenant Kafim and Gay Haze DJs will be there. are free fo

r member

Koen van den Broek 7.12.2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1.03.2020 De Garage

Onder den Toren 12A Mechelen

Donderdag tot zondag, van 13u tot 18u cultuurcentrummechelen.be

Wall Works

Lower Dens

11 Jan - Botanique, Brussels 19.30 - €18 - free for members Fronted by enigmatic singer-songwriter Jana Hunter, Lower Dens have always been in the vanguard of shape-shifting indie rock, thanks to their ability to flow freely from genre to genre with enviable ease. The Baltimore outfit recently returned with their latest LP, The Competition, making the jump from the dream pop and krautrock stylings of their previous releases to sumptuous new-wave textures and glorious ’80s flourishes.

Sweaty Palms 18 Jan - Amigo, Ghent 23.00 - €5 - free for members Sweaty Palms is a party collective dedicated to resurrecting old experimental club culture. After organizing parties in Antwerp, Sweaty Palms introduces its

‘distinctive positive vibe’ to Ghent. Spacey trance, italo disco and house from forgotten decades will make you want to leave your comfort zone.

Efdemin & Marco Shuttle + Patrick Russell + Bryan Kasenic

25 Jan - C12 (Bunker NYC), Brussels 23.00 - €25 50% discount at the door for members Tonight, New York’s Bunker DJs are overtaking C12. Techno gods Efdemin and Marco Shuttle will be spinning tunes back to back while opening the floor to Detroit-bred veteran of the underground Patrick Russell and Bunker founder Bryan Kasenic!

All events ar

e free for m

embers.

Expo

Simon Spruyt 18.01â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 15.03.2020 Cultuurcentrum Mechelen

Minderbroedersgang 5 2800 Mechelen www. cultuurcentrum mechelen .be

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels 14.30 - €13 - free for members Partners Partners is the audio-visual handshake of Femke Fredrix and James de Graef. Faust was their first release, named after their cat. It explored the dynamics between human and animal. In new album City of Freaks Partners dig into who we really are when, together with the daylight, our masks disappear. They are afraid of the dark, and maybe you should be too. Grid Ravage Synthesist and sound engineer Yves De Mey has been around since the 90s, when he was a drum’n’bass producer, and adopted different monikers along the way. He got into experimental electronics, makes sound installations, scores performances and films ànd runs a label. The outcome of his recent techno project Grey Branches might be called ‘non-functional’, the adjective most certainly doesn’t apply to him. Old Painless Old Painless named himself after the minigun of sergeant Blain Cooper in sci-fi film series The Predator, yet also likes to take

ents All ev

pictures with cute little baby goats. His noise-hop is a bit like Yamikawaii, the Japanese ‘gothic-cute’ fashion style: it can be as dark and brutal as it is sensitive. Ben Bertrand Thirty years ago shoegazers were dipping their guitars in pedals and effects, now Ben Bertrand is doing the same for his bass clarinet. Doing so the Brussels composer creates a dreamy and minimal universe where other so-called neoclassics as Steve Reich or Tim Hecker would feel at ease. Rogergoon Brussels-based artist Rogergoon – not to be confused with the artist from Toulouse roaming the internet under the same moniker – is no secret to fans from Slagwerk collective. While in the past Rogergoon has collaborated with Lauren Auder and even covered blink-182, he currently makes surprisingly metamorphic compositions. Chibi Ichigo A Russian-born artist with a Japanese musical alter ego who’s rapping in Russian, Dutch and English: Chibi Ichigo doesn’t like boundaries. Not even the ones around her comfort zone. Pushing herself further she has one message: follow your passion. Even if it’s nillies music or bird watching.

rs.

embe

or m ree f are f

Ikraaan

Rogergoon

Partners

Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe is an ambitious theatre maker, performer and ‘wannabe countertenor’. ‘Multidisciplinary’ is his favorite word and ‘busy’ might be his second – he performed in three plays this summer. Yet not everything has to be about profiling and success: when playing at SOBU with longtime collaborator Laurens Mariën (Alien Observer, Soldier’s Heart, Dolly Bing Bing), there will be room for songs like ‘do you smell the poop, poop, poop?’, too. Clara! y Maoupa ‘Avant-reggaeton’ is a thing. DJ and MC Clara grew up in Spain listening to reggaeton. Encouraged by experimental producer Maoupa Mazzocchetti, she became a songwriter in their collaborative project Clara! y Maoupa, a dancefloor friendly yet startling blend of trap, perreo and dancehall. The Brussels-based duo call themselves ‘club-ready’ but that doesn’t quite cover it. Ikraaan Ikraaan – ‘glitterprincess’ on Instagram and a self-proclaimed ‘clown’ on stage – is a 21-year-old from Mechelen. She released her first EP Happy Pill in September, inspired by her own traumas and struggles. Her stirring and personal Dutch r&b could (but shouldn’t) substitute your psych.

theatre Anatomie van pijn – Lies Pauwels

Permanent Destruction 19 Dec - KVS, Brussels 20.00 - €17 - free for members Permanent Destruction, the HM concert based on the oeuvre of German author and director Heiner Müller, is the second part of a post-dystopian musical triptych by theatre maker/ performer Namo Velissariou and sound producer Joost Maaskant. They address Müller’s work by transforming it with key themes such as misogyny, sexism and radical feminism fueled by techno and trap.

13 Dec - NTGent, Ghent 20.00 - €22 - free for members

Congolisation

Director Lies Pauwels creates a performance about living with pain and pain in life. It builds on the experiences of people who suffer from different kinds of pain, physically and mentally. Together with four performing artists, she deconstructs pain and all its different metaphors, be it a symphony, a lonely experiment, a demon or salvation. Members need to buy a ticket with a discount code. Mail us at memberships@subbacultcha.be for more information.

16 Jan - KVS, Brussels 23.00 - €17 - free for members

Congolisation is a multidisciplinary art festival that aims to bring the artistic diversity of the Congolese and African diaspora in the Belgian cultural landscape to your attention. During this fifth edition, from 16 to 18 January, emerging artists will present their unique points of view by means of exhibitions, performances, movies and conferences.

All events ar

e free for mem

bers.

08 –18.01.20 MELANIE DE BIASIO M A K AYA M C C R AV E N ANTOINE PIERRE N U BYA GA R C I A A L FA M I S T JA M I E B R A N C H F LY O R D I E I I P O R T I C O Q UA R T E T HOERA.

& MANY MORE

image by Johan Jacobs — design by raf-thienpont.be

V.U./E.R.: Gilles Ledure, Rue du Belvédèrestraat 27/5 1050 Brussel / Bruxelles

festival partner

film Hi, Mom! 3 Dec - Cinematek, Brussels 21.00 - €4 - free for members

portraits that weave poetry with ethnography. There will be screenings by Margaret Salmon, Alex Reynolds (who will also be present) and Meggy Rustamova.

Sorcerer

In Hi, Mom!, a young Robert De Niro plays a voyeur obsessed with the penetration of the intimate life of his neighbours. He manages to turn this obsession into an art movie project, which he sells to an adult filmmaker. Through voyeurism, filmmaker Brian de Palma interrogates the power of the image and its capacity to turn the real into fiction. What have you been doing lately? You’ve been invited to play The Sound Of BB: I mostly composed in the The Belgian Underground IV. Do you feel a summer and recorded a new part of the underground? 18 Dec - KASKcinema, Ghent album in September. It’s coming BB: For me, I feel part of the 22.30 - €5 - free for members out in February as a collaboraunderground. On the other tion with Les Ateliers Claus and hand, my music doesn’t work In the light of the Film Fest Ghent another exciting label which in a basement. Maybe it would documentary Friedkin Uncut, I can’t give away yet. So stay work with a good PA system, KASKcinema will screen the tuned! butunderestimated for a good PA you need most movie by What’s greatest musicalBrussels childhood money. director So is it still under11 Decyour - Beursschouwburg, American William Friedkin. memory? groundisthen? [Laughs] I’m 20.30 - €9 - free for members Sorcerer the second adaptation BB: I remember how a friend of classically mostly of the book Letrained, Salaireso deIla Peur by my father showed how think of myselfand as aisclassical What’s love got to dome with it?to is an Georges Arnaud, considered improviseexperience on some chords. That to musician. audiovisual presented be a remake of the homonymous real revelation to media me. bywas the aartist-run film and French-Italian thriller from 1953, Another pivotal moment for me much to Friedkin’s annoyance. arts platform Elephy. Glasgowas a filmmaker child was when I went to based Margaret Salmon seethem a concert ofobservations saxophonist joins in their All events ar Jan Garbarek. relating to love with her filmic e free for mem bers.

Elephy presents Margaret Salmon

Off the Grid Belgisch graﬁsch ontwerp uit de jaren 60 en 70 door de ogen van Sara De Bondt

FOTO / PHOTO COR N EI LLE HAN NOSE T A R C H I V E S E T M U S É E D E L A L I T T É R AT U R E , B R U S S E L V. U . SA M I SO U G U I R – B OT E R M A R K T 1 – 9 0 0 0 G E N T

The Dead Don’t Die

AP: The Wild Goose Lake 19 Dec - UGC, Antwerp 26 Dec - Cinema Galeries, Brussels 19.00 - free for members Five years after Black Coal and Thin Ice, which won a Golden Bear for Best Picture, Chinese director Diao Yi’nan finally finished a new film, The Wild Goose Lake. His neon-drenched film noir received rave reviews and a nomination for the Palme d’Or after its screening at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

Girlhood 30 Jan - Cinematek, Brussels 21.30 - €4 - free for members

20 Dec - De Cinema, Antwerp 20.00 - €7 - free for members

In her third full-length feature, French filmmaker Céline Sciamma depicts the life of four young girls of colour in the Parisian banlieue. Sometimes compared to Abdellatif Kechiche, Sciamma’s realist filmmaking is throbbing with life and empowering. Using actresses cast in the street, touching upon topics of race, gender and sexual orientation, she renders a dazzling picture of contemporary youth.

Six years after imagining decadent and misanthropic vampires in Only Lovers Left Alive, defying all the conventions of the genre, Jim Jarmusch creates a comedy about the living dead and confirms the horror that inspires the contemporary world – a world that has nothing left to offer.

All eve

nts ar e

free fo r

membe

rs.

This p

ed nt

tion was a c pr li b i u

Drukkerij GEWADRUPO bvba Hoge Mauw 130 B-2370 Arendonk info@gewa.be +32 (0)14.67.86.69 34

expo CAMP Beginnings

until 22 Dec - Argos, Brussels 11.00-18.00 - €5 - free for members CAMP is a Mumbai-based studio for transdisciplinary media practices, co-founded by Shaina Anand and Ashok Sukumaran. Their exhibition, Beginnings, goes back in time, to a period of their output that predates the establishment of CAMP and addresses some of the fundamental elements that would subsequently come to define the studio’s main artistic concerns. It speculates on fundamental questions of the nature of film and video through site-specific spatial and technical interventions.

Roger Ballen The Theatre of the Ballenesque and Correspondances

month of Dec - Centrale, Brussels 10.30 - 18.00 - €8 - free for members New York-born, South Africabased photographer Roger Ballen has tried to capture the human condition for over forty years. Centrale dedicates two exhibitions to the artist: The Theatre of the Ballenesque and Correspondances, both fruit of Ballens exploration of the unconscious. In the second exhibition Ballens work interacts with that of Belgian artist Ronny Delrue. The former merges photographs, videos and installations to create a theatre of the absurd: the so-called ‘Ballenesque’.

artist

Loïc Le Hécho, aka @zzzanguy, may look familiar to you. We featured his collective, Isengard, a couple of months ago in our 20-something issue. From small beginnings, they’ve grown a lot since then. As each of the collective finds their own path, we took a closer look at one of the founders. Le Hécho is a tattoo artist with an exceptional vision. His drawings stick to your retina as if they were created in your worst nightmares, yet somehow also have a sweetness to them that is oddly mesmerizing. We talked about his move to Brussels and why he didn’t just move here for the Tripel Karmeliet. Interview by Laura-Andréa Callewaert Photos by Rashidam Nassyrova, shot in Brussels

First of all, what do you do exactly? : I’m an illustrator, but I honed my skills so now I’m also a tattoo artist. That has been my main activity for the last few months but I’m also really interested in music. As I don’t produce music myself, I’ve worked on the visuals for album covers with a few artists I admire. And for one year now I’ve been part of a collective called Isengard with some friends, organising parties, participating in book fairs and curating exhibitions. So my life is a balance of all those activities and taking baths. You moved to Brussels recently. Why? : Basically, I moved to Brussels to study art. But I quickly found out that I’m not a schoolboy and I quit. And I really needed to get out of my hometown where I was suffocating. Brussels seemed to be an evident choice, it was different and exciting because the cultural offer are a bit limited in Toulouse. In Brussels it’s literally the opposite. I discovered many new collectives with their own vision of organising parties, proposing a large scale of music genres and graphic expressions. Also, you can feel that things are growing in Brussels and it’s pretty good to feel this energy. It pushes you to do things and not wait for someone to do it. And I’m

in love with the fact that I can do everything by foot as it’s a human-sized city and that’s very important to me. How did you get into tattooing? : It took me a long time to bridge the gap to tattoo my drawings on people even though I’ve thought about it for almost five years. I started a year ago because I felt that it was time. I was essentially waiting for my drawings to become more personal because I’ve never been interested in custom designs or orders. So I had to have my own touch to enter into this very particular – and at the same time very mainstream – world. It’s interesting for me to see people interpreting my work, and even more when classic tattoo artists are crying at my designs. What do you need in order to create? : A simple four-coloured Bic pen but the silver one, some Schleiper’s cheap black books, a café to be alone and some music but nothing too rhythmic. Favourite (tattoo) artist of the moment? : I don’t know if I have a single favourite tattoo artist at the moment but there’s this guy in Charleroi called ‘JC Tattoo’ who had a petition against himself to stop his tattoos. The page is called ‘Pour que JC tattoo arrête ses horribles tattoos’. Unfortunately I never

found anything else about him, so maybe he really had to stop. I basically mean that tattoos I find the most interesting/beautiful are some random things from drunk parties or small ones people do on themselves. Also, there is this page from Barcelona which is about homeless people’s tattoos and the story behind them called ‘Podri tattoo’. There are a few other ones I follow on social networks who are doing really inspiring things like ‘Sinkhole’ from Denver or ‘here__i__am’ or ‘corodeco’. My friend Angie: ‘0_09090_0’. I also love the works of ‘silemario’ and ‘Lome Lu’. What’s your role in the Isengard collective? : I’m more or less the co-founder with Vinessett, Llanto and Jules Rousselet. I don’t know exactly what my role is. Little by little we have unconsciously created different poles, as everyone has his/her own occupation (plasticians, producers, graphists, DJs, students, tattoo artists, illustrators, etc). It’s impressive to see things advance by themselves as the poles become more independent. I think that my role is to be the link and sometimes the organiser but it can be a lot of pressure. With the help of my precious friend Llanto it’s good to see our chaotic meetings turn into concrete things like our last event at

Brasserie Atlas in collaboration with Parisian collective High Heal. How do you feel about the Belgian music scene? : I feel comfy. I feel like we have nothing to envy from the other capitals. In Brussels loads of things are happening, producers producing. It’s enjoyable. Which track/album defines you the most? : I’d say Duster’s album called Stratosphere. All-time favourite meme? : Myself. Chocolate or fries? : I’m more a Poulycroc person, but fries definitely! The Sound Of The Belgian Underground ( with Loic Le Hécho + Dennis Tyfus MSOORE INFO ON 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels !) free for members

music

Ben Bertrand Bass clarinettist Ben Bertrand has been around in the Belgian classical scene for some time now. Experimenting with FX stompboxes, he pushes the boundaries of the musical tradition and his somewhat unconventional instrument, which resulted in a first album full of rich textures and sounds youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never expect from a clarinet. Intertwining electronics with classical music opened new doors to a wider audience. Sincere, talented and funny-as-hell as he is, Ben Bertrand offers you the best of both musical worlds. HE NE D T NLI REA EW O VI R E INT

Interview by Dennis Meersman Photos by Pommelien Koolen, shot in Brussels

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Ben Bertrand 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

music

Chibi Ichigo ‘Chibi Ichigo is focused on music and Sabina is rather dreamy.’ So goes the only difference between Sabina Nurijeva and her stage moniker, Japanese for ‘little strawberry’. Growing up as a Russian girl in Limburg, Nurijeva felt like the odd one out. Through making music, she found pride in her story. She loves strawberries and Japan – its toilets in particular – but most of all she loves to crush biases and prove people wrong.

Interview by Milena Maenhaut Photos by Bibiane Euse, shot in Ghent

You collaborated with Zwangere Guy, you’re friends with Le 77 and half the Belgian hip hop scene is featured in the video for ‘Secret’. Is the scene close? CI It is! We’re all supporting each other. But it’s divided between different cities. I wanted to get rid of these boundaries and bring everyone together in the video. You often dedicate songs to your mom. Is she a big source of inspiration? CI Yes. We write songs together, since she studied Russian literature. Music is a coping mechanism for her as well, and we try to conclude every song with optimism. I noticed! Listening to your record, I felt like everything is possible. CI I love to hear that. Whatever your passion is – even if it’s bird watching – go for it! You’ve mentioned that you have a hard time finding Russian role models. CI A lot of Russian music is sex centered. It’s all about boobs and bodies. The lyrics don’t tell a story. Who can girls look up to? It’s almost as if they have two options: becoming a housewife or a supermodel. I’m not pushed into those stereotypes, I’m lucky. Although my mom did tell me she wouldn’t mind if I got pregnant now (Laughs). However, I’m currently focusing on Belgium. I’m writing a lot of songs in Dutch.

At first you didn’t like to write in Dutch. What changed? CI Making Dutch sound good is hard. It doesn’t sound as smooth as English or French. It’s scarier, too. In Russian I can be as vulnerable as I want. No one understands me anyway! In Dutch people do, yet being vulnerable can be very powerful. What records are on repeat for you? CI I love the guilty pleasures lists on Spotify. It’s insane how much I adore 2000 music. Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child and Justin Timberlake make me feel alive every morning in the shower. And in terms of Belgian artists? CI Stikstof, no doubt. I saw them for the first time in Hasselt some years ago, it’s still my favourite concert of all time. As a kid I had a diary and wrote a lot of stories. Stikstof inspired me to start writing lyrics too. Earlier this year you went to Japan. How was it? CI The toilets are amazing. The seats are heated, you can choose music and the visit ends with a spray. I love those kinds of things.

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Chibi Ichigo 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

music

Rogergoon

INT READ T ERV IEW HE ONL INE

Member of the Isengard collective, Rogergoon’s melodic, ambient sound is making waves in the Brussels’ DIY scene. Supported by like-minded underground communities, including Slagwerk, Rogergoon is part of a network of talented, emerging creatives. When sitting down with the artist, he shared his world and revealed a seemingly hidden layer of the city. In addition to emphasising the importance of Isengard and Slagwerk for his success, Rogergoon considers the internet equally as important, functioning as a tool for meeting collaborators and identifying similar communities in other cities. In a place like Brussels, where underground communities aren’t highly visible, the internet allows for creative discovery and exploration. Rogergoon is currently working on a soon-tobe-released EP, which is influenced by music, books and video games he discovered within the past year. Incorporating classical material, video game samples and electronic sounds, he’s working to create stories and immersive content. You can experience this new project, and unreleased material, at upcoming shows.

Interview by Jacob McPherson Photo by Elena Majecki, shot in Brussels

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Rogergoon 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

music

Ikraaan

READ THE INTERVIEW ONLINE

Like all millennials who watched Hannah Montana or Shake It Up on Disney Channel, as a little girl Ikraaan wanted to reach stardom. Now the 21-year-old is getting somewhere near, having been picked up by Brihang and nominated for the Red Bull Elektropedia Awards. Along the way, the Mechelen-born, Brusselsbased artist realised fame isn’t important, but talking about issues in music is– whether it’s mental health, sexuality or religion. She’s received a lot of DMs from people telling her how much her music has helped them, yet sometimes she wishes she could hide behind the curtains and be an introvert again.

Interview by Milena Maenhaut Photos by Nina Lingadjaja, shot in Brussels

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Ikraaan 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

music

Partners Follow a t’ai chi course, have a conversation with your cat as an equal and add a Chinese jelly dessert to the party – you might end up feeling like Partners. That’s what Partners want you to be: liberated like the night. The duo are afraid of the dark yet their upcoming album, City of Freaks, underlines the night’s freedom. Excess, alcohol and undressing: in the dark it’s all acceptable. When we had tea with Femke Fredrix and James de Graef it was daytime – and for once, we weren’t the only ones asking questions. What came first, dirty water or the philosophy of tea? (James) Why not unleash our inner freak every day? (Femke) READ INTE RVIE THE W ON LINE

Interview by Milena Maenhaut Photo by Partners, shot in Ghent

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Partners 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

music

Old Painless

Masked by a hidden identity while delivering inaudible vocals, Belgium’s Old Painless is something of an enigma, both physically and musically. Never revealing their face in photographs, and providing little context on the internet, it’s hard to place the experimental noisemaker into a particular genre, and that’s no accident. Having previously performed as a heavy metal artist, Old Painless draws inspiration from trap hip hop, with an aggressive style that makes for a high-energy live show. With heavy metal lyrics screamed at full volume and intense basslines, the music is an intense emotional experience. In an effort to understand how Old Painless developed their music style, we met with the artist and discovered that although often compared to artists like Death Grips and Ho99o9, they’re in a category of their own.

HE INE D T REA W ONL VIE R E INT

Interview by Jacob McPherson Photo by Elies Van Renterghem, shot in Brussels

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Old Painless 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

music

Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe Making a name for himself through online alter egos since he was a teenager, director and performer Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe has always walked a multidisciplinary road. While touring his theatre show NACHTEN / Ballet De La Nuit and preparing his next production, A Revue, he is simultaneously releasing music. He collaborates closely with Laurens MariĂŤn, aka Alien Observer (Soldierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heart, Dolly Bing Bing) for both his performance work and musical ventures. In January, they play AB together during The Sound Of The Belgian Underground.

Interview by Simon Baetens Photos by Tiny Geeroms, shot in Brussels & Ghent

You work in both theatre and performance. How do these practices relate to one another? BAM The live sets I do with Laurens started as a theatrical take on ‘music’ and were originally shown as a performance piece. Due to the difference in budgets between the music industry and the performance circuit, we often put on a stripped version without scenography and lighting design. ‘Theatre’ and ‘music’ are, therefore, sadly inevitably separated for the moment. Nevertheless, the theatricality and the oparetic flair are as eminent as a cheeky hard-on. Laurens is a constant force in both professions. I write the lyrics and come up with the melodies; he makes the actual music as well as the sound design of NACHTEN / Ballet De La Nuit and my next piece, A Revue. Would you call your music ‘underground’? BAM I struggle with the term ‘underground’ quite a bit, because I think our music is rather superficial. We flirt with the friction between lowbrow and highbrow art and experiment with pop attitudes – for example, in the song ‘do you smell the poop, poop, poop?’. But we don’t shy away from drama either, like with the track ‘Boy I love you so much’. We let all these different moods

interact with my contratenor voice. We’re not tied to any musical convention, which enables us to dig below the surface of our own music. Your image is essential to your work. How conscious is this part of the process? BAM I am indeed very conscious of my image, but I try to be very sincere about it. Some say I suffer from megalomania or a taste for decadence. I don’t deny this, but I counteract it at the same time: I’ve ditched the extravagant plume coat I used to wear. It was a skin I put on, it doesn’t gel with how I position myself in the arts at the present time. I want to be and see a real human being who’s simply good at something and is therefore able to move an audience. Still, I think it’s just as essential to create new bodies, critters and atmospheres. If I am then deemed eccentric, this is only an illustration of that desire. I think of this quote by Daan Stuyven on a daily basis: ‘If you try to be an icon, then the icon becomes you. If you try to be a model, it will catwalk over you.’

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

music

Grid Ravage

INT READ T ERV IEW HE ONL INE

Beware: we have a serious Belgium underground allstar coming to SOBU2020. Monikers: Yves De Mey, Eavesdropper, Grey Branches, Sendai, Grid Ravage. Genres: abstract electronics, drone, glitch, techno, minimal, conceptual, industrial, idm. On 26 January, he will perform with his newest outfit, Grid Ravage. We met the Antwerp-based electronic wizard to discuss this new band, composing and some seminal releases from his career spanning more than 20 years.

Interview by Dries Robbe Photo by Tatjana Henderieckx, shot in Antwerp

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Grid Ravage 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

music

Clara! y Maoupa

READ THE ONLINE INTERVIEW

Brussels-based duo Clara! y Maoupa consists of songwriter, MC and DJ Clara!, and experimental producer Maoupa Mazzocchetti. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re about to release their debut album, Luna Nueva, on Editions Gravats while moving on from the post-reggaeton label by exploring other Caribbean rhythms, dub or just plain weird sounds without ever losing sight of the dancefloor. Just like their music, the duo navigates the border of the mainstream with an underground mentality.

Interview by Hannes Rooms Photo by Laurianne Bixhain, shot in Brussels

The Sound Of The Belgian Underground with Clara! y Maoupa 26 Jan - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels free for members

FRONT COVER Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe shot by Tiny Geeroms EDITORS IN CHIEF Herlinde Raeman & Kasper-Jan Raeman MAGAZINE EDITORS Julien Van de Casteele & Isaline Raes COPY EDITOR Megan Roberts DESIGN Chloé D’hauwe ADVERTISING & PARTNERSHIPS kasper-jan@subbacultcha.be PRINTER Drukkerij GEWADRUPO, Arendonk, Belgium CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gabriela González, Isaline Raes, Julien Van de Casteele, Wannes Dewit, Laura Callewaert, Anaïs Violet Van Eldere, Jacob McPherson, Laura Isachenko, Paola Verhaert, Dries Robbe, Daniel Zimmer, Dennis Meersman, Simon Baetens, Hannes Rooms, Chanun Poomsawai & Milena Maenhaut

PARTNERS Fotoshop Gent, Artists United, Paypro Services, Magasin 4, Super Fourchette, VOLTA, Bozar, Europalia, Basic Moves, Huna, Amigo, C12, Argos, La Zone, Montage, Consouling, Salon, Botanique, Nouveau Perreo, Democrazy, De Koer, Vooruit, Kraak, Het Depot, Onderstroom, Ancienne Belgique, NTGent, KVS, Cinematek, KASKcinema, De Cinema, MSK, Het Bos, GEWADRUPO, Design Museum, De Roma, Mu.ZEE, Flagey, CENTRALE, deSingel, CC Mechelen & Imagine A heartfelt thank you to all our distributors, interns & volunteers. OFFICE Subbacultcha Belgium, Dendermondsesteenweg 80A, 9000 Ghent, Belgium EDITORIAL magazine@subbacultcha.be MEMBERSHIPS memberships@subbacultcha.be

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Elies Van Renterghem, Elena Majecki, Tatjana Henderieckx, Pommelien Koolen, Laurianne Bixhain, Catharine Linggadjaja, Femke Fredrix, Bibi Euse, Tiny Geeroms, Nina Lingadjaja & Rashidam Nassyrova INTERN Milena Maenhaut

At the heart of Subbacultcha you’ll find our membership. Members get access to the best concerts and events for just €9 a month. With our community we’re supporting emerging music and art in Belgium and beyond. Subbacultcha.be

4ALL STREAM ABOUT TH

QUIRKY JAZZ 05 > 07.12.2019

PALEIS VOOR SCHONE KUNSTEN BRUSSEL PALAIS DES BEAUX-ARTS BRUXELLES Rue Ravensteinstraat 23 1000 Brussels +32 2 507 82 00 / bozar.be

CENTRE FOR FINE ARTS BRUSSELS

2TIMES NOTHING NIELS BROOS & JAMIE PEET VELS TRIO - RUBY RUSHTON WARM BAD - VULA VIEL TENDERLONIOUS DJ SET BROOS/GYSELINCK/LAHEYE ANTELOPER - PULCINELLA AAN/EOP

W W W.BOZAR.BE/JAZZ FACEBOOK.COM/BOZARJAZZ

E.r. Â· V.u. Paul Dujardin, rue Ravensteinstraat 23, 1000 Brussels.

festival hosted by B.O.X Baroque Orchestration X za 4 jan 2020

muziek

Spinvis NL Dez Mona BE Eefje De Visser NL DM Stith USA Nive Nielsen GL and many more

deSingel is een kunstinstelling van de Vlaamse Overheid

mediasponsors

pop x klassiek indie x barok oud x nieuw