Hello, dear friends of Pop-Kultur!
It’s time to announce the first 27 artists and bands! Anyone who’s been following our ›Countdown‹ on Instagram and Facebook over the last several weeks already knows that Sophia Kennedy, John Maus, Haiyti, Henrik Schwarz & Alma Quartet, Drangsal, Noga Erez, and Kat Frankie will be performing at our festival between 15 and 17 August 2018 at the Kulturbrauerei. Both you and we liked the Kulturbrauerei so much last year that we’ve decided to stay — after one-off affairs with Berghain (2015) and Neukölln (2016), we’ll be in Prenzlauer Berg for the second time in a row.
Kennedy, Schwarz, and Frankie are currently all chipping away at their respective ›Commissioned Works‹ (CW) for the festival. More than 15 pieces will be available to hear and see for the first time ever. And the other musicians announced above will present their latest, au-courante programmes for the stage.
And now for the 20 artists, bands, and projects that have been kept secret: Agar Agar, Anna von Hausswolff, Ava Bonam, Boy Harsher, Chastity Belt, Chelsea Wolfe, Ebow, »Ein Hit ist ein Hit«, Flohio, Ghostpoet, Hope & Moritz Majce (CW), International Music, Islamiq Grrrls & oOoOO, Kedr Livanskiy, Lisa Morgenstern, Myrkur, Nadine Shah, Pan Daijing (CW), »Rausch Royal« mit 21 Downbeat (CW), and Vivien Goldman. You can find detailed information about each act on our website and — yes, exactly – on Facebook and Instagram.
On our Facebook and Instagram pages you’ll also find interviews and entertaining articles about the acts. In addition to that, 1. every Wednesday, we’ll post a specially-composed fanfare by one of our performing acts; 2. every Thursday, we’ll digitally continue last year’s exhibition »Keller« by the Berlin-based concert photographer Roland Owsnitzki; and 3. every Friday we’ll introduce comic strips by Rattelschneck and Hauck & Bauer, ›Commissioned Works Online‹!
And now we’ll pass the mic over to our boss, Katja Lucker, Managing Director of Musicboard Berlin and organiser of Pop-Kultur: »We’re especially looking forward to our collaboration with RambaZamba Theatre, which will make its majestic stage available for the commissioned works by Sophia Kennedy, Pan Daijing, and Hope. Our programme will also feature a special RambaZamba-Pop-Kultur co-production in the form of the piece ›Rausch Royal‹, which the theatre will develop together with its house band, 21 Downbeat!«
And what do our Pop-Kultur curators have to say? »From sombre folk to sparkly pop, we’re representing all of the styles that, for us, sum up the status of pop in the year 2018«, according to Christian Morin. »We’ve tried to assemble as diverse a programme as possible – we want to be inclusive rather than exclusive«, says Martin Hossbach.
We’ll announce the second half of our ›Live‹ programme on 2 May, and details about our talks, panels, and film screenings will follow on 19 June.
We’ve already introduced »Pop-Kultur lokal«, our festival’s newest building block, elsewhere, but we’ll remind you here of the first associated event, which will feature East-African music. »Feast From The East« by DJ Mixanthrope will take place on 26 April in the Kreuzberg club Monarch.
If any of our newsletter readers are looking for an entry into the music industry or would appreciate tips about their music careers from renowned colleagues, please pencil 25 April into your calendars! That’s the start of the application phase for our workshop programme »Pop-Kultur Nachwuchs 2018«. For some impressions from last year’s programme, click here.
So. That’s it for now. Except – ah yes, tickets! Passes! Our festival passes can be bought here for the price of €60 plus fees. Depending on availability, we’ll also offer day passes starting on 2 May.
Warmest Greetings!
Pop-Kultur
Photos: John Maus by Shaun Brackbill, Ebow by Magdalena Fischer, Haiyti by Tim Brüning, Ghostpoet by Steve Gullick