berlin

Pop-Kultur Live: Further acts / start of application phase »Pop-Kultur Nachwuchs«

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Dear Friends of Pop-Kultur,

The second half of our live programme is complete! Among the recent additions are Die Türen and Karen Gwyer. The former will present new music for the first time in years with the project »Exoterik«; the latter will perform electronic music of an unheard kind (we’re staying vague here on purpose) in the vaulted cellar of the Kulturbrauerei, which has until now never been accessible to the public. Neneh Cherry‘s last performance in Berlin was in 2015 at the Halle am Berghain as part of Pop-Kultur. This summer, in the festival’s fourth year, she will grace us with a performance of her new album in the Kesselhaus of the Kulturbrauerei, and this makes us very happy.

Our programme includes 15+ in-house productions, called »Pop-Kultur Commissioned Works«. The musical works will be developed by 21 Downbeat / Automat / Die Türen / Ein Hit ist ein Hit / Henrik Schwarz & Alma Quartet / Hope & Moritz Majce / Karen Gwyer / Kat Frankie / Pan Daijing / Staatsakt / Sophia Kennedy.

Further works dealing more with spoken word, moving image, and fine art will be announced on June 19th.

40+ concerts will be given by the artists and bands Ace Tee & Kwam.e / Agar Agar / Anna von Hausswolff / Ava Bonam / Boy Harsher / Carmen Villain / Chelsea Wolfe / Dan Michaelson / Die Mausis / Die Nerven / Drangsal / Ebow / Flohio / Gaddafi Gals / Ghostpoet / Gwenno / Haiyti / International Music / Islamiq Grrrls & oOoOO / John Maus / Kedr Livanskiy / Laura Perrudin / Lisa Morgenstern / Malik Djoudi / Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force / MIAHUSH / Ms Banks / Munsha / Myrkur / Nadine Shah / Neneh Cherry / Nilüfer Yanya / Noga Erez / OY / Pranke / RÁN / Richard Dawson & Band / Shopping / Shortparis / Stockelborn / Swutscher / The White Screen / Valerie Renay / Vivien Goldman / Voyou / YGG.

Detailed information on all of our announced programme elements can be found on our website as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

Any readers of our newsletter looking for an entry point into the music industry or interested in receiving useful tips about their music career from established colleagues should apply for our workshop programme »Pop-Kultur Nachwuchs« before June 12th. How about a feminist rap workshop with Lady Bitch Ray? Or an intensive discussion with the producer Henrik Schwarz, whom we’ve commissioned to write an elaborate piece for the festival? Want to pick the brain of Tocotronic and Beatsteaks producer Moses Schneider? The workshops, talks, and lectures will provide inspiration, clarify urgent questions, and encourage participants to continue making their way in the music business. This year’s live programme includes three »Nachwuchs« alumni:  Ava Bonam, Hope and MIAHUSH.

Click here to buy our festival pass for the price of 60€ plus fees.

Warm regards,

Pop-Kultur

Photos: Richard Dawson, Neneh Cherry by Kim Hiorthoy, Ms Banks, Karen Gwyer by Jackie Dewe Mathews 

Pop-Kultur 2018: The first 27 artists and bands

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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

 

Pop-Kultur lokal: Call for Concepts

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Dear friends,

dear organiser,

This year, »Pop-Kultur« will feature a brand-new element, »Pop-Kultur lokal«. »Pop-Kultur lokal« is a funded music event series held monthly from mid-April to mid-July, each time in a different location, and hosted by four different local event organisers and venues. It will focus on live performances, although combinations with DJ sets or talks are also possible. The selection of funded events will be made by a five-member jury (Kathrin Müller, Pop-Kultur, Alexandra Bondi de Antoni, i-D Magazine, Mary Ocher, musician, Dominique Schweizer, cultural manager, Anton Teichmann, Off-Kultur), in cooperation with the curators of »Pop-Kultur«. Information about »Pop-Kultur lokal« will be included in official festival communications and supported by the festival both promotionally and financially.

A festival like »Pop-Kultur« would not be possible without the local cultural agents who organise events every day – and our new »lokal« programme has been developed in collaboration with Dominique Schweizer and »Off-Kultur« in order to acknowledge and recognise this fact. With this project, we’d also like to prioritise the local promotion of young talent as well as the production of a diverse range of live concerts and additional musical activities not yet represented within »Pop-Kultur«. Participating artists must reside in Berlin.

We hereby announce an open call for all interested organisers to submit a one-page application containing a short programme description, date suggestions, and a simple financial plan by 10 a.m. on 7 March 2018, as a PDF via e-mail. The grant for concept, artists, and realisation is €2,000 per event. The events themselves should be free and unticketed.

As far as content goes: female artists must comprise at least 50% of the proposed programmes. Applicants are requested to make the event barrier-free. Efforts should likewise be made to integrate people with disabilities into the line-up, and preference will also be given to applications that explicitly address diversity and in particular take steps to strengthen the LGBT and POC communities.

The events should be scheduled to take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. Preference will be given to venues and organisers who have not previously been supported by the Musicboard.

Applications should be sent as a PDF to info@pop-kultur.berlin (please specify whether you are applying as a private organiser or as a GbR, club, GmbH, etc).