Author: macha

RYGA, which has just released its first studio album Catch Her Groove and welcomed the multi-instrumentalist Kaspars Bindemanis in its ranks, has also just delivered its first performance abroad.

To participate in the festival organised within the Polish SeaZone Music Conference, the band along with the representatives of Music Export Latvia travelled to Sopot where they performed in front of a foreign audience for the first time. The concert programme included songs from their fresh new album. At the festival, Latvia was also represented by Triana Park and the singer Justs with his new collaboration with producer Makree.

RitvarsBluka, author of many Latvian music videos, who accompanied the band on the trip, has made a short film about this adventure that you can watch right now. The film features the band’s music from the new album.

On 2 June at the Daile Theatre’s café Epikūra dārzs in Riga, RYGA presented its debut album. Clad in extravagant outfits, the musicians delivered a convincing performance as they introduced the audience to the material from the album Catch Her Groove, as well as the new video for the song Bunny Munro Waltz.

At the album presentation, Mārcis Judzis, the founder, drummer and lead singer of the band, said: “This is a big day for us – we are releasing our first album, which we ourselves received only yesterday. Thanks to everyone who invested their energy and time in the making of it. Thanks to MicRec Publishing and Microphone Records for their trust. When I first met Guntars Račs and told him about our project, he was sceptical, but after a while, he admitted: “Damn it, Mārcis, you are one heck of a marketing specialist!””

RYGA energised the audience with an hour-long upbeat concert. This was only their second performance since the joining of the multiartist and guitar player Kaspars Bindemanis. The loud event was visited by the municipal police too, but everything ended peacefully, with no arrests or fines. The arrival of the police resonated with the band’s performance and lyrics.

Among the well-wishers was Dž.Dž. Džilindžers, the director of the play The Death of Bunny Munro, which features songs from Catch Her Groove. “Mārcis created the band back when they were staging Banishment. However, that madness was not suitable for my new play, to which Mārcis responded that they can do it all – jazz, symphonies, you name it. And I believed him right away, yet at the same time not completely… I am very happy with this collaboration, though. I think it is fantastic that Bindemanis has joined the band because he’s a great fit for this bunch of freaks. It is without a doubt the No. 1 band at the moment, which is bound to see success in Europe too. I’m looking forward to the next chapter!”

The album can be ordered in CD format from the MicRec website. Electronically, it is available on all music downloading and streaming platforms. A few months later, the album will be released and distributed in Germany, Switzerland and Austria too in collaboration with Rough Trade and Gordeon Music.

Colorful Latvian indie pop band “Franco Franco” reveals third single and music video “Moonlight” from their latest EP “Moon + Light”. The band will perform “Moonlight” and other songs, not yet released, in summer concerts across Latvia, including “Summer Sound” festival.

 “The story of “Moonlight” is encapsulating moments that are very dear to us – they are too beautiful to let go of,” explains lead vocalist Elizabete Vetra. “That’s why we decided to make the video as a collage of snapshots, collecting the most colorful moments from making of the album. It has been a magical ride for us.”

The video captures shots from recording the album in “TRU Music Studio” (Riga) together with producer Reinis Sejans (“Instrumenti”) and sound engineer Gatis Zakis, unique footage from making of the previos videos (“By the Lake”, “Up”), performing in festivals and the album presentation in K.K. fon Stricka Villa (Riga). 

“Moonlight” is available on Spotify, iTunes and other digital music platforms. The band will perform “Moonlight” and other songs, not yet released, in festivals and concerts in Latvia – Riga, Valmiera, Jurmala, Jelgava, Cesis. “Franco Franco” will also perform in “Summer Sound” festival in Liepaja on 28 July (more on summer tour).

“Franco Franco” is one of the most renowned and active indie pop bands in Latvia. The band’s latest album „Moon + Light” (2016) was critically acclaimed and nominated among the best Latvian alternative, indie-pop records of the year. The second single of the album – “Up” – was one of the semifinalists of Supernova 2017 (Latvian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest). It reached Latvia Top 50 on Spotify, as well as #10 in Trending on Youtube (watch video).

Singer Aminata has released new music video for her latest single – “Your Arms”. The song comes from the album “Red Moon” launched in 2016.

After being a “Fighter” who never gives up and follows her goals, in the new music video Aminata wanted to show her sensual,  romantic and feminine side.

“Song “Your Arms” is very sensual, inhibited within a spring-like spirit. We wanted to keep that vibe in the music video as well!” tells Aminata herself. “It is about the feeling you have when secretly fallen in love with someone and cannot stop thinking about him. The feeling when you miss that person so much you feel like a prisoner who desperately longs after freedom. However, you cannot say it out loud because you are afraid and don’t know what the other person thinks of you. Therefore, all the emotional experience portrayed in the song is deeply personal, it burns you from the inside and is not visible to the outer world…”

Music video operator is Reinis Aristovs, gaffer: Uldis Tripans, stylist – Elga Homitska, make up artist – Lara Pudovska, hair stylist – Svetlana Dubatova and set designer – Katrina Virzina. Production was made by AminataMusic. Filming process would not be possible without support of “Nike Latvia” and the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia, where the music video was filmed!

Lyrics and music are written by Aminata Savadogo, and arrangement – by Kaspars Ansons. Remix of the song is produced by Krišjānis Geidāns and mastered in “Hodila Studio”.

Launch of the new single occurs only this spring, as after participating in the Russian TV show “Golos” (“Voice”), Aminata actively indulged herself into writing new songs. Currently they are being produced in cooperation with several international producers, and soon enough the results will be revealed.

The eccentric Latvian singer-songwriter Elizabete Balcus will be the only artist from the Baltic States that’s set to perform at The Great Escape showcase and music festival. It will take place from 18th till 20th of May in Brighton, England.

Balcus will do two performances in Brighton. It marks an important part of her ongoing tour in Netherlands, Germany and United Kingdom. 

The Great Escape festival annually gathers the most important new artists from all over the world. Happening in 30 venues, it attracts about 3500 professionals from music industry and more than 15 000 spectators each year. These stats prove the fact that The Great Escape is one of the biggest and most important showcase festivals existing.

Elizabete Balcus has already been spotted in the U.K – last year she released her new album “Conarium” and it was recognized as the third best alternative album by the “Cambridge 105” radio.  Several critics have acclaimed her as well.

At The Great Escape festival Balcus will showcase her unique avantpop style which is made colliding elements from both academic and electronic music. She is recognizable by her virtuoso flute skills and also some untraditional performance elements – Balcus plays vegetables linked with synthesizers, for instance.

The purpose of the event is to discover new talents, encourage collaboration between the professionals of the industry and also – to promote Latvia as a place where creativity and professionalism allows a lot of contemporary music to be born.

Balcus is currently on her tour along with the multidisciplinary artist Sabine Moore. They are performing in London, Cambridge, Amsterdam and other cities, visiting several radio stations as well.

After a longer time off, singer Aminata has released a brand new single – “Your Arms”. The song comes from the album “Red Moon” launched in 2016.

Lyrics and music are written by Aminata Savadogo, arrangement by Kaspars Ansons. Remix of the song is produced by Krišjānis Geidāns and mastered in “Hodila Studio”.

“Song “Your Arms” is very sensual, inhibited within a spring-like spirit,” tells Aminata herself. “It is about the feeling you have when secretly fallen in love with someone and cannot stop thinking about him. The feeling when you miss that person so much you feel like a prisoner who desperately longs after freedom. However, you cannot say it out loud because you are afraid and don’t know what the other person thinks of you. Therefore, all the emotional experience portrayed in the song is deeply personal, it burns you from the inside and is not visible to the outer world…”

Launch of the new single occurs only this spring, as after participating in the Russian TV show “Golos” (“Voice”), Aminata actively indulged herself into writing new songs. Currently they are being produced in cooperation with several international producers, and soon enough the results will be revealed.

Very Cool People, one of the best Latvian jazzfunk bands, releases their new album Heya Some Kind of Fish! We Don’t Know The Name Of This Fish In English, But In Latvian It Is Vimbas on the 30th of April.

Heya Some Kind Of Fish… represents pieces of a symbiosis between the different allied music styles – funk, soul, jazz, klezmer, Balkan & Latvian folk music. The album includes eight new tracks and a re-arranged version of the already well-known tune Hugo which had remained outside the group’s albums until now. “This to ourselves is a very interesting album where we mixed a wide range of musical influences. Just as Latvian geographic location is between Eastern and Western Europe, this album’s music is located in the middle of the different impacts”, say the members of the band. Heya Some Kind Of Fish… was recorded from the 25th to the 27th of July and from the 23rd to the 25th of October 2016 by Ivars Ozols at Sound Division Studio, Riga, Latvia. Mixed by Jon Evans at Brick Hill Studio, Orleans, MA, USA, and mastered by Don Grossinger at Don Grossinger Mastering, New York, NY, USA

This is VCP’s fourth album so far. In June 2009 the band released their self-titled debut album. In 2012 the group released their second instrumental album Cruising In The Trolley and in September 2015 they released their third album Funkology which also features guest artists – fantastic soul & jazz singers from Latvia.

Latvian indie rockers “Boys Will Be Boys” release their debut EP “Love Life”.


The album was recorded at “Frida Records” studio and mixed by Peteris Ozols.
Band members describe the theme of the album as “songs about simple things and hard times”.

Listeners can…

On November 23 the opening event from the program ”Sieviete Te”, dedicated to gender equality, will take place at Aleponija –Birznieka Upīša iela 22. Musicians Elizabete Balčus and Evija Vebere will make an special anniversary performance for the opening night. The program, that aims to identify and highlight the role of women in performing arts, will continue to be organized monthly.

”Sieviete te” is planned as a cycle of alternative music and art events with the purpose of emphasizing the role of women in music. The line up for November 23 is composed by independent music performers who, in their creative search, are not afraid to challenge gender roles with a deep personal vision and strong stage presence.

ELIZABETE BALČUS creates a neo-psychedelic dream pop collage that is melodic and experimental at the same time. In her theatrical-musical cosmos, everything is allowed: transcendental vocals, free flute improvisations, electro pop beats, chamber music elements and glitch-style loop effects. Real fruits and vegetables are used as synthesizers. Elizabete’s performance is just as stunning as it is captivating. EVIJA VĒBERE is a soundscape artist that is now enthusiastic about electronics. In her performance, she uses both synthesizers and acoustic instruments to create a sound forest ambient, which is transmitted by the original and evocative voice of Evija. The different sound atmospheres range from playful easy going dance to schizophrenic existential cantatas. Studying in Holland, Evija and the Serbian drummer Lav Kovač created the avant-pop duo Howling Owl. The band toured Europe for about two years and released the EP  “Dance for Common Sense” (2015).

Original idea for ”Sieviete Te” comes from Maria Llanderas, co-owner and program manager of Aleponija, because she thinks it haven’t been enough discussion about the role of women on stage. The realization and implementation of the idea involved the concert agency MOO manager Lena Sme, marketing specialist Una Rozembauma and artist Marija Luīze Meļķe.

Offering high quality music performances based on an all-female lineup and creative team will help to break  stereotypes about gender roles in the performing arts environment. The program aims to create a platform where young women professionals  meet to build new contacts, share experiences, encourage each other and co-operate.

Event organizers believe that it is necessary to critically evaluate the experience of women working in the arts field in order to highlight the challenges and difficulties they are facing and to encourage dialogue to improve the situation, making it possible for all women involved to engage in their profession.

Latvian trio Audience Killers are about to release their first full-length album Floating Islands today on May 20th. The band formed back in 2010 and features the soothing, almost whimsical vocals of Normunds Petrovs with Arletta Supe on keyboards and backing vocals and Edgars Oplucans on the drums. 

New album has been produced by lead singer Normunds Petrovs and the band itself. Recorded at their newly built Trii House studio in Riga. Engineered and Mixed by Reinis Kārkliņš (band Franco Franco), mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles. Album artwork by Paulina Wyrt.

In their new video for Sounds Like You a fiercely independent kid sets out on a trek through the city and across serene mountainside landscapes in Newfoundland, Canada. She tramps across breathtaking landscapes of waterfalls, still seasides villages and spans of the sea, all the while with a glowing star slung over her shoulder. In the end, the child sets the star free, syncing up with the songs powerful crescendo. 

‘The lyrics of Sounds Like You seem to me like the words of someone in mourning, wether it be for a failed relationship, the passing of a loved one, or even the loss of oneself. The last words are ‘There is nothing I can do’. So I wanted the video to reply to that lyric and say ‘No, here is something you can do’. To me, the video is about rekindling lost hope. A fall, and a rebirth. Sometimes, we have to let go of something that brought beauty in our lives. ‘To move on’ can be difficult, but a necessary act for new hope to bloom. Everything has its time. Everything has its place. Live. Laugh. Be free again.’