Category: News

The international music and city festival Tallinn Music Week (TMW), scheduled to take place from 29 September to 3 October, has revealed the music programme line-up. The festival will showcase 155 artists from 19 countries, of them 100 from Estonia. A Place To Bury Strangers and DVS1 from the US, the Icelandic band Hatari featuring Palestinian artist Bashir Murad, and the Finnish accordionist Antti Paalanen are among the international names appearing at this year’s event.

The opening night of the festival will feature two premieres: a new work by Estonian composer Liisa Hõbepappel, and an international collaboration “Themes For Great Cities: Tallinn” TMW’s new programme partners are the Latvian festival Skaņu Mežs, the Lithuanian festival What’s Next In Music?,  Blow Up from Finland and Estonia’s own Võnge, as well as the Association of Global Independent Music Agents (AGIMA).Single tickets for the showcase nights are now on sale at Piletilevi. Until 30 June, festival passes are on sale for a special price at Piletilevi and the TMW web shop.TMW 2021 is presented by Telia. The music programme of the festival is organised in cooperation with Damn.Loud Agency.

From Thursday, 30 September to Saturday, 2 October, the TMW music programme will bring together musicians from 19 countries, from Estonia to Palestine and from Russia to the United States. 155 artists, including 96 great acts from Estonia, will perform across 26 showcase nights from the modern Telliskivi Creative City and Port Noblessner to the picturesque Old Town.

The TMW 2021 Opening Night at the House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads on 30 September will see the world premieres of two musical compositions. Young Estonian composer Liisa Hõbepappel will perform her new piece, written specially for the festival, with the group Trio ‘95. The night will also premiere a collaboration project “Themes For Great Cities: Tallinn” of Estonian musicians Jonas Kaarnamets and Erki Pärnoja, Danish artist Jonas Bjerre (Mew) and American musicologist Alex Maiolo. The novel concept involves ambient and industrial sounds to produce a piece that has its very foundation in the city where it’s being presented.

There will be more new sounds and presenters to explore in the 14th century House of the Blackheads where The Chamber Choir Encore and Duo Telluur will perform new works by Estonian composers Karl Tipp, Pärt Uusberg and Karin Kuulpak. The same venue will also be the meeting place of the Estonian multidisciplinary Üle Heli festival and TMW debutante Skaņu Mežs, Latvia’s most adventurous music and art festival. Together they will present a line-up that includes the Italian experimentalists L’impero della Luce, the acclaimed Estonian future pop artist Mart Avi and the Latvian sound synthesists +K+M+B.   Station Narva night at the Tallinn Creative Hub will feature well-known international names like  the celebrated US noiseniks A Place To Bury Strangers  and the Icelandic techno-punks Hatari, featuring the Palestinian musician and civil rights activist  Bashar Murad.  The Lithuanian talent festival and conference What’s Next In Music? is another new Baltic partner that will showcase the likes of Latvian experimentalist Evija Vebere along the the Lithuanian indie darlings Garbanotas and the Estonian electronica wizard Centre El Muusa at the fine-art photography centre Fotografiska Tallinn. The Finnish festival Blow Up will also make their first-ever appearance at TMW in the beloved alternative hangout Sveta Bar, introducing both their own cult names PH and Kaukolampi, as well as Deathsomnia – a brand new collective of the Estonian Kadri Sammel (Bedless Bones) and the British Richard Powley (Telepathy) and Bruno Russo.

At the new D3 venue right next to the Baltic Station Market, Estonian label Funk Embassy will present their homegrown funk and soul talent Rita Ray as well as the Italian-British-Moroccan trio Savana Funk. The TIKS rekords label night at D3 will feature local neo soul and R’n’B acts such as YASMYN and Maris Pihlap, and the Warner Music/Smuuv Records night will present their roster of  talented Estonians from the rapper Gameboy Tetris to the multi-instrumentalist Raul Ojamaa.

Presented by the Estonian Jazz Union and Jazzkaar festival, the jazz line-up at Fotografiska includes the vocal virtuosos Estonian Voices and the conceptual supergroup The Free Musketeers from Estonia. The future folk unit OOPUS hosts the folktronica night, presenting both the Russian ethno-futurists Oligarkh and the Sami musician Ánnámáret.

The variations of folk and ethno from the Finnish madman-accordinist Antti Paalanen to the  Estonian bluegrass-tinged folk stylists Curly Stings, will also form the core of the night curated by AGIMA, the Association of Global Independent Music Agents at the Club of Different Rooms’ (ETK). Estonia’s Intsikurmu Festival will bring a wide variety of acts from  the Romanian YouTube sensation Lucia to the Estonian indie act Taavi-Peeter Liiv to ETK. Local Võnge Festival will present the selection of acts from the Swedish pop diamond Bluephox to the Estonian new school rapper KiROT at F-hoone where the  Russian Sounds showcase will present hypno-rock band Lucidvox who kickstarted their international career at TMW 2018 as well as Gromyka, the deconstructors of Soviet Estrada.

The Kivi Paber Käärid locale will feature the dark pop duo SYLK from Ireland and the Estonian  rock‘n’roll kings Dead Furies. KinoMaja will offer Estonian vintage rock sounds by the likes of  Dramamama, and a pop night with hot young homegrown talents from the rapper-singer manna to the electronic pop duo Púr Múdd.

The Von Krahl metal stage showcases the premier Estonian alternative metal groups like Kannabinõid and the Finnish post-metallers Besra. GROM Festival line-up at the Tallinn’s oldest alternative culture institution Von Krahl will include the Estonian dream country luminaries Holy Motors whilst the Void Valley night at Sveta Bar will present the Danish ROXY JULES along the Estonian-Australian psychedelic combo dreamkrusher!. Sveta Bar’s BÄM Night will present the sounds of the queer rave and the legends of the local underground nightlife like Florian Wahl and Köster. The Estonian Heaven’s Trumpet label will showcase the unique cross-genre electronica

selection from Eesti Elektroonilise Seltsi Ansambel to the audiovisual duo Vera Vice. Bass and smoke-laden beats will fill the Smoke Break night at Kauplus Aasia by the likes of the event’s main mover & shaker Modern Disease and the Norwegian DJ-producer Charlotte Bendiks. At Noblessner’s techno club HALL, which will also serve as one of the hosts of the TMW music industry conference,  relentless ravers will be greeted by the club’s residents such as Artur Lääts and Kaspar Kivilo and one of techno’s most prominent global voices DVS1 from Minneapolis, US.

As a partner festival of the global initiative Keychange, TMW aims at gender-balanced representation throughout the festival’s line-up as well as in tackling the structural inequality in the music industry.  Keychange talent in the TMW 2021 lineup is represented by L’impero della Luce from Italy, Charlotte Bendiks from Norway and SYLK from Ireland.The full lineup of the TMW music festival as well as the free city stage programme will be revealed during the upcoming summer. The other festival elements are a music industry conference at Nordic Hotel Forum and HALL, public talks, an art programme, music workshops for children and special events in the district of Lasnamäe.  Single tickets for TMW 2021 showcase nights are now on sale at Piletilevi.

The TMW 2021 festival passes which grant access to all showcase nights of the festival, are on sale until June 30 at a discounted price of 55 euros (from 1 July 59 euros, from 1 September 65 euros) both at Piletilevi and at shop.tmw.ee.

PRO Pass (on-site and online conference and festival pass) at 150 euros (from 1 July 175 euros, from 27 September 200 euros) and DigiPRO Pass (online participation at the conference at 50 euros (from 1 September 75 euros) are on sale at shop.tmw.ee . Additional information: https://tmw.ee/passes-and-tickets

Telia Estonia customers receive 20% off the regular price of TMW passes and tickets purchased ahead of the events.

TMW 2021 is organised by Shiftworks with various partners and co-organisers. The music programme is organised in collaboration with Damn.Loud AgencyThe festival is presented by Telia Estonia.

The festival’s strategic partner in the field of music is Music Estonia, the main supporters are Nordic Hotel Forum and Visit Estonia. The partners of the festival are Telliskivi Creative City and Viru Center, media partners are Postimees Grupp and Raadio 2.

The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the city of Tallinn, the Tallinn City Enterprise Department and the Cultural Endowment.

TMW’s international activities introducing Tallinn and Estonia as an attractive tourism destination of music and culture are supported by The European Regional Development Fund.

Virtuoso guitarist Mārcis Auziņš releases his third studio album “Lielā Plūsma that includes compositions composed during the last three years.

“The creation of the album “Lielā Plūsma” has been inspired by the contemplation of time, space, and existence. The musical material is based on the deeply resonating feelings of the ever-changing nature of the universe, the unstoppable rhythm of time and events, and me in both my roles of a musician and a human being as a part of this process – “Lielā Plūsma” (The Big Flow). I believe that my input and my role in the cutout of infinite time is musicianship, composing, and performing in concerts. The source for my strengths, imagination, and inspiration is in the interaction with the listeners; as long as I have the connection with the audience, the creative process will not abide and will allow me to stay in the vortex of my personal musical growth,” reveals Mārcis.

The concept of the first two albums (“Viens” 2016 and “Aizrautība” 2019) remains untouched with all compositions recorded using a single instrument – the guitar, the same way as Mārcis performs during his live solo shows, thus creating the unique feeling of being in the same space as the musician while listening to the recording.

The teaser of the album is available here:
The new album by Mārcis Auzinņš is available for purchase on eKase.lv, in Jāņa Rozes book stores, in departments of Latvian Post, music stores, and in concert venues. The album is also available on major music streaming platforms, such as Apple Music, Spotify, etc.

The concert program will present the listeners with both – compositions from the album and the arrangements of tunes by such legendary ensembles and artists as “The Beatles”, John Lennon, Bobby McFerrin, and others.

Listen to the “Lielā Plūsma” concert program live on these dates:

June 19 in Mālpils manor
July 2 in Kalnmuižas castle
July 17 in “Zeit”, Līgatne
July 24 Mazmežotnes manor
August 4 Saldus culture pavilion

To find out more information on upcoming concerts, follow Mārcis Auziņš’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and his web page www.marcisauzins.com

Carnival Youth release “Good Luck Remixes” EP which features alternate versions of 6 tracks from their 2019 album “Good Luck”. This eclectic mix of different genres and styles is no short of surprises. The EP includes already released singles “Only the Moon Can See the Sun (Bel Tempo Remix)”, “Boys Do Cry (Kasetes Remix)” as well as remixes by such Latvian electronic masterminds as Elvi, Kashuks, Platon Buravicky and Carnival Youth long term collaborator and producer Gatis Zakis.

Carnival Youth came up with the idea of “Good Luck Remixes” about a year ago. Emils Kaupers from Carnival Youth explains: “We called up a few of our friends – artists and eventually came to a very colourful bunch. We gave them absolute freedom; they could choose the song themselves and do with it whatever comes to mind. Add new musical structures, use only the voice tracks (as Elvi did with “Desktop”), or remake songs beyond recognition. The results are very different and interesting. We believe that “Good Luck” has gained a new parallel life!”

To coincide with the EP release, the band shares a visualiser for one of the remixes – “Baby”, courtesy of Gatis Zakis. The video is done by Creators 22 team, who also remade the previously released – “Only the Moon Can See the Sun” and “Boys Do Cry” – remix videos. Gatis Zakis comments on his remix of “Baby”: “Creating a remix is like taking a baton and continuing on a map that has not yet been drawn. Fortunately, the song itself contains an inexhaustible amount of both sound and content, hence the journey turned out to be easy and exciting.

Listen to “Good Luck Remixes” EP here

The Latvian indie band Carnival Youth is one of the most successful new generation bands from the Baltic region. Carnival Youth fuse neat melodic lines with the energy of alternative rock and indie music, while their emotional range varies from youthful melancholia to pure, bright joy. Since the formation of the band, Carnival Youth have released five records, from which the latest one – “Good Luck” came out in August 2019

August 14, Riga, in this summer the only large-scale festival will take place on the shores of the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum on Jugla lake.

This year festival will feature one of the most legendary Latvian folk-metal band “Skyforger”, which has earned international recognition and performs its compositions in the genre of folk metal. Visitors will not be deprived of musical attention by the organizers of the festival – the group “DAGAMBA”, which also will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the festival.

The organizers of the festival “Laivā” identify event with a bridge between traditionally classical values and the modern world, just as “crossover” – the fusion of genres and styles what forms a link between classical and folk music with contemporary music. Festival are described by organizers as: “Music without borders, traditions of ancestors intertwined with the present, and addition all world’s beauty and picturesque Latvian nature – best characterize the crossover festival “Laivā”. The format of the festival this year will correspond to cross -genre themes. Thanks to our new and unusually positioned stage, the concert can be enjoyed on the waves of Lake Jugla or sitting comfortably on the shore in a territory of Latvian open-air museum. We are also pleased that last year our festival was highly appreciated not only by a large number of festival visitors, but also by industry professionals who have honored us with the “Excellence Award.”

Visitors are offered a variety of opportunities to visit the festival – by boats, motor boats (with a motor raised from the water), on SUP boards or catamarans, on public, personal transport or a bicycle. Thanks to the unusually placed stage with a 360 ° view, on which the artists will perform, the festival can be enjoyed both from the water and from land.

The first festival “Laivā” received “Excellence Award 2020” in the nomination “The Most Outstanding Live Concert in Non-Traditional Forms During COVID Restrictions 2020” from the Latvian Forum of Events.

The concert starts at 19:00, entrance to the event territory will be open from 17:00. Tickets can be purchased on the portal https://ej.uz/festivalsLAIVAA, as well as in all sales points of “Biļešu Serviss”. The ticket price is 25 euros. Regardless of the number of spectators on the boat, the ticket must be presented to each visitor to the festival “Laivā”. The organizers of the event offer boat rental services. Coming into festival territory everyone needs to follow up all safety rules established in the country, persons who have not had a COVID-19 infection or have not been vaccinated will be able to attend the festival only on floating vehicles. Event visitors who have had a Covid-19 infection or who have been vaccinated can enjoy the concert both from the waves of the lake and from land.

After a longer break and a released album “Y A U D A” in August 2020, one of the leading Latvian hip-hop artists Ozols returns with a brand new single “LIELAIS FLEXXX”. The single is released in cooperation with the international record label “Sony Music Entertainment”.

“LIELAIS FLEXXX” was created together with a new local beatmaker “Mauriks”. Ozols comments: “The song was written during a time when the majority of events are cancelled, “frozen” and a large part of the society is experiencing a reform in their professional and personal lives. This time will definitely leave a certain mark on all of us.”

Regarding the cooperation with “Sony Music Entertainment”, Ozols comments: “We’ve established cooperation for multiple singles and in my opinion, this is the right time when teamwork might bring greater results than individual work. I hope we will succeed!”

Kaisu Pulli, Director, Partner Services & Baltics, comments: “We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Ozols. We are simply amazed by his talent and artistic vision and have huge respect for the long career he has been able to build by himself. Latvia’s music scene is vibrant and we are looking forward to finally start building more relationships in the local community.”

After a successful start last year ‘Taurud’ continues his journey and has a new exciting release. The latest song, ‘Night Sky’, which for the first time also has a Latvian version (‘Nakts Skan’), is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other platforms.

‘Taurud’, in his own words, describes the song: This is a profoundly philosophical song. It talks about our ever-changing existence and the universe around us. Night sky or night itself is only an illusion, rather a phantasy perceived in some mystical being’s consciousness. Realities through which our consciousness can travel, including this one, are not actual but dream. We are dreamers, and our essence is pure love. We are multidimensional beings, and our power and potential are enormous – yet to be discovered fully. I like the metaphor for the night sky or its sound. It resembles our transcending nature quite well. What is the night sky? While it is night here on earth, it is the day on the moon. So what is the “night sky” – illusion. So let me ask you, what is our perception of reality, ourselves, principles, and beliefs? You know the answer.

This double singe is the last piece of the trilogy. Two singles were recorded and released in the previous year, and now the missing piece. These songs let us get to know ‘Taurud’ and his sound, his views on life. This music once was described as a culmination of dreamy and heartfelt sounds, experimenting with different levels of intimacy.

Later this summer, we can expect more new music from the artist. At this point, it is hard to predict how the events will unfold across Europe and whether ‘Taurud’ will be able to play live shows, but he and his team are hopeful that it will happen and they will be able to visit ‘Taurud’s’ home Latvia as well.

Tonight (May 20), Latvian singer Samanta Tīna will take the stage of the International Eurovision Song Contest, where she will represent Latvia with the song “The Moon Is Rising”. Samanta will participate in the second semi-final as 15th contestant and will fight for the opportunity to perform in the Eurovision Super Final on the evening of May 22. But before that Samanta has decided to please the audience by releasing a new song “I’m The Woman”.

“Since I’m in Rotterdam right now, I think it would be great if I could release a new song in the evening of my Eurovision semi-final because this song is exactly on the same topic as my Eurovision song “The Moon Is Rising” – the power of a woman – “I’m The Woman,” says Samanta.

The single “I’m The Woman” was made in a songwriting camp, which was organized especially for Samanta in the autumn of 2020 in cooperation with the “Latvian Music Development Association/Latvian Music Export”. The aim of the camp was to write a strong and competitive song with which Tīna could participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. Eleven demo versions of the songs were recorded at this two-day long camp, from which the single “The Moon Is Rising” was chosen as the Eurovision song, and the song “I’m The Woman” Samanta ranked in her TOP 3. “I ranked all the songs from the camp in order, to choose the right one for Eurovision, and this song was convincingly in my TOP 3. It was made on the second day of the camp, and Arnis Račinskis and Jānis Jačmenkins worked on it,” reveals Samanta.

“The story of the song is like a flowing and natural continuation of my Eurovision song “The Moon Is Rising” – about accepting yourself and that we must learn that what makes us different from each other – that is our uniqueness. Love yourself, keep your head up and go your own way no matter what others think of you. We each have our dreams and goals, and the only one who can or cannot achieve them is you! Be unshakable! Head up and go boldly to make your dreams come true!” urges Samanta.

“While we are in Rotterdam, a TV directing consultant for the Eurovision performance Juris Matuzelis (Pepe) and I created the lyric video for the song “I’m The Woman. In our spare time, which is extremely limited here actually, we continue to work on new material. I am currently working on my new album,” reveals Samanta Tīna.

“I’m The Woman” will be available on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer and other music streaming platforms soon.

Already tonight, May 20, the second semifinal of the International Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast live, where our national representative Samanta Tīna will perform as 15th contestant.

Samanta Tīna won “Supernova 2020” with the song “Still Breathing” and earned her chance to represent Latvia in the Eurovision but it was cancelled due to the pandemic, therefore the Latvian Television (LTV) has given Samanta the opportunity to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest this year.

Although Reinis got only the 4th place on the show, he has not only released two EP’s “Quarter to Eleven” and “Satan Is Coming To Town” both recorded with producer Kārlis Šteinmanis in Jelgava “KS Records”, but also two singles in native language – “Lai Naktīs” and “Pustumsā”, found on all biggest streaming services.

Video for the song “Always Empty” was made in collaboration with multi-artist Ēriks Saksons.

Electro-pop artist and producer BAIBA has finished work on her second studio album that was made in collaboration with Tyrolean producers CHRS and “Digital Youth”. Her latest work is a dynamic manifesto that beauty can be found different human emotions.

BAIBA has been working on this album for past few years and is both author and producer of songs. Most of the songs are recorded in her little bedroom studio. Songs are produced in close collaboration with two Tyrolean producers – Christoph Holzknecht (CHRS) and Benjamin Leingartner (“Digital Youth”).

Album consists of ten songs that she has written in recent years. During this time she has exchanged her signature acoustic guitar and melancholic lyrics with vibrant synths, piano chords and massive drum beats.

This work is a symbol of a new start for Latvian singer-songwriter. “Lighter” is filled with straight forward and playful electro-pop. “Album is a dynamic manifesto that beauty can be found different human emotions, and that melancholy can be beautiful, filled with rhythm, you can both enjoy and dance to it,” says BAIBA.

Musician reveals that she’s been experimenting a lot with sounds and motives and her lyrics have become much more bolder than in her previous works. “I learned to take my experiences with playfulness and healthy amount of irony,” she says and hopes that it will resonate with her listeners to be inspired to be true and sincere to themselves.

Stream “Lighter” on Spotify

BAIBA is a Latvian musician who currently lives in Innsbruck, Austria. She grew up in a family of farmers in a small town of Tukums, Pure parish. At the age of seven, she began attending Kandava Music School, where she studied piano. Later, BAIBA moved to Liepaja, where he studied culture management and also obtained a master’s degree in writing. During this time, she began to write her own songs and perform at various events.

At the end of 2020 BAIBA took second place in Italian contest for young musicians called “Upload Sounds”. She gained an opportunity to work with such recognised members of Italian music industry as producer Bruno Belissimo (previously working with Italian bands “Calcutta” and “Frah Quintale”) and video graphic designer and director Claudio Zagarini from “Universal Music”.