Category: News

The project in focused on young European bands, its aim is to give them a better chance to present their music to a wider audience. Founded in 2014, in cooperation with thirteen clubs in thirteen European cities, the Liveurope platform was the first initiative to support young bands in Europe.

Two days of the Liveurope Showcase at Stodoła Club starting on September 10, mean 28 shows of bands from all over Europe.

Latvia will be represented by Niklavz, “Triana Park”, “The Sound Poets” and “Pyro Trees”.Each musician will present a short showcase set.

The project is co-financed by a new EU program called Creative Europe. Additional partners of the Polish edition of Liveurope Showcase are Hungarian Institute and Austrian Culture Forum. 

One day tickets:Presale- 40 pln (standing), 60 pln (balcony)From 1st of September – 50 pln (standing), 70 pln (balcony)

Tickets available at the Stodola box office and via the internet ( www.stodola.pl, www.eventim.pl, www.ticketpro.pl, www.ebilet.pl )

The new video of Latvian music „When The Sun Is Down” has been published. It was presented to a wider audience on July 8th, 2015 at the European Union House in Riga, Latvia. 

The video was released by a towering creative team from Kurland. Young musicians and producers acknowledged their distinction and professionalism by carrying out black-and-white video “It feels like” at the very beginning of this year. The trio „Voice of Instruments”, video artist Jānis Jostmanis and his firm „Mithra Films” are the members of this forceful union.

The story was filmed in Ventspils region and it includes a combination of pristine and contemporary mood in music as well as a message full of cryptic and epic, mystic and heavenly landscape scenes.

“The core idea of the song – Gold – is expressed though artistic playfulness on the theme of sunlight. It is also communicated in the carefree joyousness of children playing football, and the brush strokes of gold paint on a window, the central symbol of the video,” says Linda Selava Prindule, singer and songwriter.

The video was filmed in the green countryside of Latvia, capturing the beauty of Latvian nature in the long days of summer. It was directed by Linda Olte.

Jorspeis is a band located in Riga, Latvia, led by the singer – songwriters, Linda and Maris Prinduli.

The band was founded in 2007 in Riga, Latvia (EU), when Linda and Maris Prinduli (singers, songwriters and producers) recorded their first single ‘Debesis ir tuvu klāt’ (Heaven’s Glow is Near at Hand)’. The song was successful in the Latvian radio charts and in 2010 the band released their first album ‘Ābele baltā’, followed by ‘Dzīvības upē’ and the Christmas album ‘Arvien tuvāk’.

Lauris Reiniks has jus released the official music video for his Baltic summer song “Morning in Dandelion Fluff” (LV-“Rīts pieneņpūkās”, LT-“Rytas pienės pūke”, EE-“Hommik võilille-ehmetes”). The video is available in Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian and a special acoustic version in English.

It is a romantic story about a chemistry between two people. When that chemistry is there, all stereotypes and ideas of so called “standards” just collapse – in terms of physical appearance and financial status. Nothing can stand against these feelings. It is a story about insecurity and fears that always stand by when something “too” beautiful and “incredibly” good happens to us.

The lead role in the video is played by Lauris’s colleague- Uku Suviste, the well known Estonian singer. The lead female role is carried out by Katrina Lulle, Latvian girl who works as a PR specialist but was recognised as the best for this role in a national casting. The video shoot took place in Latvia and lasted 3 days in Mežaparks (Riga), Carnikava and Mārupe.

Uku Suviste: “It doesn’t happen very often that one singer asks another singer to participate in his or her music videos as an actor therefore it was a very worthwhile experience. I very much appreciated the pleasant opportunity to work with Lauris and Katrina as well as with the whole crew. I admire Lauris’s way of cooperating with singers and actors from other neighbour countries, its something every performer should learn from. I was very happy to help and would do so again in a flash!”

“I wanna thank Uku for saying yes to my extraordinary and special offer. He was exactly the type we were looking for and did everything great! Also thanks to Katrina for being brave enough to jump into this world of show business, director Aija, camera man Ivo and everyone else! I am proud and happy to work with all these talented people. I hope my listeners will like this video and I’m already happy that this song has been doing really well in radio charts. Now everyone will understand what this song is about! Pictures speak better than words.”, says Lauris.

Video dierector: Aija Strazdiņa (JUMP Studio), Camera: Ivo Skanstiņš (Film Studio Rafa), producer: Lauris Reiniks. Publishing: “Mikrofona Ieraksti”. Songs are available for download on doremi.lv , Amazon un iTunes.

Currently, the only Latvian live looping music duo “Karmafree” has released new music video and single “Validate Me.” .

“The song” Validate Me “is about excessive obedience to authority and influential people, as well as the giving them permission to examine and define our lives “on the song’s message comment singer Mara Lisenko.

Music video are made by Pavel Trebukhin and it is the duo’s vision for creative people existentialism.

“Artists and musicians usually don’t speak about that – how they experience numerous rejections, what consequences they can have, and how they find the strength to stand up in order to continue to create, “comment the idea of the video bassist Dmitry Lisenko.

Lead vocalist of Indygo and author of almost all their lyrics Mārtiņš Vaters says: “New single “Bēglis” is about running away from our daily needs and responsibilities. You just have to enjoy everything, but if you don’t – you have to learn it!”

In early spring band went to country house in the woods of Žocene near small town Roja, where they made drafts for songs of the new album. “Bēglis” was recorded and mixed in “Sound Division Studios” continuing collaboration with sound engineer Gatis Zaķis who also took part in making of bands previous record “Decoy”. Album was finished in “New Alliance East” studio in USA. Special sound in this record was provided by world famous guitar brand “Fender”.

Album “Stars” will be released in the beginning of September – starting with online streaming but later also in CD and vinyl. Band is going to perform in festival “Summer Sound” in Liepāja, Limbaži town festival and other open air events this summer. 

Indygo is Mārtiņš Vaters (vocals), Jānis Volkinšteins (guitar), Mārtiņš Leja (bass) and Miks Riekstiņš (drums).

Bēglis by Indygo

The creators of the song are composer maestro Raimonds Pauls, renown poet and lyricist Anna Rancane and producer Gints Stakevics. The song is deeply ethnic, but very catchy and easy to listen to, overfilled with joy and the special melodic spark so characteristic to Maestro’s music, it inspires the listener to sing and dance along, as well as to believe in miracle of the Ligo night and a nation by tradition.

The author of the idea and the performer – Lana Franceska tells that she has longed for Latgalian originals works in her repertoire. – “Maestro also liked this idea, well but Anna just turned it all to reality!

While getting ready for the Summer Solstice show, I was recollecting about the traditions and memories that are intertwined with myself and the Summer Solstice festival. During my childhood all Ligo I used to spend with my family and friends at my godparents countryside in Latgale, where we danced and played, as well as learned lots and lots of ancient traditions that our parents and godparents taught us. Well, now being a grown up myself, in my family I strive to never lose that part of our unique traditions, connected to Ligo and Jani.

For that reason, I wish to all of our listeners to never let go of the most true and valuable what we have both as an individual personality and as a whole nation. Wishing you all to sing and dance your hearts out during the magical Ligo night, and may we all generate enough emotions, friendships and love to keep us warm through the rest of the year.”

 29th of June, 2015 at 72 Queensborough Terrace, London will be a unique event:  international band DAGAMBA following their performance at the Glastonbury festival.  Charged with powerful sounds and inimitable dynamics, amazing arrangements and well known compositions in a new light, from Beethoven and Mozart. Also rocking out Led Zeppelin will impress equally. 

 Special sound and non- forgettable vitality, academic education and rebellious spirit, masterly possession of classical instruments and spectacular rhythms    – DAGAMBA invite you to enjoy a nontraditional music performance in the heart of London.

The second album, “Hardships Are Ships” by the singer-songwriter Alise Joste is released today, on October 23rd.

“Hardships Are Ships”, the long-awaited sophomore album by Alise Joste, is released under the label I Love You Records.

This record, just like the debut album, was recorded solely by Alise herself in her country-house. The album was mixed by Gatis Zaķis and mastered by Joe Lambert, who has worked with albums by artists, like The National, Sharon Van Etten, Sondre Lerche, Wye Oak and others.

“A creative camp just by myself” – that is how Alise describes the making of “Hardships Are Ships”. “At the beginning of the year I had promised everyone that I would finally record something new, so I had no other options but to load my car full of stuff and leave for a creative camp just by myself. I wasn’t sure about the result to expect. I was prepared that maybe nothing would come out of it and I would have spent a month in a complete nowhere land just drinking tea and watching TV shows. Of course, that also wouldn’t be bad. But when I arrived, it became clear to me what I wanted to do. It is often difficult to have a broader view on things in our everyday life. People just get annoyed by everyone and everything. But when I got the chance to run away, I understood what is important, and what is not, and what I should let my heart ache for, and what I should just laugh about. In this album I tried to maintain a simple approach to things, and tried not to complicate anything, by just doing whatever seemed right at the time. I had no specific concept or message that I wanted to bring to my listeners. There were some old songs, which needed to be recorded, and also brand new ones. But a desire to enjoy the process and spend my time well was above everything else.”

Video: LaIPA,Parmuziku.lv, komuna7.lv
Interwies: Pikaso