Six new musical projects join the already confirmed artists for the 5th and 6th of June, at Blaj aLive Festival. Its complex schedule on the Liberty Field will comprise innovation and technology showcases, fun and educative workshops, and will offer two main stages:
FREEDOM STAGE, dedicated to pop-rock, alternative rock, reggae and hip-hop performances
ELECTRONICA, a showcase for the actual tendencies in electronic music
Matisyahu is a symbol-artist for the reggae music of the last decade. His song ‘One Day’ is part of The Official 2010 Fifa World Cup Album, together with Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’ and other hits of the moment. Matisyahu live shows bring fans from all over the world due to his particular signature, a unique vibration, with strong energy and a distinctive voice in a modern interpretation of reggae and hip-hop.
Hippie when he was 14, a young boy wearing dreadlocks that played bongos in lunchroom and learned how to beat-box in the back of the class, Matisyahu explored his deep inner turmoil and, after years of search, he created a way to combine his thoughts on life and values into music through a mix of reggae, hip-hop, pop-rock, new wave-ska or acoustic folk.
It is a music that comes from inside, a spiritual dialogue and an intellectual challenge. Matisyahu has a particular honesty and bold creativity. In ‘Watch the World Melt Down’ he creates a powerful contrast between meditation and triumphant music, another brilliant fusion, based on complex emotions, inner daemons and loneliness that competes with an as strong determination to love and rebirth.
‘Open The Gates’ or ‘King without a Crown’ reached, one by one, the Billboard Top 20, and the ‘Youth’ album was nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album.
Dubioza Kolektiv became internationally renowned for their hip-hop, reggae, dub and Balkanik folklore mix. Their music is like a positivism explosion, one of the best live performances in Eastern Europe. Aside from their daring muzical fusion, Dubioza Kolektiv is the voice that states society’s problems, away from classic stereotypes. The Blaj aLive audience will hear for the first time the tracks on their next album, ‘No Escape (from Balkans)’.
Guess Who is one of the few Romanian artists that managed, during the last two years, to break hip-hop’s barriers, coming up with a fresh sound, dedicated to the open-minded public, in accordance to international tendencies. ‘Tot mai sus‘ follows the outstanding success of ‘Locul Potrivit‘ and ‘Manifest‘, two songs with a strong social call that managed to reshape hip-hop as to make it enjoyable for mainstream as well.
James Lavelle presents UNKLE Sounds at Blaj aLive with a live set and syncronised visuals in an extraordinary AV show, with hits and new tracks, collaborations and remixes, a very well-known international project.
Acid Pauli, the mastermind and initiator of Console, member of The Notwist, with tracks readied for famous compilations for Tiefschwarz, Nicolas Jaar, Oliver Koletzki and Damian Lazarus, comes in Romania for the first time, with his solo project that became famous with the Get Lost V compilation. Very good reviews define him as one of the nowadays geniuses in electronic compositions for its sound innovation. Acid Pauli could be considered too soft for a festival, but as Blaj aLive is not a consumer festival, he is one of the over-qualified artists invited for a public that is curious to experiment and deeply understand the refinement of electronic music.
The British Let The Machines Do The Work started big since 2012, performing on the same desk as Booka Shade, KlangKarussel, DJ Falcom, Aeroplane and Bodhi. Their single ’Let Me Be The One’ is an electrifying song, with a classical base line, following the same live and analogic mix specific to LTMDTW.
Blaj aLive takes place between 5th and 6th of June on Liberty Field in Blaj. Festival passes cost 50 lei (12 euros) for festival entrance and 100 lei (24 euros) for festival&camping until the end of March. During festival time, the full festival pass will cost 90 lei (20 euros) and 140 lei (32 euros) for festival&camping pass. Tickets are available on blajalive.ro/bilete, as e-ticket or cash on delivery, and in Eventim and Myticket networks, including Diverta and Germanos shops.
