VOLKSBÜHNE Press Office Linienstraße 227, D-10178 Berlin Tel.: +49 (0)30 24065 610, presse@volksbuehne-berlin.de www.volksbuehne.berlin CONCERTS IN FEBRUARY IN THE ROTER SALON: LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD, GYPSY FUSION, XUL SOLAR, ALICE BOMAN, POPPY ACKROYD Press release issued 8 January 2017 The Volksbühne Berlin presents the following concerts in the Roter Salon in February: Les Filles de Illighadad Saturday, 3 Februar 2018, 8 pm 14 Les Filles de Illighadad perform forward-thinking Tuareg music, combining traditional percussion with modern electric guitars and catapulting traditional folk music into the modern age. Both the Tuareg guitar as well as lead vocalist Fatou Seidi Ghali one of the few female guitarists in Niger breathe new life into the genre. Hypnotic riffs, driving rhythms and polyphonic, melodious resonances result in an organic sound that s simultaneously both timeless and natural. Out of Illighadad, their home village on the edge of the Sahara, Les Filles have taken tendé Tuareg music from Niger played primarily by women to an international stage. Their debut album Eghass Malan was
recorded in Cologne after only a few concerts of their first European tour. In February they're presenting this album for the first time in Berlin. Gypsy Fusion Saturday, 24 Februar 2018, 8 pm Followed by Balkan beats with DJ Gregor Rajewsky 15 The search for the perfect magical moment, for the essence of exuberance, is at the centre of this work. Underlined with powerful songs from charismatic performers Katjusha Kozubek and Artur Szewczyk, this search turns into an odyssey. In the process, the actors lose themselves, as it were, on islands of sensorial and painful experiences. The audience is swept away into a dream world in which the boundaries between the living and the imaginary are fluid. Choreographer Zsuzsa Parrag takes a great deal of creative freedom with traditional movements and translates them into an expressive contemporary form. Vocalists: Katjusha Kozubek & Artur Szewczyk Dancers: Fire Flower Project Group (Edda Hofer, Anastasia Hans, Marion Levy, Mandy Klabuhn, Manuela Martins), Anja Richter, Yuko Ishikawa, Zsuzsa Parrag Video Technician: Alejandro Diaz
Xul Solar Sunday, 25 Februar 2018, 8 pm 10 Inspired by artists such as The Smiths, Talking Heads and Phil Collins, yet still maintaining a unique quality, this Cologne band creates a sound that pulsates between electronica and indie, and is now crystallised in their debut album Fear Talk. In a savvy manner like the brushstroke of their namesake, Argentinian painter Xul Solar, texts on love and loss are accompanied by guitars and synths with dub, electronica and 80s pop nostalgia influences. In February they're presenting their new songs for the first time in Berlin. Alice Boman Monday, 26 Februar 2018, 8 pm 15
Three years after II, her last EP, Swedish songwriter Alice Boman is returning to the stage with new material, melancholic pop music and highly intimate compositions. Her musical exile before the release of her first LP, planned for this spring, was significant and self-imposed. Her first two EPs, written at the piano in her grandparents house, weren't originally intended for a broader audience. They introduced general public to Boman's work, however, at festivals such as Roskilde in Denmark and concert tours spanning 120 shows. With her new single Dreams and songs from the forthcoming LP, Boman is now returning to the stage. During her break from creating music, she lost none of her emotionality but rather created more space for her songs' spherical undertones and almost painful intensity. Poppy Ackroyd Tuesday, 27 Februar 2018, 8 pm 16 Maxim Abrossimov Classically trained pianist, violinist, producer and composer Poppy Ackroyd caused a stir in the neo-classical scene with her albums Escapement and Feathers, as well as her participation in Hidden Orchestra. Recommended by the greats of the genre Hauschka and Nils Frahm, this extraordinary artist was signed to One Little Indian Records home to artists such as Björk in early 2017. In spring 2018, Resolve will be released as her first LP on her new label. Poppy Ackroyd re-thinks the piano and violin completely, using the entire resonating body to create sonic worlds that sound much larger than the minimalist line-up would suggest. Piano strings are played with picks and drumsticks, the bodies of instruments are misappropriated for percussion, and sounds are creatively re-arranged digitally. For the first time, she's working on one of her solo releases with collaborators, including:
Manu Delago (Bjork, Cinematic Orchestra) on the hang; Mike Lesirge (Bonobo) on the clarinet, bass clarinet and flute; and Jo Quail on the cello. Please contact Tariq Bajwa at tariq.bajwa@volksbuehne-berlin.de or +49 (0) 30 24065 629 for press tickets and further information. Texts and photos can be found in our website s press section. Yours sincerely, Johannes Ehmann / Tariq Bajwa