Our artists

Our interpretation of the contemporary European troubadours is simple: this project deals with world music artists, who use their musical expression to foster the intercultural dialogue across the continent.

Here are some of the keywords one could use to describe these great people touring Europe in this two-year-long project: creative, open, original, travel-ready, ready-to-party, professional…

JOAN GARRIGA

Joan Garriga is one of the key figures of the Catalan and Spanish pop music of this century. As the main leader of Dusminguet and La Troba Kung-Fú he just created a new genre, rumbia, a formidable mix between gypsy rumba and latin cumbia. Currently working with his new band El Mariatxi Galactic, a powerful combo inspired by the sound of the Mexican norteños. The band includes his old pal Marià Roch on bass, guitarist Madjid Fahem (Manu Chao / La Ventura) and “Rambo” the incredible drummer.

RUMBARISTAS

Rumbaristas is a collective consisting of musicians with Spanish, French and Belgian roots. They gathered around the Catalan rumba-player Willy Fuego and the French-Italian-Polish trumpet/accordion-player Thomas Morzewski. Joined by the Belgians Roel Poriau (percussion) and Thomas De Smet (bass), rhythm kings of the crazy Belgian world collective Think of One. Rumbaristas stands for a colorful mix of latin-american flavor, with the passion of the Balkan music. Mix of Catalan rumba and Sicilian tarantella, spiced up with a touch of ska, folk, reggae and cumbia...

DAVID BOURGUIGNON

A great musician and producer, a troubadour. Frenchman living in Germany. David was a standard member of Manu Chao Radio Bemba, and extensively toured the world with the greatest contemporary troubadour. In recent years he is more focused to the production, where he also built a notable career. He has joined Rumbaristas on several concerts within the 2020 Troubadours project tours, and could be easily listed as the 5th member of this colorful band.

YURIY GURZHY

Musician. Songwriter. DJ. Storyteller. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine and living in Berlin, Yuriy Gurzhy is the founder of the Russendisko, Shtetl Superstars, RotFront and The Disorientalists. He joins our Troubadour project with some style and genuine approach, mostly in collaboration with the Rumbaristas as guitarist and singer, but also with some lucid DJ sets, which include versatile musical genres and party atmosphere. During the spring of 2020 and the corona virus pandemic, his online live DJ sets from Berlin were the ones to keep our project spirits high!

SÁRA KOVÁCS

Sára Dizna Kovács is a Hungarian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, interested in spiritual and meditative power of music, as well as Hungarian traditions. She plays classical flute, bansuri, dizi flute, didgeridoo, frame drum, melodika, shakuhachi and various Indian flutes. She appears on stage most often with Samsara Boulevard, but also in various collaborations, which include those with her father – well known Hungarian violinist and trumpeter Ferenc Kovács.

ISTANBUL NIGHT

Istanbul Night is a Serbian-based trio formed by cellist Roni Beraha. Their music could be described as ethno-jazz, fusion of classical and Satie minimalism influences. So far, Istanbul Night released to albums, the last one titled ``Laila`` in 2019. Their performance at the Subotica train station within the 2020 Troubadours project was accepted really nice by the audience.

KURTAUTCA (KurtaUtca)

It is always a pleasure when you meet new and perspective artists. And with such an energy on the stage. KurtaUtca comes from the city Subotica and its surrounding, and brings us a fine fusion of totally different musical genres. You would get surprised when an Alice in Chains theme flows in on a traditional instrument and merges with folk, or when this youngsters shake the room or the parquet floor with their music. In our case, the stage was set up in the Subotica train station, and nobody left the room indifferent. The aplauze was long and generous. Our hearts full. KurtaUtca is certainly gonna be booked for a loads of festivals next year, as soon as this crazy pandemic becomes a history.

CONTRABAYANDO

Contrabayando trio consists of three young gentlemen, playing accordion, double bass and drums. They are based in Subotica, and they do not hide their intention to deal with classical French chansons, jazz and gipsy swing rhythms from the beginning of the century in an authentic, new and thoughtful way. Tango, rumba, bossanova and waltzes are presented in the most beautiful light. Their repertoire also includes well-known Balkan, klezmer and Roma folk melodies.

ZAJNAL

Although Zajnal instrumentation could be easily derived from Hungarian folklore, their music is pretty far from it. Their repertoire consist of instrumental pop pieces consciously constructed from the building blocks of various genres, including rock, funky, EDM, and more. ``Designer folk`` is how they like to call the resulting sound. Check Zajnal, worth of booking these youngsters!

TIJANA STANKOVIĆ

Tijana Stanković is a violinist-vocalist from Serbia. She is a dedicated free improviser, with a background in folk, ethnomusicology and contemporary music. Known for her works in various formations, from solos and duos, to big ensambles such as the Szilárd Mezei Túl a Tiszán Innen or Iancu Dumitrecu Hyperion International ensembles are.

PANIENKI

Panienki, musique du monde! They are the newest musical discovery coming from the vivid music scene from the North-French city of Lille. Imagine 5 ladies coming from different backgrounds playing a fantastic and amazing repertoire of Central-European, Latin and French music. You could easily call them the contemporary or Central European version of Zap Mama. Their lives hows are both introspective as festive, their music invites to sing and to dance. Panienki joined out first Train Trip back in May 2019, and are invited by other partners to perform at their festivals.

ORCHESTRE INTERNATIONAL DU VETEX

The Orchestre International du Vetex isn’t a band out of the blue. More than that, it’s a collective of about 15 musicians, from Flanders, Walloon and the North of France. Since they started up in 2004 in the former textile-plant in the Sint-Jans neighborhood of Kortrijk, the band played more than 800 concerts in a row. From blockparty’s in Wazemmes, Jemappes, Béziers or Stasegem, to big festivals like Couleur Café, La Fête de l’Huma, Dranouter or Esperanzah. From the squares in Sarajevo to the metro in Prague. From the Winter Olympic games in Torino, or Mons 2015 to prestigious jazz-and theater festivals in Graz, Krakow, Niš, Santander or Montreal…From honeymoons to funerals, from street-theater to rock-festivals. Vetex does it all.

LAZAR NOVKOV & FRAME TRIO / ORCHESTRA

Their musical expression could be understood as a fusion between the long esteemed tradition of classical music and the clearly defined folklore legacy, of the colorful community they belong too. Gathered around accordionist Lazar Novkov, they strive for creative simplicity in order to portray the basic flux of emotions transfused into music notation. In the 2020 Troubadours project they performed first as a trio (in Lille, June 2019), but are already invited in their full lineup for some of the events still to come!

NAKED

Naked is a cutting-edge collaborative core-band with its feet firmly rooted in unique mix of global urban grooves with Balkan, world and free-jazz relishes. Naked's fiercely corpulent mix of traditional music heritage from the Balkans with swing and free- jazz is the soundtrack to band’s everlasting quest for true music identity. West or East? Naked rides over gypsies violins, be bop rhythms and urban wind instruments in a full of energy and deep feeling crossover.

DUO MEU FADO

Duo Meu Fado is a Belgrade-based duo comprised of Nevena Filipović as vocalist and guitarist Branko Trijić. As they say, ``The fado word can not be translated to any language. But it is translated to all languages by music``. Filipović and Trijić are very active on the Belgrade music scene. Nevena both as a musician and music educator, and Branko mostly with his original band Konzilium and Vasil Hadzimanov Band.

RESTI KORNÉL

And here we come to a presentation of yet another young and up-and-coming Hungarian band. Resti Kornél has made music based on poems for five years. They draw inspiration from folk music, storyteller tradition, blues, beat and the milieu of chanson, couplet and avantgard experiments. They received several awards at music poetry festivals, and as we think, they are ready for regional and international touring. So, bookers and promoters, check their videos and get in touch with these youngsters! 🙂

MIROSLAV JOVANČIĆ / ÁRPÁD BAKOS / ZORAN DUKIĆ

If we talk about those artists in today's hectic world, who could step into the shoes of the medieval troubadours, these gentleman should not be missed. First, because of their clear and sincere energies they bring to the stages. Secondly, because it is now approximately three decades since they started their musical journeys, and they never made compromises in terms of their poetics or music they perform. Yeap, the music ranges from traditional to free and bit experimental, dragging some jazz into their compositions as well. But the energy of improvisation and musical openness is what it is all about. Miroslav Jovančić (violin), Árpád Bakos (koboz), Zoran Dukić (guitar).

ZITHERANDOM

The zither improvisation of Debreczeni-Kis Helga and Dömény Krisztián is the spontaneous mixing of jazz, folk music, contemporary composing and pop music, in which the moment creates fusions, the meeting of inner worlds dialogues, playing and harmony. Folk melodies, ancient shamanistic rituals, and even blues which seem to be far from the zither-style, are becoming an integral part of their music.

MADJID FAHEM

Madjid Fahem is a great French guitarist, best known as member of Manu Chao band since 2000. Manu describes Fahem exuberantly as ``a monster, one of the best guitarists in the world``. He is appreciated worldwide for his skills and energy, openness for new collaborations, such as the one with Joan Garriga – which brings him to our contemporary Troubadours family.

ANTAL BRASNYÓ

Antal Brasnyó is a great viola and zither player from the province of Vojvodina, Serbia. His Hungarian origins influenced his musical world, but did not bound his creativity: he prefers the live improvisation and welcomes whatever happens in his musical dialogues. For the past 20 years, he was known for his works with famous musicians like Lajkó Félix or Dresch string quartet, but he is now exclusively focusing on his own projects, and especially to his new passion – as a viola maker. Please check the beautiful portrait film (in Hungarian only) about this remarkable European troubadour.

FERENC KOVÁCS

Kovács Ferenc is a well known Hungarian violin and trumpet player, for many decades. Although mostly surrounded by folk music and Bartok influences in his childhood, his father introduced him also jazz. All of these roots will influence his later career. He was a member of Makuz zenekar, in the early eighties he was one of the founders of the Budapest Ragtime Band, member of the Dresch quartet and Tariqa, toured intensively with Balogh Kálmán, but is also known for his own folk band Magony. Among his other interests, we should also mention that Ferenc is a 5th dan master of Kendo.

DÁNIEL HORVÁTH DUDU

If we would have to pick and guess now about our troubadour of the future, for sure it would be this remarkable young Hungarian violin player. Dudu has been involved in many previous Mediwave music projects, and he is always open for different collaborations. His main field of interest is the traditional music, which he plays with an incredible touch and emotion, but he is also a great improviser. His collaboration with Antal Brasnyó launched within the 2020 Troubadours project, might be described as a musical brotherhood and perspective unity...

THIBAULT DILLE

Thibault is a Belgian accordionist, pianist, singer, composer, arranger, artistic director and producer. An artist known for his presence, elegance and virtuosity. The stage is where he naturally belongs, where he releases his blazing energy. He is confident both in world music and jazz, but also classical music as well, and one could clearly see it from the list of his cooperation's, among others with Salif Keita, Mamani Keita, VETEX or even the Symphony Orchestra of Hanoï Opera… Thibault Dille performed a solo act at the opening press conference of our project in Brussels, by the beginning of 2019.

RAHAT ENSEMBLE

Rahat is a Belgrade-based musical ensemble born out of passion for classical and traditional maqam music of the Eastern Mediterranean. They perform in various setups, mostly as a trio, just like at their most recent performance within the 2020 Troubadours project: Sinan Aćifović (clarinet), Stefan Sablić (qanun) and Goran Milošević (percussions). All the artists are well known at the local and regional scene, with Stafan being a founder of the Shira U’tfila ensemble as well. Shira brings together a multi-ethnic, multi-faith ensemble that draws its inspiration from the diversity and richness of Judeo-Spanish, Ottoman-Turkish, Arabic and Balkan musical traditions. Two music formations very close to each other by their poetics and in style. Worth of checking, and booking of course!

RADIO BARBÃ

Radio Barbã is the total combination of love, sweat & happiness. They drag influences from loads of travels though South Eastern Europe and Russia, into their music. Radio Barbã is an electrifying rhythm section combined with a thunderous brass section topped with a punk attitude. A true, great party! Their performance at the 2019 Mediawave festival which was organized in the roam of our 2020 Troubadours project, was the place to be, a gig to experience. They are truly what we would say, contemporary XXI century troubadours.

GYÖRGY FERENCZI AND THE RACKAJAM

This Hungarian professional group is playing a shockingly interesting fusion of XXI century urban folk music. It is an indefinite blend of Rock n' Roll, Soul, Blues. Rackajam is among the most popular and looked-after acts on the Hungarian and Eastern European scene today. The founder of the band is György Ferenczi, whose diatonic harmonica (blues-harp) sound is highly acclaimed across Europe. His instantly recognizable sound and pure style makes every performance a one-of-a-kind experience! György, as a solo artist, has participated on more then 270 albums in the last 20 years, and released 20 more on his own. 7 out of these are played and co-written by the current Rackajam setup. We know the guys very well, for decades lets say, and the above listed biography and details proved to be more then enough of a reason to invite Ferenczi and his Rackajam to share their experience with our up-and-coming contemporary troubadours. Call it a workshop or a mentoring session, we call it a TroubaLab... doesn't matter. The result was a pure beauty. Check it on our YT chennel.