Dutch Music @ SXSW 2016

Tue, Mar 15 - Sun, Mar 20  2016

From 15 until 20 March, the music portion of South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas takes place. Nine Dutch artists and bands participate. 

The SXSW Music and Media Conference is a six-day event held every March in Austin. It aims to educate and inspire musicians and professionals alike, with sessions attended by over 30,000 registrants and showcasing artists. This year’s edition sees quite some Dutch participation: 

(click the subheadings for that artist’s SXSW page for more info about their performance)

Sevdaliza

After the success of her first self-released EP “The Suspended Kid” and a strong collaboration with STWO on “Haunted”, Sevdaliza is back with her leading single “Men of Glass” of her brand new EP “Children of Silk”, due November 18th 2015. Influenced by diverse screenplays, Sevdaliza’s strongly theatrical vocals float over a mechanical bed creating dynamics of chaos and order. Every retribution becomes more intense and personal, yet she isn’t able to break from that obscure statue of a woman. 

Sevdaliza is an autodidactic singer, songwriter, visual artist and composer / producer. Her creations contrast husky vocals with heavy basslines creating a mood that screams of temptation. Born in Iran and residing in the Netherlands, the 27-year-old has made quite a name of herself. Sevdaliza is a very passionate artist with a demanding vision in imagery / sound and an academic background in communication. 

traumahelikopter

“These dudes know the antidote to staleness”, Pitchfork wrote after hearing traumahelikopter‘s single “Down in the City” back in 2013. The Dutch trio became notoriously famous in their home country after a wildly enthusiastic crowd destroyed the ceiling of a venue at one of Europe’s biggest showcase festivals, Eurosonic. Their self-titled debut was released on cassette by Burger Records the same year, and the band played shows all over Europe and in the US. Last summer Burger released their second full-length called I Don’t Understand Them at All both on LP and cassette, while Amsterdam based Excelsior Recordings took care of the European release. traumahelikopter are currently working on their third studio effort. 

Amber Arcades

Amber Arcades, real naam Annelotte de Graaf, first started writing songs in 2010 while temporarily living in Philadelphia. Back in the Netherlands she put out a first EP in 2012 containing soft-voiced, melancholic folk ballads. Wanting to develop her sound and mature from the safe bedroom folk environment, she got in touch with producer Ben Greenberg to produce a collection of songs she had written over the years. In May 2015, de Graaf flew out to New York to record the songs in the Strange Weather recording studio in Brooklyn, backed by a band consisting of members of Real Estate, Quilt and Kevin Morby. The result is a record that is as dreamy and esoteric as it is gripping, presenting slightly off, floating pop melodies over a mixture of kraut-inspired drums, cutting guitars and fuzzed-out organs. 

PAUW

2014 was the year that Holland was introduced to psychedelic rock band PAUW. With just a few home recorded demos, the band took part in the traveling festival Popronde. With 38 bookings the group became the most demanded band in the history of the traveling festival. While in the spotlight, PAUW managed to record their debut EP with producer Roel Blommers. The EP was well- received by critics around the country and single “Shambhala” was being crowned “Single of The Week” by Dutch music platform 3voor12 and Penguin Radio. With a savage drummer, a bombastic bassist, a mesmerizing keyboardist and a charismatic guitarist with dreamy vocals, PAUW takes you on a magical and unforgettable trip that will remain with many for a long time.   

Azure Hiptronics

On the wings of their latest, highly acclaimed album, Azure Hiptronics will embark on a series of energetic and captivating live concerts. The coming live shows will tell a story of estrangement and homecoming through the groove-laden, eclectic and intense music from their concept album Hiptronics. Rogier, Federico, Luciano and David will bring the audience into Hiptronics’ world of surrealistic adventure, performing while immersed in colorful and sometimes trippy visual projections by French artist Fabien Marcadet. The band, who refer to their music as Ultrafunkatronicjazzhippop, have previously played at venues like MASP (São Paulo, BR) and North Sea Jazz (Rotterdam, NL). 

Sofie Winterson

Sofie Winterson’s music creates a cinematic world through spherical key sounds, electronic drums, reverb(ed) guitars and her powerful, beautiful voice. Produced by Rimer London, her impressive debut, Wires, was released October 2014. Many blogs worldwide praised the music videos for her three singles – Vevo powered two premieres in the Netherlands, and supports Sofie Winterson throughout the USA, UK, Germany and the rest of Europe. In addition, the opening song of Wires appeared on a Burger Records compilation. Sofie Winterson showcased the 2014 SXSW festival, which led to rotation on many US college radio stations. Teaming up again with Rimer London as a producer, she finished a set of 2 EP’s of which ‘Dreams’ released October 2015 with an audio premiere on Gorilla vs Bear and a video premiere on Nowness. The second EP ‘KIDS’ is awaiting release on the 4th of March just before her performance at SXSW 2016. 

Eerie Wanda

On February 26, Dutch band Eerie Wanda will release their debut album “Hum.” Hum will be released on New York based label Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records. Eerie Wanda is marked by Marina Tadic’s sepia-toned songs, sung in a dreamy tenor and based around timeless melodies and arrangements. The songs stick to a classic formula, evoking a warm summery nostalgia and drawing comparisons to Angel Olsen, Broadcast, and the tuneful dynamics of Buddy Holly. 

Janne Schra

Janne Schra began her musical career with the band Room Eleven. In 2013, Schra released for first real solo record. ‘PONZO’, Schra’s fifth studio album, was released in 2015 and immediately went on to be nominated for an Edison and 3voor12 award, two of the most important Dutch music awards. The single’s ‘Carry On’ and ‘Everything I Do Ooh Ooh’ are getting more and more airplay worldwide and Janne has celebrated her successes by playing sold-out shows across the Netherlands and Belgium.

zZz

zZz is back! Five years after ‘Running with the Beast’, the illustrious duo have delivered their album, ‘Juggernaut’. The set-up of drums and organ hasn’t changed in ten years, but the sound has gone through an unmistakable evolution. zZz have been influenced by all the cool stuff in musical history. On title track ‘Juggernaut’, traces of Neu! And Kraftwerk can be heard. More references come to mind. Butthole Surfers on opening track ‘Blood’, for instance and it doesn’t require too much imagination to hear the ghost of Billy Idol haunting ‘Wild Girl’. But above all, zZz is zZz. 

All Dutch music participations are brought to you by Eurosonic Nooderslag, powered by Dutch Performing Arts and BUMA Cultuur, with the kind support of the Embassy and the Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 

About Performing Arts Fund NL/Dutch Performing Arts

Dutch Performing Arts is a programme that promotes Dutch music, theatre and dance on the international stage. The programme is powered by the Performing Arts Fund NL. Dutch Performing Arts aims to intensify the contact between Dutch makers and international presenters. Additionally, Dutch Performing Arts seeks to increase the interest of international presenters for Dutch performing arts and to stimulate the international ambitions of Dutch institutions with international potential. To this end, Dutch Performing Arts organises showcases at key domestic and international events for relevant guests from abroad. Dutch Performing Arts moreover travels abroad to represent the Netherlands there and/or to do research.

About Buma Cultuur

Buma Cultuur supports and promotes Dutch music copyright in both The Netherlands and key export markets for Dutch music. The aim is to increase the percentage of Dutch music in the Dutch market and to raise revenue flow by stimulating the use of Dutch music copyright on foreign markets. Buma Cultuur is also (co) organizer of events like Eurosonic Noorderslag, Amsterdam Dance Event, inJazz, Buma Music in Motion and other music sector events. Buma Cultuur is founded by the Dutch collecting society Buma. Buma/Stemra is the collection society for music authors in The Netherlands and represents the interests of its members worldwide. Besides collection and payment of remunerations to music authors, Buma/Stemra stimulates and supports the development of new talent.

About Dutch Impact

Dutch Impact promotes Dutch bands abroad and organizes showcase parties and events with Dutch artists at all major music conventions worldwide. This year there will be Dutch Impact events at Eurosonic Noorderslag, ILMC, SXSW, Musexpo, The Great Escape, Midem, CO Pop, Reeperbahn Festival, Mama Event, BIME, Trans Musical Festival en Glimps Festival. Dutch Impact is presented and powered by Performing Arts Fund and Buma Cultuur, often in collaboration with the Dutch embassy or consulate.

About SXSW

The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery.  

Year after year, the event is a launching pad for new creative content. New media presentations, music showcases and film screenings provide buzz-generating exposure for creators and compelling entertainment for audiences. Conference panel discussions present a forum for learning, business activity thrives at the Trade Shows and global networking opportunities abound. Intellectual and creative intermingling among industry leaders continues to spark new ideas and carve the path for the future of each ever-evolving field, long after the events’ conclusion.