One month to go to Eurosonic 2020, one of the best showcases in Europe, the place to discover the next big things in music and to meet the most relevant people in the international music business: see you in Groningen from the 15th to the 18th of January!
As every year, a good selection of Italian acts will be playing in Groningen, here are the Italian artists announced by the festival for the next edition and supported by Italia Music Export SIAE, so far: Bruno Bavota, Eugenia Post Meridiem, The Gluts, Emmanuelle, Meduza, Rev Rev Rev, Ponzio Pilates, Julian Zyklus and BowLand.
Bruno Bavota – Neoclassical/ Experimental
Bruno Bavota is a gifted young Italian composer and multi-instrumentalist, marrying intellect and emotions into earnest, profound songs. Though compared in his early career to legendary countryman Ludovico Einaudi, Bavota increasingly pursues ways to distort and disturb traditional arrangements and melodies. Armed with a plethora of effects pedals and processors, he manipulates his songs in real-time as he performs – often with his bare hands.
Eugenia Post Meridiem – Indie folk
Eugenia Post Meridiem takes shape in 2017 when Eugenia (voice, guitar) meets Matteo (bass), Giovanni (guitar, keys) and Matteo (drums, percussion). After three months of travel and intense track development in Lisbon, Eugenia released a series of songs in Genova that showcase a wonderful voice and remarkable songwriting potential, as well as revealing indie, folk, soul influences and 60s and 70s psychedelic contaminations.
Emmanuelle – Italo disco/ Electronic
Born in Rio, raised in Miami and currently based in Milan, Emmanuelle is a mysterious cosmopolitan musician, half producer and half chanteuse. Her songwriting is eclectic and nostalgic with a dreamy approach, in a continuous journey through hypnotic landscapes far from everyday monotony.
Meduza – Electronic/EDM
Milan natives Meduza are taking the electronic music world by storm with their moody, melodic and energetic remixes and productions. Tipped as the hottest signing of the Amsterdam Dance Event in recent years, Meduza open their account with the Friendly Fires remix Heaven Let Me, mixing bright and assertive brass with a relentless groove, contrasting with the relaxed vocals. Their debut record Piece of your Heart is hotly anticipated amongst the cognoscenti of the dance scene. Meduza has been nominated at Grammy’s Awards for Best Dance Recording.
The Gluts – Rock/Post Punk
The Gluts was born in 2013 when brothers Marco (guitar) and Nicolò (vocals) first encountered Claudia, the bass player. Two years later drummer Dario joined the noisy psych and post-punks on drums. Under contract with prestigious London label Fuzz Club Records, they released three records, with the latest, Dengue Fever Hypnotic Trip, coming out in 2019.
Rev Rev Rev – Shoegaze
Since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2013, Rev Rev Rev – based in Modena, Italy – have repeatedly been hailed as one of the finest new shoegaze bands, remetabolizing shoegaze and psychedelic rock elements in a loud, woozy, fuzz-driven way. A certain sense of danger and losing control runs throughout the new album – but the package also includes a flight into deep space.
Ponzio Pilates – Crazy Funky Punk
This band is born and was raised in Riviera Romagnola, on the Italian Riviera. Their music is fast, crazy, tribal and there is nothing you can do but dance to it. It’s just that infectious and filled with improvisation. Ponzio Pilates has self-released two albums. And yes; they named their band after the Roman politician that supposedly sent Jesus of Nazareth to the cross, but they’d rather send you to the dance floor. They played Glastonbury 2019.
Bowland – Trippy Electronic
BowLand is a trippy electronic music project that was started in Florence by three friends from Tehran. They found their roots in a space where fluctuating atmospheres and unusual sounds merge with ethereal voices and groovy rhythms. Armed with this heady mix, they fascinated the audience until the final episode of X-Factor Italia in 2018. New EP Bubble Of Dreams comes out in December, preceded by smash hit ‘Don’t Stop Me’ (produced by Pino “Pinaxa” Pischetola).
Julian Zyklus – Electronic
Bologna-based musician and producer who has been a bandmember of …a Toys Orchestra since 2013. In 2017 Julian Zyklus made a soundtrack for a musical contest and was personally congratulated by judges and composers Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer. His music blends the obsessive and cyclic nature of electronic beats with classical and ambient atmospheres. First album Four-Dimensional Waves came out June 2019 on Seattle based Hush Hush Records, run by Alex Ruder of KEXP.