Avis Rara – electronic cosmo jazz synthesis from Lithuania. Also known as unseen birds, we take you to the mindless flight of love to unknown but familiar destination. Sounds trippy? Or does it trip soundy? Let’s explore together…

The project was founded in 2016, when a group of talented musicians have decided to shift their former musical experiments to more defined style of electronic music. Some of the members have changed and the band has formed its clearly recognizable identity.

With all of the members having individual artistic expression and contributing to the creative process equally, band has formed a unique style. On stage musicians take into account not only high quality performance, but also original visual effects. Their style comprises numerous musical genres, such as electronic, pop, indie and even some ethnic flavours.

Since its formation in 2010, Deeper Upper has released several digital singles, one of which, “I am the colours”, was featured in the Mercedes-Benz Mix Tape. Deeper Upper’s debut music video for “In the sands of a desert” won the best music video of the year award at the Lithuanian alternative  music awards.

The band’s most notable shows include performances at the biggest music festivals in the Baltics “Positivus”, Liepaja Summer Sound, Tallinn Music Week, Granatos, Galapagai, opening for Hurts in their Baltic tour leg, opening for Temper Trap, “Ewert and the Two Dragons” in Vilnius.

At the end of the spring in 2013, Deeper Upper released their debut EP “Structures”.

In 2014 Deeper Upper participated in the biggest European Internet music event “EuroMusic Contest”. By leaving behind more than 3000 bands from all over the Europe and proving their name in the final gig in Paris, they won the first place – recording session an the prestigious Black Rock Studio in Santorini, Greece.

In 2015 the band released their second EP “Ceremony” with warmly welcomed single “Unity”. Later that year Deeper Upper was nominated for the two categories at Lithuanian Music Awards M.A.M.A. – best upcoming band and best music video.

In 2016 the band went on Western European tour and held 12 shows across Europe. Later that year Deeper Upper was invited to play at the biggest showcase festival in Europe “The Great Escape”. At the end of 2016 Deeper Upper released their debut full album MIRRORS.

Flash Voyage is a 4 person music band. They play Lo-Fi Psychedelic rock, Jizz Jazz. These four friends spending most of their time travelling, playing and making music. By doing so they inspire people and they believe that they can make a revolution in Lithuania’s music scene. At this moment they are working on releasing their first album which they recorded in an old abandoned Shed-House, which is located near the sea in Nida, Lithuania. They have recently released their first single ‘Paprasta’. The song was released with a video clip, which got a lot of attention. Aim of this music project is freedom of creativity and braking unnecessary rules, which they believe brings people together. Their concerts are special for their high energetic levels. When listening to their music and watching them perform people feel free, they feel love around and some of them dig deepest thoughts.

GON – electronic music producer and professional beatboxer, live looping artist and producer based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Artist creates music experimenting with human sounds and electronics. Combining singing, vocal percussion with loop pedals and effects artist makes intricately layered live shows. In 2014 GON released his debut album „Gonebea“. This 10 track album is a first beatbox album in Baltic countries. It‘s a musical journey through different styles and harmonies, a mix of dub, alternative house, minimal techno, triphop and ethno. Second album „Z+” will be released this summer.

“One of the most arresting debuts in recent years.”

Drowned In Sound

“Hearts Hearts are a unique proposition.”

Clash

It was on the 1st of January 2016, during the release of their debut album, Young. Independently of each other, Peter Paul Aufreiter and Johannes Mandorfer sent sound snippets over to Hearts Hearts’ singer David Österle. Within the same hour, he’d received an aggressive jazzy piano loop – ‘Phantom’ – and an electronic drum take recorded overseas in ‘Island’ (the German word for the country of Iceland). Österle fran- tically began attempting to put these disparate pieces together; to synchronize what was never meant to be unified, and started singing over the results.

Though genre-wise no match at all, the fragments didn’t only end up as ‘Phantom/Island’ – the breath- taking opener to Hearts Hearts’ sophomore album Goods / Gods – but the unusual process itself became the aesthetic basis for the entire record. The band‘s widened approach to disparate musical genres became the key element in the creation of eleven new songs. Hearts Hearts have cracked and evolved their electron- ic ballads and downbeat pop into something far more sonically expansive and emotionally soulful, driven by higher energy and a growing array of influences.

The chance meetings of unrelated options that in- spired the writing and recording process is present throughout the titles of Goods / Gods. The record takes its inspiration from those in between spaces and un- defined borderlines in meaning, symbolised by the slash in every title on the album. Hearts Hearts explore emotional and moral ambiguities on Goods / Gods, taking aim at the ineffectiveness of the dichotomies and borderlines that define modern society in the process, preferring to “think in options” as Hämmerle puts it. The group sees the diagonal line of the slash symbol as representing an openness and flexibility in meaning; in similarity as much as difference.

Produced by mastermind Peter Paul Aufreiter, the new record conjures a mix of anguish and ecstasy, wheth- er it’s the funky falsetto of ‘Sugar / Money’, or digital monster ballad ‘Do you often think about /’. Taking inspiration from the leftfield pop productions of Bon Iver, Jamie XX, and Son Lux, they skew addictive hooks into drippy song chambers, littering them with lucid samples and cybernetic production licks, conjoining contrasting elements with prisms of electronics and lush acoustic instrumentation.

Lead single ‘Phantom / Island’ and instant motoric pop classic ‘Goods / Gods’ are the most addictive and high- energy tracks yet from the quartet, blending groovier verses with increasingly majestic choruses. This is ul- tra-intelligent pop from a band that have found their true voice. Somewhere between happiness and sad- ness, energy and lethargy, electronica and rock – that’s where you’ll find Hearts Hearts

Singer-songwriter INGAJA was born and raised in a small seaside town Klaipeda in Lithuania. Her inspiration for writing and composing is related to her immediate environment and her personal life experiences, however, she intentionally dedicates time to connect with nature as it helps to unplug and stimulate creativity. INGAJA’s music deftly combines dark, deep and sad indie’s energy and acoustic rock’s melodies. Song lyrics center around self discovery, honesty, humility and memory reclaiming. In February 2017 INGAJA released her first EP album D A R K N E S S. Her songs have successfully been featured on local Lithuanian radios and one of the EP songs was even broadcasted on BBC 1 radio in UK. Her most recent single ‘NO TIME TO WASTE’ was released just a few months ago. Drummer, Michael Gurov, lately joined INGAJA on stage adding more depth and sharpness to the sound.

Junior A is an experimental, dream pop performer, producer and songwriter from Vilnius, Lithuania.

Forever-flirting with a wide range of genres (starting from modern R&B, electronic, to punk, and shoegaze) Junior A’s journey was nothing short of impressive.

At the beginning of 2017, first songs (Sleep Machine, Simmah, Baby Boy) appeared online and immediately attracted the world’s largest music publishing companies – including Sony Entertainment, Columbia, XL Recordings, IMSOUND.

Shortly after, the first single was released by UK label Hard up, and it went up to thirteenth place of the United States Viral Top 50. Making it the most successful international debut in Lithuania’s music history.

Unique voice, lyrics and musical compositions attracted the attention of people like Zane Lowe (Beats One), Matt Wilkinson (NME, BBC), Chris Cantalini (Gorilla VS Bear).

In 2017 Lithuanian Music Awards (M.A.M.A) Junior A was nominated as the best electronic music act, as well as breakthrough act of the year.

Junior A live:

https://youtu.be/aomkMD7eU3A

https://youtu.be/YwWSHR29PWg

more of Junior A:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9bKYN4RKmM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94rIdGNlZSU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUtMaBIdQEw

I wanted to break all structure, to see if all form can be destroyed.” Says K-X-P frontman, Timo Kaukolampi, of his debut solo album. A desire to deconstruct convention is not a new thing for Kaukolampi, given that the Finnish band have been blurring the lines between techno, krautrock, space rock and experimental electronica for the last decade and forging an idiosyncratic and unique sound truly of their own.

Whilst playing some pummelling and PA-testing solo electronic shows over the last year, Kaukolampi has picked up fans such as Erol Alkan, James Holden and Optimo, they were invited to the latter’s 20th anniversary party in Glasgow this year to perform – they’re the group Optimo have booked the most over the two decades. Whilst K-X-P still remains a strong and evolving force, Kaukolampi has created an outlet for something new in his solo endeavours.

He’s not even 20 years old, but his talent is a rare gem in the Italian music scene. Perhaps in part also due to moving abroad to Ireland. If nothing else, that’s where he got his nickname from – ceol, pronounced “kiol”, which means “music” in Gaelic.

Kiol has already written more than 30 songs, as well as had the opportunity to record with Paolo Nutini’s producer Dani Castelar. His first EP was released days before Eurosonic Noorderslag 2017 where he played several gigs, which is why we like to consider Kiol a sweet child of our freshly-launched project.

Lysistrata is a French band (20 years of average age) inspired by the screaming energy of youth. Formed in 2013, their music is between post-rock, noise and math-rock. These boys dive from the solid rock of their virtuosity into a rampant ocean of sonic freedom, screaming and shouting with the exhilaration of free-fall. Once on stage they pack down the vibrations, amplify the tension and let it all come raving out like tomorrow just got cancelled. 

For fans of Fugazi, At the Drive-In, A Place to Bury Strangers…

MaNNazz combines a mix of live, electronic and beatbox-style of music and vocals that includes an extremely wide and colorful palette of ambient, drum & bass, blues, pop and many other musical styles.

The band’s founders, Kamilė Kielaitė-Sienkievič (Kami) and Bogdan Sienkievič (Bogis), claim that the main feature of their music is the sincerity and unique atmosphere created during concerts. Performers are not afraid to get out of their comfort zone in order to touch the hearts of the listeners.

Although MaNNazz has been working together for only a few years now, the band has already won several nominations and earned success in foreign countries. The duet would not be so successful if young and talented musicians and artists were not involved into the process. With their enormous support, MaNNazz released its debut album Hopes last year, which has already traveled not only around Lithuania but also to most of Europe, including the Balkans, Germany, Switzerland, Poland and other countries.

GYVI PASIRODYMAI

Timid Kooky – Granny (LIVE) | https://youtu.be/OGuGEM2A-dU

TImid Kooky – Tanzen (LIVE) | https://youtu.be/3lzgLTqJliY

Meisterjaan performs using archaic jaw harps, his voice, a looper and live-electronics. His music represents a symbiosis between ancient and modern thinking as well as ancient and modern technologies.Coming from a techno background, he knows how to make people dance – having a deep connection with the nature and Estonian folklore, he knows how to induce a trance.

MELVITRONICA is the brainchild of Scottish born Adam Melvin, taking inspiration from as far afield as old skool computers and arcade games, classical music, reggae, funk and soul. It’s safe to say that the sound of hip hop and its world-class turntablists wield had the biggest influence over Adam’s work, though, as he cuts up and programs his beats with the precision of a ninja, both on stage and in the studio. “DJ Shadow” is an obvious touchstone, too, while Adam’s live show sees him work the wax as well as the midi programs and various instruments, including kaossilator, flute, synths and loopers, with plenty of humour, no lack of skill and equal parts showmanship. It’s a lot of fun and a bit of a rarity.

MELVITRONICA has been performing live across Scotland since early 2000 and throughout the years supported such artists as”Nathan Fake” and “DJ Vadim”. He is also a part of South African band “Manje” where together they have played in some of the biggest festivals in Scotland like “Eden”, “Knockengorroch”, “Kelburn Garden Party” and others.

In 2011 he released an album”We Ain’t Wise No More”under Scottish record label “Alex Tronic Records” and his track “ZX Specky Drum” was featured on “BBC Radio 1”.

Noyus represents the scene of Dream Pop, which is becoming a very perspective sphere in Lithuania. His compositions are minimal, but full of cosmic spaces and dark romantics. In spite of rhythms and moods, his works form a meditative feeling of calmness.

PAI X is an international music duo by an Israeli producer, singer song-writer Asaf Yehuda and a Russian born singer song-writer Evgenya Redko, who are bonded together in music and in life. The couple are currently residing in Lithuania, while they never stop travelling and exploring the world.

Inspired and influenced by ambient, soul, electronic and sonic sounds, PAI X invites you to join them on a dimensional trip between spaces and emotions.

The two started their journey together in 2014, as they travelled the world seeking for mutual sounds, directions and ideas, busking and performing in small venues.

By the summer of 2017, PAI X released their first self produced EP called “Skin”, which they recorded in their bedroom studio.

Meanwhile, the two continue to travel and perform while writing new songs for their first upcoming full length album.

PODRUGA is the electropop project of Alise Stefanoviča formed at the end of 2016. Its sound is influenced by club culture and nostalgia. PODRUGA blends hard-hitting beats, inspired by underground techno sound, with dreamy yet powerful vocals, creating a striking mix of genres that gets under your skin. Strictly DIY, PODRUGA puts a lot of attention into every detail of its music, performances and aesthetic. The name ”Podruga” implicates two meanings from the Russian ”Я твой друг” (I am your friend) and the self-explanatory ”I am your drug”. Floating atmosphere and hypnotic dance moves make PODRUGA’s performances unforgettable. 

Sad dance. Experimental post-punk / electronic band based in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Solo Ansamblis quickly gained sympathies in Lithuanian music scene because their music combines rave and emotion shattering moods, electronic sounds with live instruments, analog synthesizers and digitally processed sound.

Moreover, bands audiovisual performances are consistent and inducing into unique and esthetically powerful Solo Ansamblis world. Atmosphere here is equally created by sound and light, scenography and smoke. All of it is united by meaningful band members’ lyrics as well as music which unleashes body and sensibility, where you can dance as if nobody is watching. It invites for a trip within yourself, your mind and heart. The ever-growing audience named their style as ‘sad dance’.

Their debut album “Roboxai” (2016) achieved great success and led the band to play in the main 2017’s music festivals and events in Lithuania, warm-up such bands as Gus Gus, Röyksopp and She Past Away, to held two sold-out tours and earn best alternative bands award and 3 more nominations in the Lithuanian Music Awards 2016.

Post punk/coldwave  Russian singing band Super Besse was formed in 2013 in Minsk, Belarus.

The band’s first appearance outside their homeland took place at Estonian showcase festival Tallinn Music Week in 2014 and was followed by rave feedback describing Super Besse as „stunning” and „powerful”. Their next live shows around the Baltic states soon led them to reputation of a strong live band and secured a record deal with Latvian independent label I Love You Records.

Super Besse’s debut album 63610*, released in May 2015, was presented at Europavox Festival in Clermont-Ferrand, France, including a performance at Super Besse resort from where the band’s name comes from.

Since 2014 the band has done dozens of gigs in the Baltics, Scandinavia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and other European countries, taking by storm audiences everywhere.

During the last year Super Besse worked on their second studio album La Nuit*, released on 13th of October 2017.

„The album is about night adventures. We tried to describe the feelings and beauty of some moments at that deepest time, surrounded by gloom with a bit of melancholy,” band members outline the mood of their new record.

All nine songs on the album are written and produced by Super Besse and mastered by Paul Gold at Salt Mastering, New York.

“The main thing about Super Besse is that it is nonsense and that we don’t follow the mainstream – we love France, we sing in Russian and play gigs in Europe with a powerful punk spirit at our shows and coldwave synth sounds in our songs. We try to mix it all,” the band’s singer, guitarist and lyricist Maksim once said in an interview.

We’re Timid Kooky, an experimental-extreme-psychedelic-protopunk trio from Vilnius, Lithuania. What to expect? Three lead vocals (simultaneously) singing various weird and crooked harmonies, dirty math’ish drum and guitar explosions together with energy, that could take you to Jupiter and back. During our performances we try to keep it raw, but professional and as tight as possible. We always try. We started playing gigs only a year ago but we have already gained quite some recognition and sympathy in the local waters, released our debut album and now we would like to see and find out if the rest of the world is as timid and kooky as the Lithuanians.

In year 2017, when Timid Kooky started playing, band has won two main Lithuanian music contests for young bands – Garažas and NOVUS in which Timid Kooky was nominated as the best new Baltic act.

After that band got a chance and was invited to perform at biggest music festivals of Lithuania – Galapagai, Granatos, Roko Naktys, Loftas Fest, showcase festival What’s Next in Music? and also had about 30 solo shows. All Timid Kooky performances – https://www.gigmit.com/timid-kooky.
In spring of 2018 band released its debut album Tanzen.

Live:

Timid Kooky – Granny (LIVE) | https://youtu.be/OGuGEM2A-dU

TImid Kooky – Tanzen (LIVE) | https://youtu.be/3lzgLTqJliY

Weed & Dolphins is an anti-genre DIY musical project from Minsk (Belarus).

The style of Weed & Dolphins is built on using Lo-fi production aesthetics alongside with mixing the elements of different genres which weren’t traditionally meant to be connected such as post-punk, oldschool rap and bedroom pop.

In early 2017 Weed & Dolphins released it’s debut LP “Islandkid cassette”. One of the leading Belarusian music magazines 34mag have described it’s sound as “cloud-punk”.
In July 2017 Weed & Dolphins performed at Tuborg Night Festival in Minsk as a supporting act before Pompeya.
In autumn 2017 the band has played a number of gigs in Russia and Ukraine.

In 2018 Weed & Dolphins continued to play underground gigs in Europe (Slovenia, Serbia, Estonia, Lithuania) alongside with participation in big events such as Ment Festival (Slovenija), Gogol Festival (Ukraine).

WITHOUT LETTERS is an experimental Lithuanian band, exploring the landscape of off-kilter electronic, dance and guitar music as well as states of empowering collectivity. In their studio practice the band has delved into a variety musical genres from noise rock, krautrock to footwork, trance and hard techno. By filtering out what is the most sincere and engaging in their creative process, WITHOUT LETTERS have since rediscovered archives of early clubbing music, its societal values and sound aesthetics. That provided fissures for getting around the notion of guitar as once rebellious, now obsolete instrument, its raw immediacy more potent now than ever.

The group’s most recent material is inspired by the increasingly nebulous, anxious feeling of the present. Trance inducing rhythmical structures and the sharp guitar outbursts invoke krautrock inspired blissful harmonies without offering an escape to a time and place that has passed or never even existed. Dark, frantic pace underlies WITHOUT LETTERS live set, with clear intent to cut through the hierarchy of stage and audience, to melt all that into a playful, potentially ecstatic co-participation.

You can say, that Wolfsome plays rock’n’roll, which was born from blues and hard rock mix.

In a couple of years Wolfsome gathered a lot of recognition in Lithuanian music scene: best new act in LRT Opus new groups competition, received nominations as best rock group and new act  in biggest Lithuanian music awards M.A.M.A., released an album “Origin.412”. Music video for song “Home” was acknowledged as best music video this year in Lithuania.