Issue 3 2/98

Marc Bekaert is the editor of Flemish folk mag BOURDONSKE, and he keeps you updated on the Belgian scene.

Looking back to the first festivals of 1998:

6 YEARS EYNDE BELSELE 17&18/1
Small folk club surprises with 24 hours non stop acoustic concerts. Flemish AMBROZIJN, Irish SHANTALLA, EMILIEN SANOU from Burkina Faso, etc...

FIRST WINTERFOLK AB BRUSSELS 31/1
Despite a good media campaign the Flemish folk boom got only a moderate public appearance. Celtic inspired COÏNCIDENCE and ORION were headlights. Furtheron every wednesday roll club at noon with new talent as HANS HELEWAUT (Meanwhile up in the snowy mountains) and funky BJORN.

SUCCESFULL 11TH BRUGGES FESTIVAL 4-8/2
Without any real famous star 5 nights a full house for world music. Extravagant Australian COLIN OFFORD, TAIKO TO TABLA-percussion and a lot of mediterrenean stuff besides local new talent as MYRDDIN and duo MALLOU.

Exit magazine, new labels & changing artist statute

• After 100 issues flemish folk magazine GANDALF stopped all activity, due to lack of response. Now only BOURDONSKE in the running.

• New folk labels as ALEA (dice) & WILD BOAR will release flemish debuuts of FLUXUS, LAÏS, AMBROZIJN & BERT, as well as next folkrock of KADRIL.

• TVA taxes of 21% threaten artistic activities. Coming statute for musical artists should resolve problems and acknowledge non classical music.

• Belgian society of singers & musicians (ZAMU) awarded Folk Festival Dranouter as best music festival.

• After their last concert SPEELMANSTREFFEN (Gathering of minstrels) organises competition for flemish drone instruments. At reunion in Gooik 30th of may Tel 0032 37778158 or 54331359

Regrouping

After FLEMISH FOLK MUSIC 97 boom new combinations appear:

• Jazz musette squeezebox player RONY VERBIEST (Photo) makes debuut with trio: AH BAH JOÂT! (RV3 60'41") Tel/fax 0032 93429914

• OLA VOGELA is a crossover experiment with members of AMBROZIJN, CRO MAGNON and KLAKKEBUSSE. Medieval, oriental, Celtic, avantgarde all put together with hurdy-gurdy, fiddle, blues harp etc

• Finally splitted folkrock group MANDRAGORA comes out with compact BAL DU RAT in St Pieters on 25th april in Ghent Tel 0032 92270171

• Exit two female singers of AMBROZIJN looking for new horizons.

• TAM 'ECHO' TAM world a capella in the footprints of early ZAP MAMA brings out second compact BE YOUR FRIEND (Polygram)

Coming festivals & tours

A lot of international artists have been or will be touring: Northumbrian KATHRYN TICKELL with brand new trio, Canadian LEAHY family, GEOFFREY ORYEMA (Ouganda), Greek NENA VENETSANOU, South African MYRIAM MAKEBA, gypsies TARAF DE HAÏDOUKS & KOCANI ORKESTAR, Portugese MADREDEUS, RUBEN GONZALEZ (Cuba), Celtic show LORD OF THE DANCE, etc... Look on internet!

• GALLICIAN CENTER OF BRUSSELS reopens new location in old factory La Tentation Laekenstreet 28 weekend of 6-8/3 with a lot of talent: OS CEMPES, AMPARO CORTES, CARMEN SANCHEZ, ALITAR & TORRE DE MONTIJO from Spain and KADRIL, JAN SMED, VAN HEES, VAN DE VELDE, CLAUDE FLAGEL, VIRIDEL, PANTA RHEI, AMBROZIJN, JAN SMED POLKA GALOP & TWALSEREE from Belgium.

• Same weekend HAPPY FOLK NIGHT in Wieke Nijverheidslane Deerlijk with Dutch ssw MANNEMOED, CUISINE CAJUN, British SHAVE THE MONKEY, Shetlands DROP THE BOX and Irish ALIAS RON KAVANA BAND on friday and Saturday night Tel 0032 56753681

• 2 & 3 May 10TH LABADOUX FESTIVAL alongside canal Ooigem-Roeselare at Ingelmunster with also folk music (OYSTER BAND, POPROPERLY, DUBLINER CITY RAMBLERS, DOLORES KEANE, TWALSEREE, ALVERWEEGHE, KAZZEN and possibly LUKA BLOOM) Tel/fax 0032 51310074

• 3-5/7 3RD FEESTIVAL 2002 with focus on traditional Italian folk as CALLICANTO, TRE MARTELLI, BANDALPINA, MARIA DOLORES BLOSSA, TENORES DI BITTI, I MÜSETTA, NOVOCENTE, CONSORTIUM MANDOLATA, ROSA PAENDA, IL TRATTURO, LUIGI LAÏ, GAMBETTA & AONZA and flemish ZAKDOEK, KLAKKEBUSSE, JAN SMED and TRIO MICHEL TERLINCK on relaxed festival site in Gooik Tel 0032 25322838

• 11/7 22ND BROSELLA FOLK FESTIVAL with lot of free concerts in Groenpark (Atomium) in Brussels Tel 0032 22709856

• 30/7 - 2/8 SFINKS '98 with lots of roots music as Brazilian superstar DANIELA MERCURY, ELEFTHERIA ARVANITAKI from Greece, Congo rumbarock EXTRA MUSICA, ethnic Japanese pop NENES, MONIQUE SEKA (Ivory Coast) en Saami joiker WIMME SAARI Molenveld at Boechout Tel 0032 34556944 http://www.sfinks.be

• 6-9/8 24TH DRANOUTER FOLKFESTIVAL with lots of groups to be confirmed in tents Koudekotstraat and Klakeye in small bordervillage Dranouter Tel 0032 57446933 http://www.folkdranouter.be/folk/

• 21&22/8 1ST DEERLICKE FOLKFESTIVAL at manège Gavergoed Deerlijk Tel 0032 56753681

• 21-26/8 20TH SUMMERSCHOOL FOLKMUSIC in and around Uidekrij Center Gooik Tel 0032 25322838

Belgian Magazines:

• BOURDONSKE PB 194 B8500 Kortrijk (32)56726932 (phone & fax)
  Flemish All kinds of folk & world 750 BEF/4 issues sent abroad
  Homepage: BOURDONSKE

• GOE VOLLEK Dorpsstreet 67 B1755 Gooik (32)25322838 (phone & fax)
  Flemish newsletter for folkmusicians 350 BEF/4 issues sent abroad

• LE CANARD FOLK Rue de Broyer 14 B1180 Brussels 18 (32)23320069
  Walloon newsletter about folk 600 BEF/11 issues

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