As a blog based in Brussels, we pay special attention to the acts coming from our country, as you can see it in our column “Belgitunes“. In our last playlist, “20 songs from artists based in Belgium, you can already find songs from Warhaus that will be playing at Cirque Royal on the 20th, Wuman that will be opening for Fishbach on the 14th and Robbing Millions that will be playing with BRNS at Cirque Royal on the 17th.

Brussels-based trio Pale Grey will be celebrating the release of their EP on the 15th and our favorite duo Rive will play their debut EP “Vermillon” on the 18th. Electronic acts Monolithe Noir and Le Motel will be playing on the 13th and the 15th, and Lubiana and Hydrogen Sea on the 19th at the Grand Salon De Concert. And to end our Belgian selection, the hip hop collaborators Caballero and JeanJass will be playing on the 19th at the Orangerie.

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Our French neighbors are also very represented on this edition with the concert of the French Björk called Camille that will be presentating, on the 12th, her new album “Ouï” set to be released in June. One of our favorite newcomers and selected in our promising list for this year, Agar Agar, will be opening for Magnus, on the 15th and Jacques, one of our favorite gigs of 2016, will be back on the 17th at the Cirque Royal.

French songstress Juliette Armanet will be presenting her perfect combination of piano and beautiful texts on the 18th and Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains their combination of indie with catchy pop on the 20th. One explosive night is preparing itself on the 20th with three of the most exciting pop acts that France has to offer: Bagarre, L’Impératrice and Her.

This year, the Nuits Bota 2017 will definitely not disappoint you with their innovative selection of the best artists.

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As party goers and people who like to dance, we couldn’t let the electronic genre on the side. With acts as Romare (13th), FKJ (13th), Hercules & Love Affair (14th) and Youngr (14th), we are ready to party! It’s not a big surprise that we are huge fans of Kelly Lee Owens, specially after the release of her debut self-titled album. With her pure techno release, she will for sure make travel into the unknown. The Nuits Bota are also preparing for you an afterparty on the 22th where artists such as Babyfather and Zebra Katz will be ready to burn down the house.

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As is it important for us to promote female acts, as you can see in our Homocore section, we also are going to pay a lot of attention to all of the rock and folk singers represented during the Nuits Bota. Artists such as Chantal Acda and Angel Olsen have been liked by many of our writers as they know how to show emotions thoughout their music.

Quartet The Big Moon will be opening for the incredible Jesca Hoop, on the 12th, being one of most expected nights of the entire festival. And last but not least, we couldn’t miss to mention the trio, that is comprised of two women, Cherry Glazerr that will be playing on the 17th.

As boys are not forgotten, we made a little selection of a few of them. Thomas Azier will be playing on the 18th with our friends of Rive, Ulrika Spacek will be playing on the 16th as an opening act for Communions and Asgeir on the same day at the Cirque Royal. And we finish our (very extensive) selection with Alex Cameron that will be playing on the 19th and Kele Okereke that will be playing on the last days of the Nuits on the 21th.

You can go check the entire program for the Nuits Bota by clicking here, check the playlist of our selection and the official trailer below.

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We start our playlist with one classic: Lio delivers the sweet and powerful “Amoureux Solitaires” out in the 80s. The travel continues in Wallonia with Liège-based trio La Plage with their track “Rendez Vous” followed by one of our favorite bands from Tournai Wuman with “Julia” taken from their debut EP “Portraits”. Get to know band based in Brussels Chackie Jam who just release their debut track “Hachi” combining strong pop with indie vibes.

Talking about pop, let’s dance with Faon Faon and their track “Eskimo”! With their infectious chorus, how could anyone stand still? To calm things down, let’s listen to Antwerp-based artist Wardrobe who recently released his track “Nowhere Now” taken from his album “Crawling”. But, the calm won’t stay long thanks to Soldout with their track “Forever” and Robbing Millions with their track “In The No Air”.

We were betting last year on Insecte in our list of artists under our radar for 2017 and you can listen to their track “Holy Crack!” followed by The Double Veterans and their track “Cocktail”. Taking a step on the electro pop genre with Brussels-based band WOOLY MAMMOTHS and their brand new track “Water Slide”. Our beloved French Brussels-based duo Rive released their debut EP a few weeks ago and you can listen to “Nuit” in the playlist.

Warhaus will then enchant you with their dark take on pop in their track “The Good Lie” followed by one of our last Thunderclaps called SHE Major with her track “Please Don’t“. Then let’s take a jump into the R&B/hip hop genres with Antwerp-based artist Tsar B with her track “Escalate” and Brussels-based rapper Roméo Elvis with his track “Drôle De Décision”.

J. Bernardt is the nom de plume of Jinte Diprez of Belgian band Balthazar and is ready to release his debut album. You can listen to his new song “Wicked Streets” followed by the instrumental electronic project Glass Museum and their track “Kill The Sequence”. It introduces next, the electronic experimentations by Monolithe Noir in “Profondeville”, followed, to end our Belgian journey, by the calm “Nightowl Magee” by Samuelspaniel.

You can listen to the entire playlist below, and follow us, as it is updated with new themes every week!

There is obviously more songs to put on this playlist as we don’t know all of the Belgian artists that exist. Send us your favorite ones!

About “Come Undone,” the band detailed:

[su_quote]”Come Undone” is about the fleetingness of happiness, the ebb and flow of your emotions, how quickly they can come and go. In moments when you should be feeling good, you aren’t or sometimes you feel great unexpectedly. It has jangly guitars and a pop vibe but a definite darker undercurrent.[/su_quote]

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Wooly Mammoths are now a quintet but it all started with a mysterious solo project that eventually grabbed attention from Studio Brussel (the project was a finalist in their ‘De Nieuwe Lichting’ competition), and then NME. A whole adventure that precedes the release of their latest retro-infused video, that was made by Sander + Gretar.

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Wooly Mammoths‘”Come Undone” is the second single off their debut EP, following up the previously released “Floated.” Stream the full EP below:

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Follow Wooly Mammoths on Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, and Tumblr.

Robbing Millions take inspiration from a couple of new school psychedelics as well as from sounds like pop, rock, jazz, and even traditional Congolese music from Central Africa. These varieties of influences are easily relatable in their music especially with the unique vocals of Fraipoint and Ryelandt.

The “Robbing Millions” album, which is available now via [PIAS], was produced during a 2-week period in New York where the group also performed eight shows. The album was recorded by Nicolas Vernhes, notable for his work with Animal Collective and The War on Drugs.

“WIAWG” follows up the excellent single “In The No Air.” Where this previous single was an instant pop song, this new single is more like an eccentric and dreamlike instrumental, that totally fits with the psyche side and the varied sources of inspiration of the band.

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You can follow Robbing Millions on Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

Robbing Millions, which comprises of Lucien Fraipont (guitars/vocals), Gaspard Ryelandt (vocals), Daniel Bleikolm (keys), Leo Campbell (bass/guitar), and Jakob Warmenbol (drums), has received support from The Music Ninja, The 405, Consequence of Sound, Brooklyn Vegan, and of course HighClouds! BELGIAN POWER! Their music draws inspiration from bands in the new psychedelic school to pop, rock, jazz and even traditional Congolese music.

About “In The No Air”:
[su_quote]The track is an ode to Robert Wyatt’s number of the same name, and describes a bickering couple with a dog who have fallen on hard times. Their last hope is a holiday which they then appear unable to afford. Complete with the ultimate anti-hero phrase: “When I go out I picture myself in a movie – I am the hero who’s lost a lot of weight.”[/su_quote]

The track is particularly catchy. It abandons a bit the bedroom smooth psychedelia that we are used to hearing in their track in favor of a bouncy instant pop music.

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“In The No Air” is featured on Robbing Millions‘ debut self-titled LP out via [PIAS]. It also features the previously released singles “8 Is The Figure That I Like The Most” and “Dreams Like Photographs“. Besides this release, the band will be playing at Pitchfork’s Avant Garde Block Party in Paris on October 26. Their tour will bring them also to the stage of the Ancienne Belgique on October 31 in Brussels.

Connect with Robbing Millions on Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud. “In The No Air” is now added to our daily-refreshed Spotify playlist: DAILY DOSE FOR MUSIC JUNKIES.

Discussing ‘Dreams Like Photographs’, songwriter Lucien Fraipont pictures:
[su_quote]“a bunch a robots trying to dance like humans at a birthday party. They’re remembering good old times while trying to figure out what their recent dreams could mean. I tried to choose words that had this “futuristic nostalgic medieval vibe” I like a lot”[/su_quote]

Robbing Millions was founded in Brussels by Lucian Fraipont and Gaspard Ryelandt. They were finally joined by Daniel Bleikolm, Leo Campbell, and Jakob Warmenbol. The band is already active for some years and is used to tour through Europe. The band has always kept a DIY spirit and sound. For this first LP, they had a two-week session at Brooklyn’s Rare Book Room studio with famous French record producer Nicolas Vernhes, who worked in the past with critically-acclaimed bands such as Deerhunter, Dirty Projectors, The War on Drugs, and Animal Collective.

Robbing Millions new single “Dreams Like Photographs” is a lullaby psyche-pop UFO where a bunch of robots are trying to dance like humans at a birthday party!

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“Dreams Like Photograph” is released today on iTunes and Spotify. You can follow Robbing Millions on Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter and Instagram.

Bonus: “8 Is The Figure That I Like The Most”

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