HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS! We’re already going through with our years-old resolution of switching over to this place ~ will it be right for us? Does it even matter? No nihilism here, WE’RE PUBLISHERS NOW. And we have stuff going on, and it’s not a hangover for once.
NIEUWJAAR’S FETEING AT ATOMA
Here comes the first show of the year! And it’s back to the traditions of yore, with KRAAK throwing a small shindig to kick off the winter blues: KRAAK’S NIEUWJAARS FETE ✨ We’ll be gathering at the Brussels headspace Atoma for the occasion, with the mystical organ hymnals of Delphine Dora, Köhn’s unpredictable electronic swerves, and Orphan Fairytale’s harp dreams. Come have some soup and glüh-kriek (?!) January 28 from 5ish onwards ~ more info here & here.
NEW RELEASE ALERT: JEF MERTENS - NO MATHEMATICS LP
And also our first release of the year is fast approaching 🙀 Longtime observer of the global underground Jef Mertens joins the KRAAK roster with a debut LP that highlights the solemn austerity of drone in a way that cuts deep. Co-released with the iconic US label Feeding Tube, NO MATHEMATICS LP is now available for pre-order on our Bandcamp and will come unto all February 9th. We’ll mark the occasion with a special (FREE!) release show that very day at AB Salon in Brussels, with Mr Mertens taking the stage on the same bill as East-goes-West coast master of inanity Bromp Treb (the only Neil Young we’ll ever allow on our stage!) ~ scope out the deets here and album info & preorders here.
BIG DAY ON THE HORIZON
MARK THEM CALENDARS:::: March 4 is the day KRAAK Festival returns for its yearly trip into the blistering edges of experimental music. Taking it back to Het Bos for the third time, the 2023 edition of KRAAK Festival will be day-long field trip into the outlandish, the mysterious, the far-out and the ecstatic, insofar as music digs can go ~ full line up to be announced SOONsoon, and you can already cop them tickets this way.
ODDS & ENDS
~ RADIO ROUNDUP: uhhhhh, there’s that one thing over at Kiosk?? For the rest we really took the hibernating thing seriously, except for Timothy’s first solo DNVG of his KRAAKareer. Also following the change in Mixcloud policies we’re moving all our radio activity to Soundcloud ~ only 10 days in this year so far and already so many bold moves 🥴
~ YOUTUBE CHANNEL UPDATES: Timothy’s been indeed keeping busy, and you can check out the fruit of his toil over on our YouTube channel which has been freshly updated with live sets from KRANKY STARS (Phantasy, Mariachi, Chien Fer), KRUT Fest (Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh, Territorial Gobbing, Umarell & Zdaura, etcetcetc), gr’Ambachting (Eve Aboulkheir, Germaine Sijstermans & Marcus Kaiser, Stan Maris) & KROG II (Brecht Ameel, Giulia Vismara, Ludwig Wittbrodt)
~ After many months of wayward drifting, we have a distributor! And it’s nothing short of sick: Rush Hour will be carrying our present & future KRAAKwares, so international shops and whoever wants to go down that avenue can check it out, Bloedneus + Firmaet already inhabit that space.
~ Agenda-ish: JAN 12 some amazing ART by the grand dame Delphine Somers will be viewable at Sterput (Brussels), the vernissages are always a thing there /// JAN 13 also at Sterput, Romain de Haan (this guy) and David Neaud & his playful dispositifs /// JAN 14 at New Touquet (Brussels) the grand return of Crash Toto ~ their last show being EVERYONE’S last show at KRAAKFest 2020 ~ with the nü Dariel/Kovacs electro outlet Wash Club /// JAN 28 MORE STERPUT with Frère Tuck’s imaginalia and two other acts that sound senseless enough to be compelling /// JAN 28 afterparty from the NIEUWJAARS FETE glüh-kriek high is pal Weird Dust’s first E.A.R of the y.e.a.r, this time at VK (Brussels) 🗿 /// FEB 3 Haunted Folklore at Recyclart (IT’S ALL BRUSSELS SORRY) with 3 of our all-time faves: Bloedneus & de Snuitkever, Nina Garcia/Mariachi & Lise Barkas <3
~ Personal sidelines: our Dylans is continuing her terrorist acts on logic and art with her ongoing Cosumptie Verplicht performance series, what will she shave next! And our Timothy made it on somebody’s end of year list 🥲 and not just his mama’s