COOL Festival 2024

Frank Wienk, a.k.a. Binkbeats is known for his progressive compositions which explore the boundaries between acoustic and electronic music. For his new project he collaborated with multi-disciplinary artist Henk Schut.

His electro-acoustical objects combined with ritual percussion and influences from modern dance music form the spill in a fully immersive experience. The musicality of Wienk and the expertise of Schut complemented each other: together they designed a new installation which inspired Wienk to make the spatial sound ritual that became ‘OHM’. 

When Binkbeats started out in 2013 he immediately made a name for himself with his Beats Unraveled series on Youtube. For ‘OHM’, he wrote complex rhythmical pieces which he plays all the way live, no looping involved. Traditional ritual drums go hand in hand with drumcomputer sounds. 

Lefto Early Bird presents ‘Motherless Father In Movement’ is an audiovisual contemporary dance performance bringing together Lefto’s passion for music, dance and art. For this project Lefto dived deep into a sound somewhere in between club, spiritual music and jazz. The album drops in 2024.

It was this particular blend of influences that triggered him to develop an audiovisual dance performance to be able to tell this musical story. It's a performance by Isabelle Clarençon, Joffrey Anane, Rashad Zangaba and Kassy Bondoko. 

The trio Bruno x Soet x Moene is deeply inspired by jazz, funk, fusion and jungle. Bruno & Moen met each other at Lemmens Institute in Leuven and played all kinds of concerts together, later Soet also joined to create extra energy live. They enjoy listening to acts like Kamaal Williams, Yussef Dayes and STUFF. AliA and Lefto Early Bird are already fans of this exciting trio. 

She The DJ is a refreshing newcomer from the underground music scene. Her love for music comes from a wide range of influences that can be found in her sets. Like no other, she effortlessly glues funky house, dark ukg and all kinds of broken beat together. The result of all her influences forms a refreshing combination and her very own sound.

Les Amazones d’Afrique is a creative force that embraces international voices: sweet, strong harmonies that summon the rights of women and girls; and a meltdown of heritage and new gen talent. They were formed in Bamako, Mali, in 2014 by three renowned Malian music stars and social change activists, Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia, and the col-lective has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora, including Angélique Kidjo, Nneka and rising Malian star Rokia Koné. 

While their cause — campaigning for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence — is worthy enough in itself, their musical creative expression is equally powerful. Richly melodic and far-ranging, it blends pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contem-porary pop. The band’s two previous albums have garnered considerable acclaim — The Guardian’s Top 50 albums of 2017, NPR Music’s best albums of 2020, and featuring on President Obama’s playlist. They have performed on Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid stage and featured on flagship BBC music show Later... with Jools Holland. 

Following two successful albums produced by Congotronix innovator Doctor L, the band have worked with renowned pop producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Taylor Swift, Modest Mouse) to present a totally fresh new sound on their third album 'Musow Danse', which draws inspiration from hip-hop, trap, and electronic music. 

The singers who'll be on stage on COOL Festival are Alvie Bitemo, Mamani Keïta and Fafa Ruffino. 

Meet Reinel Bakole, a true artistic polymath at the age of 25, regarded as the rising star of the avant-garde Belgian soul scene. Her talent spans singing, songwriting, dance, and performance, forming a mesmerizing multidisciplinary musical universe that pushes creative boundaries.

After a successful two-year touring journey, gracing renowned stages like MIL Lisbon, Printemps de Bourges, Botanique, Horst, Bozar, Dour Festival and more recently Couleur Café in Brussels, Reinel Bakole is in the midst of preparing her debut album, set to release in 2024. The album promises to be a tribute to rhythm, a return to lyrical and dreamy origins, a gentle echo reflecting her melancholic and committed side. Her latest single 'Silver Armour' teases with style and intention, heralding the arrival of her album that is poised to be powerful, explosive and liberating.

The 22-year-old Sudanese Dutch grew up in the Netherlands in the small town of Eindhoven where she cultivated her musical talents. Gaidaa first came on the scene in 2018 featuring on Full Crate's 'A Storm On A Summer's Day'.

She released her debut EP, Overture, with positive reviews from Pitchfork, The Fader and an array of other platforms with debut performances and collaborations with COLORS. Gaidaa's 'Figures' released in anticipation of her upcoming follow-up EP, slated for 2023. The most recent release, 'Transit' was a collaboration with world renowned producer and DJ Moby.

Dushime (film/ theatrical actress, musician, singer, storyteller and performer) is a fresh appearance on the Belgian art scene. Through her multidisciplinary approach on the musical level and authentic, powerful and vulnerable performance style on the theatrical level, she brings with her a rare individuality.

The Belgian-Rwandan artist sees the art of performance and music as a healing process in which one can truly come to one's purest form. She wields her voice as a versatile instrument, capable of changing into various textures and forms. Her goal is to create a kind of saturation of a space: how does that space come to you, how does it sound when you stomp and all the room screams back, a space where every step you take, thousands of people, stories move with you. She tries to be a portal of stories, sounds and textures with her music. The aim is to create an incomparable space , infused with harmonious sounds and fluid movements, in which an illuminating glow is created to connect people with an invisible thread-work of connection.

iced lattina comes onto the decks like one comes into therapy: vulnerable, contemplative and ready to create change for a better self. Music is her catharsis. Leaping from ambient dust to based music to muffled trap to soft drill, her seemingly chaotic yet carefully planned selections help listeners release pent up frustrations they never knew they had. A brute and uneasy confrontation to what club music is supposed to be.

If emotional music was a genre, there would be no need to describe iced lattina’s take on music. Whether that emotion is confidence, anger, glamor, or darkness, there will be distorted bass and mystical sounds, always. Nonchalant with the bpm, diligent with the selection, iced lattina embodies unpredictability in the truest sense.

London psychedelic jazz collective The Heliocentrics have their roots in the ‘90s when drummer Malcolm Catto recorded for Mo’Wax and Jazzman. 

They recorded their breakthrough album for Stones Throw, ‘Out There’ in 2007 and have since become known for their superb collaborations with legends including Ethio jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, jazzman Lloyd Miller and Afro soul Godfather, Orlando Julius.

Their current line up is: 

• Dan Smith (guitar & electronics)
• Barbora Patkova (vocals and percussion)
• Danny Keane (cello & electronics)
• James Arben (bass clarinet and oboe)
• Sylvia Halley (Hurdy Gurdy and Serengi)
• Jake Ferguson (bass & effects)
• Malcolm Catto (drums and percussion)

After an acclaimed debut album, Belgian artist Témé Tan returns with 'Quand il est seul'. Exploring a modern pop fusion of griot pop, electro tropicalism and folk rap, Témé Tan offers a vibrant musical experience, inspired by his travels and openness for foreign cultures. Twelve life stories emerge over the course of the album, inviting you to dive deep into this captivating and spellbinding musical odyssey.

RaqL is from Brussels and has Cape Verdean, Portuguese and Angolan origins. She specializes in tropical and electronic music from the Portuguese and African communities around the world. Her sets are eclectic and energizing. She has played in several events such as Core Festival, Sfinksmixed, Dour Campfest, Kiosk Radio et and Bruzz. Active part of the Rebel Up family since the beginning of her musical journey, RaqL is also a member of the female collective Tropical Djipsies.