From March 4 to March 7, the city of Oslo will once again showcase the very best of the Nordic music scene
The festival season begins at by:Larm. From March 4 to March 7, the very best of Nordic music scene will gather in the heart of Oslo for Norway’s premiere music showcase festival by:Larm. With a diverse live program featuring over 100 artists, by:Larm introduces more established artists to an international audience as well as directing the spotlight towards new talents. From Swedish punk to Norwegian pop, from Icelandic electronica to Danish hip hop, by:Larm presents the highlights of the current Nordic music scene.
Here are the first acts confirmed for by:Larm 2015:
ANNA OF THE NORTH (NO)
In the spring of 2014, the Norwegian musician Anna Of The North posted her very first demo on Soundcloud. Shortly after seeing the light of day, her debut single Sway has reached almost 200.000 plays and her dazzling electronic pop has captured the attention of both national and international music press.
COMMUNIONS (DK)
Danish four-piece Communions is a new young quartet from Copenhagen who came together at Mayhem, the same four-wall rehearsal space as contemporaries Iceage and Lower, and it’s from this same studio/venue complex that most of Copenhagen’s new punk, industrial and synth scene originates.
DEN SORTE SKOLE (DK)
With Copenhagen DJ- and composer duo Den Sorte Skole on stage, there are no genres and no boundaries. By sampling music from all across the world, they take the listener on a truly unique journey through musical history and beyond. Their live performances unfold on turntables and MPD-players with tons of samples flying through the speakers.
FOLKEKLUBBEN (DK)
Danish trio Folkeklubben was formed in 2011, named after the first Danish folk record “En Aften I Folkeklubben” by Cæsar, Dich and Poul Dissing. In April 2013, they released their debut album “Nye Tider”, which featured radio singles like the philosophic “Tænker Tit”, “For Pengene” which combines hymn singing and western whistling as well as the underground hit “Fedterøv”.
GIDGE (SE)
Swedish duo Gidge released their debut album “Autumn Bells” on 23rd September 2014 – the first day of Autumn. The pair gained a slew of praise for recent singles “You”, “I Fell In Love” and “Norrland“, with “I Fell In Love” and “Norrland” amassing over 100.000 listens in a short space of time and gaining support from international media such as XLR8R, Thump and IndieShuffle.
KARIN PARK (SE)
As a Grammy Award winning 6 foot plus Swede raised in the jungles of Japan, Karin Park’s sound and live performances can be hailed hypnotic and fantastically toxic. Following her critically acclaimed album “Highwire Poetry” produced by Christopher Berg (Fever Ray) and Barry Barnett, Karin Park has continued to reignite the electronic scene with her own injection of dark, synth driven pop, with 2014 seeing releases “Shine” and “Look What You’ve Done” from her forthcoming new album due February 2015.
KARL WILLIAM (DK)
At only 18 years old, Karl William released his debut single Kostumeramt back in 2013. His music combines soul and R&B with his own distinct style, and the single was featured on the renowned compilation Sound of Copenhagen.
LONG-SAM (FIN)
Long-Sam launched his solo career in 2009 by combining singer-songwriter type songs with minimalist drum beats, analogue synthesizers and his own ghostly voice. After collaborating with underground acts such as Jaakko Eino Kalevi and Melting Hearts, Long-Sam is now finishing his new synth-pop album.
PUMBA (NO)
One of Norway’s hottest rappers the last decade, Pumba’s reputation as the next big thing came from the “Pengelens” mixtapes that had Hip-Hop head’s necks breaking a few years back to Pumba’s characteristic machine-gun rap. Now signed to Tee Productions, Norway’s biggest and longest living rap label, his debut album “Richard Bravo” was produced by Tommy Tee and features artists like breakthrough R&B newcomer Arshad Maimouni, and legendary rappers Mae, Chirag and new female rapper Lotus.
SABINA DDUMBA (SE)
Sabina Ddumba has been singing with the Tensta Gospel Choir since she was a young girl. After collaborating with artists like Adam Kanyama and Katy Perry, one of Sweden’s most promising singing talents is ready to release her debut album.
SAMARIS (ICE)
Combining disparate elements of electronics, clarinet and Jófríður Ákadóttir’s haunting voice,Samaris mix glacial electronica and bold, percussive beats with haunting chant-like vocals – the lyrics based on nineteenth century Icelandic poems.
SIGRID RAABE (NO)
Just about a year ago, 16 year old Sigrid Raabe was discovered by P3’s Urørt editorial staff and was named “Ukens Urørt” with the song “Sun”. Over the past year, Sigrid has secured a record deal with Petroleum Records (Karpe Diem, Thomas Dybdahl, Kaizers Orchestra) and her single “Known You Forever” has achieved wide acclaim.
SILVANA IMAM (SE)
Swedish rapper Silvana Imam is known for her outlandish shows. Wearing a mask and a sort of superwoman outfit she enters the stage with her fist in the air. Even though she raps in Swedish, the latest single “Imam Cobain” has gained higher numbers of listeners in the United States than in Sweden on Soundcloud.
VULKANO (SE)
Vulkano are an explosive new Stockholm duo pushing post-punk forward in their own charming way. With a passion for astrology, the paranormal and nature, healing stones, tropical landscapes, mythology and mountains, Vulkano are made up of the constantly headbanging Lisa Pyk-Wirström (keyboards/percussion) and the tour de force, the hissing feline Cissi Efraimsson (drums/lead vocals).
More acts will be announced soon.
Last year, over 100 acts impressed audiences, journalists and delegates making by:Larm the best festival to discover new Nordic music. This year acts will come from Denmark (including The Faroe Islands and Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the countries that produced the likes of Lykke Li, Røyksopp, Bjørk, MEW, Jaga Jazzist and Todd Terje. All of the festival action takes place around Youngstorget in Oslo – the square that is the heart of the festival.
by:Larm Interactive
This year also sees the return of by:Larm Interactive. With Interactive, by:Larm aims to become a pan-Nordic arena and showcase window for the latest trends in the digital world, bringing together the brightest minds and trailblazing companies in the fields of programming, gaming, digital design, mobile communication and entrepreneurship. Across two days of sessions, a mix of presentations, panels and networking events Interactive delegates can get a sneak peak at the tech of tomorrow, and see how these developments will create new products, services and new business models in the future.
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