Intro

Just the fact that Clandestino actually exists and brings all these artists that would otherwise never have found the audiences which are, as a matter of fact clearly here, is worth at least four lighthouses with a gold star in the margin. Göteborgs-Posten 2005

I’m so grateful for the Clandestino Festival. (...) I am already looking forward to the next one. Göteborgs Fria Tidning 2005

Clandestino is now far from being a secret. Its reputation has spread, also outside Sweden-to Madrid, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, London and Beijing-where we have been working this past year. Artists that we are in contact with don’t require to be informed about the festival any longer. Information has spread at a furious speed through the network of artists, as well as the visitors that have been here. The British music anthropologist, John Hutnyk, writes for example on his blogg:

The festival is radical, political and that rare glorious thing in the world of music festivalism, not at all governed by ’industry’ standards. Open ears and minds. Clandestino...!

It didn’t take long before an answer came back to us to the message that we left on San Francisco-based Micropixies’ website. The dub-legend John Wobble called us up from London when we were grabbing lunch at the restaurant Maharani at Järntorget. When the conversation slid into trying to define our musical genres, we both exclaimed, It’s so frustrating! Neither of us could pin down exactly what kind of music we were working with.

We can use terminology such as roots, dub, drum’n’breaks, electro, mandiguekora, grime, ragga, minimal techno, manguebeat, hip hop, breakbeat, qawwali, jazz, afrobeat, etc. We even have a former Eurovision Song Contest star in our line-up. However its not a definable genre that we deal with. And even less so, with bordered geographical world territories. We don’t limit ourselves to music from one cardinal point. It’s all about powerful energies that break down constructed sound barriers between globe-trotting musicians.

The Nasha Experience is an excellent example of this overlapping. The deepest club-rhythms come alive with the classically-educated female singer Swati Natekar, the tabla virtuoso player Aref Durversh and the electronic violinist Kumar. Le Peuple de l’Herbe and dj Missill, as well as Smadj & Amina Annabi are other examples. Likewise, the tradition-breaking cora queen, Madina N’diaye from Bamako, who is on her way to Gothenburg via countless European checkpoints. Originating from the Swedish Diaspora in South African, none less than Alex van Heerden is coming with his attention grabbing, Bushtech project.

For the impatient, we provide with an appetiser: Club Clandestino, has its opening night at S.o.H.o on May 27 featuring the well known Madrid based Cuban, Dj Nilo MC. Dj Dolores from Recife will also perform here during the festival weekend, releasing, to our joy and dancing, his Brazilian contradictions.

We have lately been struck by ”megalomania”. During the coming weeks, we are not only doing the club and the festival, but also setting up a Clandestino Institute for future students. You will get a glimpse of this project during the Clandestino Talks, where performances, poetry and happenings all designed to stimulate thought and debate will take place.

All borders have something in common: to expand. It’s their basic function. A big thank you to all of you who have made it possible to not always let these fictive lines take control.

Dj Mleccha