RBF NYC Edition
Access to the U.S. Independent Market
Reeperbahn Festival is excited to announce the lineup of its third New York Edition showcase during A2IM Indie Week presented by SoundExchange, partnered with Consequence of Sound. The showcase will take place at PIANOS, 158 Ludlow Street on Wednesday, June 20 and will feature international talents.
► 05:45-06:30pm ANCHOR 2018 Jury Reception with Tony Visconti (Show Room) free drinks and snacks
► 07:00-07:30pm Akua Naru (Show Room)
► 07:40-08:10pm Surma (Upstairs)
► 08:20-08:50pm Little Junior (Show Room)
► 09:00-09:30pm Jeannel (Upstairs)
► 09:45-10:30pm Jade Bird (Show Room)
► 10:45-11:15pm HAERTS (Show Room)
HAERTS (Germany)
There are a few musically fortunate duos in the pop cosmos. The combination of singer Nini Fabi and multi-instrumentalist Benny Gebert is one of them. You won’t notice from their singing that they are originally from Munich in southern Germany. The duo has been living in Brooklyn since 2010, and this is where they published their celebrated debut album “HAERTS”. Their music promises anything but Bavarian cheerfulness. Folk guitars, alternative rhythms, a touch of hippie melancholy, a dash of Fleetwood Mac. Most recently, HAERTS participated in creating the soundtrack for the second Netflix season “13 Reasons Why”. Their latest song “New Compassion” shows their consistent further development. And you can look forward to the live performance of the band then extended by another six band members.
Current agency representation:
Free Association Management (Management & Tour Manager)
Arts & Craft Records (Label)
Jade Bird (Great Britain)
Winner of Reeperbahn Festival's ANCHOR Award in 2017, Jade Bird is a strong, independent-minded singer-songwriter. Born in Hexham, UK, Bird proved to be an excellent choice for the accolade – with her magnificent EP “Something American” (Glassnote Records); with her mix of country and alternative, grounded in the music of Patti Smith and Alanis Morisette and graced with a dollop of retro charm; and with a voice reminiscent of Loretta Lynn – filled with empowerment, and with the occasional tenderness, too, as demonstrated on her new single “Furious”.
Current agency representation:
Chris Kasa (Management)
Kate Harwick (Management)
Giles Woodhead (Tourmanagement)
Akua Naru (Germany)
When Akua Naru sings of “Black Future”, deploying her dark, velvety-soft voice, it sounds like an utopia full of pride and confidence. And for good reason. For the third Reeperbahn Festival New York Edition, at PIANOS, she’ll be performing as one of the Keychange project’s artists. Naru was raised in New Haven, Connecticut, and her childhood was steeped in gospel music. Later on, the vast African-American musical tradition – with its many strong female figures – also exerted a formative influence. As Naru grew older, she became increasingly politically aware, immersing herself in the works of Angela Davis, Malcom X, and other activists – and it is them who supply the greatest source of inspiration for her powerful music, which draws from hip hop, soul, blues, and jazz.
Looking for:
Distribution: US
Promotion: US
Booking: US
Current agency representation:
The Urban Era (Label)
Freibank (Publishing)
Little Junior (Canada)
Little Junior’s got speed, frenzy, heat. The foursome from Toronto pay homage to a crystal-clear power rock by way of two guitars, bass, and drums. Little wonder that the result is often fast-paced songs that are a shade over two minutes – like “Cry Baby”, a track on the band’s debut record, “Hi” (Grand Jury). The four musicians are a well-oiled team – they’ve known each other since middle school – and were big fans of the Pixies, Ramones, and Buzzcocks. Lead singer Rane Elliott-Armstrong likes to think of Little Junior as a boy band – on stage he enjoys being a bit of a pop-diva and elements of voguing have made it into his repertoire. There need to be more queer voices in music, he feels.
Looking for:
Presse: US
Current agency representation:
Grand Jury Music (Label, US)
Royal Mountain Records (Label CA, Management)
Surma (Portugal)
Choral sounds not quite of this world. Innovative electronica. Surma is what Débora Umbelino, a young Portuguese artist with a high childlike voice, calls her idiosyncratic project. No surprise that Surma is the name of a monster in Finnish mythology. Umbelino studied double bass at jazz school, and her album “Antwerpen” (Radicalis) brings together ambient, jazz and electronic influences. The result is like something out of a fantasy land, music that floats surreally, performed by an exceptionally gifted multi-instrumentalist and enriched with indistinct lyrics in seemingly neverending loops.
Looking for:
Label: US
Booking: US
Publishing: US
Current agency representation:
Omnichord Records (Label)
Tourpartout (Booking BE, NL, LU)
Radicalis (Label & Booking GSA)
Jeannel (Germany)
A dramatic, disconcerting melody. A female voice infused with as much fragility as soul. “Karma”, a captivating song by the young singer Jeannel, is about trying to start over with a lost love – and failing. It can be found on her debut EP, “Love” (Better Call Rob). It’s hardly surprising that piano genius Chilly Gonzales has already featured her on his radio show. Jeannel hails from a family of musicians and she’s just as much influenced by classical music as by hip hop and r'n'b. Life experiences – including some not-sogreat encounters with the music industry – have helped her cultivate what is already a remarkable and very personal musical language. And she’s only getting started.
Looking for:
Label: US
Booking Agent: US
Current agency representation:
Walk Artists