A Real 'euro' vision!

Malta Independent Saturday, 30 June 2007, 00:00 Last update: about 13 years ago

Michael Bugeja reports from the Europavox in France which included the

participation of Malta’s own Sixth Simfoni

It’s Thursday night and it’s just gone half past ten; half an hour ago I was enjoying a great salad and I’m now downing a cool beer as I wait for the band to come on stage. Nothing extraordinary so far, except that this stage is the main stage at the Cooperative de Mai venue in Clermont Ferrand, France, home of the Europavox Festival, and the band about to come on is none other than Malta’s foremost urban music act, Sixth Simfoni…

I was in France’s Auvergne region just over a month ago as part of a Maltese “delegation” to cover the Europavox festival – a fledgling three-day international event (this is only its second year) that is based on the concept of showcasing upcoming European talent as well as creating a networking opportunity for music industry people. In the space of 72 hours, the organisers made it possible for all those of us there to not only meet and discuss music matters in comfortable surroundings, but also to set up a string of live performances in the evening that exposed us to some interesting and largely remarkable bands. The accent here at Europavox is more inclined towards “indie” bands and labels, which of course was conveniently up my alley, and while I admit that I’d never heard of most of the bands until they had actually set foot onstage (although I had read the liner notes on the Europavox website for some insight), they did impress me enough to purchase their albums.

I was already familiar with Sixth Simfoni’s music, since I had reviewed their debut EP for The Malta Independent. I even saw them perform at the launch of the same EP, but here in Clermont Ferrand they walked onstage with the coolest of airs, settled in to a tepid crowd, and warmed them up enough so that by the end of their set, the audience had their hands in the air and their collective booty wiggling! With a crisp PA system and proper light rigging, D Six felt at home enough to give the performance of their lives (so far). I certainly thought so, and as I found out next morning at the Village Pro, so did many of the industry people there. Following the positive impression that Beangrowers’ performance left at last year’s edition, Sixth Simfoni’s vibrant set was another great leap forward in convincing people there who confided to me that they’d always thought Malta only had “Eurovision” music to offer. Not really, mate!

My list of personal live favourites at the festival is highlighted further on in this article. My top favourite act was actually English singer-songwriter Tom McRae, but I opted not to include him in the list as he’s not quite what you’d call an upcoming artist. With four brilliant albums under his belt, including this year’s excellent King of Cards, he has garnered a burgeoning following which, oddly enough, is stronger on the continent than in his homeland. Despite being a major label artist, he performed here in the smaller venue – a tent with exquisite acoustics, simple (effective) lighting and a really cosy feel to it that perfectly complemented McRae’s “unplugged” set, acoustic by name but definitely electric in spirit and energy.

Ninety minutes or so (and an extended encore) later, I walked back to the main hall to catch whatever was going on there, which turned out to be Gus Gus. With strains of McRae’s comforting guitar melodies in my head, however, the Icelanders’ pummelling electronic live PA wasn’t exactly what I needed, although I have to say that I did fleetingly notice the dancers’ weird choreography and colourful Bjork-ish fashion sense.

I realise that this article must have a very enthusiastic ring to it, and that’s probably because, even four weeks later, I am still caught up in the thrill of having been (a tiny) part of the whole Europavox concept. It was certainly one of the best experiences in my years of being involved in music. Being around people who share the same passion as I do about music, interacting with foreign industry people to promote our own musical artists while learning about new ones from Europe’s “indie” scene and networking with like-minded souls in what was pretty much a collective manifestation of music’s universal appeal, was an amazing experience that I wouldn’t mind reliving (maybe next year?).

Perhaps the Maltese authorities would care to apportion some of MaltaSong’s budget towards staging something similar on our little rock island? Such an event would definitely do much, much more towards promoting local talent on an international level than 10 Eurovision Song Contests. Here’s hoping for a real ‘Euro’ conversion…

Five minutes with Sixth Simfoni’s Pen–Demonium

Q. First things first – a brief introduction as to who does what in Sixth Simfoni

Sixth Simfoni is composed of Simon Vella, who majestically deploys the violin, Pen–Demonium and D Legacy, both controlling the “mic” fiercely, and Niki Gravino, who provides the group with production and direction. There are also several guests in the line-up, but for the Europavox gig, Porno P and Carrie were onstage with us.

Q. Your music reflects a clear-cut effort to be different from other urban genres. Do you feel it has been a successful project, and how far do you think it is possible to evolve musically?

Yeah, we have made a real effort to make this our own style of music! We feel like the hip-hop art form has been raped and degraded by the MTV generation. Most beats (these days) are overly looped and lazy, and the lyrics become more and more pathetic the closer they are to the mainstream. We take a great deal of pride in making what we do real and genuine. We sound different because we think outside the box and try loads of ideas out. We are all extremely creative, so it’s natural for us to keep finding new sounds and ideas, which in turn evolve into newer ideas and so on. Our thing is kind of a Darwin concept but applied to thinking! How far we go with this – God only know – but we will definitely be exploring the darker side of Sixth Simfoni next...

Q. Europavox was your first official live performance outside Malta. What was going through your head before going on stage, and what did you feel like when it was over?

Backstage, it was all different thoughts I guess. For sure the strongest feeling was “Let’s get out there and do it!” We felt quite proud of having got there without begging anyone for our help or selling out. As for after the performance, there was a fantastic vibe in the dressing room – it really felt like we had done a great job! In fact, the following day, we were approached by several labels and agents. So you can safely describe it as a fruitful experience.

Q. What did you think of Europavox as an event in general?

The very concept of the event is truly fantastic! There was some real talent present. I felt like all the bands learn something from each other, and naturally it’s a great place to network. We made more contacts there in a couple of hours than we have throughout all of our years in music! The Maltese authorities should really be thinking of doing something along these lines rather than throwing money away on disposable events such as the Eurovision, which is regarded as a big joke by the real industry professionals. Why Malta keeps spending thousands of taxpayers’ money on it is beyond me, because it’s become a bit of an expensive joke now, don’t you think? (Yes, actually!)

Q. Finally, what’s cooking in the Sixth Simfoni camp this summer?

D Six are shooting another video this summer for the tune St Passive. It’s a strong anti-establishment song that will probably rub a few people up the wrong way! We also plan to do loads of live shows and we will continue the Pristine saga as it has really picked up a lot of momentum now. On the solo front, I will be collaborating with Etnika this summer, while Simon will be giving a solo concert after the success of Plucked. Niki Gravino is about to release a monster of an album, and Dizzy is currently working with Kristina Casolani and her charismatic producer Boris on some funky releases.

Recommended listening: D Sixth Simfoni EP (2007)

Website: www.myspace.com/hiphopmalta

Five bands who rocked europavox

120 DAYS

Formerly known as The Beautiful People, Norway’s 120 Days wear their electronic heart openly on their adopted mesh of rock, synths and beats. First impressions will probably bring a flood of names, such as Primal Scream, early Verve and Chemicals, rushing to mind, but on further listening the band’s roots are intensely informed by the pulsating drone of vintage Krautrock. Their self-titled album features all of their influences and more, but once these Scandinavian lads get onstage the real magic shines through. Though they are already pretty popular on the continent, it probably won’t be long before 120 Days are as big as the Chemical Brothers.

Recommended listening: 120 Days (2007)

Website: www.120days.no

ABD AL MALIK

A French rapper of Congolese origin, he is hailed as one of France’s rising stars thanks to his self-styled particular brand of rap. Backed by a full live band, Malik shrugs off the “bling” of commercial hip-hop rap and replaces it with conscientious lyrical rap inspired by contemporary social and political issues such as terrorism, racism and war. A rapper with a genuine purpose other than that of pushing himself to the fore, Malik’s on-stage performance adds depth to the authenticity of his music and a boost of energy to his powerful words that transcends the language barrier.

Recommended listening: Gibraltar (2006)

Website: www.abdalmalik.fr