Crammed has released over 250 albums and 250 singles by artists from all over the world, ranging from Aksak Maboul to Bel Canto, Carl Craig, DJ Morpheus (& the Freezone series), Eddie Fowlkes, Flat Earth Society, The Gruesome Twosome, The Honeymoon Killers (let's skip some letters) ... to Snooze, Suba, Tek 9 & 4hero, Zap Mama, Hector Zazou and Zuco 103 ...
Crammed's sub-labels have included the Made To Measure composers' series, world music collection Cramworld, electronic music imprints SSR, Language & Selector, and Ziriguiboom, a collection devoted to new Brazilian music. Nowadays, Crammed would like to believe that borders between genres are no longer indispensable, so most releases tend to come out under the simple "Crammed" banner.
Crammed's current roster includes Konono N°1, Cibelle, Koçani Orkestar, Taraf de Haidouks, Bebel Gilberto, Balkan Beat Box, DJ Dolores, Tuxedomoon, Shantel, Kasai Allstars, Think Of One, Mahala Rai Banda, newcomers Lonely Drifter Karen & Allá, and more.
An Innocent Stranger in a Toy Town
… that's the theme of La Chiva Gantiva's lovely new video, 'Pelao'
The Colombian/Belgian band have self-produced and directed this modern tale of immigration, a parable on the perils and disillusionment which often await the hopeful migrant who manages to make the move from the southern to the northern hemisphere.
The band have painstakingly constructed an elaborate set full of mechanical puppets, hand-painted buildings and piñata clouds. They've rounded up all their friends for the shooting (50 people were required for animating the whole thing…). The video was shot with the help of I-Movix, a Belgian company specializing in the capture and creation of direct and extreme slow motion (as used in the Olympics, the football Champions' League etc.) thanks to a camera called the Sprintcam. The video was directed by Nicolas Moins & Rafael Espinel (the band's front person).
La Chiva Gantiva are currently touring to promote the release of their debut album "Pelao", and are bringing their super-powerful live show to Amsterdam's Paradiso on January 24,.
They'll be doing a live set for (Belgian national radio RTBF's show) "Le monde est un village" on January 26.
La Chiva Gantiva (who were formed in Brussels by 3 young Colombian expats and 4 Belgian & French musicians) recently made their first visit to Colombia, where they performed several shows and were welcomed as a new sensation by the audiences and the media.
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