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.
KASAI ALLSTARS on a rare European festival tour, summer 2015
Kinshasa DRC's wildest band, the mythical KASAI ALLSTARS collective, are playing a 9-date festival tour in Europe in June/July 2015, including appearances at Glastonbury and Roskilde.
They last visited Europe in 2011 as part of the Congotronics vs Rockers supergroup (with Konono No.1, Deerhoof, Juana Molina et al), in which they played a central role and made a big impression.
This time, they'll be performing with a 12-piece line-up (including electric bass and a drummer), adding a rockier foundation to their mesmerizing Congolese trance music.
Revered by avant-indie rock, electronic & hip hop musicians* & aficionados worldwide, Kasai Allstars blend traditional instruments, electrified thumb pianos and electric guitars, exhilarating vocals, mindblowing polyrhythmics and spectacular dancing, drawn from ritual music which used to be be played in the bush, before being banned decades ago.
Their latest album, "Beware The Fetish" (Congotronics/Crammed) featured among the 'best of 2014' lists in magazines such as Mojo, Q, Uncut & more
Be sure to catch their raw, intense performances at one of the following festivals:
26/06 Glastonbury (UK)
01/07 Clandestino (Sweden)
02/07 Roskilde (DK)
04/07 Couleur Café (BE)
05/07 Hertme (NL)
10/07 North Sea Jazz (NL)
17/07 Colors of Ostrava (CZ)
18/07 Walthamstow Garden Party, London (UK)
19/07 Paris (FR) - Fondation Cartier
* Saul WIlliams, Questlove, Animal Collective and Björk count among their fans
Arresting… not quite like anything else (Pitchfork, US)
Exhilarating… headspinning (Wire Magazine, UK)
Bewitching (Q, UK)
Some of the wildest and most unusual sounds on the planet… (The Guardian, UK)
This is rock sucked back to the continent of its birth to be granted a glorious resurrection (Word, UK)
