Join us for an evening dedicated to innovative encounters between electronic experimentation and acoustic folk music. With Wacław Zimpel & Saagara, ancient South Indian percussion rhythms are elegantly accompanied by modern electronic sequences, while Lenhart Tapes manipulates forgotten cassette tapes from Belgrade’s flea markets, blending them with homemade samples and industrial sounds.

Wacław Zimpel & Saagara
Polish multi-instrumentalist Wacław Zimpel has spent his life searching for new musical languages, breaking down the boundaries between genres and cultures. This curiosity brought him to Bangalore, South India, in 2012, where an encounter with the Carnatic music tradition opened his horizons like never before. Under the guidance of experienced masters, he studied the tradition’s rhythmic complexity and melodic richness for a year, forming the group Saagara with some of Carnatic music’s leading musicians. Since then, the group has released two studio albums exploring the complex Indian rhythms in modern contexts. On Saagara’s latest album, 3, which will be released on Glitterbeat Records in October this year, Western electronic sounds fuse with ancient musical traditions. Here, repetitive electronic sequences blend with the hypnotic rhythms of Carnatic percussion, creating a transcendent musical experience. Come feel it for yourself when they perform live at ALICE.

Lenhart Tapes
What does it sound like when forgotten cassette tapes from Belgrade’s flea markets are manipulated and combined with homemade samples and industrial beats? Those who have experienced Lenhart Tapes’ sophisticated yet trippy mashups can tell you. The project is the brainchild of Serbian artist Vladimir Lenhart, a staple of the Belgrade underground scene before launching his solo project in 2010. The foundation of his work is traditional Balkan music and other treasures salvaged from discarded cassette tapes, which Lenhart breathes new life into with his experimental approach, using a Walkman as an instrument. Traditional folk songs, spoken word, and propaganda recordings meet heavy industrial beats and field recordings, occasionally interrupted by noise elements like screaming guitar and saxophone. Lenhart Tapes’ latest album, Dens (Glitterbeat Records), features the project’s unpredictable sound universe, complemented by improvised vocals in traditional styles from Serbian singer Zoja Borovčanin, among others. Experience Lenhart Tapes live at ALICE, where he will perform alongside Borovčanin.

Said about Lenhart Tapes
“Few records made this year will be as masterful as Dens, and even fewer will have been made from the unwanted tape detritus from Belgrade flea markets bought by the kilo.” – The Quietus