Since 2006, Couleur Café has been putting Belgian talent in the spotlight through our Wanted!-platform. Over the past 11 years, 77 bands and 62 DJ’s got the opportunity to perform on our festival, often launching a successful career. Among them artists like Puggy, Selah Sue and Coely. From last year on, we decided to take things into our own hands, that way not missing out on any musical gem. By proactively visiting countless concerts and festivals we managed to handpick our ideal be.focus selection.
This year again Couleur Café presents a impressive selection of all national talent, with roots from all over the planet. To paraphrase James Brown: "Say it loud, I'm Belgian and proud!" We give you a brief overview of all Belgian artists on our line-up, easily recognisable by the be.focus quality label.
Some of our musical compatriots have already gained their fair share of (inter)national fame: Baloji, Coely & Roméo Elvis make us proud and need no introduction. Often however, a be.focus artist is very popular in 1 specific genre. Pura Vida, the 9-piece reggae band around Bregt De Boever, is considered one of the best among reggae lovers, while Tomi & su Timbalight are adored by salsa and timba lovers.
Some be.focus artists are a true discovery. Daniel Dzidzonu for instance, a stylish Togolese trumpeter who lives in Laeken and makes some world class afrobeat. Dizdzonu tours with international top musicians and has already released several albums, but Couleur Café will be his first big festival stage.
Many be.focus artists have attained a divine status in one part of the country, while the other part doesn't seem to know them. Sysmo for example, is a Brussels percussion orchestra that brings together hundreds of dancers at each one of their wild parties. At Couleur Café, they'll be hosting the Beats of Love tent and opening up the Green stage on Saturday. Compact Disk Dummies bring their scorching electro punk performances to Flanders' biggest venues, but in Wallonia they deserve more attention, as J. Bernardt and his soulful electronica do. On the other hand there's Scylla, a respected and comitted rapper, who easily sells out the Cirque Royal but still doesn't ring a bell in Flanders. Caballero & JeanJass are part of a booming new hip hop generation, just like Roméo Elvis and were the stars of our Belgian hip hop project Niveau4 in 2016.