Orchestre International du Vetex is a collective of about 15 musicians, from Flanders, Wallonia and the North of France. Since they started up in 2004 in the former textile-plant in the Sint-Jans neighborhood of Kortrijk, the band has played more than 800 concerts worldwide. Major European festivals, club gigs, jazz and theater festivals throughout EU and its outside borders, from honeymoons to funerals, from street-theaters to rock-festivals. Vetex really, really does it all!

The full name of this young and prosperous group is “JACARÁNDA piccola Orchestra Giovanile dell’Etna”, but mostly simply known as Jacaránda. They come from Catania (Sicily), as an initiative of AME – Associazione Musicale Etnea. This huge laboratory ensemble is directed by Puccio Castrogiovanni, multi-instrumentalist and composer, a well known member of the Lautari. Jacaránda’s musical signature represents a binding relationship between traditions and young people, spiced with musical instruments from all over the world. They create and perform original songs in Sicilian, in a form of contemporary popular world music.

Vladimir Todorović is a well-known guitarist in the Serbian alternative world music scene. By the beginning of his musical journey, his former Paniks world music ensemble had a lot of success and helped him become a recognisable name in the surroundings of his residence town of Subotica, later on through-out many ethnic and world music festivals they performed across Europe. Nowadays, he most often performs in a duo or a trio formation called Todorrica, which cherish the Balkan melodic traditions. Though, being honest, he prefers to step across the line to the really alternative, underground and experimental side of things, where his compositions become fresh and adorable.

David Yengibarian is a well known Armenian-Hungarian accordionist. He built his musical reputation in Budapest, and is well known for his skills and dedication to ethnic, world and jazz crossovers. David has a long track record with hundreds of concerts in solo or with his trio formation, 7 albums behind him and film/theater music productions in the past two decades. His frequent travels to Yerevan keeps him connected with his roots music as well, which he nicely incorporates into his complex compositions.

As strange as it sounds, as good as it is(!): Zajnal calls it “designer folk” music, and describes it as turning away from intangible heritage towards popular music. They say it is not something they want. Nor the other way around. It’s a simple imprint of all the cultural impressions surrounding them, let that be Hungarian folk dance houses, or urban electronica. In 2020, this approach made them the discovery of the year in a national musical talent development programme. Since 2021 they are a core “ingredient” of the original Tremolo project, as well as its Tremolo_forte expansion, being a part of the artists international mobility and cooperation activities, touching mostly peripheral areas of Europe.l songs in Sicilian, in a form of contemporary popular world music.

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Our Tremolo_forte project was blessed with this cherry-on-the-pie, for the end of the summer concert series in 2022! But for La Caravane Passe (“the caravan passes”), the point of view is always that of the traveler. For almost twenty years, Toma Feterman has been leading his band on a double journey through the musical landscapes of Eastern and Southern Europe, and afterwards on extended tours stopping over wherever… Once again during their concert at Malomfesztivál, borders, languages, shapes and rhythms got entangled. But we could clearly sense Toma’s melodic art, his parisian-flavored Mitteleuropa compositions fed on hip hop and fluent in Serbo-Croatian. “At La Caravane Passe concerts, with us, people can become gypsies at least one day in their lives” says the band, and we invite you to catch their next show.

Simona Di Gregorio: voce, organetto, chitarra, tamburello.
Giorgio Maltese: voce, mandolino, marranz.
The Casentuli offer a vast and diverse repertoire of Sicilian traditional music and songs, as a result of years of field research and consultation of ethnomusicological collections. The study and performance of this valuable material contribute to the recovery of a rich musical universe, which has been largely forgotten in favor of the repertoire of folkloric groups.
Check them out, great small formation to be staged at your festival!

The name NAKED stays for open heart and uncovered soul. Ideas of freedom, hope and love have always inspired Serbian band NAKED to create music, firmly rooted in unique mix of traditional Balkan, global urban, swing, funk, undeniably beats, odd rhythms and free-jazz relishes.
Why are they called Naked?
Because they love honesty, openness, truth, purity, nakedness, demystification…
Five studio releases, numerous tours.
The style of the band is complex, unaffected, merged. Elements of Balkans, with a touch of Mediterranean, African and Eastern European traditions, in synergy with the features of jazz, funk, rock, free music and a lot of improvisation. A power-band on the stage!

KurtaUtca is a local musical phenomenon from the city of Subotica, north Serbia. They strongly believe in their cultural identity and they are willing to travel all over Europe to contaminate it with new-and-rewritten trad sounds! They merge and cut and adapt and play it beautifully. Traditional zither and female voice, and more-like a rock sound of the guitar and the male voice, all in one…
KurtaUtca has been a part of our first Tremolo project, in 2020 and 2021. They had a beautiful collaboration with the Hungarian band Zajnal and the Sicilian Jacaranda, performing together on stages in Serbia, Hungary and Italy. Joint production and co-creation at its best. In the Tremolo_forte project we invited them to perform at Malomfesztivál once again, and we’ll do so if there would be another chance.

Lisa and Daniel Damascelli, a.k.a project Tangram, comes from Sicily. And as a surprise, not with a traditional tarantella, but with music that unites different worlds. If you look at the list of instruments they play, you can guess where this is going… In first place, there is kora. A magnificent West African harp, with its angelish sound. Secondly, the oud, a lute of Middle Eastern origin. Both of the artists studied classical instruments, but at the same time they gave themselves time to discover the traditional ones as well. Both of them dig in deep also on the theoretical level as well: Lisa graduated in archeology with a thesis on ancient Near Eastern instruments. Daniel on the other hand, graduated in anthropology with a thesis in ethnomusicology.
Nice harmony, great joint feeling on the stage.

Joan and Madjid are great names at the alternative world music scene in Europe. Both of them had nice careers with their basic bands, for more then two decades. Joan with his La Troba Kung-Fu, while Madjid as the first guitarist of Manu Chao. Toured the world many times.
But in this duo formation, they get closer to the audience, and in a sense, get more in touch with what their heart beat for: the direct communication and exchange of pure energies through rumba-catalana and similar up-beat and lively rhythms. And let’s say that too: they are great professionals, always ready to co-create with young artist, to share experiences and act as mentors when needed. Thanks guys!

Perija is a dark folk band that plays with many music influences, from traditional music of the areas they live in, middle-eastern maqam music and some north-African styles, to blues, post-punk, atonal and jazz. Their songs are in different languages of the Balkans, as to share an idea of equality between nations and ethnicities. Perija is a Turkish root word denoting fairy, but also some etymology sources trace it back to a Proto-Iranian word ‘parika’ – a woman of low status, concubine. Both of these aspects are intertwined into the sound and idea of their music, an inspiration flowing from nature, contrasting a society built upon prejudices.
As one of the bands selected within the Tremolo_forte  project to get a chance for touring, they grabbed it fully! Perija performed at Etnofest and Malomfesztivál in Serbia, Grand café in Szeged and during the Night of the Museums in Kecskemét, Marranzano World Fest in Catania and also had a nice gig in Palermo. Even if they declare they play dark folk, bright future is in front of them!

Todorrica cherish the Balkan melodic traditions. Though, being honest, they prefer to step across the line to the really alternative, underground and experimental side of things, where their compositions become fresh and adorable. They play original compositions, sometimes have kind-a sarcastic approach, comments or musical quotes, but in the end – they bring a party into the house!
As for the bands’ background, goot to know that it is Vladimir Todorović, guitarist and teacher of guitar, who is a driving and creative force behind the compositions. You can read more about him and his former band Paniks in a separate post at this same page. The other band members are Saša Vidicki – guitar, Uroš Jagodić – bass and Darko Kovačević – cajon.

Gaia is a creative multi-instrumentalist, singer , composer and producer. A sophisticated loop sensation that brings you different experiences, a musical journey influenced by the many locations she visited: Istanbul, Mexico City, Barcelona, ​​Mumbai… Armed with powerful vocals, harmonica, electronics and various smaller instruments, the audience quickly wonders what one person is capable of doing on stage. Her Bulgarian ragas and other Balkan influences in her songs, Italian, Latin American, Indian and Roma musical spirit resonate equally well in her performance… It’s travel around the world in 80 minutes. More or less.

Rumbaristas is a project by Willy Fuego (La Kinky Beat, Amparo Sánchez), Roel Poriau (Think of One, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra), Tomas De Smet (Think of One, Zita Swoon) and Thomas Morzewski (Don Tomasino, Orchestre International du Vetex). Rumbaristas creates its own ravishing universe of rumba, tarantella, cumbia or ska, mixing it up with some positive gastronomic streetwise attitude, dreaming about an eclectic travel-around-the-world quartet…
A hard working band! They regularly tour clubs if off-season, summer festival goers adore them, and they also find time for recording their albums every now and then, produce some nice video clips… The last video was created in Granada (Spain), with support funds from this project.

The Chaim Rosenbaum Trio takes the listener on a walk through the nostalgic alleys of the old Galician capital Lemberg (Lviv). Their program consists of traditional and forgotten songs from the Polish-Ukrainian border region of ancient Galicia.
Chaim Rosenbaum is an Ukrainian singer/guitarist who was born near Rivne in western Ukraine, but soon moved to Odessa and later completed his music studies in Lviv and Tel Aviv. Chaim traveled the world as a musician for years, landing in Krakow or Brussels for a longer period. He is an imaginative “storyteller” of old songs from the Ukrainian-Polish-Jewish musical tradition.
For this project he is working with the northern French Clémence Vandaele, who earned her spurs with the Polish-French ensemble “Panienki” and was inspired at a young age by South American music genres such as cumbia and chacarera. As an accordionist, however, she was also influenced by the rich Central European musical tradition.
Young Ukrainian clarinetist Ostap Bachynskyy, also comes from the Lviv region but has been living in Ghent for several years. Through an Erasmus exchange, Ostap ended up in Belgium, where he has been studying at the Ghent Conservatory.

ContraBayando consists of three young gentlemen, playing accordion, double bass and drums. They are based in Subotica (Serbia), and they do not hide their intention to deal with classical French chansons, jazz and gipsy swing rhythms from the beginning of the century in an authentic, new and thoughtful way. Tango, rumba, bossanova and waltzes are presented in the most beautiful light. Their repertoire also includes well-known Balkan, klezmer and Roma folk melodies. While their music sounds low-key and streamlined they still manage to add a bohemian undertone to their performances which ensures the concerts are always a cheerful and fun event with a great atmosphere.
Members are:
Miroslav Idić – Accordion
Dávid Szűcs – Contrabass
Zoltán Sánta – Drums

Latin Banzaiii Duo, Krokodill.
Similar to Joan and Madjid, they also regularly perform with their larger formation, the first Hungarian cumbia group – Los Orangutanes. But in this Latin banzai duo, they are bringing both Catalan rumba and Latin American cumbia to their audiences. Suitable also for smaller clubs, while the energy stays on top!
MC Guacho: guitar, vocals
Sub Anselmo: accordion, charango, vocals

The Flying Nomads are a Balkan music duo living in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. Kristina and Daniel create music for the soul that helps reconnect with yourself, nature and the ancient.
The duo draw their influences and inspiration from various sources, including the rich musical heritage of Bulgaria and the broader world of modern music. They perform in the nature, on the street, at people’s homes & at various music festivals and gatherings. Most recently they have been selected within the MOST Music Creative Europe project, as one of the upcoming Balkan world music bands. Within our Tremolo_forte project, they have performed at 2023 Malomfesztivál in Serbia.

Davide Campisi and Mimì Sterrantino formed the Mircanti duo some years ago. Some would say, that their music resembles their origin, and that you would recognize Sicilian sounds spreading from their percusion, voices and the guitar. The music they create is covers a whole palette of various ambiences, from deep and meditative to lively dance rhythms. Nice and professional communication, close and open to their audiences. And they love them!
No wonder that when they tour, they cover distances and many venues and festivals. It was a pleasure having them within the Tremolo_forte project.

The Moroccan Saïd Tichiti was the first to introduce gnawa music to the Hungarian audience and made it popular through his world music group Chalaban. In Morocco, Gnawa was a part of the slave culture and that of their decedents and is closely related to healing rituals. William Borroughs describes this ancient, sacred trance-music form of the Moroccan Berbers as „4000-year-old rock and roll”.
Saïd has gathered together outstanding musicians from the creative / jazz / Hungarian folk music scene to form Tariqa. They can freely improvise on gnawa musical patterns and have the ability to call forward the strong emotional effect of trance rituals.
Said Tichiti: voice, guembri, oud
Bede Péter: tenor saxophone
Kovács Ferenc: violin, trumpet, voice
Mészáros Ádám: guitar
Halmos András: drums

Upbeat, powerful music with Transylvanian traditional roots, with virtuoso Jew’s harp (doromb in Hungarian) playing, heavy drums and emotional violin and vocals. Their music blends ethno and organic trance. Music for your dancing feet, your hungry soul and beating heart with strong Hungarian spirit.
Zoord was founded by one of the world’s most known Jew’s harp players, Áron Szilágyi in 2014. The members of Zoord are eager to give Jew’s harp workshop and traditional dance teachings and parties at festivals.
Áron Szilágyi – Jew’s harp (doromb)
Béla Drabant – violin, vocal, zither
Krisztián Almási – drum

Anna Szlávics is a singer-songwriter from Budapest. Although she joined our project as a singer and storyteller to perform at our last Tremolo_forte project live event, her involvement in music goes back for almost two decades. Together with Tamás Rock they formed a band called Cirkusz-KA. Since 2006 they have been creating their “Dream-World Music” songs, born of their cultural roots in native Hungarian heritage and inspired by the diversity of various music influences of their region, adding a flavour of jazz.
As for her involvement in our project, she worked together with Claude Vadász from Lille, Luca Recupero from Catania, as well as with local musicians from the city of Subotica, where the final event took place: Larisa Ivanković and Lehel Nyers on percussion, Vladimir Todorović on guitar. Together they performed Claude’s latest project “Határ vadász” (Border Hunter). French songs were presented in Hungarian language. This short-, more-like a showcase program, truly represented the co-creation component of the Tremolo_Forte project.

Claude Vadász is one of the managers of the Tremolo_forte project. And a musician too. Despite his major occupation as a festival director in Lille (Wazemmes l’Accordéon festival), he always find some time for creativity expressed through his vintage Gibson guitar and his voice. Popular songs he produces, kind-of-a “new Wazemmes chansons”.
Claude is often traveling to the Hungarian-Serbian border region, due to his Hungarian roots and cultural collaborations he established in the past two decades. Upon his last visit to the province of Vojvodina, north Serbia, he was touched by the migrant crisis and experienced the “new barbwire” set up at the entrance to EU. This triggered an idea of a project, he later titled “Határ vadász” (Border Hunter), and proved to be a nice co-creation activity for the closure of the Tremolo_forte project. Anna Szlávics joined him on stage, singing his French songs in Hungarian. Also Luca Recupero from Catania playing Jewish harp, Larisa Ivanković and Lehel Nyers on percussion instruments and Vladimir Todorović on guitar.
Well done Claude, good luck with your next step in your career!

The musical project “Spartenza” is born in Marseille where the Sicilian voice of Maura Guerrera meets the Algerian multi-instrumentalist Malik Ziad, to bring us to a arid, rocky, village, somewhere between Sicily and Africa, the passage of a retammer who intones his refrain, the harvest song, the lullabies, the song of spartenza, the love songs.
These songs and rhythms of the Sicilian peasant tradition, which Maura Guerrera has selected from numerous recordings of collection, are naturally impregnated with the melodies and hypnotic rhythms of Algeria.

The band “Dobranotch” was set up in 1998 in France where a company of friends musicians from St.Petersburg, Russia was driven by wanderlust and the love of fresh musical experiences. After some years of travels the band came back to St. Petersburg to get a new lineup and new sound. “Dobranotch” performs Jewish, Gypsy and Balkan traditional music, drawing on deep knowledge of traditions, rich experience in traveling and interacting with traditional musicians from different countries.