Nox arabica with DJ Ipek Ipekgioglu + Nomad SoundSystem

At the closing and finale of MaerzMusik 2010 the Mistress of Ceremonies Ipek, from BerlinIstan and Nomad SoundSystem will head off on a foray through diverse Arabic and Arab-esque musical landscapes. The journey – we hope – will lead into a long night of transcultural exploration.

DJ Ipek Ipekgioglu + Nomad SoundSystem

Karim Sfaxi, vocals / percussion

David Beck, guitar / Guembre / oud / percussion

Tomoki Ikeda, laptop / FX

Miloud Messabih, percussion / accordion / vocals

Thorsten Lastinger, electric bass

It was the mid-nineties as DJ Ipek Ipekcioglu, a pioneer of “OrAsian music,” changed the multilayered Berlin club scene. Gradually her eclectic music and characteristic mixes turned into a foundation for the new music style that emerged eleven years ago in Berlin’s clubs and nightlife.Ipek takes her audience on an aural journey through different cultures of the orient, the Balkans and Turkey along with side trips to the UK and the US. The award-winning and internationally acclaimed artist hasn’t been called the "Master of Ceremonies of cross-cultural understanding" or "musical and political visionary” for nothing; she transcends clichés and pop export trends.

The She-Jay Ipek Ipekcioglu, who compiled the CD series "Beyond Istanbul", includes a variety of music styles in her sets: FolkelektroFusion, Gypsy Funk & Break Beats & Pop, House and Berlin electro and minimal, whether in New York, in Siberia, in the deserts of Mali, Salvador de Bahia, Stockholm, Istanbul, Glasgow, Cairo, Beijing or Berlin, whether Christians, Muslims, Jews or atheists Ipek makes her audiences go wild.

Nomad SoundSystem offers an interdisciplinary mix of electronic club-grooves and passionate Arabic live music. The amazing array of styles in Nomad SoundSystem’s repertoire is matched only by the varied cultural backgrounds of its members: Algeria, Tunisia, Japan and Berlin. Rai, drum'n'bass, oriental electronic sounds, rock, dub and Moroccan Gnawa-trance blend into a coherent urban mix, hard western beats meet eastern inspired melodies and vice versa. Ethnic? Electric? Eclectic? Nomad SoundSystem defies all stereotypes and labels and sees itself as representative of a modern, international pop music: Oriental Future Pop.

Berliner Festspiele in cooperation with the Haus der Kulturen der Welt