Dälek

Dälek is a pure hip-hop band with atypical approach to musical base for their tracks. Musically, they can be characterized as something between My Bloody Valentine, Public Enemy, Einstürzende Neubauten and Death Grips. Six months back, they released a new album Endangered Philosophies which AllMusic describes as “another triumphant, socially relevant album from the masters of industrial shoegaze hip-hop.” Dälek will introduce Pohoda 2018 visitors to the new album accompanied by a phenomenal jazz saxophonist Mats Gustafsson.

14. March 2018

Experimental hip-hop band Dälek formed in 1998 in Newark, NJ, around a lineup of Dälek (Will Brooks), Oktopus (Alap Momin) and Joshua Booth. After a hiatus, the band appeared on the scene again in 2015 with lineup featuring MC Dälek, DJ rEK and Mike Manteca. In 2016, they released LP Asphalt for Eden. In Drowned in Sound review, the album received 8 out of 10 points and was described as follows: “their sound is as murky, brutal and strangely melodic as ever.” Just a year later, they released album Endangered Philosophies. According to PopMatters this is “an album that sees the act truly return to form.” While they explore serious social issues of today, the album as a whole is not completely dystopian. They ask listeners to fight against the evil and as PopMatters adds in the review, “the darkest times could lead to an inner revolution for individuals, resulting in better times during the future.” The band will play their new music at Pohoda accompanied by a top-class saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, who collaborated with Sonic Youth, is the winner of the 2011 Nordic Council Music Prize and is known for his exceptionally fierce improvisations.