Indus (+ DJs BACALAO & Miss Balanta)

With acid-drenched synths and deep grooves, the Colombian electro-folk duo Indus blends ancestral Afro-Colombian rhythms with analog electronics. Formed by producer Oscar Alford and percussionist Franklin Tejedor from San Basilio de Palenque, the Bogotá-based project reimagines traditional sounds through synths and live Afro-percussion.

Their explosive live performances take the listeners through Colombia’s rich musical heritage. Sounds ranging from Champeta-inspired Techno to Downtempo by way from Currulao and Afro-pop, strongly influenced by the numerous elements of African and Afro-descendant cultures permeating Colombia: Mapalé rhythms, the Picotera culture surrounding Champeta and even the sung dances of San Basilio de Palenque.

Since their 2020 debut album Indus, the duo has released three singles and two EPs on the Afro-Colombian label Palenque Records, featuring collaborations with folk icons like El León Pardo, Las Alegres Ambulancias, and Sexteto Tabalá. Alford, a Caribbean-born producer, has worked with artists including Sidestepper, Ghetto Kumbé, and Nidia Góngora. Indus has performed at major festivals like Colombia al Parque, Mutek Montreal, Fusion Festival, Nuits Sonores and Virada Cultural. In 2024, their second album Negra dropped. It was a powerful confirmation that Indus is here to stay – their mission to forge new sonic paths rooted in Colombia’s vibrant, diverse musical traditions is not done.

DJ Bacalao:

From the Colombian Caribbean, we meet BACALAO - a music researcher of rhythms around the world and their roots to African sounds. He mixes new indie disco beats through a journey on vintage and alternative Afro Caribbean rhythms. In his sets, he tells the story of cumbia and the evolution of the rhythm in every beat per minute. for this ocassion he will explore the Afro-Brazilian rhythms. He has been djing in several festivals and venues in Colombia and Norway, seducing the dancer and the listener to move their bodies.

Miss Balanta:

Miss Balanta is a Colombian multidisciplinary artist,cultural producer, fashion performer, and sommelier-in- training. Born in Cali, the world’s salsa capital, she has an uncanny ability to move freely between art forms. After moving to Oslo six years ago, she reconnected with her Afro-Caribbean roots through music, discovering a city with little of the salsa brava, descarga, boogaloo, guabanco, and guaracha she grew up dancing. Guided by the right people and the right groove, she began DJing and performing, bringing raw salsa and Afro-Latin rhythms to Oslo’s dance floors. Today, Miss Balanta not only celebrates her heritage but also reshapes narratives of what it means to be Latin and Afro-Latin in Norway showing that our sound is more than salsa.

Casablanca 303

Alejandro, kjent som Casablanca 303, er en Bogotá-født produsent og DJ innen elektronisk musikk, basert i Oslo, Norge. Siden han startet prosjektet sitt i 2014, har han utviklet en særegen lyd som blander elementer fra house, deep house, jazz, acid house, krautrock og disco. Med utgivelser på Cocuy Records, Badabing Diskos, Mhost Likely, Lab Cleaning Jams og Soul Clap Records, fortsetter han å flytte grensene for elektronisk musikk. Etter å ha spilt på ledende colombianske scener og festivaler sammen med internasjonale artister som Vitalic og Groove Armada, har han nå etablert seg som en del av den norske musikkscenen, med opptredener på klubber som Jæger, The Villa og Dattera til Hagen. Kjent for sine dynamiske sett og fremtidsrettede tilnærming, fortsetter Casablanca 303 å lage musikk som utfordrer konvensjoner og skaper kontakt med publikum verden over.