Festival Guide: New discoveries!
Seven new musical crushes that await you.
In a few weeks, Oslo World will fill the city with concerts and club events on the best stages we have. The program is packed with experiences – whether you're looking to experience something you've never heard before, see a true legend, or throw yourself on the dance floor.
Ahead of the festival, we're sharing some guides that might be able to guide you through this year's many experiences. This time: New discoveries.
Nothing brings the body and soul to life quite like experiencing something completely new at a concert. This year's program offers lots of possibilities: from a super talent with deep Louisiana roots to the sharpest band on Togo's thriving metal scene. And, of course, Japanese and Korean psych, a singing sensation from Tanzania, acidic Colombian electro-folk and groovy, Paris-based avant-gardism. Take a chance on something new in week 44!
A tribal psych rock sensation, the Japanese trio KUUNATIC combine tribal drums, pulsing bass, atmospheric keyboards, and haunting vocals with traditional Japanese instruments like the sho, ryuteki, and wadaiko. With this vast array of influences, they tell tales of worlds unknown, exploring the planet Kuurandia.
Formed by three female members with completely different musical and cultural backgrounds, KUUNATIC released their debut album Gate of Klüna on Glitterbeat Records a couple of years ago, and april this year, the follow-up Wheels of Ömon dropped. Expanding on the mythology of their first album Gate of Klüna, the trio continues to explore the planet Kuurandia and its celestial companions, conjuring tales of prophecy, magical lakes, and fleeting seasons within a 45-hour orbit of the sun Ömon. Wheels of Ömon is a bold, genre-crossing creation—part rock opera, part myth, part science fiction. Live, they go even further, inviting the listener to lose themselves, both in body and mind.
Leyla McCalla offers a fresh and challenging perspective on roots music, combining folk, jazz, and classical elements with the Louisiana musical traditions of her adopted New Orleans home. Born in New York City to Haitian emigrants and activists, the singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist finds inspiration from her past and present– her music vibrates with three centuries of history and influences from around the globe.
McCalla possesses a stunning mastery of the cello, tenor banjo and guitar and, as a multilingual singer and songwriter, has risen to produce a distinctive sound that reflects the union of her roots and experience. Check out her newest album, Sun Without the Heat – it is playful and full of joy while holding the pain and tension of transformation. Throughout the album's ten tracks, she plays with melodies and rhythms derived from various forms of Afro-diasporic music including Afrobeat, Ethiopian modalities, Brazilian Tropicalismo, and American folk and blues.
This metal fusion band represents a new, extreme West African sound, both rooted in regional rhythmic cultures like Gazo and Blekete, as well as being deeply immersed in the metal universe of the 80s and 90s. The rhythms and sounds of the land make up the cultural base of the band’s music - called “asrafocore”, meaning the music of the warriors. Their values are conveyed in the groups hard hitting lyrics, written in Ewe (one of the languages of Togo), English, and the occasional nod to French.
Arka'n Asrafokor are musical explorers, constantly playing around with different facets of metal, between trash, speed, Neo and death influences. Between guttural vocals and rapped flows, heavy riffs and regional rhythms, they represent something new on the rapidly growing, global metal scene. There are also rhythmic parts where the percussion instruments take over the rage of the guitars, and moments of grace with acoustic solos and fluid Afrofunk.
Pendo and Leah Zawose, the two members of Zawose Queens, are true musical trailblazers. They showcase the fluid polyrhythms and polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the Dodoma region of central Tanzania. The most famous exponent of this tradition is the late, great Dr. Hukwe Zawose - Pendo’s father and Leah’s grandfather. When The Zawose Queens released their debut album Maisha in 2024, it marked the first time that women from this famous musical family took the place as lead vocalists and performers.
The Zawose Queens perform their songs on traditional instruments, such as soaring chizeze fiddle, buzzing illimba thumb piano, ngoma drums that chatter and thunder — with voices that go deep, high and out there. There's a connection to nature, ceremony and ritual, in their dance-inspired fusion which blends modern-day electronic sounds with acoustic instruments. They sing in their native language kigogo, of the passion for music, the wonders of life, pride in environment and their East African roots.
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. DJ Bacalao and Miss Balanta will be in charge of the music before and after the concert, so get ready to dance all night long!
Ko Shin Moon is born at the crossroads of traditional Eastern strings and electronic music machines, building on a vast legacy of experimental soundscapes and boundary-pushing artistry. From their headquarters in Paris, Moon and Myriam El Moumni (synths/machines) create futuristic, hybrid melodies, mixing psychedelia with space disco and cold wave. On stage, their distinct musical universe becomes an immersive listening and dancing experience. Their live performances have thrilled audiences at multiple French and international avant-garde music festivals, and they have toured all across Europe, North-Africa, the Levant and Canada.
Fra sitt hovedkvarter i Paris skaper Moon og Myriam El Moumni (synther/maskiner) futuristiske, melodiske melodier, ispedd psykedelia, space disco og cold wave. Deres distinkte og eksentriske musikalske univers appellerer både til avantgardemusikkfestivaler og til klubben.
Read more and get your tickets here!
Korean shamanic funk, K-folk pop or Korean psychedelic – many have tried to define the sound of ADG7 (Ak Dan Gwang Chil) from South Korea. Blending tradition with vibrant pop flair, the eight-member ensemble are known for their electrifying performances and bold reimagining of Korean ritual and folk music.
They were formed in 2015 to mark Korea’s 70th year of liberation - “Gwang” means “national liberation” while “chil” (the number seven) refers to the 70th anniversary. The group draws inspiration from the sacred gut (shamanic rituals) and minyo (folk songs) of the Hwanghae Province, channeling spiritual energy through soaring vocals, hypnotic melodies, intensely colored costumes and dynamic choreography.
Read more and get your tickets here!
