DJ GRAZZHOPPA'S DJ BIGBAND

line up

• DJ BoulaOne (turntable)
• DJ Courtasock (turntable)
• DJ GRAZZHOPPA (truntable)
• DJ Iron (turntable)
• DJ J to the C (turntable)
• DJ Lamont (turntable)
• DJ Mixmonster Menno (truntable)
• DJ Optimus (turntable)
• DJ Smimooz (turntable)
• DJ Vindictiv (turntable)
• DJ XXL (turntable)
• DJ Yzerbeat (turntable)
• Frederik Heirman (trombone)
• LAILA AMEZIAN (vocalist)
• Laurent Blondiau (trumpet)
• MONIQUE HARCUM (vocalist)
• Nicolas Kummert (saxophone)

• country:
  Belgium
• region or city:
  Central Europe
• style(s):
  Ethnic Hip Hop
• label:
  Cypres Records
• type:
  Band
• artist submitted by:
  Aubergine Artist Management

Since 2003 DJ Grazzhoppa's DJ Bigband has been on a journey crossing both musical and geographical borders. This orchestra of 12 dj's takes turntablism out of the traditional hiphop context. They presented this musical extravaganza everywhere in Europe from legendary festivals as Roskilde, Lowlands and Jazz Middelheim to opera houses and theatres as La Monnaie in Brussels and Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome. This unique combo creates their own musical univers by working together with various artists and by reassembling sounds from different musical genres, styles and cultures. In 2010 DJ Grazzhoppa's DJ Bigband will create a new project - in smaller formation 6 DJ's + 1 VJ - that will take them "Back to Scratch".
With their latest project 'Around the world in 80 beats' the dj's of DJ Grazzhoppa's DJ Bigband continue their search for new possibilities of the turntable.
To give this project a solid foundation, the 12 'turntablists' were asked to pick out samples from different continents with a wide range of music genres. Together with recordings of some of Belgium finest jazz musicians as Michel Hatzigeorgiou (bass) and Jozef Dumoulin (Fender Rhodes) those samples are used on stage as 'tools' for new improvised compositions. It is composer/musician Erwin Vann who directs this collective live improvisation towards an exceptional fusion of sounds and rhythms. Live the bigband is enforced by the amazing vocals of Monique Harcum and Laila Amezian, a saxophone (Nicolas Kummert), trumpet (Laurent Blondiau) and trombone (Frederik Heirman).
Out of an assortment of melodies, rhythms and sounds from all over the world, eras and cultures DJ Grazzhoppa's DJ Bigband extracts his own musical language. You hear an extraordinary blend of nitty gritty scratch music, hip hop, experimental jazz, Oriental chanting, soul power and Arabic verses. Once again DJ Grazzhoppa's DJ Bigband extends their pallet of sounds. A unique trip around the world!

Links

• Official website
• Official myspace page