Venue: La Fabrika, Komunardů 1001, 170 00, Prague 7 – Holešovice
Time: Doors open 19:00, Live music headliner 20:00
Food, beer and wine courtesy of Czech Radio
The musical programme of the Monday Radio Night party hosted by Czech Radio will be led by young talents determined to conquer the world. Czech Radio, public service radio broadcaster and main host partner of Radiodays Europe 2023, decided to give a voice to musicians from the local emerging alternative scene, of which it has been a long-time supporter.
In the former industrial complex La Fabrika, a diverse line-up awaits Radiodays guests in not just one but two concert halls. The more lively stage 1 will be rocked by the epic arrangements of art-pop singer Aiko and a colourful dance set from club magician Kewu. On stage 2 at the other end of the venue, you can dive into the delicate ambient sound of pianist dné, followed by electronic music nerd DJ Koxoy with his chillout mix.
Aiko, one of the Czech Republic’s most distinctive young singers, has been shaped by different cultural backgrounds and it shows in her musically and visually diverse work. Her atmospheric sound, hypnotic voice, euphoric refrains, rich pop arrangements and highly stylized music videos captivated not only the jury of the Czeching music competition organized by Czech Radio’s youth station Radio Wave, which sent her to the Eurosonic Noordeslag showcase festival in Groningen, Germany, but also the audiences at prestigious international festivals such as Sziget and Waves Vienna. But it doesn’t end with the borders of Europe for Aiko. In April, she became the first Czechoslovak artist to be included in Spotify’s Equal campaign, which, among many other things, meant Aiko filled a sky-high billboard on Times Square.
Now an experienced performer, she started out busking at festivals or on the street alone with an acoustic guitar. She recalls her creative beginnings with humour: “I always talk about a video from my childhood where I point at myself in the mirror and say ‘now you sing, girl’.” Now, the music production student at London’s Westminster University has a full length album, Expiration Date, and many successful singles to her name, which she put together with producer Steven Ansell of the Brighton indie-rock outfit Blood Red Shoes. Her lyrics, which she writes in English and occasionally in Czech, strongly reflect themes of feminism and female empowerment that are close to her heart. Unsurprisingly, she lists Aurora and Florence and the Machine among her influences. Aiko is written with the kanji characters “love (愛)” and “child (子)” and means “a person who loves others”.
Dné´s meditative ambient production mixed with electronic song writing has long surpassed the boundaries of the Czech music scene. His debut record These Semi Feelings, They Are Everywhere, released on the German label Majestic Casual, not only earned him praise by international media outlets and several music awards, but has garnered 10 million listens on Spotify. Ondřej Holý builds lush, melancholic instrumental soundscapes around a core of handclaps and piano. Track titles like “Asos Model Crush” transform the mundane into poetic personal observations, as he samples everyday sounds and elevates all the small things in life into beautifully chilled compositions.
DJs and hosts of the Czech Radio´s youth station Radio Wave Kewu and Koxoy are two of the key figures of the Prague club scene. The mixes of the former include a selection of the most contemporary genres of club music, grime, rap or Brazilian baile funk. Kewu has played alongside names such as Tommy Genesis, Sophie, Badgyal, Omar Souleyman and Kingdom. Koxoy’s character and vast store of knowledge in electronic genres make him a crowd favorite on the airwaves and as master of the dancefloor.
Czeching is a project focused on music export curated by Radio Wave. Its goal is to support up and coming bands and help them break onto international stages and into the playlists of European radio stations. Essentially, Czeching is a helping hand outstretched towards the local music scene. Radio Wave has been providing opportunities for the best acts on the Czech progressive scene to make important steps towards international audiences and listeners since 2013. Czeching grants its winners a chance to create and release a professional recording of their music as well as a music video, takes care of media support, sends them out to the biggest European showcase festival Eurosonic Noorderslag and opens the doors to European radios.
Czech Radio is thrilled to be able to invite you to Monday Radio Night as part of Radiodays Europe 2023 and, with its youth station Radio Wave, showcase the best of young, fresh Czech music. Join us on Monday 27 March at La Fabrika listen, enjoy.
