Palestinian shamstep group 47Soul, rapper Unge Beirut, Colombian-British music collective Mestizo and Bhangra stars Angrej Ali and Sarika Gill are ready for Oslo Mela's main stage in August.
Read about the artists here:
47Soul
- Shamstep with razor-sharp lyrics and political messages
More than a decade ago, the Palestinian music collective 47Soul created a musical movement based on an innovative pan-Arab genre, political awareness and a clear message of freedom and dignity for all people.
The genre they created was called "shamstep", a blend of dabke folk music, shaabi folk dance music, electronica, hip hop and dubstep, and always with a political message. In doing so, 47Soul laid the foundations for the new Arab party music that both looks hopefully to the future, but also nurtures its historical roots and draws inspiration from the traditional dabke genre, which has historically served as both party and protest music.
47Soul is known for creating huge parties and is guaranteed to get the whole of Rådhusplassen moving to their raw beats, psychedelic synths, catchy melodies and groove. Their powerful lyrics in English and Arabic about equality and freedom seem more important than in a very long time.
Angrej Ali + Sarika Gill
- Bhangra for all your money
Both Angrej Ali and Sarika Gill have made a name for themselves with catchy hits and danceable rhythms, and a little piece of bhangra history will be written when the two share the stage for the first time. Of course, this is happening at Oslo Mela, and with a little producer help from Aman Hayer, Rådhusplassen is guaranteed to be transformed into a huge dance floor in August.
Songwriter, producer and singer Angrej Ali also goes by the nickname "The Powerhouse", largely thanks to his powerful voice and energetic performances. With the song "Tharti Hilde", he sang his way into the musical top tier, but also hits like "Phattey Chak", "Nachdi de" and "Jatt Di Akh" ensure good cooking on dance floors around the world.
With songs about love, heartbreak and personal strength Sarika Gill sings her way into the hearts of her listeners. Her experimentation with modern pop music, Caribbean rhythms and traditional Punjabi music has helped set new trends for the bhangra genre, and thanks to hits like "Badmash", "Lahore" and "Gora Rang", she's established herself as one of today's great female bhangra artists.
Young Beirut
- Danceable beats and Arabic melodies
With roots from both Palestine and Lebanon, Unge Beirut takes the melodic sound of the Middle East and mixes it with Western hip hop. This has made him both one of Norwegian rap's most interesting and ambitious voices, but also a front figure for the southern Norwegian rap community.
Young Beirut, or Elias Tchaba as his real name is, was nominated for a Spellemann award for his debut album "Hevnen Er Søt, Men Jeg Tilgir Deg" in 2018. In 2019, he released the hit song "Lowkey/Highkey" and several singles and releases, including "Himmelen Remix", which premiered on the NRK P3 program "HAIK". His second album "Du Ødela Det Eneste Nydelige" (D.Ø.D.E.N) was released in 2021, followed by the short film "Gutten Som Levde Evig", made in connection with the album.
Now the young rapper with hard-hitting lyrics and a soft southern dialect has released his album "Fra Midtøstens Paris" with a message of both seriousness and hope.
Mestizo
- Improvisational and rhythmic music that blends traditions and genres
For the past four years, saxophonist and founder of the group Steam Down, Ahnansé, and multi-instrumentalist and head of Mambo Negro Records, Daniel Michel, have been building a musical bridge between their two musical worlds and together creating a new sound based on Colombian folk music, London jazz and hip hop.
Mestizo is a creative and musical collective that merges Colombian music traditions such as currulao and cumbia, with swinging salsa, lyrical rap, a dose of funk and unpredictable electronica and jazz improvisations. The London-based collective is made up of 13 musicians and singers from different backgrounds and traditions, and together they draw thick lines from the city's Afro-Latin community, via the hip-hop scene and to Colombian folk music. The result is groovy and funky music blended with indigenous traditions, British diaspora music and Caribbean rhythms.