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W.I.T.C.H.1970s psychedelic rock pioneers W.I.T.C.H. were the forerunners of a subgenre of African music known as Zamrock. Taking inspiration from artists like Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer, they forged a sound all their own through personal innovations like funky basslines and screaming organ melodies, with lyrics that often recalled the light-hearted fun of ‘50s surf rock.
Zamrock was a new type of psychedelic rock that married American blues guitar styles with British heavy metal pacing and German prog complexity. According to Zambian music lecturer Lunga Sianagowa, Zambia did not have many recording studios throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s. The difficult process and production of Zamrock, which had to be recorded and produced in Kenya, helped to create its distinctive lo-fi sound.
W.I.T.C.H. led a musical revolution with Zamrock that was as fierce as it was short-lived. A mixture of political censorship and the AIDS epidemic, which took the lives of some of W.I.T.C.H.’s original members, forced Zamrock into the underground. Most of the movement's biggest bands had disbanded by the 1990s.
A newfound appreciation of psychedelic rock and lo-fi recording in the late 2010s brought W.I.T.C.H. to a global audience that had yet to see its importance during its heyday.
W.I.T.C.H. has reformed, with original member Emanyeo “Jagari” Chanda joined by a new lineup to revive the spirit of Zamrock. As they say in the closing track of their 2023 album Zango, the band has been reborn “like the story of the Phoenix, the bird from the ashes.”
Never Plenty
West Coast punks Never Plenty wield groovy bass lines like a weapon, backed up with psychedelic guitar licks and plenty of wah. The echo-tube caterwaul vocals and spaced riffs will make you wonder how deep the fuzz war hole goes. With tunes as welcoming as a beach read, Never Plenty will have you surfing through an ocean of krautrock bliss.
Ginger Beef
Retro-pop duo Ginger Beef released their debut album towards the end of 2023. The band combines the virtuosic flute-playing of Jiajia Li and the auteurish production style of producer/multi-instrumentalist Warren Tse (also known as MSG). Together, they make the kind of old-school instrumental music at the intersection of Lunar New Year and an after-hours club.
Pearly Moon
Merging retro vibes with a modern edge, Pearly Moon is the latest recording project from Patrick Earles. Their 2024 debut release Tragicomedy weaves cosmic melodies and hypnotic rhythms into new anthems like “Sophia,” the latest entry to the psychedelic love song lexicon. This one’s for sonic explorers and lo-fi enthusiasts alike.
Aladean Kheroufi
Aladean Kheroufi's pop-forward soul channels the smooth allure of a ‘70s social club, inviting listeners to dance away their heartbreak. His contemporary minimalist take on funk delivers laid-back party anthems infused with a hint of forlorn hope and a velvety touch.
Blume
Recording under the name Blume, Arthur Bennell creates blissful, psychedelic landscapes in the same vein as Spacemen 3 or early Spiritualized. Making his long-awaited Calgary debut at this year’s Sled Island, you will be entranced as hypnotic reverb layers of krautrock and shoegaze wash over you.
Ryan Bourne & The Plant City Band
Calgary psych prodigy Ryan Bourne brought his quirky touch to projects like Ghostkeeper and Hair Control for over a decade. On 2023’s Plant City, Bourne recruited Chad VanGaalen and Chris Dadge to co-produce a strutting garage pop odyssey. The five-piece Plant City Band brings this dream to hazy, beautiful life.
About Sled Island:
Sled Island is an annual five-day independent music and arts festival in Calgary, Alberta that brings together a community of music, comedy, film and art with over 30,000 attendees in multiple venues across the city. For more information, visit SledIsland.com.
Upon entering a festival venue, the passholder agrees to being photographed, filmed or recorded in that venue, and agrees to the publication, reproduction, distribution and broadcast of all photographs, video or other recordings of the passholder's voice or likeness without further notice or compensation in any publicity, advertisement or other publication carried-out by, or on behalf of, Sled Island and in perpetuity in any manner and media whatsoever, including print, broadcast or internet.
Everyone has the right to feel safe and included at Sled Island. All festival attendees must abide by Sled Island's safer spaces and inclusion policy and agree to the code of conduct, which can be found at SledIsland.com/SaferSpaces.
Sled Island acknowledges Calgary as the traditional territory of the Blackfoot and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Ĩyãħé Nakoda First Nations, including the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Goodstoney First Nations. Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
#1 Royal Canadian Legion, 116 7th Ave. SE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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