My Voice, My Weapon Of Choice!
For the first time this year, March 8th in Berlin will be a public holiday, giving us all the more reason to celebrate this momentous day. Which is exactly what the Berlin-based Pralinen collective has been doing for the past four years with its potent "Jenseits von Nelken und Pralinen" (transl. "Beyond the Carnations and the Chocolates") festival.
Founded back in 2016, the annual event takes place on International Women's Day and is steadily gaining momentum. While, internationally speaking, the global movement and ongoing battle for women's rights and gender equality has definitely advanced over the past few years, visibility for women in music remains disappointingly low. A look at current club and festival line-ups continues to suggest that there is a deficit of female musicians, DJs and MCs.
This is one of the issues the collective's consciously curated festival aims to change. "My voice, my weapon of choice," is the festival's rallying cry as it brings 9 international female MCs to the stage at YAAM Berlin, handing over the mic for them to spread their powerful messages, ideas and art. It's time to set the record straight.
This year's programme includes Barcelona's urban rap/flamenco trap sensation Tribade (watch "Mujeres" below), Valencia's vicious rap crew Machete en Boca (watch "To' Lo Etiquetáis" here), class Californian electro-rap act Drowning Dog and Malatesta (watch "Power" here), Berlin's Loop Station and beatbox addict Lisaholic (watch "Push My Button" here) and fellow Berlin future bass/rap/trap/grime activist Kaye of Spoke & Kaye (watch "Jax" here). The aftershow party will feature the marvellous border-crossing duo of Eli Pavel & Freak Ass E on the decks as well as a live techno/emolektra set by Nomi Elektra. Click here to visit the official event page and here to secure your tickets.
And, in case you were wondering what's up with the carnations and the chocolates? Well, back in the days of the GDR, it used to be customary for women to receive carnations, various accolades and boxes of chocolates on Women's Day. But enough of the past. This here is the present fighting for a better future. It's time to speak up!
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