Peggy Gou
Peggy Gou is a Renaissance spirit. At first, she got into the world of fashion, journalism, and photography, while also practicing other creative activities. Then she moved to Berlin and decided to add electronic music to the list. This doesn’t mean she forgot about her first love, fashion. She even launched a collection praised by the ex-artistic director of Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh. However, her biggest desire was to succeed in an industry dominated by men.
It might look like she became instantly famous, but it did not work that way. Years before meeting success, she built her reputation by mixing non-stop, and her affinity for diverse areas of art did not get in the way. DJing is what she does the best, and you’ll get convinced of that at Electric Castle.
Romy
With Romy in the band, The xx completely changed the musical landscape in the UK. The xx influenced a whole generation with their “less is more” approach. The success of their first album was followed by two more flawless releases. Unfortunately, after only three studio albums, the project was put on hold for an undetermined period.
Romy, the voice of The xx, started to write for pop artists, a true challenge for someone who spent their whole career writing about breakups and the dark side of the world. She even worked with Dua Lipa for “Electricity”, but then quickly realized that her songs are too personal to be played by someone else. She gradually gained trust in her talent as a solo artist and is now ready to launch her debut album. It’s a rather “clubby” positive sound, unlike The xx’s vibe, but just the perfect stuff for Electric Castle. We’ll all witness a milestone in Romy’s evolution.
Rezz
She was born in Ukraine but lived most of her life in Canada, where she started mixing at 14. Back then, she used to play music for small crowds in bars, at high school proms, or wherever there was an open spot. She caught the attention of Skrillex and Deadmau5, who you already got to see in Bonțida, with the last one having a big influence on her shows. Rezz is always wearing her LED glasses that are meant to hypnotize the audience the same way she was hypnotized by Deadmau5.
Even though she’s one of the biggest DJs in the world, she still has to face many challenges that she talks about in Underplayed, a documentary about women in the music industry. During her first years, she would receive many hateful messages, but after gaining more popularity, things got a bit better. While a female artist’s destiny can be completely destroyed by online bullying, she didn’t let the negative feedback hold her back. Instead, she is determined to inspire new coming artists to hold on to their dreams. And to hypnotize us at EC9.
Noga Erez
Her music is so diverse, and yet not too sophisticated. She started with jazz music, but after seeing what Flying Lotus can do, decided that one style is not the limit. Music is her way of processing the world. On top of all the general difficulties, she’s also in a vulnerable position as an Israeli artist, and considering the context of Palestine, has to deal with geopolitical biases as well.
She would like the world to listen to her music for what it is, not because of her nationality, but at the same time, she doesn’t want to bury her roots. Noga Erez is not a stranger to the war as she served in the military, so her song “Dance While You Shoot” is exactly what you would expect. The video was filmed in Ukraine in 2017, when life was easier there. Today, her music is even more relevant. It reminds us that we should keep dancing and appreciate the privilege of doing so.
Nova Twins
Nova Twins are not actual twins, but they are not far from it. They grew up together as good friends and one day decided to start creating music. It was not meant to be metal, punk, "grime punk” or "urban punk”, as the critics describe their music. They just wanted to play their music. The result is something different and fresh, perfect for those who shuffle playlists of all genres, especially rock and metal.
Nova Twins toured with Prophets of Rage, Enter Shikari and Skunk Anansie, and it’s a band that you must hear live to truly understand and appreciate it. Their shows are full of chaos, energy and powerful messages. By the way, “Puzzles”, from their last album, talks about sex from a woman’s perspective. This topic is often approached by men, but still taboo for women, so Nova Twins wanted to change this and released a song for “twerk and mosh”. It will be the first time the Electric Castle crowd will twerk while head-banging.
Los Bitchos
Made of four women from different parts of the world, Los Bitchos combines different music styles and cultural elements. The instrumental quartet released only one album, but their mix of psychedelic rock influences, Latin-American rhythms, and movie soundtracks from the 70s and 80s was praised by critics. Rolling Stone wrote that “Los Bitchos already conquered the Globe. You just haven’t heard of them yet”.
This title doesn’t describe their popularity, but the power of their music. It’s not easy to play Latin-American music and surf rock, so we expect them to reach fame very soon. You got to see many bands on their path to success at Electric Castle, and now you’ll see Los Bitchos right before turning into superstars.
