ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (Top40 Charts/ Rotterdam Festivals Official Website) The third edition of Buma Rotterdam Beats will take place on 15, 16 and 17 November. The organisers of the international business platform and showcase festival for hip hop, r&b, soul, reggae and dubstep, expect this edition to show real growth for an event that is already firmly established as a central meeting point for all things urban. "Although we've only existed for a relatively short time, the growing international response is encouraging and very promising," said festival director
Roger Brouwn.
Following in the footsteps of partner festivals Eurosonic Noorderslag and the Amsterdam Dance Event, Buma Rotterdam Beats aims to establish itself as the leading European platform within its genre group. At the second edition of Buma Rotterdam Beats in November 2011, 600 conference delegates from around the world came together to network, do business and exchange experience and knowledge. Alongside that, the nighttime festival attracted 3,200 people, with the total number of visitors increasing by 15% compared to the event's debut in 2010. Artists and speakers included soul singer Charles Bradley, producer Om'Mas Keith, 50 Cent's DJ Whoo Kid, DJ Chuckie, Munchi, Action Bronson, Gers Pardoel,
Kraantje Pappie and Sticks.
Last year Buma Rotterdam Beats successfully placed itself at the centre of a growing international network for these globally-significant musical movements. The daytime event attracted bookers, publishers, managers and artists from both Holland and abroad who discussed the most important topics and issues in their genres, closed deals, and discovered new talents and trends. Buma Rotterdam Beats is increasingly known as a place where new sounds and talents are discovered. At the second edition, for example, a significant feature was the growing success of the Dutch-rooted tropical bass scene. And one of the event's home-grown headliners - rapper
Kraantje Pappie - has gone on to release a widely praised debut album and has also managed to get booked at the Czech festival Hip Hop Kemp as a result of his roaring live performance in Rotterdam.
In an interview with MTV British hip hop sensation Piff Gang declared that their performance at Buma Rotterdam Beats was 'the highlight of the year'. Being booked in Rotterdam also meant that the much talked-about London rappers had their first real breakthrough with an international audience. The American hip hop sensation Action Bronson, performing for the first time in the Netherlands, was immediately offered new European bookings after his sensational live set. And American music researcher and keynote speaker Wayne Marshall made contact with DJ Chuckie and other key figures during the festival, contacts that will contribute to his long-running scientific study of the Dutch roots of international club music.
The third edition of Buma Rotterdam Beats will once again be kicked-off by the annual Dutch
State Awards, the highly regarded prize-giving gala organized by BNN and Buma. This year's Buma Rotterdam Beats program will again consist of a combination of a vibrant and relevant industry conference, a festival, a talent program and various sub-programs, with the whole city acting as a stage.
Buma Rotterdam Beats is organized by the Buma Rotterdam Beats Foundation, an initiative of Buma and Nieuwe Oogst, and is supported by Sena. For more information about the festival and conference, including the successful previous editions visit www.buma-rotterdam-beats.nl
This event is also part of the yearly agenda of Rotterdam Festivals. For a complete overview visit www.rotterdamfestivals.nl
