Concert Report – Freestyle Festival in the basement of Waidhofen Castle

On December 22, the Vorderband Cultural Association invited people to attend an edition of the “Back to the Roots” series of events in the basement of Rothschild Castle. The series was launched in 2009 by brothers Christoph and Peter Krakauer to give hip-hop, funk, soul and jazz a space in the cultural scene of Ibstal.

At peak times there were monthly events in Waidhoven and so-called “away matches” from Vienna to Tyrol. In recent years, the pace of events has stabilized at one event per year, according to organizer Peter Krakauer, due to lack of time and fitness. For night life. “Since then, we've always done it on the last Friday before Christmas,” Krakauer says. “A lot of people who are now living elsewhere are returning home, so this is the perfect time for us. Even if it becomes more difficult in terms of time, we will continue to do this for ourselves, for the circle of friends from that time and of course for the people of Waidhofen.

Over the years, many high-profile Austrian and international acts have followed the Cultural Association's invitation to Waidhoven, including this time. After Back-to-the-Roots founders DJs Funky Pete and Stoog, rapper and producer LUX, who comes from Waidhofen and now lives in Graz, takes the microphone. Backed by Funky Pete at the DJ desk, LUX performed some tracks from his demo EP “Nachtdachgewächs” as well as his long-awaited debut album. The young musician interjected many references to the sound of hip-hop's golden age into his detailed productions, making it a very fitting introduction to the rest of the evening.

Da Staummtisch has presented a new album

The second live show of the evening was by Linz's band Da Staummtisch. Accompanied by DJ Dan from Texta, the three presenters Antrue, Rolee and Freistil presented their latest album “Nirwana”, which was released last November on Tonträger Records. With driving, sample-based beats and everyday notes delivered with a smart accent, the Linzers easily captivated the crowd at the sold-out Schlosskeller.

Finally, Spax's group followed. With the Hanoverian rapper, the Förderband cultural association has managed to obtain the ultimate hip-hop. Spax was already seen as a freestyle specialist in the German hip-hop scene of the 1990s and was released, among others, on Hamburg's Motor Music label. In addition to his intelligent freestyle rap, Spax has also made a name for himself through his political and social commitment, for example against sexism and racism. So it was not surprising that the rapper, who performed a large part of his set in the audience, also addressed a few words to the Waidhoven audience in which he spoke out, among other things, against anti-Semitism and ageism. discrimination.

The evening came to a relaxing end with DJ sets from Funky Pete and Stoog, and the next “Back to the Roots” event is already scheduled for December 20, 2024.