PARTNER COUNTRIES 2025
In 2025, we’re excited to welcome special guests from Taiwan and Estonia, alongside our long-standing partner countries – Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Including this year’s UpBeat Award winner, a total of 15 top-notch acts from the global world music, jazz and alternative scene will take the stage.
TAIWAN
Taiwan’s Music: A Journey Through the Island’s Diverse Sounds, from Tradition to Modernity
When people in Europe think of Asian music, what usually comes to mind are traditional Chinese instruments, Japanese pop culture, or the global phenomenon of K-pop from Korea. But just off the coast of East Asia lies Taiwan—a small island once called Ilha Formosa (“Beautiful Island”) by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. Today, Taiwan not only stuns with its natural beauty but also surprises with a rich and dynamic music scene. From ancient Indigenous chants to cutting-edge electronic experiments, from indie rock to Mandarin pop music that dominates the Chinese-speaking world, Taiwan’s music is increasingly gaining international recognition.
Taiwan’s musical diversity stems from its complex and multicultural history. Indigenous peoples have lived on the island for thousands of years, preserving traditions rooted in nature and spirit. Over time, waves of Chinese migration, Japanese colonial rule, and Western influence have created a unique cultural blend. Today’s musicians continue this legacy—merging traditional sounds with modern creativity to shape Taiwan’s musical identity on the global stage.
Indigenous Music: The Soul of Taiwan’s Earliest Sounds
Indigenous music is one of Taiwan’s oldest and most powerful musical traditions. Taiwan is home to more than 16 Indigenous ethnic groups, each with its own language, customs, and musical style—offering a rich variety of sounds rarely found elsewhere in Asia.
The Paiwan people, in southern Taiwan, are known for their stunning multi-part vocal harmonies. These a cappella songs, performed without any instruments, use layered voices to create a sound that’s deeply moving—often compared to church choirs. Paiwan vocal groups have performed in music festivals across Europe, sharing stories of identity, belief, and history through song.
Meanwhile, the Amis people, based mainly in eastern Taiwan, are famous for their cheerful, rhythmic dance songs. With simple and repetitive melodies, Amis music is all about participation and community, often performed in large group dances. Recently, some musicians have combined Amis vocals with electronic beats—creating a new kind of music that maintains cultural roots while embracing modern sounds. These innovative blends have caught the attention of international audiences, especially in Europe and North America.
Perhaps the most unique example is the Bunun tribe’s “eight-part harmony”, a vocal technique developed through their agricultural and hunting traditions. This rare form of polyphonic singing reflects their deep connection with nature and has been praised as one of the world’s most original musical expressions—often described as “the closest thing to humanity’s first voice.”
Taiwan’s Indie Scene: From Local Underground to Global Attention
Taiwan’s indie music scene has grown rapidly over the past decade, gaining international fans with its bold experimentation and fresh creativity. Independent musicians in Taiwan aren’t afraid to mix genres—rock, jazz, electronic, funk—and the results are often unexpected and exciting.
Styles like psychedelic rock and retro-inspired pop (often called “City Pop”) have especially resonated with listeners in Europe and the U.S. These genres often feature dreamy synths, groovy basslines, and nostalgic moods—creating music that feels both vintage and modern.
Another standout is math rock, a technically complex style known for its intricate rhythms and detailed guitar work. Taiwanese math rock bands use pure instrumental performances to express emotion and energy, making their music accessible even without lyrics. Their intense live shows and musicianship have attracted fans at festivals around the world.
Taiwan also hosts a number of vibrant music festivals each year—such as Megaport Festival, Wake Up Festival, and Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival—which bring together local and international artists. These events have helped turn Taiwan into one of Asia’s key creative hubs for independent music.
World Music Innovation: Reimagining Tradition
Many Taiwanese musicians are also reinventing the use of traditional Chinese instruments in modern contexts. Instruments like the erhu (a two-string fiddle), pipa (a lute), and suona (a reed horn) are being used alongside electronic, rock, or even jazz music—resulting in sounds that are both culturally rich and sonically modern.
Some artists even explore cross-cultural fusions—combining the erhu with the Indian sitar, or blending the suona with electronic dance beats. These musical experiments challenge genre boundaries and showcase the creativity that defines Taiwan’s music scene
Mandarin Pop from Taiwan: A Leader in the Chinese-Speaking World
Taiwan has long been a leading force in Mandarin-language pop music, known for its emotional depth, melodic richness, and innovation. From ballads and rock anthems to R&B and electronic sounds, Taiwanese pop artists continue to shape the musical landscape of the Chinese-speaking world.
One of the unique strengths of Taiwanese pop lies in how it incorporates elements of traditional culture—such as classical instruments, poetic imagery, and ancient melodies—into modern songwriting. This blend creates music that feels rooted in history while speaking to contemporary audiences across Asia and beyond.
Taiwanese Music: A Sound Worth Exploring
Taiwanese music offers a fascinating journey across cultures, histories, and emotions. Whether it’s the spiritual depth of Indigenous harmonies, the fearless experimentation of indie bands, the boundary-pushing creativity of world music, or the emotional storytelling of Mandarin pop—Taiwan’s music scene is full of surprises.
For anyone curious about Asian music beyond the mainstream, Taiwan is a hidden gem. This small island is making a big impact, with a sound that is entirely its own and ready to be heard around the world.
SATURDAY 21/6 18:00
Alšovo náměstí
Musicians’ House builds on the authentic roots of traditional Chinese music, effortlessly weaving them with pop melodies, rock drive, and electronic textures. The result is a genre-defying yet accessible sound – music that bridges cultural and generational divides, carrying a sense of identity, hope, and resilience.
At Czech Music Crossroads, a fusion will emerge that you won’t hear anywhere else – a meeting of traditional polyphony and cutting-edge electronics. DJ Dungi Sapor, a trailblazer of electronic music rooted in the Indigenous culture of Hualien, will share the stage with the youth vocal ensemble Taiwu Ballads Troupe, guardians of the millennia-old songs of the Paiwan people. Their collaboration will blend digital beats with ancestral voices into an extraordinary experience that hovers between spiritual depth and dancefloor ecstasy.
THURSDAY 19/6 20:30
Theatre Hall
This duo weaves the magic of the Chinese erhu and Indian sitar into a unique soundscape—delicate, multi-layered, and transcending both genre and geography. Their performances are at once meditative and explosive, poetic and technically brilliant. After earning accolades at festivals worldwide and recognition at the Taiwan Golden Melody Awards, they now bring their transcendent blend of tradition and innovation to Ostrava.
ESTONIA
Estonia is a very small country with just 1,3 million inhabitants. Traditional music and singing has always been an important part of Estonian culture and a cultural identity.
One of the most powerful expressions of Estonian traditional music is the Estonian Song Festival (Laulupidu), held every five years in Tallinn. This massive choral event brings together tens of thousands of singers — often over 30,000 — performing to audiences of up to 100,000 people. It is not only a musical celebration but a profound symbol of national unity, resilience, and cultural identity, tracing its roots back to 1869. It was playing a key role in Estonia’s peaceful Singing Revolution, a series of events in 1987–1990 that led to the restoration of independence of the three then Soviet-occupied Baltic countries.
Despite hard times, Estonians have managed to preserve, cherish, and develop their tradition. What is most remarkable is that traditional music and songs remain highly popular among young people and continue to inspire new musicians.
Estonian traditional music is deeply rooted in the land and its people. One of its most distinctive forms is regilaul — runo‑song —an ancient type of poetic singing with a repetitive, hypnotic quality. Passed down orally for centuries, these songs tell stories of mythology, work, love, and nature, reflecting Estonia’s close bond with its forests, seasons, and communal life.
The Estonian Folklore Archive plays a vital role in safeguarding this heritage. Archive contains manuscript collections to a total of 1.5 million pages, sound and video archives including almost 200 000 audio pieces, and 2000 videotapes and films. The archive is not merely a repository; it is a source of inspiration for contemporary artists who mine the past to create something strikingly new.
Today, Estonian musicians continue to research nearly lost traditions while boldly blending the old with the new. They draw on traditional sounds, instruments, and melodies and combine them with modern genres such as electronic, ambient, and experimental music. This innovative approach builds a musical bridge between history and the future.
At Czech Music Crossroads Festival we present 3 creative Estonian bands, inspired by Estonian folklore.
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THURSDAY 19/6 19:00
Thetre Hall
Kuula Hetke is a meditative project that creates elemental, improvisatory music inspired by the melodies and motifs of the members’ ancestral birthplaces. Kuula Hetke (“Listen to the Moment”) captures the spirit of deceptively effortless tunes that flow with ethereal seamlessness. Using two flutes, voices, and electronics, the ensemble crafts transportive music whose storytelling artistry draws listeners in and takes on a different meaning for each individual.
SATURDAY 21/6 23:00
Alšovo náměstí
OOPUS fuses traditional and electronic dance music. The group combines Estonian bagpipes and runo songs with classic acid synths and synchronizes custom light installations to create immersive audiovisual performances that pulse with energy and history. Their use of analog synths and archival samples gives folklore a futuristic dimension.
SOUNDS AND STORIES FROM RUHNU ISLAND
THURSDAY 19/6 17:15
Theatre Hall
Sounds and Stories from Ruhnu Island can be viewed as an ethnographic study that guides listeners through a nearly lost heritage of small Ruhnu island. Traditional fiddle playing and singing are accompanied by tales of the island’s people and their history. Until World War II, Ruhnu had about 300 inhabitants; when the Soviet army arrived, nearly all fled to Sweden, and their stories and traditions began to fade.
CZECHIA
FRIDAY 20/6 19:15
Alšovo náměstí
FRIDAY 20/6 22:45
Alšovo náměstí
FRIDAY 20/6 21:00
Alšovo náměstí
An extraordinary fusion of Moravian folklore performed by Petr Mička’s Horňácko Music and the nu-jazz sound of Lesní zvěř, led by Jiří Hradil. What began as a studio collaboration has evolved into a live experience where raw folk melodies intertwine with electronics, jazz, and creative originality. The result is powerful, vibrant, and deeply moving music that breaks genre boundaries and redefines what “traditional music” can mean today.
Lesní zvěř is a well-established fixture of the Czech alternative scene, with a sound that drifts between nu-jazz, electronica, and post-rock experimentation. Known for their intricately crafted compositions, ambient layering, and bold dynamic contrasts, the band operates under the direction of pianist Jiří Hradil (Tata Bojs, Hrubá Hudba). Lesní zvěř presents itself as an ensemble with a refined sense of both improvisation and carefully shaped musical dramaturgy.
Zooblasters deliver an explosive fusion of Balkan brass, electro-swing, reggae, worldbeat, and drum’n’bass—a genre-bending mix that’s as playful as it is high-energy. Led by producer and trumpeter Mikey Blaster, the band moves fluidly between electronic production and live band synergy. Their eclectic sound draws from years of inspiration by global music and club culture, naturally resonating with audiences at multi-genre festivals across Europe.
Zooblasters deliver an explosive fusion of Balkan brass, electro-swing, reggae, worldbeat, and drum’n’bass – a genre mash-up that’s as playful as it is high-energy. Led by producer and trumpeter Mikey Blaster, the band thrives on the edge between electronic production and the raw synergy of a live ensemble. Their eclectic sound, rooted in years of inspiration from global music and the club scene, naturally resonates with audiences at multi-genre festivals across Europe.
DALTONISTS (PL)
ČTVRTEK 19/6 18:00
Společenský sál
An experimental trio moving between contemporary jazz, Afrobeat, dub, and club music. Their name – a reference to color blindness – reflects a fascination with the limits of human perception, which they transform into a sonic advantage. Since their formation in 2021, they’ve lit up festivals like Jazz Jantar, OFF Festival, and Next Fest.
SLOVAKIA
SATURDAY 21/6 21:15
Alšovo náměstí
ONDRO A KAMARÁTI (SK)
THURSDAY 19/6 19:45
Community Hall
THURSDAY 19/6 16:30
Community Hall
A Slovak ensemble that masterfully and playfully fuses traditional Balkan music with jazz, contemporary classical elements, and world music. Born from a fascination with the complex rhythms, raw energy, and emotional depth of Eastern European folklore, the group goes beyond mere reproduction – opting instead for original arrangements and a distinctive stylistic synthesis.
A unique Slovak project rooted in authentic folk music, unafraid to experiment. Led by Ondrej Druga, known for his work with Katarína Máliková, the band blends songs from central Slovakia and northern Serbia with inventive arrangements featuring vocals, strings, piano, organ, and the exceptional multi-part singing tradition of Horehronie, recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
A musical formation blending folk, jazz, alternative, and elements of world music into a distinctive sound full of layers and emotion. The group formed around singer, composer, and lyricist Michal Blažej, whose songwriting is marked by a strong, poetic, and often reflective voice.