PriBeats of PriFest is back with its second edition, inviting DJs from France, Romania and the United Kingdom

After a groundbreaking debut in Kosovo’s electronic music scene - in which it invited two veterans of the genre, Point G from France with a LIVE set and DJ Honesty from Berlin, as well as Albanian DJ icon Hajdar Berisha from Nuremberg, Germany - PriBeats is back with Episode II. This year’s edition is moves on to new heights, with 6 artists performing at the Gërmi Amphitheatre: Seuil [Eklo, FRANCE], Piticu [Sunrise, ROMANIA], Alban Hi-Dini [UNITED KINGDOM], Lekë [PriBeats, KOSOVO] b2b rrrron [Kult-Urë, KOSOVO] b2b Altin Boshnjaku [KOSOVO].

PriBeats is an event series organized in Kosovo’s capital, partnered by Prishtina International Film Festival, PriFest. It derives from pure passion to further cultivate the city’s long-standing electronic music legacy with a fresh approach and a distinct identity.

First up in the line up is Seuil, a DJ and produced from France. As house and techno fads pass through, you can rely on a sect of underground purists to maintain the flow of quality, resisting the fluctuating electronic trends and persisting with what they believe in. One of those purists is Seuil, the genuine article, a lover of German minimal and warm US deep house, whose dedication to his favourite styles has been unrelenting. Seuil is a talented producer who has an impressive list of cult labels next to his name: from Circus Company and Ultrastretch, to Cabanne’s Minibar, Dan Ghenacia’s former label Freak n’ Chic, Matthias Tanzmann's Moon Harbour, Dorian Paic’s Raum…musik, Guy Gerber’s Supplement Facts, Daze Maxim’s Hello?Repeat, all the way to his own label, the outstanding Eklo.

He has also collaborated with many different artists, from agency mate Tolga Fidan to dOP on the 2011 bomb ‘Ultravision’. Nowadays focusing on running his own imprint Eklo in the pursuit of something timeless, he leads a team of forward-thinking producers releasing material from the likes of Ryan Crosson, Chris Carrier, Robert Dietz, Le Loup, Cristi Cons, Robin Ordell, Vadim Svoboda, Ion Ludwig, Lauhaus, Skat, Boris Horel, Kate Simko, Francesco Del Garda, Ekkohaus and Yakine.

Seuil’s philosophy, or rather passion, is vinyl and vinyl-only, which he aims to support through both his label output and as a DJ. Behind the decks he is a master of groovy, subtle sounds, with his sets moving through micro, to deep, to UK break house. A highly respected name on the underground network, he is spinning all over the world from DC10 in Ibiza to Concrete in Paris, to the raucous Half Baked parties in London, of which he is a resident. Seuil is also one half of DJ/producer outfit Hold Youth, partnered by Le Loup. Their open-minded sound encompasses house, disco, techno, hip-hop and everything in between. The duo hosts their bi-monthly residency at one of the best clubs on the planet, Paris’ illustrious Rex Club. Seuil is without a doubt one of the most talented names in underground electronic music, so it is only fitting that he performs for Prishtina’s beat-hungry crowd at the magical venue that is the Gërmi Amphitheatre.

The next artist comes from the big family of much beloved Romanian minimal techno producers and deejays is one of its most exciting artists, Piticu. Prishtina’s grateful crowd has already tasted doses of what this tremendously unique musical clique has to offer with performances from Livio & Roby, Premiesku, Raresh and Praslea being lauded as some of the best events to have ever happened in the capital.

After attending a monstrous 5 hour set played by Piticu at Sunwaves Festival 23 in Romania - squeezed in the line-up between Perlon legends Margaret Dygas and Sammy Dee, which speaks volumes about how appreciated the Romanian is by the programmers of one of the best festivals in the world - PriBeats set its sights on booking the iconic musician ever since! Piticu’s sublime skill behind the decks has enabled him to play some in some of the best venues and events around the globe, from Romania’s exemplary Sunwaves Festival (from its 8th edition), to Chicago’s Spy Bar, Amsterdam's Dance Event, Sankeys and The Zoo Project in Ibiza, Fuse in Brussels etc. As a producer, he has released on Romanian labels Unanim & Marc Antona’s Dissonant, Russian label Arma, as well as Amsterdam label Undefined. Piticu is set to play the closing set at the upcoming Episode II of PriBeats, aptly taking care of Prishtina’s dedicated ravers during the most delicate part of the night, the afterhours. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable sunrise with the lad!

The third act at PriBeats: Episode II is one of the most talented Albanian DJs, Alban Hi-Dini, who is duly admired by fans and looked up to by peers. The reputation he has built in Prishtina alone is one that few can match. Alban’s journey in music started with an impulse to explore greater horizons. It's this impulse that pushed him to move to London in the late 90s. Soon after settling in London, these new horizons led him to discover the thriving electronic music of the UK capital.

Being blown away by the energy and togetherness that house music holds strong at its core, soon after he started getting more and more involved, until he eventually started spinning records and carving his own journey.

Inspired from a multitude of things, Alban has graced the decks with many internationally renowned DJs. His all night long sets venture into different forms of house music, drawing from his endless collection of invaluable vinyl. This time around, he’s back in Prishtina for PriBeats Episode II, embarking on another musical journey that will without a doubt leave the locals yearning for his next visit!

The fourth and final performing act at PriBeats Episode II is a rarity. Having made names for themselves throughout the years on an individual basis, with undoubtedly similar albeit distinct sounds, three of the region’s key players join forces for a unique and unprecedented 3 hour back-to-back set, opening the night from sunrise on July 20th.

First in the trio is rrrron (Rron Kurtolli), who was exposed to music of all sorts from a very early age and comes from a family of musicians. rrrron emerged in Prishtina’s underground scene after coming back from New York and Rome. From his first performances, he was labelled as ‘one to watch’. Tutored by other experienced deejays, his DJ sets went viral all over the city, from underground clubs, to the hippest bars in Prishtina. Having continuously impressed with performances in and around the country, rrrron paved the way for his international debut in 2018, notably performing in Hive and Kasheme in Zurich, and Nordstern in Basel. rrrron is also one of the founders of Kult-Urë, a social enterprise formed to raise social awareness towards the importance of art and music in a society marred by negative politics and other life-sucking activities.

Joining him is Altin Boshnjaku, a true crowd favorite who is continuously dedicated to sculpting the sound that has risen him through the ranks of the electronic music scene, with a steady rate of performances in and around the country. Altin opened the very first edition of PriBeats last year with a stellar set, so we are glad to welcome him back to the PriBeats roster this summer.

The final element in the trio is PriBeats honcho, Lekë, there to do what he does best, slotting in the line-up that he has curated, as the fourth and final act.

You can buy earlybird PriBeats tickets for 5 euros at Miqt Pub (next to Swiss Diamond Hotel in the city center), Mono Bar & Lounge (across the street from the RTK building, near Faik Konica primary school), the PriFest Office (entrance between Fast Food Aurora and the mini market next to it, on the second floor), and from July 17th, at the Box Office of the National Theatre.

In cooperation with Universiteti AAB, PriBeats provides a FREE shuttle bus which will travel every 20 minutes from Newborn at the city center directly to the Gërmi Amphitheatre on July 20th, starting from 19:40.

PriBeats is made possible by PriFest, Raiffeisen Bank, Z Mobile, Birra Peja, Universiteti AAB and Mono Bar & Lounge.

If you need more info, phone +383 43 714 944 or email [email protected]