AFRO-LATINO 2016: THE HIGHLIGHTS!

Getting to the venue is a challenge for those who don't drive though, as it is a remote location, there were no shuttle buses provided and the local buses stopped running quite early. 

Throughout the whole festival we mainly stayed around the main stage area, as we wanted to focus on the more popular acts.

FRIDAY - The Lift Off!

However difficult our journey, we finally managed to get to Bree. It was well worth the trouble bearing in mind Friday's kick off performances, which included Sean Paul and more.

Sean Paul's performance at Afro-Latino can undoubtedly be called an amazing success. Flanked by two sexy dancers, he performed a range of his greatest hits ('Like Glue', 'Get Busy', 'Give It Up To Me', 'Temperature', 'Baby Boy', 'Bailando') and had no problem convincing the crowd. Everywhere we looked, we saw girls screaming, and to heat things up even further Sean Paul even gave his Belgian fans a number of shout outs. Sean Paul's set was definitely our highlight for Friday evening, but of course there was much more to come…

Next up were El Yonki y El Rival, a reggaeton band from Cuba and Puerto Rico. With their riveting, exciting set they really managed to light up the stage. During this act we found ourselves dancing non-stop. Simply put: reggaeton at its best!

When hungry, the festival offers a great selection of various foods from the Caribbean.  We initially headed over to Mama Suzy's to have some Jamaican food, but their portions sadly couldn't satisfy our appetite, so we headed to the Surinamese food stand next.

The last act we checked out on Friday was Kuenta I Tambu, an Afro-Curacao band performing an updated version of tambu, percussive music native to the Dutch Antilles. Their set proved a pleasant surprise and we quickly found ourselves falling for the global bass or tambutonic they performed.  The absolute highlight of their set came when the band members came off stage to teach us their dance moves.

We danced the night away and only made our way to the camping site after the very last act came off the main stage. Saturday here we come!

SATURDAY - The betwixt and between

Saturday started just right with Omar Perry, son of legendary producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry.  Omar proudly represented Jamaica by wearing and 'I Love JA' T-shirt and his performance, including hits like 'Be Cool', 'Love To See You Smile' and 'My Shining Star', was another thrilling crowd pleaser. Getting a crowd going in the early hours of a festival day isn't easy, but Omar seemed to handle it with ease.

One of the most highly anticipated acts on this year's edition of Afro-Latino was Joss Stone, who gave a soulful performance, captivating the audience with every moment.  In her refreshingly unique and whimsical style, Stone also preformed some of her greatest hits ('You Had Me', 'Super Duper Love', 'Fell In Love With A Boy', 'Karma', 'Right To Be Wrong'…); great fun as the entire crowd could sing along. The only downfall to her performance was the fact that it ended far too soon!

Later, German soca ambassadors Soca Twins from Berlin took over the main stage and lived up to their reputation. We may not have been in Trinidad, but for a brief moment Afro-Latino sure felt like part of the Caribbean!

Dancing tirelessly until we could hardly stand anymore, all we could think was still: "We want more!"

SUNDAY - The End

Sunday, the last day of the festival, was filled with even more outstanding performances.

Up first was Sarah Carlier, a Belgian artist who blends folk and soul.  It's always great to see Belgian talent on a predominantly international stage and even though this was our first encounter with her music, her natural, pure and original sound definitely managed to persuade us.

US-based Ghanaian reggae star Rocky Dawuni's sound is a mixture of reggae, afrobeat and soul music. He sang a variety of songs; these included   'Extraordinary Woman', 'Walk The Town', 'Jamming Nation' and many more. Dawuni might not be a big name in Europe yet, but he' definitely a great example of the afro-reggae style.

For their summer tour, the line-up of La Pegatina was extended to La Gran Pegatina. The Spanish band signed for an exhilarating show and proved a worthy candidate to close the festival with a bang.

Overall this festival, offering a musical selection from so many different exotic backgrounds, was certainly a refreshing, rhythmical experience and we're already looking forward to next year's edition, hoping for even more reggaeton and dancehall.

Foto's: © Afro-Latino - Bart Henseler, Michel Engelen, Kristoffel Godts