Cruïlla Festival to feature diverse programme with focus on Catalan artists

Barcelona (ACN) – The eighth edition of Festival Cruïlla Barcelona will run Friday through Sunday at Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona. The spectacle features an eclectic lineup of 45 artists, 18 of which hail from Spain. In addition to the three nights of music, there will be performances of castellers – a Catalan tradition of building human towers – along with displays by famous graffiti artists and a selection of music documentaries. Among the main acts are Kendrick Lamar, FFS (Franz Ferdinand + Sparks), Ms. Lauryn Hill, Damien "Jr. Gong" Marley and Jamie Cullum.

 

Catalan for "crossroads", Cruïlla is a coalition of musical sounds from all corners of the globe, mixing and mingling at Parc del Fòrum for three nights from 10 July to 12 July. The festival features artists ranging in musical style from American hip-hop to Spanish indie rock and from European electronic to Caribbean reggae. The festivities kick off on Thursday, a day early, with a free inaugural concert by Asian Dub Foundation.

Hip-hop giants will take the stage

Two hip-hop legends in the flesh, Kendrick Lamar and Lauryn Hill, will be among the festival's highlights. Fresh off of his critically acclaimed 'To Pimp a Butterfly', considered by many to be one of the greatest albums of the decade, Kendrick Lamar is at the top of his game. With trenchant lyrical content that brings ugly social tension to the surface and unparalleled prowess behind the microphone, the Compton, California native has risen to become one of the greatest of his generation and will take his spot on the Cruïlla stage on Friday. 

Lauryn Hill will be the highlight of Saturday's festivities. The rapper-singer revolutionised the hip-hop genre as a whole with her fusion of rap, R&B and soul. Her album 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and is widely considered one of the greatest of all time. Her music remains poignant, both socially and culturally, and speaks to the heart of the black woman's experience.

No shortage of local artists

The 2015 edition of Cruïlla will feature 18 different Spanish artists, 13 of which trace their roots back to Catalonia. Sense Sal and La Folie – both from Barcelona – made the festival programme by winning the 2015 Cruïlla Cover Contest, where solo artists and bands alike submitted videos of their interpretations to festival organisers.

Aside from the contest winners, the Catalan artists playing Parc del Fòrum this weekend are Coriolà, Anna Roig I l'Ombre de Ton Chien, Línia Maginot, Els Catarres, Furguson, Carlos Sadness, Seward, Ferran Palau, Mi Capitán, Miquel Serra and The Gramophone Allstars Big Band. Representing the rest of Spain are Toundra, El Punchero del Hortelano, Guadalupe Plata and Los Grenadians.

More than just music

In addition to the wide range of music performers, the festival will include various other cultural events. Part of Friday's programme are the Colla Jove Castellers, who will build a castell – a human tower – complete with an LED light show. On Friday and Saturday, festivalgoers will be able to experience a piece of In-Edit, a music documentary film festival that takes place in Barcelona. The In-Edit team will have a booth at Cruïlla where they will run a series of documentaries and video clips selected especially for this festival. Finally, there will be an exhibition of graffiti depicting the festival's musicians done by some of Spain's finest graffiti artists.