Azur Azur is modern instrumental folk with a cool Nordic tone, that combines traditional Scandinavian folk music and jazzy improvisations.

In 2023 the trio won the award for New Name of the Year at the Danish Music Awards Roots. The trio was formed by double bass player Frederik Mensink. In the company of fellow musicians Rasmus Brinck (Tailcoat) and Jonathan Fjord Bredholt (Hvalfugl) he creates a sound universe around acute and atmospheric compositions.

With Nordic roots, yearning tunes dance melodically atop rhythmic grooves in a present, improvisational interplay. Piano, double bass and nyckelharpa blends into gentle, atmospheric sounds with rhythmic precision and nerve.

The music places itself in the borderlands between traditional folk and Nordic jazz, that draws a line to Jan Johanssons Jazz På Svenska, and newer Scandinavian folk bands like Väsen, Bazar Blå and Gjermund Larsen Trio.

Frederik Mensink: double bass
Rasmus Brinck: nyckelharpa
Jonathan Fjord Bredholt: piano

Website: Azur Azur (DK)

Bamako Express is not just a band. It is a fusion of worlds, a meeting of cultures, and an explosion of musical brilliance. This quartet, made up of two talented Belgian musicians and two outstanding musicians from Mali and Burkina Faso, has joined forces to create something extraordinary: a fusion of folk and West African magic!

Bamako Express features a unique line-up combining the warm sounds of the guitar, the captivating tones of the violin, and the enchanting melodies of the balafon, supported by the driving rhythms of the djembe. Each instrument plays a crucial role in shaping the band's distinctive sound palette.

Bamako Express has been voted winner in the Best Live Band category at the Flanders Folk Awards 2026!

Anouk Sanczuk: violin
Florian De Schepper: guitar
Joël Diarra: balafon
Ousmana Diarra: percussion

Website: Bamako Express (BE)

From the remote hut of Cardboard Cabin, warm, danceable folk music can be heard. Intimate moments are interspersed with robust powerfolk. The repertoire includes self-written songs: classic balfolk dances, but they don't shy away from experimenting. A refuge for anyone who wants to briefly escape the bustle of this busy world, Cardboard Cabin consists of Jeroen Werbrouck (Marasc, Katla), Flor Delombaerde (Hitforce One, Krosmos), Tim Orroi (Nitty Gritty, Cirqu'en Flêxe), and Thomas Clerbout (Deya). After months of writing music, intensive rehearsals, and recording, they are ready to welcome the world into their cabin.

Jeroen Werbrouck: accordeon
Flor Delombaerde: double bass
Tim Orroi: drums
Thomas Clerbout: soprano saxophone

Website: Cardboard Cabin (BE)

An exciting musical dialog between diatonic accordeon and violin: that's the duo of Filippo Gambetta and Anouk Sanczuk. With a captivating mix of own compositions and traditional melodies from the European dance repertoire they bring a lively bal.

Both musicians are fixtures within the international balfolkscene. Their interplay is energetic, refined, and full of joy, with influences ranging from European folk to southern rhythms. Since starting in 2025, they've effortlessly captivated dance floors and concert halls.

Filippo is a virtuoso on diatonic accordeon with a distinct style that focuses on lyrical melodies and dancable grooves. His music balances between tradition and innovation. Anouk is a multifaceted violist with a background in classical music, jazz, and folk. With her expressive and energetic playing she's active in diverse folk projects.

Expect a bal full of rhythmic drive and pure dancing joy: a bal that invites you to move from start to end!

Anouk Sanczuk: violin
Filippo Gambetta: diatonic accordeon

Website: Duo Gambetta – Sanczuk (BE / IT)

EBEN is the alchemy of three voices – Sterenn Diridollou, Marine Lavigne and Sterenn Le Guillou – and three instrumentalists: Antoine Lahay (guitar), Julien Stévenin (double bass) and Jonathan Dour (viola). Their name, meaning "The Other" in the feminine form of Breton, reflects a will to give space and resonance to those silenced by history, in a language that has also been silenced for a long time. Their first self-titled album explored the theme of otherness and laid the foundations for an aesthetic rooted in both heritage and contemporary narratives. At the crossroads of traditional music and contemporary creation, their sound embodies a living Brittany, one that rejects folkloric stereotypes in favor of dialogue between legacy and invention, memory and emancipation.

Sterenn Diridollou: vocals
Marine Lavigne: vocals
Sterenn Le Guillou: vocals
Antoine Lahay: guitar
Julien Stévenin: double bass
Jonathan Dour: viola

Website: Eben (FR)

The Gonnagles drove from bal to bal for around 10 years, after which a short break followed. But the break was fun, and when it's fun time flies. This CaDansa they're jumping back on the stage, to everyone's joy and their own slight amazement. From samba-bourrées to hanterdro's into the night: the Gonnagles are back!

Dennis Reidsma: violin
Edwin Dertien: bas guitar
Erik de Jong: accordeon
Fay Brand: cello
Frank van Vliet: trumpet
Henning Rode: viola
Jaap Brand: percussion
Jan Koornstra: guitar
Marijn Huijbregts: clarinet
Moes Wagenaar: vocals and violin

Website: Gonnagles (NL)

Hartwin is a diatonic accordeonist and composer. His instrumental music has been moving people worldwide for many years. He is known for his simple and melancholic melodies that leave much room for the listener's imagination.

With Flavia Escartin (cello) and Pavel Souvandjiev (violin), Hartwin surrounds himself with two talented and extremely creative musicians who are not averse to combining elements from different styles with each other. The trio's music is a sort of tightrope dance between classical, folk, and world music orchestrated by three outspoken characters who constantly challenge and complement each other musically. The recognizability of Hartwin's melodies, combined with the driving and surprising arrangements by Flavia & Pavel, form a dazzling play of sounds you can discover live during a concert by this 'atypical' trio.

Flavia Escartin is half Spanish, half Belgian, and grew up between vineyards in the Catalan countryside. She received a classical education, after which she decided to study Jazz in Amsterdam. Flavia is also involved in numerous artistic projects, from musical accompaniment of circus to the writing of film music. Together with her sister, Laia, she forms the 'Escarteen Sisters' who are currently international at a high pace, gaining notoriety.

Pavel Souvandjiev is half Bulgarian, half Belgian. After his classical education, he discovers an inexhaustible source of inspiration in the Balkans with its beautiful music. He regularly travels to Bulgaria, where he composes new music. After that, He moved to Ghent, where he founded Aerokorda. The trio toured throughout Europe and is loved for their energetic instrumental music that combines both Celtic and Balkan influences. In 2024, Pavel was selected as one of 'De Twintigers' (a program that showcases talented musicians in their twenties playing classical, jazz, and world music) by Klara (Classical national radio of Belgium), with a live session in the famous Toots studio as a result broadcasted on Belgian national radio and television.

Hartwin Dhoore: diatonic accordeon
Flavia Escartin: cello
Pavel Souvandjiev: violin

Website: Hartwin Trio (BE)

Bruno Le Tron is known for his richly musical compositions with their inimitable swing, and his longtime collaborator, Franck Fagon, for his energetic improvisations and his sense of melodic phrasing. More recently, Pablo Molard joined the group, enriching the sounds of the accordeon, saxophone, and clarinet with his guitar. The three musicians often come together for workshops specific to each instrument or dedicated to ensemble music. They will keep you dancing all night long, from the dances of Brittany to those of Central France, to the sound of their resolutely modern music, inspired by traditional repertoires.

Bruno Le Tron: diatonic accordeon
Pablo Molard: guitar
Franck Fagon: clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone

Website: Initium (FR)

La Machine is undoubtedly one of the best groups currently on the French music scene.

This group manages to get you moving, but without any jarring, giving you the feeling of being physically awake but with your mind elsewhere. They have that unique, compact, and captivating hurdy-gurdy/bagpipe sound, married to the swaying, tribal groove of the rhythm section (percussion/double bass). There's also the charismatic presence of Julien Barbances, a singer with a raw, clear voice and a wide vibrato.

Alongside him stands Greg Jolivet, an electro-acoustic hurdy-gurdy player who only uses his virtuosity when it serves the collective. The compositions are inspired, steeped in the folk music of central France. The arrangements are very "rootsy," a blend of old reggae, Réunion maloya, and Afro-Cuban music. You can feel the love for the ostinato, the loop, and the haunting drone.

But La Machine remains a mystery: the delicate and complex alchemy of a unique sound, unmistakable and transcending the elements that compose it. A gentle and skillful blend of dance and spirituality, to be listened to with your feet on the ground and your head in the clouds.

Julien Barbances: vocals, bagpipes, violin
Jean Laurent Cayzac: double bass
Florian Huygebaert: percussion
Grégory Jolivet: hurdy-gurdy
Noëllie Nioulou: cello
Souad Bensa: percussion

Website: La Machine Sextet (FR)

With ElekTribal, La Soubirane sheds new light on the artistic ambition and daring of the three singers of La Soubirane, who turn things upside down with their unique sonic synthesis of traditional dances.

The combination of their powerful and hypnotic voices explores and reinterprets the heritage of traditional dances in a brilliant, tribal, and compelling manner. The chosen instrumentation creates a grandiose, precise, and captivating rhythm that supports the melodic and ethereal songs and music with an accuracy and authenticity that resonate deeply.

Stéphanie Della Rocca
Isabelle Bourguétou
Carine Joanny

Website: La Soubirane (FR)

Ma Petite was born in Poitiers. This quartet (drums, accordeon, vocals, and trumpet) takes us into a world blending song arrangements and traditional melodies. The unique roles the group gives to the accordeon, drums, and trumpet create an intriguing sound that immerses us in a progressive trance and reveals intense melodies and lyrics. The members' pop and contemporary influences enhance the texts from oral traditions, giving birth to a powerful, organic, and resolutely new sound. Ma Petite currently consists of Perrine Vrignault (vocals, accordeon/harmonium), Maxime Dancre (drums), Maxime Barbeau (accordeon), and Paul Weeger (trumpet/harmonium).

Ma Petite draws its inspiration from texts collected in Old Poitou dialect, around which the group composes its current repertoire. Their new creation, Je Pars (I'm Leaving), explores the theme of departure in all its forms: departure towards isolation, to foreign lands, or even to war. These themes, drawn from traditional Poitevin texts, have the unique quality of being timeless, resonating with both the past and the present. It is this power that Ma Petite highlights in their creation.

Traditional Poitou music is closely linked to dance and balfolk dancing, and the group wanted to preserve this interaction in their arrangements. Behind their melodies and compositions, one finds the subtlety of Poitevin dances, creating a powerful alchemy between dance, trance, and poetry, and revealing the wisdom of the chosen texts.

Ma Petite's music can be listened to or danced to, but it leaves no one indifferent.

Perrine Vrignault: vocals, accordeon, harmonium
Maxime Dancre: drums
Maxime Barbeau: accordeon
Paul Weeger: trumpet, harmonium

Website: Ma Petite (FR)

Dance with your friends to balfolk tunes mixing the sounds of the guitar (Jasper Tolsma), flute and diatonic accordeon (Wouter Koenders) and mandolin and violin (Kris van 't Klooster). Inspired by French folk they weave their original melodies with second voices into dynamically arranged musical stories. The layered arrangengements allow you to dance to one of the instrumental lines or to switch between them while you explore the space around you.

These musicians originate all from their previous balfolk band Andoorn, in which they got to know each other musically. When Andoorn stopped playing together, they decided to continue as a trio with the name Momiro and focus on new compositions. Once in a while you will hear an old Andoorn tune in their set, arranged for their new combination of instruments.

Jasper Tolsma: guitar
Wouter Koenders: flute, diatonic accordeon
Kris van 't Klooster: mandolin, violin

Website: Momiro (NL)

POOLIDOR is an electronic music duo blending traditional Berry and North African music. Their raw and hypnotic sound merges organic timbres and percussion with the shimmering waves of electronic music. On stage, a hurdy-gurdy, enhanced with a foot pedal and a bicycle wheel, faces a turntable. This timeless setup is enriched with machines, a violin, and vocals. In this version, Bachir Rouimi, an internationally renowned Moroccan singer and percussionist, joins them. His performance creates a powerful link between Western traditions and the soul of the Maghreb. POOLIDOR is more than just a concert – it's a mesmerizing visual experience and, above all, an irresistible invitation to dance.

Gabriel Bonnin: sewing hurdy-gurdy, violin
Clément Royo: bass, machines
Bachir Rouimi: vocals, percussion

Website: Poolidor (FR)

Fertilized by their crossed experience in folk music from all corners of Europe, Vlier sows fresh melodies on the dancefloor that sprout into rowdy bourrées, spring-like cercles, and blossomy mazurkas. Laurens Krah (previously part of the folk band Pyrolysis) switched his accordeon for the sparkling and rousing tones of the Irish Bouzouki. Adriana Borger (also from Idun's Apples) brings her mysterious drones, snarky rhythms, and ever-winding melodies with her hurdy-gurdy. As the musical canopy, Astrid van der Niet (also known from Celtic Constellation) adds stillness with her mandolin and rustles the branches with her stormy violin. Together, the musicians mainly germinate entirely new melodies, but also further propagate and cultivate living traditional tunes. With Vlier the dancefloor springs to life: gentle, wild, and unforgettable.

Laurens Krah: Irish bouzouki
Adriana Borger: hurdy-gurdy
Astrid van der Niet: mandolin, violin

Website: Vlier (NL)

With their fresh and innovative musical style, Dresden, Germany-based ZiRP are breathing new life into the instrumental folk scene. Roots meets modernism, traditional dance music meets contemporary rock, pop, and jazz – and the result is the one-of-a-kind folk-fusion experience that is ZiRP.

ZiRP are instantly recognizable by their trademark sound: a vibrant hurdy gurdy, embedded in a soundscape of acoustic guitar, bass, and groovy jazz drums. The hurdy gurdy is at times primal and organic, occasionally abstract with wild electronic effects – you've never heard this extraordinary instrument played quite the same way before!

On their latest album "CIRCLE DIVINE" and at their live stage shows, ZiRP charm their audiences with spirited, infectiously joyful performances, harmonious and dreamy melodies, and progressive arrangements. It's folklore meets the loop station – music for the free-spirited dancer in all of us. The quartet fronted by hurdy gurdy player Stephan Groth (Faun) has performed at numerous renowned international festivals, including TFF Rudolstadt in Germany, Castlefest in the Netherlands, and FaerieWorlds in the USA. These days, the band is at home on any stage, from huge festivals to neighborhood clubs or the dance floors of the burgeoning bal folk scene.

Stephan Groth: hurdy gurdy, low whistles
Olaf Peters: guitar, cittern
Florian Manuel Fügemann: drums, samples, percussion
Florian Kolditz: double bass, electric bass

Website: Zirp (DE)