Molk Projects AWICHAS
Molk Projects AWICHAS
AWICHAS is a psychedelic folk/electronica formation founded by Amsterdam-based artist Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and experimental musician Jochem van Tol, in collaboration with drummer Frank Rosaly, Nihiloxica-percussionist Jacob Maskell-Key, pianist/composer Lida Brouskari, and artist/vocalist Julia Werner. The band turned heads with rapturous, genre-blending performances at beloved festivals such as Le Guess Who?, Rewire and North Sea Round Town.
AWICHAS doesn’t treat folklore and electronics as sonic opposites, but as equal agents of transcendence. That dialogue comes down to a huge musical inspiration and main theme for the project: the "tropas" communities in the Andes that play together during ceremonies; which Ibelisse compares to multiple oscillators, in the case of the electronics being the multiple "voices" of these tropas.
A big proponent of AWICHAS’s magic is the playful, often surprising ways the modern and the mystical can potentially meet in the middle; creating fun juxtapositions that feel rife with spiritual fervor and ingenuity. As of now AWICHAS as a collaborative entity continues to mushroom at an infectious pace, with an abundance of perspectives, sounds, influences and materials under a single umbrella.
So, in the words of famous sociologist, activist and anarchist Bolivian thinker Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui: Un mundo ch’ixi es posible – a world where all contradictions have to live with each other, is indeed possible.
CONCERTS
Upcoming
2027
06/03 Jazzwerkstatt, Bern CH
2026
03/12 Bimhuis x WhyNot Festival, Amsterdam NL
29/12 Tampere Jazz Happening, Tampere FIN
Past
2026
25 June North Sea Round Town, Rotterdam NL
24 May Music Meeting, Nijmegen NL
12 April Rewire Festival, The Hague NL
2025
12 November November Music, Den Bosch NL
7 November Le Guess Who, Utrecht NL
21 September RE-NATURE Festival, Amsterdam NL
19 September Rataplan, Antwerp BE
6 September Cinetol, Amsterdam NL
3 July WORM, Rotterdam NL
Residencies
2025
Whole year Artist in Focus Space is The Place, Amsterdam NL
17- 19 November, WORM Rotterdam studios NL
15 - 19 September, Rataplan Antwerp BE
12 - 23 May, Het Muziek GRASpunt Amsterdam NL
2024
28 aug - 8 sept Elektronmusikstudion, Stockholm SE
July - Aug Sonandes in La Paz & Cochabamba, Bolivia
Made possible with the support of Space is The Place, AFK, FPK, Culture Moves Europe, Cultuurfonds Horizon, Asko Schönberg/Het Muziek, Rataplan Borgerhout - Antwerp.
PRESS
“The blend of what you might call "folklore" and "hi-tech" elements is exciting and
thrilling. It borders on ritual, but ultimately, it's a true "concert." These are all top-notch
musicians who don't tolerate any "messiness." It also takes some getting used to: Latin
music without strings or wind instruments. And the combination of vocals, electronics,
and drums often has a somewhat understated quality. But at the same time, the result,
thanks in part to Ferragutti's own performance, is exhilarating. And the wealth of musical
discoveries captivates the audience on stage. Take, for example, the
aforementioned Bolivian flute harmonies, which initially emerge from the sampler but
reappear later in the concert in the singers' voices. In the finale, the rhythms become
more asymmetrical and the movements more exuberant. When it's over, time seems to
have flown by.” Peter Bruyn - Gonzocircus Magazine
“...Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti is a shape-shifter, world-builder and embodiment virtuoso,
who inhabits worlds that are transcendent of common knowledge....” Diane Petcov -
FIBER Festival
“...Acting as an unconventional high priestess, Ibelisse’s voice is as varied as the wind’s
directions. Coaxing and sensual ...she can also employ a sharpened punkish edge to her
singing voice...” Justin Turford - Truth&Lies UK
“...their combined international roots serve as the foundation for the unique and singular
chemistry of their music. Using synthesisers and live tape manipulation among
instruments and vocals... this is like improvised jazz tones into jet-setting, shape- shifting
hyperdrive...” Jeremy Young - Soundfly Magazine New York US