new midem inaugural festival

Stuck in the Sound (Rock, France)

Four-piece Parisian indie rock band Stuck In The Sound released their debut album "Never Mind The Living Dead" in 2006 and gained a growing reputation for incredibly energetic live performances. After "Nevermind the Living Dead", with its marquee song ToyBoy, Stuck in the Sound release in 2009 their second album: "Shoegazing Kids".

2manydjs (DJ set)(Electro, Rock, Belgique)

No surprise that 2manyDJs - aka live electronic rock band Soulwax- has been in the pipeline for yonks - the two brothers, David and Stephen Dewaele, have just rocked the nation with their ability to mix 45 songs together in one hour, creating a seamless exploration of the history of pop music! From Japanese geisha Hanayo covering "Joe le Taxi", Finnish disco from Ural 13 Diktators, or sleazy Peaches to classics from The Velvet Underground, The Breeders or Sly And The Family Stone, Emerson Lake & Palmer's 'Theme From Peter Gun', - this consistent exploration of the history of pop music world tour has been acclaimed.

The Ting Tings (Pop, Rock, UK)

The Ting Tings - a scrappy, dance-oriented indie pop duo consisting of singer/guitarist Katie White and drummer Jules De Martino - was formed in the Salford district of Manchester, England. The The Ting Tings began in 2008 and quickly earned spots on many Ones-To-Watch lists (including #3 in the much coveted BBC Sounds Poll). With hit titles "That's not my name" and "Shut up and let me go," their debut album "We Started Nothing" went straight to #1 in the album chart on release in May 2008, and has since reached double platinum status in the UK, selling over 2 million albums worldwide.

Skip the Use (Rock, Punk, France)

Having grown up surrounded by rock, punk, ska and disco, Skip The Use have managed to incorporate all of these influences to recreate a sound and style all their own. On stage, with their explosive rhythms, Skip the Use is an incredible high-energy dancing machine, leaving us drained and exhausted but happy to be so! Driven by their emblematic lead singer Mat Bastard, the French electro-rock band from Lille, Skip The Use, is known and praised for robust and wildly entertaining stage performances. In 2011, Skip The Use launched a special blog detailing the recording of their new album "Sound From The Shadow" and up-coming album "Can Be Late," scheduled for release in early 2012.

Selah Sue (Soul, Folk, Belgique)

Selah was not destined to become an artist. “I grew up in a really little town in Belgium, and none of my family was into music,” reveals the twenty-one year old belgian singer, with refreshing sincerity. Her first album is ambitious: a smart melting pot of electric rock, organic hip-hop and soul-funk. Like Janelle Monae or Aloe Blacc, Selah Sue belongs to a new generation for whom music has no boundaries. Released in March 2011 and sung in English, her first album "Selah Sue" reached Platinum Record status in France and was the biggest surprise of the year, to the point that the young prodigy of white soul music received the prestigious Prix Constantin for best young musical talent of 2011.

Brigitte (Folk, Pop, France)

French retro folk duo Brigitte is a two headed french chick, a blond and a brunette, (Sylvie Hoarau and Aurélie Maggiori) one crowning a headband and the other rocking big round glasses. Brigitte saw their 2011 debut album "Et vous, tu m'aimes?" go Platinum in France. In 2010, Brigitte recorded a glitzy cover version of French rapper Joey Starr's hit song "Ma Benz" and gained a huge buzz on social networks for it. Retro, funny, glamorous and crazy about hip hop, ABBA and Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte is considered by many as one of the hottest sounds to come out of France in recent years. Brigitte is a mother, a wife and a free liberated woman. To summarize, beware of these she-wolves. With great songs, amazing live presence and trully magnificent voices, Brigitte is definitely the next best thing out of the cheese country.

Orelsan (Hip Hop, France)

Often called the 'French Eminem', 29 year old hip hop and rap artist OrelSan is fast gaining notoriety on the music scene since his 2009 debut album "Perdu d'avance." No stranger to controversy, some of his most radical lyrics have seen him banned from festivals and stages. However, his writing style and arrangements have garnered him a faithful following among hip hop and rap fans and his flow and lyrics made him one of the most popular French rappers. Released in Sept 2011, "Le chant des sirènes", OrelSan's second album has already gone Gold in France, with more than 50,000 copies sold.

Shaka Ponk (Rock, Electro, France)

Red Hot Chili Peppers meet Frank Zappa, Manu Chao meets ZZ Top, AC/DC meets Talking Heads. And once all those meetings have taken place…welcome to Shaka Ponk, the French rock band obsessed with sound, image, video and design, recognisable in its omnipresent iconic virtual monkey and spokesperson Goz. Rarely does a band truly create their own universe. Shaka Ponk made that magical step and leapt from being a band to being a brand and an icon – just what it takes to succeed in the ultra-communicative 21st century. Musically, they fuse hip hop with Electro, Metal sequences, rap phrasings, and puzzle-pieces from across the globe into the fiery-hot SHAKA-mix.

midem offers Cannes its first Music Festival

At Cannes Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, on December 15, Mr Bruno Crolot, Director of midem, in company of Mr David Lisnard, First Deputy and President of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, presented the evolutions he initiated for the 2012 «new midem». Firstly, David Lisnard reminded the attachment of Cannes and its inhabitants to midem. Evoking his own memories, he said: «Midem is an extraordinary place of live music. Every ‘Cannois’ has an history with midem!». The annual event where artists, technology and brands are connected by music is presenting a new face, whose majors innovations were described by newly-appointed Director Bruno Crolot. Midem, always keen to forecast new tendencies and catalyze their developments, wants to enlarge the music industry eco-system to new technologies, especially social media. Since more and more fans skip traditional sale channels, the future will see technologies used by the brands, the artists and labels to to renew the dialogue more directly with the public. All insights will be shared during the Visionnary Monday and through Midemlab, the start-ups competition as well as conferences with high-end keynotes, that this year will take place during all the length of the fair.

Bruno Crolot announced then the first-ever midem festival, 3 nights of live performances featuring international stars and up-and-coming artists including The Ting Tings, 2 Many DJ's, Selah Sue, Shaka Ponk, Brigitte, Stuck in the Sound, OrelSan, Imany and Skip The Use. The festival will be open to midem attendees and also to the general public at the affordable rate of 30€ per day (3-day pass 70€). A 3,500 capacity venue will be specially set up on Cannes' Palm Beach Croisette esplanade. Along with the midem festival, the midem off will offer a music program in the heart of the city of Cannes. Some pubs and bars will showcase new talents from all backgrounds, completing the midem festival concerts.

Midem will organize a gala evening dedicated to classical music on Monday 30 January (Théâtre Croisette du Palais Stéphanie, situated in the JW Marriott Cannes Hotel). The evening will be hosted by trumpet soloist Alison Balsom who will give an exclusive performance at the event along with rising stars, Behzod Abduraimov (piano) and Norwegian siblings, Mari and Hakon Samuelsen (violin and cello), accompanied by the Cannes PACA Region Orchestra, conducted by Philippe Bender.

Midem will take place in Cannes from 28 to 31 January, 2012.

www.midem.com www.midemfestival.com

Concerts ticketing: www.fnac.com www.ticketnet.fr