For the general public, the roots of hip-hop go back to somewhere between Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. The true Father of Hip-hop though, is that immigrant New Yorker from West Kingston (Jamaica), who, in the summer of 73, launched a Back to School Jam in the Bronx. With roots reggae, the funky beats of James Brown, Jimmy Castor Bunch and Mandrill and two turntables and a microphone, DJ Kool Herc, who was barely 18, invented breakbeat DJ-ing by mixing two records to create a new rhythm.

Most of the events fall under the auspices of the Fête de la Musique, but on top of that there’s the Duke’s little soiree in the city centre, and piling on the fun the commercial venues stage a couple of shows that would make anybodies weekend, on their own, at any other time of the year. So, strap yourself in, put on your baseball cap with the can holders, stock up on Red Bull and take a deep breath… It’s the l-o-n-g-e-s-t weekend in the Luxembourg year.

Since the end of the 18th century it has been customary to celebrate the sovereign’s birthday and traditionally, the date chosen was 23 January. But it’s a miserable time of year to party al fresco. If you are royalty, you can celebrate your birthday whenever you damn well please, so in 1961 it was decided to transfer the public celebration to warmer times. Thus was born the tradition of National Day on the 23rd of June of each year. History part over….

T&T have a big and loyal following in Germany (so we can expect a lot of cross-border traffic), and are universally known for the song ’After Dark’, which featured in the Roberto Rodriguez movie ’From Dusk Till Dawn’. All in all, it should be an absolute cracker of a show.

Religion, the legitimacy of power, technological developments are constantly moving, changing and shifting. The exhibition puts forward the argument that the end result of our transformation, evident now, will be a second nature, a ‘counter-nature’, with all it’s inherent risks

Suitably fed and watered it’s time to go clubbing. You, and about 5000 other souls that is, as The Pet Shop Boys bring their all singing, all dancing, multi-media, Pandemonium TourPetshopboys spectacular, to the Rockhal on Saturday night.

Perhaps the most curious and interesting act of the day is the folk group, Grupo Etnografico do Alto Minha. Curious and interesting because it was formed here in Luxembourg by 19 young Portuguese people, with the idea of promoting the traditions and culture of their Portuguese roots. The group chose to adopt the folklore, music, dance and costume from the Alto Minho region in the north of Portugal for their performances.

Agents Of Atlas [pictured left], who are third up on Saturday, promise to be one of the highlights of the day. They’re an indie guitar band with good songs. Their ’Safe as Sound’ E.P. is one of the better things I’ve heard coming out of Luxembourg for a while.

Created in 1981 by Jean Marie Boursicot, The Night of the AdEaters® became established in France before spreading throughout the rest of the world. Now more than 160 cities throughout the world have signed on to the tour annually, with events in Tokyo, Paris, Moscow, Santiago de Chile, Mexico City, Hong Kong and Geneva, amongst many others

The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music, which reflect the sounds of Syia, Iraq, Turkey and the sizable Kurdish population.