International Festival ‘Saveurs Culturelles du Monde’ [Cultural Flavours of the World]
21/22/23 May | Casino 2000, Mondorf | Music Festival
Crikey! What’s happened to the Casino 2000? Have they completely lost the run of themselves? The word Casino will always conjure up for me, the idea, born of countless dodgy movies, that casinos were the preserve of fast-fingered croupiers, even faster women, shaken cocktails, shaken dice, and just plain shaky old geezers who frankly should know better.
Well either I’ve been mistaken all this time, or the house here has been taking some pretty heavy hits lately and the boss has turned to Rock and Roll to bail him out of a bad run. Don’t get me wrong, Elvis, of course, did Vegas, and for some it’s the Golden Period. But I think even fans of that stint would admit that there was at least the faintest murmur, the suggestion of a hint of a whiff of cheese about the whole affair. Casinos and music with any kind of cred have had an uneasy relationship, and it’s usually the music which ends up trying to find its knickers, feeling a bit grubby, and getting the cab home.
Well, forget all that old nonsense. Casino 2000 have done their homework in putting together a really interesting, diverse yet somehow connected, range of acts. In all there are six acts per night, playing in three different venues, two per venue, and two of these venues, the Purple Lounge and the Lotus d’Or, are free, zero peseta, gratis!
If the acts have a common touchstone, it’s a laid-back, soulful, folk-tinged, intimate quality which pervades the three days. Some of the acts are better known than others: Mariana Ramos, Sophie Delila and Zaho [pictured right] may have higher profiles, to name but three, but all come with a definite pedigree.
Worthy of special mention is Luxembourg’s own Claudine Muno [pictured above]. Ms. Muno has been around the local scene for a while and by any measure is over the hills and far away in terms of genuine talent, ability and dedication to her craft. It must surely be only a matter of time before someone in the business with ears, gets a hold of her, gives her a wad of cash, and makes her a star. Oh and the Luna Boots aren’t half bad either! You really shouldn’t miss them if you haven’t already caught them.
In any case, over the three days there’s something for everybody, from folk singers, to soul divas, from indie-country to the Senegalese rhythms of the Cap Vert.
Over the last few years we’ve been well looked after, between den Atelier, the Kulturfabrik and the Rockhal, but it’s great to see a venue like the Casino 2000 take the bull by the horns and put together such an ambitious event like this.
It could just be The sleeper, one of the events of the summer.
Casino 2000
Rue Th. Flammang
L - 5618 Mondorf-les-Bains
Luxembourg Moselle
TEL: +352 23 61 1-213
FAX: +352 23 61 1-229
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