Artefact Sound: Shovel Dance Collective / nykolaes & Daniël Paul

• nykolaes & Daniël Paul

nykolaes and Daniël Paul are two artists based in Brussels working alone, together on music. They released their first album neofolk in 2023, to underground acclaim. In 2026 they’re back with new music entitled Jeudi Matin. nykolaes & Daniël Paul both bring their own styles to the project, nykolaes’ 90s influenced, pro-post-anti-singer-songwriter modernism and Daniël Paul’s intimate, eyes wide open lo-fi-mumble-folk. Together they bring soft-spoken songs that combine guitar, DIY instruments and simple electronic elements, with vocal performances harmoniously in and out of tune, pitched to satisfaction. They repurpose something authentic and visceral into something that shimmers and screams in the pillow at times. Expect uplifting grunge, backwards folk, playful drone, disarming texts in Dutch, French and English. Never stuck in a tape loop, singing the shed saw, respectfully covering … we’ll see …”

• Shovel Dance Collective

Shovel Dance Collective is a group of nine musicians united by their passion for traditional music from the British Isles, Ireland and beyond. An inspiring group of young people, students and dissident punks who approach folk not as an artefact from the past, but as a communal activity that happens in the here and now. Together they search for new meanings, hidden queer and feminist narratives in their musical heritage. With an arsenal of classical and folk instruments, including bagpipes, harps, pipe organ and Celtic percussion, they perform extended improvisations on simple melodies and recurring refrains. In this way, centuries-old songs blend with ‘experimental’ elements. As such, Shovel Dance Collective builds a bridge between the present and the past. No one is in charge. On stage, they form a democratic semicircle, without a clear leader. Endearing, deeply human and full of positivity: anyone who sees Shovel Dance Collective live will walk out with feelings of joy and connection.