The Mercat de Música Viva de Vic begins its 35th edition this Wednesday with the presence of more than 900 professionals in search of musical proposals that will be exhibited in more than 50 concerts with the notable presence of a notable Italian representation.
The breaking down of borders between musical genres and the consolidation of the female presence characterize an exhibition that has definitively left the pandemic ups and downs behind to give all the spotlight to the artists who will parade through the 6 stages of this edition. There will be 59 concerts by 56 groups and artists, 46 in the professional programming and a dozen in the festival programming, with the culmination this Saturday featuring free concerts by artists such as Lildami, Tesa, Ginestà or Figa Flawas. An “unconventional” programming, as defined by Marc Lloret, director of the event since 2011.
What stands out in this edition is the premiere of 24 albums or live shows within the professional section of the festival, what is known as the MMVV Pro Catalan Arts!, which will have the La Atlàntida theater as the nerve center where the presentations of projects, meetings between promoters and artists as well as sectoral meetings. An underground work that results in an economic return of around 2.5 or 3 million euros, as Marc Lloret explains, highlighting that this figure could have been conditioned by the increase in presentations in 2022 after the pandemic, for example. so this year's business volume will be "more real" reflecting a "sustainable upward trend."
“In recent years the number of accredited people has been growing, and artists maintain interest in coming to present their proposals,” he explains, highlighting that managers come even if they do not have a proposal on stage, “because they know that it is a place where be seen.” A solidity due to the existence of artist and programmer profiles “that fit very well into the market, because there is a more or less drawn artistic line.”
Among the premieres that will take place during the four days of the Mercat, inaugurated by pianist Marco Mezquida with the presentation of the album Tornado, is Marc Parrot's proposal, Turisme per la mòria, with which he covers his 30-year career . You can also enjoy Paula Valls' third album, Començar de nou, as well as the first album by Los Sara Fontán after 6 years of touring without recording a single song with their experimental music or the 13th album by pianist Clara Peya. They are a small tasting of the proposals that include 14 international artists, five of them Italian such as the Kakawa and their mix of electronics and world music, the pianist and composer Dario Faini, known as Dardust, or the folk of Kalàscima.
The breakdown of genres, particularly among the younger groups, is one of the characteristics of the music that will be played in Vic, a trend that also affects the public as Lloret highlights. “In our generation there were many urban tribes, grunge, or mod, or rocker or skin eras and we all tended to position ourselves even musically,” explains the Mishima keyboardist, highlighting that young people can listen to more reggaeton or commercial music, “but “Urban music is being mixed with roots music, more traditional hip-hop or rock, and it is done without any kind of shame.” A rupture that has a derivative in the habit of dispensing with the album as a way of presenting music.
“I don't know if it's a good thing, but it's happening,” says Lloret, warning about the consequences it may have for the Mercat, where artists come precisely to present their albums, so it is possible that in the future they will have to reconsider this point. . “Many artists present a single or a video clip, but they do not have the vision of the album as a musical project.” In any case, it is not a dominant trend, as demonstrated by the notable presence of artists presenting new albums, "the proof is that we have more than 20 releases," he says.
In these premieres, as in the rest of the programming, the female presence stands out, with more than 50% of proposals led or co-led by women. “It has been a process pursued on our part with overwhelming logic,” explains Marc Lloret, wondering “how many times we have programmed male artists who were bad” to highlight the importance of giving opportunities to everyone without looking at the results. “You have to give yourself opportunities and trust in projects even if you are not sure they will work, we have to bet on them because we have also done it with men.” In recent years, yes, there has been a greater female offer at a musical level, “five years ago it was more difficult,” explains Lloret, highlighting the role of music schools. “Before, people came to music through friends who went to the venue,” she comments, without forgetting the work of women “who have claimed their work to enter the artistic world, who have believed that it made sense to defend and explain it.”
