From 15 to 19 April 2025, the city of Ghent (Belgium) will host the Soundroutes International Bootcamp, a week of training, music production and artistic exchange dedicated to hip hop and European urban culture.
Organised by vzw De Vergunning (de Koer), the Bootcamp will bring together 22 young artists from Italy, Spain, Mexico, Algeria and Belgium, along with three professional coaches: Fritz Tavernier (Froze), Pauline Van Der Sypt (i.m.polite) and Fatih De Vos.
The goal is simple and powerful: to create connections through music, learn to work collectively and build original songs and performances that arise from the encounter between different languages, stories and rhythms.
During the week, participants will take part in writing and flow workshops, studio recording sessions, peer learning moments and team building activities to get to know each other and create together. The programme will culminate in a public performance on 19 April at the historic Charlatan concert hall, where the tracks co-created during the Bootcamp will be presented.
The approach is that of non-formal education, combining practical experience and peer collaboration. Participants will work on lyrics, beats and performance, but also on transferable skills: intercultural communication, teamwork, artistic co-creation and stage presence.
‘Hip hop is a universal language, capable of building bridges between different cultures,’ explain De Koer. ‘This Bootcamp is a laboratory of creative freedom and solidarity, where rhythm becomes a form of dialogue.’
The Bootcamp in Ghent is the first in a series of international meetings organised by Soundroutes, which will also take place in Rome, Seville and on the Greek island of Chios in 2025.
This European project demonstrates how hip hop can still be, today, a school of community, cooperation and social justice.
📅 15–19 April 2025
📍 Ghent, Belgium – De Koer & Charlatan
🎤 With vzw De Vergunning, A Sud and the European partners of the Soundroutes project
