The European Border Breaker Awards (EBBA) 2012, which will be awarded on the 11th of January at this year’s Eurosonic Noorderslag Festival in Groningen, can now also be followed on a live stream. The stream of the award ceremony will be available on the video platform YouTube from 6.15pm – 7.15pm with the respective link: www.youtube.com/user/EBBAAWARDS. The winners of the European Border Breaker Awards 2012 were confirmed in October last year. Among the winners is also the meanwhile internationally acclaimed Austrian techno band Elektro Guzzi. In addition, the winner of the EBBA 2012 Public Choice Award will also be announced, which votes ended on the 31st of December 2011.
The European Border Breakers Award is not just any other award. The award by the European Commission for Education, Culture and Youth and Multilingualism, in collaboration with various companies and organizations of the European music industry, can almost be compared to gaining musical knighthood. From a large number of musical debuts, the music market analysts Nielsen Music Control – based on sales figures, radio airplays and votes of representatives of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), radio stations and the European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP) – select those musicians and bands, who have the most potential to become musical sensations beyond national borders. So far, Austrian artists who received this prestigious award include Soap & Skin and Saint Lu.
Elektro Guzzi are now also a part of this illustrious circle of winners. With their self-titled debut album the band was not only responsible for a sensation in this country, but was also internationally perceived as a very special act. How many other bands are out there that play techno with solely guitar, bass and drums? Probably not that many. In the meantime Bernhard Hammer (guitar), Jakob Schneidewind (bass) and Bernhard Breuer (drums) enjoy an excellent reputation abroad, which shows in the received invitations to internationally renowned festivals, such as the Sonar in Barcelona.
Award Winners:
Elektro Guzzi (Austria)
Selah Sue (Belgium)
Agnes Obel (Denmark)
Ben l’Oncle Soul (France)
Boy (Germany)
James Vincent McMorrow (Ireland)
Afrojack (Netherlands)
Alexandra Stan (Romania)
Swedish House Mafia (Sweden)
Anna Calvi (UK)