Berlin, Germany - Popdeurope 2004 will be held July 17 - August 20, 2004, in Berlin, at the House of World Cultures. The festival stays true to the search for the most exciting new pop sounds going down in European cities and this year the event is dedicated to pop music’s roots, Africa.

Once again, Popdeurope is presenting six summer night sets, this time grouped under the title of Sounds: Afropean-A-Licious, showcasing artists whose lives may be centered in Europe but whose music explores non-European sounds and styles. Afro-beat influences are very much evident in the Afro-Caribbean rhythms laid down by P18, a project initiated by former Mano Negra keyboarder Tom Darnal, and are similarly found shaping the cyber-tech-rock grooves pumped out by Portuguese pop aliens Blasted Mechanism in their mix of futuristic sounds and Angolan storytelling.

Dancehall, hip-hop, R’n’B and soul – all styles long since advanced to global pop-music languages, creating new urban sounds as local roots blend with the pulse of their beats. As in past years, Popdeurope 2004 provides a broad framework to pay tribute to these developments, offering club nights, video installations, workshops, a photo exhibition on hip-hop in Senegal, and a CD compilation.

Popdeurope 2003 saw more than 10,000 guests grooving to the six concerts, club shows, and sound system nights at the House of World Cultures, helping to make Popdeurope into one Berlin’s most successful music events last year.