Machiel Heremans and Rebekka Van Bockstal, together No Wasabi, is an experimental guitar duo that takes the listeners on a musical trip with loops, echoes and other effects. The two guitar players met each other at the conservatory of Brussels, where they found they shared a passion for composing, effects, free improvisation and sound. These elements are also main aspects in the music of No Wasabi. The self-titled debut album is a powerful but intimate story in which echo plays an important part, partly because the album was recorded in a church. The combination of improvised sketches and composed music blends into a fresh creative collection of songs in which different boundaries are explored.

Shakuar unites vocalists Shishani & Karima el Fillali who perform with a deep sense of intimacy, creating enchanting and transformative music. Their work marks a musical friendship with Western classical music, 90s R&B and Hip-Hop. Growing up in European & African households, they also share a parallel quest for the musical roots of their African parents. For Karima this path led to an introspective journey to Morocco, and for Shishani to her country of birth, Namibia. Shakuar challenges the notion of separate identities and cultural divides. The collaboration between Shakuar and the Residentie Orkest began in 2020. The concert took place on September 12, 2020 in The New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) in The Hague, built in 1649. A historic place of worship transformed into the scenery for a contemporary musical ritual grounded in intimacy despite the physical borders.