Subbacultcha Spring Highlights
ReviewWhilst the heat keeps sustaining and summer is floating by, we look back at breezier days. Last spring welcomed us
Jessy Yasmeen moves fluidly between neo-soul, alternative R&B, and subtle Latin American influences, combining warm vocals with raw, introspective songwriting.
Growing up in a cultural melting pot of Venezuelan, Surinamese, Chinese, and Dutch roots, Jessy translates her personal journey into music that touches, heals, and connects. She produces and records her music herself from her home studio and collaborates with musicians from all over the world, creating a globally connected sound. After her EP Leap of Faith, which achieved over 5 million streams, she now presents Salt & Soil: a spiritual journey in two parts.
Salt depicts a period of searching; chasing what does not satisfy, returning to empty sources, and confronting silence in the desert. Sonically, this section leans on austere arrangements, ranging from jazz-driven drums to boom bap textures — raw, rhythmic, and unfiltered. Soil marks the shift towards encounter and growth; where what was once barren comes back to life. Not by striving, but by grace. The sound opens up to warmer, layered arrangements with organic and Latin-oriented percussion that feel grounded, spacious, and lively. With live elements such as congas, flute, and harp, Jessy creates a rich, genre-transcending sound rooted in both tradition and experimentation.
For this special release show, Jessy performs with an extensive live ensemble lineup featuring drums, percussion, double bass, keys, violin, flute, and backing vocals, bringing the full sonic depth of Salt & Soil to life on stage.
Her work is supported by 3voor12 (“North Sea Jazz, are you awake?”), NPO Radio 2, and BBC Radio, and she has performed throughout Europe and beyond; from a sold-out 91livingroom in London to jazz venue Fabrica in Cuba. She won the Rotterdam Music Award (Export Prize), performed at Popronde 2024, and played at Motel Mozaique.
Expect an immersive live experience that moves from emptiness to fullness; from searching to becoming.
Limited edition Salt & Soil merch is available at the event.
DALI
DALI is a singer-songwriter whose music is rooted in soul, jazz, and honest storytelling. With a voice that sounds intimate one moment and powerful the next, she writes about womanhood, love, identity, family, and the patterns we inherit. As an independent artist, she has achieved millions of streams and built an international audience in Europe, the United States, and beyond. Her latest release, A Woman, serves as a prelude to her upcoming debut EP HER, her most personal project to date, in which she reflects on inherited pain, complicated love, self-worth, and the choice to break patterns without denying one’s heritage. At the heart of DALI’s music lies a simple idea: vulnerability and strength do not have to be opposites.
The people at Cinetol have kindly offered a limited amount of free tickets for Subbacultcha members. Please make a reservation by sending an email to mailinglist@subbacultcha.nl with ‘Jessy Yasmeen’ in the subject line + your name in the email.
Registrations are open until 12.00 PM on weekdays.