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Roskilde Festival is a live event. Of course, there's the being-togetherness, the non-stop partying and so on – but the foundation is concerts. In the end we all come together for the live experiences.

Because of this it's extremely important to us, who put together the music programme, that we are sure that the artists we book can, ultimately, deliver the goods on-stage.

Lots of fixations can take place in a recording studio. Numerous of artists have delivered excellent albums without delivering live at the same level. And likewise, there are lots of artists who may not have put out the best records in the world – but when it comes to performing live they are in their right element!

More specifically, when it comes to world music – which isn't one genre but in fact a "box" in which lots of genres have been put, e.g. bolero, samba, tango, joik… – it's also a factor that there are still many genres in the world that we still don't know that well yet. A great concert experience with one of these genres, which we may have had our doubts about being right for Roskilde Festival, can change our scepticism and pave the way for a debut at our festival.

Lots of Womex bands to Roskilde

It's very important for us to get out in the big world and see many of the bands on offer live – just as we listen to the reports from our network.

It's impossible to find time to fly out to all the world's venues where music is playing year-round, so it's a great advantage for us to participate in festivals and business meetings where a big line-up of relevant artists are presented.

Womex is such an event.

Throughout the years I have participated in Womex, first in 1994 and ever since from 1997. Numerous bands have found their way via Womex to Roskilde Festival's stages. Gangbe Brass Band, La-33, Bellowhead, Enzo Avitabile & Bottari, Faiz Ali Faiz, Mahala Raï Banda – and many, many more.

An important day for the performers

About 1000 bookers from all over the world participate in Womex. So it's a crucial thing to play at that exact event.

It's not without risks – you may have a bad day, a sound engineer without skills or simply all kinds of bad luck that can give you a bad showcase, which can lead to your career taking quite a knock.

The showcase part of Womex takes place at in Copenhagen on 29 - 30 October. Tickets are available through billetnet.dk, and it's definitely relevant to participate – even if you're not part of the business but merely a little curious or if you know some of the many genres that are presented. One showcase lasts 40-45 minutes – that's one set – and there are 15 of them on the three respective nights.

Peter Hvalkof is often on the move. This blog post is written in a hotel room in Seoul, South Korea.

Playing on Peter's stereo this week

Goran Bregovic: Alkohol (Universal 2008)
As a warm-up to one of this week's exciting visits to the Danish capital, orchestra leader from the Balkans Goran Bregovic will play Tivoli, I have enjoyed his latest album Alkohol. Here he deals with his father's relationship to alcohol - and that doesn't come off dull in any way. Like on his earlier releases he borrows a little here and there but always with an irresistible charm. No wonder the entire eastern Europe lies at his feet.

Fela Ransom Kuti & Africa 70: Expensive Shit (Polygram 1975)
Sax player, provocateur, activist and inventor of AFRO BEAT, Fela Kuti. The number of releases is infinite, and most of them are worth your attention. This one is from '75. Only rarely can you name one person who deserves full credit as the inventor of a whole genre - but Afro beat is indissolubly connected with Fela Kuti. No doubt that his - in the beginning - faithful companion Tony Allen (who has visited Roskilde Festival in 2003 and 2009) has put his touches on the album, but Fela is the man!

Luis Towers y la Orquesta Colombiafrica: Son Palenque Selection
Studio tracks from a forthcoming album from the Colombian combo - a CD with tracks, which was given to me. Congo meets Colombia, a vital mix of African, Carribbean and Colombian inputs. Has earlier put out Voodoo Love Inna Champeta Land on World Music Network UK - Riverboat Records.