NTS x SONOS International Knockout

NTS and SONOS present the International Knockout: a celebration of global music culture, with the world’s best music selectors representing their countries head to head, live on-air.

Coinciding with another global football event that shall remain nameless, the International Knockout celebrates cultural dialogue and exchange, shining a light on the rich musical heritage of countries across the globe from Nigeria to Russia and beyond.

On Friday 29th June sixteen DJs and musicians take to the NTS airwaves, representing their country’s music in a series of thirty minute mixes. Guided through local traditional folk music through to contemporary club sounds, listeners will then cast their votes for their favourite countries and DJs, to see them through to the final stage of the tournament.

The winning four finalists will then present an extended hour long mix representing their country on July 9th. Listeners will return to the social polls to crown a champion nation.

Listeners who vote in the polls will all be entered into a prize draw, with the winner receiving the new Sonos Beam, and runners-up getting a limited edition NTS x SONOS International Knockout t-shirt.

The International Knock-Out follows on from previous NTS and SONOS partnerships including the David Bowie weekender in November 2017, and Love Letters To Berlin this April. Previous NTS x SONOS hosts have included Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, Thurston Moore, Dev Hynes and Wolfgang Tillmans.

UPDATE: the winning finalists from the Group Stages include Onra from France, Kutmah representing Egypt, Japan's very own Soichi Terada and Lao for Mexico. The four hosts will go head to head on Monday 9th July from 3-7pm BST - tune in and vote for your favourite...