Cologne Jazzweek: Mopcut & Expensive Magnets feat. Louis Cole & Chris Fishman

Mopcut
They want to create a structure of noises and sounds that completely surrounds the listener and has just as intense an effect on the ears as it does on the inner eye. This is how Audrey Chen, Julien Desprez and Lukas König describe their trio project MOPCUT, which will have its premiere at the Cologne concert. All three have learned from jazz, but their improvisational playing is free of any genre restrictions. Lukas König uses drums, synthesizers and his voice; Julien Desprez plays electric guitar; Audrey Chen overlays the sounds from her analog synthesizers with ecstatically extemporizing vocals.

Expensive Magnets
Expensive Magnets is the duo project of Pedro Martins and Genevieve Artadi. Hailing from Brasília and Los Angeles, Martins and Artadi bring together a collection of experiences and influences that result in a very unique sound. Traces of Milton Nascimento, The Beach Boys, Astrud Gilberto, Duke Ellington, Stereolab and many others can be heard in their music, yet their style is their own. Pedro Martins' mastery of the guitar has sent him on an exciting path of achievement. In 2015 he won the Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition, and shortly thereafter he went on an international tour with Kurt Rosenwinkel's Caipi Band. His skills as a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist are gracefully showcased on his latest album, Vox (Heartcore Records). Genevieve Artadi is best known for her work in the high-energy D.I.Y. pop band KNOWER, which has appeared in video game soundtracks such as Grand Theft Auto, opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and received millions of views for its music videos such as "Overtime" and "The Goverment Knows." Most recently, Artadi released a solo album on Brainfeeder Records titled "Dizzy Strange Summer" and collaborated with the Swedish Norrbotten Big Band as composer-in-residence. Since forming Expensive Magnets in 2019, Martins and Artadi have released a self-titled video EP and several singles, all expressions of their palpably passionate, prolific and relatable spirits.