Spectaculare brings Danish jazz adventurers Svaneborg Kardyb and Berlin jazz-fusion Conic Rose

Spectaculare festival confirms another top fusion of jazz and electronica for 2024. On 14 March, the festival will welcome the jazz duo Svaneborg Kardyb, two-time winners of the Danish Music Awards, to Akropolis Palace. They release on the prestigious British label Gondwana Records (Hania Rani, Portico Quartet). The second act of the night will be Berlin-based quartet Conic Rose, which plays an elusive fusion of art-rock, electronica and jazz. As usual, both concerts will be accompanied by visualizations prepared especially for this jazz evening.

Afterparty: Mr.Ultrafino ft. Darryl Baalki | Visuals: Marek Čihař, Jan Rozsypal

Delicate minimalism, catchy grooves and a distinctive Nordic mood - that's Svaneborg Kardyb. The duo from Aarhus, Denmark, consists of Nikolaj Svaneborg (keyboards - acoustic and electronic) and Jonas Kardyb (drums, percussion). Their work draws on local folk music and influences from the titans of Scandinavian jazz. They've known each other for over a decade, but first met in the studio in 2018, debuting a year later with the album Knob to great acclaim. At the Danish Music Awards, they took home awards for discovery of the year and best jazz composer. The album is an exceptional fusion of the two traditions from which the members of Svaneborg Kardyb came. While the former is a big fan of Nordic jazz, Kardyb, for a change, is more into blues and folk music.

"It's the opposite of the fast-paced, fake world of social media and shallow ideas. The songs are not intentionally flashy, nor do they stick out of the musicians' egos, they are both simple and very moving," jazz journalist Debra Richards wrote of the Knob album. Their second album, Haven, was released a year later and the translation of the title (=garden) suggests that it is their homage to nature and its forces. The third album Over Tage has already been handled by the prestigious English label Gondwana Records, where they also release albums by Mammal Hands, Portico Quartet and GoGo Penguin. Like the aforementioned projects, Svaneborg Kardyb also like to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz into uncharted territories.

The Berlin-based quartet Conic Rose has also met a similar goal. Under the leadership of trumpeter Konstantin Dogen, the group brought together musicians originally coming from many different directions. That's why their music mixes electronic vibes, art-rock with atmospheric jazz. The collective shares a love for exploring previously untried musical forms, and their music manages to be as abstract and innovative as it is accessible. It's pretty much impossible to pigeonhole them by genre, and if you do, it will only be a reflection of your own musical preferences.

"Their progressive and playful songs flirt with Hassell, Bach, Radiohead and hip-hop beats that also work well with the brass," wrote British music magazine MOJO about the debut full-length Heller Tag. Released in February 2023, it sees Conic Rose capitalizing on their career to date, which began with 2020's Babyghosts EP. Trumpeter Dogen is joined by Bertram Burkert (guitar, bass and synths), Franziska Aller (bass) and Silvan Strauss (drums). Jazz Montez magazine described them as "one of the most talented and ambitious young bands from Germany." We will finally be able to see this in Prague, where they will play as part of the Spectaculare_11 festival.

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