The Berlin quartet, which was awarded the German Jazz Prize as "Band of the Year" in 2021, moves beyond clichés. It is not about deconstruction or irony, but about the immediate experience of sound and interaction.
»PHILM channels the distress of modern urban life, the fear, tension and anger that all too often find expression in destructive acts of resentment rather than creative acts of resistance. Philipp Gropper has found a way to musically grapple with his own reaction to these social conditions and in PHILM he has found a group of fellow musicians who can convey the emotional depth of this reaction to the listener.« Marc Werlin (all about jazz ny)
PHILM is currently working on two new albums, the music of which is already coming to life on stage. The interplay between Gropper on saxophone, Elias Stemeseder on piano and synthesizer, Robert Landfermann on bass and Leif Berger on drums creates a dense, pulsating dynamic that produces a sound that is intense, sometimes fast and breathless, then again open and floating. It challenges, captivates and yet always leaves enough room for your own associations.
If you want to experience contemporary jazz that gets to the heart of the matter, this concert is the right place for you.