Keep On Turnin’

I first came across Stephan Braun's music many years ago, searching the internet for interesting recordings by musicians playing jazz on string instruments. Stephan's original style and the way he used his instrument caught my attention immediately. I was hugely impressed by his command of unconventional techniques and his creative approach to the looper. Over the years, studying his recordings, I learned a great deal. Most of all, though, I value Stephan for his feeling, his drive and his time. From the first moment I heard his music I knew I would like to perform with him one day.
In 2009, on one of my tours of Germany, I had the chance to meet Stephan in person. That was when I suggested we play together. The opportunity to invite Stephan to Poland came only seven years later — and since then we have worked together regularly.
For our first album we chose mainly pieces by our idols of the 1990s, most of them in a funk vein. Played on string instruments, this kind of music may strike listeners as a rather unlikely combination — but it gives us a great deal of joy!
Mateusz

I heard about Mateusz and his virtuoso jazz playing years ago from a friend. When I heard him live at a jazz club in Berlin I was fascinated! After the concert we talked for a long time and decided to start working together as a duo. I quickly noticed how similar our musical preferences were: playing music full of grooves, complex jazz pieces, using loopers and effects. Mateusz's extraordinarily flexible and versatile playing gives me — a cellist — a great deal of freedom. Our duo concerts are full of spontaneity and creativity. And they are always different.
Most of the pieces we chose for this album come from the repertoire of much larger line-ups — fusion and soul bands of the 1990s. Interpreting this music on just two string instruments gives us great joy, but it also lets us show the world the sound of violin and cello from an entirely different perspective.
Stephan