Graupe/Brendle/Terzić
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Playfulness is their driving force; risk-taking, their compass. The music of this ensemble feels like an expedition into the unknown — infused with a touch of Dada, a wink of humour, and at the same time grounded in profound seriousness. Together, they set out on a journey of discovery where composition and improvisation are not opposites, but intertwined paths that constantly shape and reshape one another.
Their musical language moves freely between voice and instrument: a chorus of sounds, voices and rhythms that pulse, harmonise and morph into melody. Nothing remains linear. Musical lines meander, fracture, disappear and resurface elsewhere — like rivers carving unexpected paths through the landscape.
The ensemble is drawn to the immediate, the raw, the direct. “In your face?” — and yet still an open question. Expectations are played with, turned on their head, and sometimes quietly dismantled. Complexity is not treated as an academic obstacle, but as a living web — one that draws listeners in, holds them there, and invites them to engage.
KompleX — Xelpmok: backwards in thought, forwards in feeling. Like a mirror reflecting an image that may be distorted, but remains somehow honest.
This music seeks neither compromise nor easy answers, but encounter. It creates spaces where seemingly opposing qualities can coexist: fragmented and whole, fragile and massive, absurd and strangely familiar. A sonic cosmos that does more than entertain — it draws its listeners into the journey, somewhere between poetry and unpredictability.
“KompleX? Xelpmok! — a mirror game that keeps unfolding.”
“Melody meanders, rhythm rebels, Dada dances.”
“KompleX? Xelpmok! — music turning the soundscape upside down.”
Their musical language moves freely between voice and instrument: a chorus of sounds, voices and rhythms that pulse, harmonise and morph into melody. Nothing remains linear. Musical lines meander, fracture, disappear and resurface elsewhere — like rivers carving unexpected paths through the landscape.
The ensemble is drawn to the immediate, the raw, the direct. “In your face?” — and yet still an open question. Expectations are played with, turned on their head, and sometimes quietly dismantled. Complexity is not treated as an academic obstacle, but as a living web — one that draws listeners in, holds them there, and invites them to engage.
KompleX — Xelpmok: backwards in thought, forwards in feeling. Like a mirror reflecting an image that may be distorted, but remains somehow honest.
This music seeks neither compromise nor easy answers, but encounter. It creates spaces where seemingly opposing qualities can coexist: fragmented and whole, fragile and massive, absurd and strangely familiar. A sonic cosmos that does more than entertain — it draws its listeners into the journey, somewhere between poetry and unpredictability.
“KompleX? Xelpmok! — a mirror game that keeps unfolding.”
“Melody meanders, rhythm rebels, Dada dances.”
“KompleX? Xelpmok! — music turning the soundscape upside down.”
DAMARIS BRENDLE
Voice
Damaris Brendle is a playful sonic storyteller, exploring the space between rough-edged, abrasive expression and crystalline melody. Born in Bern, Switzerland, in 1995, she is a versatile vocalist whose work moves across the boundaries of jazz, contemporary music and improvisation.
From 2017 to 2024, she studied Jazz and Contemporary Music at the Bern University of the Arts, working with artists including Efrat Alony, Lisette Spinnler, Claude Eichenberger and Matthieu Michel. Driven by the desire to develop a sound of her own, she founded the project Lina Tinérun in 2020. That same year, she received the Friedl Wald Foundation’s sponsorship award for musicians under the age of 26.
Since early 2022, she has been developing her own musical language in a duo with trombonist Florian Weiss. Brendle is currently active in a range of formations, including BUREAU BUREAU’s project Goodbye Glacier, Florian Pfister’s Big Band and Ulysse Loups Large Ensemble.
RONNY GRAUPE
Guitar
Ronny Graupe has been a distinctive voice on the German and international jazz scene since the mid-1990s and is an integral part of Berlin’s vibrant musical landscape. Through his work with the trio Gropper/Graupe/Lillinger, his own project Ronny Graupe’s Spoom and the ensemble Off The Record, he has developed a highly individual sound both as a guitarist and composer.
With more than a dozen albums as a leader or co-leader, alongside numerous recordings as a sideman, Graupe has built an impressive and wide-ranging discography. In June 2021, he received the inaugural German Jazz Prize in the category of Guitar.
DEJAN TERZIĆ
Drums & Percussion
Dejan Terzić is one of the outstanding drummers on the European jazz scene, effortlessly combining intricate rhythmic structures with a seemingly weightless touch — a rare ability mastered by only a handful of players.
Born in Banja Luka, former Yugoslavia, and raised in Nuremberg, Terzić studied in New York and Würzburg and is now a professor at the Bern University of the Arts. His cosmopolitan background is reflected in the international line-ups of his numerous projects.
As a bandleader, he has released 18 albums on renowned labels including Enja and CAMJazz and has received numerous accolades, including an ECHO Jazz Award for Best Drummer. As a sideman, he has appeared on more than 150 recordings.
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