BREMER/McCOY / Dänemark

In the organizer's words:

With 400,000 monthly listeners, Bremer/McCoy have, against all expectations, created their own reserved cosmos in a noisy time. Fittingly, the duo's sixth album is entitled "Kosmos". In it, they want to convey a world view based on deep connection and a sense of freedom. The raw material includes pieces that have been maturing for 15 years, as well as those that were created in intense moments within 15 minutes.

"Kosmos" is a statement without exclamation marks or big letters. It is an attempt by two Danish musicians to capture the world that they stand for - and that they want to share with others. The album stands for an attitude, and in Bremer/McCoy's cosmos you can meet each other without words.

"People have always made music. We sat around the fire and sang. We have danced. When we make music or listen together, we communicate wordlessly. Especially now, it is important to remind ourselves to communicate, because many find times difficult. What we represent is non-political communication. One of my biggest concerns is division. That political attitudes prevent people from talking to each other, even though there is so much in common. Everyone enjoys a walk in the woods, and I think everyone feels fundamental joy and peace when something beautiful is created," says Morten McCoy.

This intimate and immediate atmosphere is created at the duo's concerts. The starting point for "Kosmos" was an attempt to capture the emotions of their live performances on record. They therefore designed the first studio session like a concert - they simply began to improvise. Their improvisation style is unique: they don't improvise solos, but entire pieces. They don't jam aimlessly, but tell a story. They don't know which story they will tell at the beginning - they discover it together.

The two share a common past and have known each other since their time at Ryvangen Lilleskole. Nevertheless, they lead very different lives today: Morten McCoy lives with his wife and children in a commune on a farm, while Jonathan Bremer leads a fast-paced city life. In music, however, they always find each other because they can be completely present.

"We are very flow-oriented. You can't try too hard to force something into the music or have a plan of what should happen. Only when you leave the ego completely aside is there room for what needs to happen. If a musician thinks: 'Now this or that should happen', he is outside the music. We want to play as if we were simply listening to the music as it is being created. That is the ultimate freedom," says Jonathan Bremer.

This approach is more evident on this album than on any previous one. The first single "Higher Road", for example, was recorded in a single take - with all instruments and effects played live. The songs revolve thematically around meditation, prayer, gratitude and quiet optimism on behalf of us all. A song like the single "Alting løser sig" ("Everything will be alright") was born from a vague idea - the duo simply started playing and saw what would happen. The result was a piece that fits the duo's cosmos and picks up on the idea that fear is a bad driver - instead, you should trust that everything will work out. "Hvor du er" ("Where you are") was written during an earlier studio session with Hans Philip, where he said random words while the duo played. These included the phrase "indtil, hvor du er" ("to where you are") - which later developed into a Bremer/McCoy track of its own. Ideas and melody fragments sometimes have to "marinate for ten years", as Jonathan Bremer says. "Bøn" ("Prayer") comes from this pool. The piece is based on a theme that the duo had often played live but never recorded on an album. When Jonathan Bremer then played a bass ostinato, everything suddenly fell into place - as often happens when Bremer/McCoy put themselves and their listeners into a trance-like state.

Bremer/McCoy will accompany "Kosmos" with a series of concerts in the country's largest cities in the fall. It will conclude with three concerts in the concert hall of the Conservatory in Copenhagen. A Scandinavian tour will also take place in between, during which the duo will visit Sweden and Norway. A Central European tour is also planned for 2025.

Price information:

VVK: 30 € plus fees / B.O.: 36 € / seat / free choice of seats