Photo: © De Phazz

25 YEARS OF DE-PHAZZ [D]

feat. PAT APPLETON & KARL FRIERSON

Make love, not war!
It was the tour opener of De-Phazz "Private" Tour 2015, which was to start in October Palace in Kiev. We knew the history of the country and it felt more than strange to play a concert in this venue, located on Majdan Nesaleshnosti ("Independence Square"), on this sad anniversary. Even more so when, after checking in at the Hotel Ukraina, we had to get into the elevator together with snipers whose target was the building's roof. Even more so when on the way to the concert hall we had to pass the lined up pictures of all the deceased, the mourning people. We felt terrible and our request completely out of place. But the performance, the reaction of the audience and the subsequent conversations revealed the other perspective: that, especially in the darkest moments, it is very important to be given strength through music and to be shown something beautiful, that also through this hope is strengthened and positive goals can be brought into focus.
Here's to constructive solutions for the future (and love). (Oli Rubow, drummer of De-Phazz)

De-Phazz, the German cult band of lounge music, will do the honors at the "New Colours Festival" on the occasion of their 25th anniversary. Singer Pat Appleton will be there with her soulful voice, as well as singer Karl Frierson. The name De-Phazz was not chosen by band founder Pit Baumgärtner by chance. It stands for "Destination Future Jazz". At the end of the 1990s, the future of jazz was clearly moving in the direction of pop. NuJazz, lounge jazz, triphop and all the other new growths conquered a new club culture in which the door for jazz elements has been wide open ever since. De-Phazz did not rest on their laurels, but became one of the most successful German bands with worldwide sold-out tours and radio hits like "Mambo Craze" or "No Jive".