Peter Brötzmann is one of the most important and uncompromising figures in free jazz and has been at the forefront of developing a unique, European take on free improvisation since the 1960s.

Brötzmann first trained as a painter and was associated with Fluxus (participating in various events and working as an assistant to Nam Jun Paik) before dissatisfaction with the art world moved his focus towards music. However he continued to paint and his instantly recognisable visual sensibility has produced some of our favourite LP sleeves as well as a number of gallery shows in recent years.

Self-taught on Clarinet and Saxophone, Brötzmann established himself as one of the most powerful and original players around, releasing a number of now highly sought after sides of musical invention including the epochal ‘Machine Gun’ session in 1968 – originally released on his own Brö private press and later recordings for FMP (Free Music Production) the label he started with Jost Gebers. Brötzmann’s sound is “one of the most distinctive, life-affirming and joyous in all music” and he has performed with almost all of the major players of free music from early associations with Don Cherry and Steve Lacy to regular groupings with Peter Kowald, Alex Von Slippenbach, Han Bennink and Fred Van Hove, Hamid Drake & William Parker, the Chicago Tentet (Mats Gustafsson/Joe McPhee/Ken Vandermark and more) and various one-off and ad hoc associations with many others including Keiji Haino, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, & Anthony Braxton.

Paal Nilssen-Love is “one of the most innovative, dynamic and versatile drummers in jazz!” (Downbeat). He has lent his incredible speed and unstoppable creative dynamism to countless groups, notably The Thing and his long-running duo with Chicago saxophonist Ken Vandermark.

1939 Ensemble are an instrumental duo from Portland, OR. Metal and wood. Drums and vibes. Beats and melody. Jose Medeles and David Coniglio. Random precision through noise, 1939 Ensemble doesn’t just cross genres, they both embrace and exploit them, inviting each listener in through the familiar, and leaving them with something new to explore.

Drawing influences from Krautrock, jazz & no wave. 1939 Ensemble moves between ominous dissonance noise to sharp bombastic beats with a live show that has shared the stage with the likes of BATTLES and MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD.