Abekejser

They use analogue keyboards with lush solos and a vocoder that gives a space-age expression, placing the group somewhere unknown between the 1970s and the present without being retro. There is constant movement and evolution in their sound. Their groovy and strongly rhythmic music makes you both float and dance. However, the four “emperor apes” are not only ready to travel into space — with their music, they are ready to take over the entire world.

Line-up:
Jeppe Lavsen: guitar
Jon Døssing Bendixen: keys and vocals
Adrian Christensen: bass
Frederik Bülow: drums

Reviews:
Jazznyt.com: “It has certainly not been a bad idea for the Aarhus quartet and Jazznyt favourites Abekejser to bring Bill Laurance, keyboard player from Snarky Puppy, into the studio as producer. Abekejser still sounds like Abekejser. At the same time, there has been a real tightening and sharpening of the musical expression of the ten-year-old band.

It is still Jeppe Lavsen on guitar, Jon Døssing Bendixen on keyboards and vocals, Adrian Christensen on bass, and Frederik Bülow on drums. The new album is a dreamy and poetic universe filled with journeys through time and space. They use analogue keyboards with lush solos and a vocoder that carries a space-age expression, placing the group somewhere unknown between the 1970s and the present day. They are not searching for a retro sound. There is a constantly shifting groove, where something is always happening in the rhythms. The bass grounds and unifies the music together with a guitar that calmly and confidently adds an organic expression.

It is both floating and danceable. Algoality is Abekejser’s best release to date. It overflows with great tracks. There is the calm Tabula Eraser, featuring Kristine Kier Jørgensen on violin. There is the opening track Hyper Nature, where Jon Døssing Bendixen sings through the vocoder: ‘We are living in a future.’ They bring the future back to a time when it was still something people longed for. There is the optimistic Let Me Out, which goes straight into the body. I especially have to highlight New Singularity+, bubbling like a synth-pop hit from the eighties, built on a living and protein-rich foundation. A massive hit. Abekejser receives my strongest recommendation.”

Read more reviews here:
Gaffa: https://gaffa.dk/anmeldelse/141106/anmeldelse-raffineret-beatbaseret-dansk-jazztronica/

Politiken: https://politiken.dk/kultur/art7476706/Abekejser-er-en-venligsindet-og-legesyg-drabant
https://politiken.dk/kultur/film_og_tv/art7768635/Anbefaling-fra-en-karant%C3%A6neramt-koncertg%C3%A6nger-der-har-gennemtrawlet-internettet-for-frisk-f%C3%B8de