In a lingering soundscape of bird songs, goosebump-inducing vocal harmonies, and patient bass lines, BITOI creates seductive soundscapes that dissolve the sense of time and place. The group, consisting of Swedish-Ethiopian Cassius Lambert on bass and the three exceptional vocalists Alexandra Shabo, Lise Kroner, and Anja Tietze Lahrmann, concludes Vinterjazz 2024 at ALICE with exceptional music.

BITOI (Bass Is the Original Instrument) is the latest and most comprehensive project by Swedish-Ethiopian composer and bassist Cassius Lambert. Here, Lambert plays bass and electronics himself, accompanied by a choir consisting of the three outstanding vocalists Alexandra Shabo, Lise Kroner, and Anja Tietze Lahrmann in their own right. In BITOI, the four musicians draw from the original music tradition but are constantly pushing boundaries. Melodic vocal harmonies provide a counterpart to the many branches in the deep, patient bass playing, which in one composition follows the cho...

In a lingering soundscape of bird songs, goosebump-inducing vocal harmonies, and patient bass lines, BITOI creates seductive soundscapes that dissolve the sense of time and place. The group, consisting of Swedish-Ethiopian Cassius Lambert on bass and the three exceptional vocalists Alexandra Shabo, Lise Kroner, and Anja Tietze Lahrmann, concludes Vinterjazz 2024 at ALICE with exceptional music.

BITOI (Bass Is the Original Instrument) is the latest and most comprehensive project by Swedish-Ethiopian composer and bassist Cassius Lambert. Here, Lambert plays bass and electronics himself, accompanied by a choir consisting of the three outstanding vocalists Alexandra Shabo, Lise Kroner, and Anja Tietze Lahrmann in their own right. In BITOI, the four musicians draw from the original music tradition but are constantly pushing boundaries. Melodic vocal harmonies provide a counterpart to the many branches in the deep, patient bass playing, which in one composition follows the choir’s melody and in another evokes thoughts of North African folk music.

By combining the natural resonance of the human voice and the electric bass, BITOI seeks to achieve a balance between fragility and strength and a tension between the original and the contemporary. The simultaneously timeless, unconventional, and experimental soundscapes are enriched with nature samples and bird songs, and physical percussion like the drumming on vocal cords. BITOI’s lyrics are based on phonetic renditions of bird sounds, which infuse the entire sound with both primal and surreal sensitivity that one cannot help but dwell upon.

Since their debut concert at the Intonal Festival in Malmö in 2023, the audience’s curiosity about BITOI’s touching and contemplative compositions has only grown. And for a good reason. BITOI recently released their debut EP “-O-” (Kaprifol Records, 2023), which was received with enthusiasm, and their debut album is set to follow in 2024. They have performed at European festivals such as Intonal, Le Guess Who?, and Malmöfestivalen and have an exciting upcoming collaboration with the Japanese musician Mutsumi Aragaki. Come to ALICE and let BITOI expand your musical horizons in February....

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