Cologne Jazzweek: Why Kai

Why Kai is the project of Norwegian jazz pianist, keyboardist and electronic musician Kai von der Lippe, who, as part of the Oslo techno and house scene, combines jazz with electronic club music. He has conceived his duo concert with fellow countryman Elias Tafjord, who plays drums, as a multimedia journey in which retro films, animations and MIDI-controlled robots are part of the stage show. Prepared piano and field recordings are mixed with synthesizers and programmed drum patterns. In an interview with the British online magazine "Secret Eclectic", von der Lippe explained that he wanted to create composed pieces in which the sound aesthetics of jazz and improvised music are mixed with danceable rhythms and heavy bass. "I want to compose the way I would compose for a jazz ensemble, i.e. thinking more horizontally than vertically." Why Kai's first album was recently released on Boomboy Records on May 3: experimental, multimedia and definitely danceable!