ØKSE feat. Mette Rasmussen, Val Jeanty, Petter Eldh & Savannah Harris

The eponymous debut album by ØKSE was released in 2024 on the renowned Backwoodz label. It's a bold experimental jazz project featuring some of the most unique voices in hip-hop. The band itself is an international all-star team consisting of NYC-based drummer Savannah Harris, Danish saxophonist Mette Rasmussen, Haitian electronic musician Val Jeanty and Swede Petter Eldh on bass, synthesizer and sampler. Each of them has already established themselves as solo artists, but together as ØKSE they are breaking new ground and exploring the boundaries of the genre.

"Everything from jazz and joik to rap and Haitian voodoo." - Martin Bjørnersen, Klassekampen

"The glass wall between hip-hop and free jazz is the most obvious one to break through, but worlds that seem far apart at first glance are also interwoven in the sound and underlying ideas." - Stijn Buyst, Gonzo (Cirkus)

"The appeal of ØKSE still lies in the interplay between the musicians, in their ability to improvise without losing the hypnotic groove that defines hip-hop, without ever sounding less than jazz musicians." - Joseph Sannicandro

ØKSE means "axe" in Danish. The axe has many connotations as it is one of mankind's oldest tools. Axe is also Ashe, the life force that flows through all things, living and inanimate. Ashe is a current or flow, a groove that initiates can channel to accompany them on their life path. These are the energies that flow through ØKSE and animate their debut album and live performances.