Maarja Nuut & Nicolas Stocker (Estonia-Switzerland)

Maarja Nuut is a singer, violinist, electronic artist and composer whose work spans a vast range of rich musical worlds. Classically trained, she’s since delved into a number of disparate genres: Hindus-tani classical music while studying in New Delhi, Estonian archive sounds and ethnomusicological re-search, and, more recently, the outer limits of looping and electronic sounds. Fuelled by her instincts and curiosity, such exploration comes from an inner need, and a desire to probe each world’s musical language, techniques, and expressional qualities – elements she swirls into her own, mesmerising art.

Nicolas Stocker has built an interna6onal reputation as a sophisticated highly skilled drummer and composer who’s polymetric playing and “spectral” detours into melodic territory make his sound rec-ognizably his own. He is a co-leader of KALI Trio and a core member of the celebrated ensemble Nik Bärtsch’s Mobile. His many projects and collaborations include Ricardo Villalobos, Areni Agbabian and Whitch’n’Monk. In 2018 he released his first solo album and was dubbed “…A rising star in Europe…” by Downbeat Magazine. Based in Zürich, Stocker has toured extensively throughout Europe, USA and Asia including some of the jazz and improv scene’s most celebrated venues and fes6vals.

Maarja’s third solo album ‘Hinged’ featured Nicolas on three tracks and marked the start of their col-labora6on. Released in August 2021, the album received widespread acclaim from various cri6cs and publications, including The Quietus, Uncut, Electronic Sound, Resident Advisor, Louder Than War, and many more, while being called one of Europe’s most innovative musical artists, always looking to dive deeper.