Fazer

Fazer is a Munich-based quintet that has emerged as a leading voice in the contemporary European jazz scene. Formed by musicians who met at the Academy for Music and Performing Arts in Munich, the group is led by bassist/producer Martin Brugger.

Their sound identity is defined by a unique 'missing' element: the absence of a chordal instrument like piano or synthesizer. This structural choice forces the trumpet (Matthias Lindermayr) and guitar (Paul Brändle) to handle both melodic and harmonic duties over a dense, polyrhythmic foundation provided by two drummers (Simon Popp and Sebastian Wolfgruber). Their work is heavily influenced by the 'Munich sound' associated with the ECM label - prioritizing space, clarity, and pristine recording quality - but they inject it with the rhythmic urgency of dub and the structural repetition of minimalism. Critical consensus highlights their ability to make complex time signatures feel natural and danceable, positioning them alongside UK acts like Ill Considered or Moses Boyd while maintaining a distinctly German sense of order and precision.