As the mercurial Berlin jazz group share their debut album, they take Wonderland through the work, track-by-track.
Berlin trio Moses Yoofee Trio’s sort of self-titled debut album is a comprehensive achievement. It sounds like what jazz has sounded like—a homage to the greats of the past—and what jazz could sound like; maintaining a glistening futurism and thrilling intricacy across its sprawling 36-and-a-half minute run time.
There’s a wonderful turn from London rapper ENNY on “GREEN LIGHT”, and dazzling contributions from Berlin creatives Wanja Slavin and EVÎN towards the album’s backend. An immensely creative and musically erudite work, the triplet of talents have lain down a marker to the European jazz sphere.
Wanting to dig a little deeper, Wonderland asked Moses Yoofee Trio to take us through the creation and mythology of the work, track-by-track.
Listen to MYT…
Read the band’s analysis…
“INTO YOU”
“INTO YOU” started originally with a sample by Moses and a piano-melody Roman and Moses were working on as a sketch for a potential album track. As we took it to the studio the b part and the whole vibe around it developed. We wanted to have a simple “boom bap” beat on the album and tried to turn it into something that’s ours.. a bit similar like “FRAGILE” from the Ocean EP. If we remember it right, it only took us 2-3 takes till the one which is on the album now.
“RIDGEWALK”
“RIDGEWALK” was also created at the time when we were making demos for the actual album recording.. We were jamming on this one note Rhythm and the idea of this kind of half-time pocket, which Moses brought into the process when Roman came up with this legendary Guitar Riff/Melody and Noah with these crazy beat… as we were then jamming it out we shaped it to become this short, little and vibey tune.
“SHOW ME HOW”
“SHOW ME HOW” was initially a track that Moses produced, not really knowing where and how to put it. As we were playing to it, we changed some chords and took it to the studio. Then Moses came up with the main melody and we did a whole new arrangement. Also the solo part in the end was originally left open for a potential feature and then ended up as synth solo. With this one we are trying to show new sides of our sound. The stripped down and repetitive beat combined with the deep chords and driving bassline are making it a special one for us!
“GREEN LIGHT” ft. ENNY
“GREEN LIGHT” is the perfect example of us writing a whole tune collectively. It was Noah suggesting a beat in that (Tony Allen) style which Roman and Moses totally vibed with. From there on we thought of chords which would fit the style but also taking it to a modern direction. We overdubbed some keys (synth, mellotron) to get more depth in the song and make it bigger.
Originally the tune was supposed to be an instrumental track, but then we were lucky to have ENNY as feature guest for the album. When we reached out, we didn’t expect her to actually come to Berlin to record and create together with us. We jammed with her for a while and showed her some other songs. When she heard this, it felt like she already had a whole verse written out in her head and jumped right into the recording booth. She then took the track back to London and finished recording. We are super thankful and proud to have her on this album.
“BOND”
For “BOND”, Moses came up with the whole main piano theme. The idea was to create an “intimate Piano anthem”. It was hard giving it a direction in terms of beat or style. We were trying out different drum patterns and arrangements but nothing really hit until Moses suggested Noah to try a drum’n’bass groove which finally gave it what was missing. It was supposed to be a ballad, and it still is for us actually. Even though it sounds busy, it does have a calmness within that is somewhat peaceful but also melancholic. We finished the arrangement in the studio and put it straight to record. It’s the only tune that is actually instrumented like a classic “piano trio”. Just Piano, Bass and Drums, no extra layers, no overdubs.
“GEMINI”
As Roman plays guitar and bass, we wanted to have a tune that is more guitar focused. Roman came up with some chords in the rehearsal space which we finished together into this theme in the beginning and end of the track. It was meant to sound super close up, like you are in the same room with us. As a contrast, we created that middle part. Roman started with that melody that develops into a guitar solo, of which we really wanted to have one on the album. This part is quite the opposite of the intro and outro, as it’s way bigger and more synthetic. Kind of like you fall asleep and go to this spaced out journey and then wake up again all cosy and warm in a small room.
“APR4 SESSION (Take 1)”
“APR4 SESSION”, as the name says, was really just a jam on the spot in the studio in the late evening hours. We thought it’s a nice small bit and a little snap-shot of the recording process that we wanted to put on the album. “
“TILL TOMORROW”
“TILL TOMORROW” was initially a little impromptu idea that we uploaded on instagram before picking it up again and turn it into a whole tune by adding parts and finishing the arrangement. We love the vibe the chords create. A bit nostalgic. They remind us of “93’ Til Infinity” by Souls Of Mischief, a classic track, that sampled the chords of an old Billy Cobham tune called “Heather”. It ends with a beautiful and kind of “storytelling” drum solo by Noah, that is like an epilogue to a novel.
“TRUST”
“TRUST” was a tune that Roman brought with him. Initially it was supposed to be a song only consisting of the beautiful bass theme and drums and some synths that Moses overdubbed for the demo. But then, Moses played the chords on the piano and it created that opening moment that finalised the arrangement.
“PUSH”
“PUSH” was an idea that we created for our last Berlin show in December ’23. As we were gathering material for the album, we thought it should be on it as its drum groove and bass line combined with that repetitive vocal sample really hits a spot for us. Moses and Roman created that melody with the guitar and the Wurlitzer piano that also led to that longer Outro, which is the two improvising on the spot and bringing the tune to an end.
“DEEP” ft. Wanja Slavin
This one digs into more of an indie-rock/punk/hardcore vibe. It was originally the last part of a composition that didn’t make it on the album. It’s something that especially Roman and Noah can just freely rock out on and is good for the soul. Moses played the lovely octaves that created the theme of it. We absolutely wanted a sax solo of Wanja Slavin (a super talented musician and composer from Berlin) on the album and it seemed like the right tune for it. He completed it with alto sax, tenor sax and also the flute and even adding some synths in the end, which are super epic.
“THIS COULD BE THE END” ft. Evîn
After hearing a bit of music that Evîn (who is an artist and producer based in Berlin) posted on Instagram, Roman texted her and asked if she could send him the music. He created the sample with it, and then we found some chords to it in the studio. Noah instantly vibed with it and came up with that crazy drum pattern. It felt like something we would do in a live show. When the drums come in, the vibe changes and it becomes a bit darker and creates a dense kind of feeling. It’s a tune to complete the journey we take on this album which is really going all over the place and exploring all kinds of styles and vibes, while always try to keep it in our own soundscape.
“WHIP.wav”
“WHIP.wav” is actually one of the very early jams that we did in 2021, back when we didn’t even know that we would be able to put out music and play live shows like we do today. We tried to put it on our first EP called “Ocean”, that came out in 2023 but we didn’t get it down quite right in the studio then and decided to sit on it for a bit more. For the album we picked it up again and finally got it in the box the way we wanted to. It’s a quick vibe that represents us in our beginning stages. Consider it the encore of the album.