DEGEM News – BERLIN – Tomorrow: Kiezsalon x DAS MINSK begins | Next week w/ Muslim Shaggan and Martha Skye Murphy

Dear friends and music lovers,

Tomorrow we begin our month-long program at DAS MINSKKunsthaus in Potsdam. For our opening, we welcome Cairo’s groove-driven improvisers The Dwarfs of East Agouza and Chicago-based string players and vocalists Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart — joined by music selector Jessica Ekomane. There are just a handful of tickets left — secure yours.

Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, Macie Stewart

Thursday, 4 June

The Chicago trio of Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart create an organic, intertwined sound from their three voices and three string instruments — viola, cello and violin. The trio combine completely free improvisation with careful production, using multiple tape machines and effects to reimagine improvised material as collective compositions.

Their recent debut album BODY SOUND, out on International Anthem, “reaffirms the pleasure of collective music-making in contemplative improvisations that are both patient and restorative,”wrote Pitchfork.

The Dwarfs of East Agouza

Thursday, 4 June

Founded in Cairo in 2012 by Maurice Louca, Sam Shalabi, and Alan Bishop, The Dwarfs of East Agouza make free-spirited music that touches upon jazz and krautrock, with influences of Arabic and Egyptian Shaabi music.

On stage, the trio embraces their improvisational dynamic, taking them in whichever musical direction they feel like playing, resulting in exciting and spontaneous shows. Their 2023 live album High Tide in the Lowlands was praised by taz, which wrote: “The three dwarves don’t just bring order to the chaos; they’re also in top form here – how fortunate that they once met in Agouza.”

Jessica Ekomane (DJ)

Thursday, 4 June

French-born and Berlin-based electronic musician and sound artist Jessica Ekomane creates situations where the sound acts as a transformative element for the space and the audience. Her work has been presented at various institutions worldwide, and her latest release was issued by Portraits GRM. Ekomane joins us tomorrow as our music selector, playing before, in-between, and after the live sets.

Next Week at Kiezsalon x DAS MINSK

Thursday, 11 June

In the second week of our residency, we present two distinct vocalists: London-based singer-songwriter Martha Skye Murphyand Lahore’s accomplished classical singer Muslim Shaggan.

Unpredictable, theatrical and tender, Murphy’s debut album Umwas released by AD93 in 2024, leading The Quietus to praise “her remarkable, fragile soprano, offset with bursts of operatic ululations.” One of the most accomplished vocalists of his generation in Pakistan, Shaggan’s musical experiments combine voice with harmonium and tanpura, remaining rooted in traditional knowledge while unconstrained by its rigorous methodologies.

The current exhibition at DAS MINSK, Collective Osmosis by contemporary artist Oscar Murillo, will also be open to all Kiezsalon guests throughout the month. We invite you to arrive early, explore the museum, and bask in the evening sunlight on the rooftop terrace.

DAS MINSK is only a 40-minute trip on the S-Bahn from central Berlin, and a 5-minute walk from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof.

See you tomorrow,

Michael Rosen & Team