Following 2023’s acclaimed ‘Ocean’ mini-album, Berlin’s Moses Yoofee Trio share their debut full-length, ‘MYT’ via LEITER. The band – who, since forming in 2020, have cultivated an extraordinary reputation, winning the 2024 German Jazz Prize’s prestigious Live Act of The Year award – recorded much of the album over ten days in April 2024 at Glaswald Studios, in the countryside outside Stuttgart, before returning to Berlin to polish the results and record two further tracks at LEITER’s Funkhaus studio. ‘MYT’ was co-produced by the band with long-time collaborator oh.no.ty as mixing engineer. The album is available on vinyl and via all digital platforms, and it also includes their first vocal track featuring acclaimed London rapper ENNY, whose last EP, We Go Again, was released by Brit Award-winning, Grammy-nominated Jorja Alice Smith’s FAMM label in 2023.

MYT’s title is as succinct and straightforward as many of its tracks, and also says a lot about Moses Yoofee Trio. Writing and performing has always been their priority, and its 13 tracks display a remarkable determination to distil their work to its essence, allowing their prodigious talents and graceful versatility to flourish in uncluttered surroundings. Their goals, they state concisely, are “emotions, moments and bangers”, and careful attention was paid to arrangements to ensure nothing superfluous made the cut. “With Ocean,” they point out, “most tunes were written and arranged on the spot. This time we took the opportunity to write more parts for each tune and let melodies rule the music more.”

Certainly, there are hooks aplenty, whether on ‘BOND’, with pianist / keyboardist / producer Moses’ delicious piano lines allowing drummer Noah Fürbringer’s masterly dexterity to guide it subtly towards a dizzying climax, or on ‘TILL TOMORROW’, which offers a twist on similar charms, while ‘GREEN LIGHT’, built around a distinctive, insistent synth line, moves at a lively pace, adding flute-like keyboards and ENNY’s rhymes, delivered at a trademark breakneck speed in nonetheless enviably easy-going manner. ‘TRUST’ leads with bassist Roman Klobe-Barangă‘s elegant melody overlaid by Moses’ affecting chords, and ‘RIDGEWALK’, embellished by a morse code pulse, employs a ticklish guitar line from Roman that Thom Yorke might want to nab for The Smile, while ‘GEMINI’ allows Moses a chance to shine before Roman’s Bill Nelson-style guitar takes the reins midstream.

Throughout, there are multiple moods evident too. ‘WHIP.wav’ boasts laidback summer grooves and ‘SHOW ME HOW’ wields dramatic tension with expert finesse, especially in its extended coda, while ‘APR4 SESSION (Take 2)’ demonstrates a playful yet taut side to their talents. ‘INTO YOU’’s shuffling funk proves enviably sophisticated, while ‘PUSH’ displays their impressive technique in typically understated fashion. ‘DEEP’, on the other hand, offers a particularly wild ride, in stark contrast to the free-spirited, almost ambient ‘THIS COULD BE THE END’. Ultimately, then, MYT is the sound of a band with a clear vision of – and keen instinct for – what they wish to cultivate, and if their approach is defiantly no-nonsense, it’s symptomatic not only of their aesthetic but also the intensity with which they work.

Indeed, these days the threesome seldom have the opportunity to socialise, gathering instead as and when schedules permit. Moses, like Roman, is often busy with chart-topping Berlin-based Peter Fox, a frontman for reggae/dancehall/hip hop crossover act SEEED, whom they’ve accompanied on extensive solo tours, while Noah plays with another renowned artist, German-American rapper Casper, as well as Sweden’s acclaimed Petter Eldh and German comedian / actor / musician Teddy Teclebrhan. “We need to pay our bills,” the trio admit, “but we set priorities to push this project as far as we can. Respect and communication are key to keeping us together, and we’ve learned to trust each other more.”

This is helpful when the band’s musical inclinations are so diverse. “We’re very different,” they say, “but when it comes to instrumental music, somehow we always find common ground.” Citing Immanuel Wilkins’s The 7th Hand as one such example – although “musically it’s not really what we’re trying to do, or actually can do” – they also allude to Robert Glasper as a key inspiration, if mainly for the sound of his recordings. “What’s happening in pop has also been interesting,” they add, “with so many good Afrobeats artists like ‘Tems’, or the likes of PinkPanthress bringing interesting vibes back to melodies and songwriting. We’re interested in a lot of artists and genres, which results in our unique way of making music, but inventing something new isn’t our main ambition. What’s important are true emotions.”

Having grown up in Potsdam and Berlin, Moses has long been active in the country’s jazz scene, and in 2013, when just 14 years old, he was described by Germany’s Tagesspiegel as a “young jazz genius”. Despite the band’s name, however, the trio’s an equal partnership. They came together after Moses met Roman (raised in south Germany) at Berlin’s Jazz Institute, and it was the latter who suggested they jam with his friend Noah, a native of Munich studying in Mannheim. “It felt really good,” Moses recalls of the experiment. “Instant love! And Noah wanted to move to Berlin anyway.”

In 2021, Noah, already well-known for sharing videos of his exceptional drumming, started posting footage of the trio’s rehearsals on social media. Another video, uploaded by Roman, rapidly helped grow their audience, and as word spread across Europe, they began playing further afield. Recent highlights include a 2,500-capacity Elbjazz Festival booking beside Hamburg’s harbour, a riotous appearance at London’s Jazz Festival, and an intimate gig before 200 people at the German capital’s now redundant Tempelhof Airport on the rooftop of an air traffic control tower.

Despite their powerful work ethic, there’s inevitably plenty of joy in Moses Yoofee Trio. “Rehearsals can be really chaotic,” they continue. “We jam and try out new ideas, and when one brings a vibe, we write a tune around it, with tracks often shaped and changed as we play them live. For this record we experimented a lot, alternating between improvising without a click track and pre-written material. After all, it’s a process of trial and error, and we continue working on music even as it’s being mixed, trying to make the best out of it. In the end, it’s a combination of intuition, hard work, and fun.” Despite its sleek, tight nature, these qualities are all there in MYT, but there’s still so much more to Moses Yoofee Trio.