Release date: 8 February 2019

Anton Eger Drums, voice, tambourine, shaker, plastic, phake pandeiro, stunt surdo

Juliette Marland Voice

Matt Calvert Guitar, Korg Trident, live drum processing/electronics, Juno 6

Dan Nicholls Wurlitzer, Prophet 12

Robin Mullarkey Electric bass, Wurlitzer, Prophet 12

Petter Eldh Rpolysix, bass synth 1, synthesizers, polysix, electric bass, guitar, softsyntar, jazzgura, morphagene

Niels Broos Moog solo, Polysix

Christian Lillinger Drums

Otis Sandsjö Saxophones

Ivo Neame Mellotron

Mathias Heise Harmonica

For over a decade, Anton Eger has made his mark as one of the most exciting and virtuosic drummers on the European Jazz scene. Those who have seen Eger perform live with the likes of Phronesis and Marius Neset will know him for his natural flamboyance, intense showmanship and a tendency to exchange sticks for knives. But these are not gimmicks; Anton Eger is the real deal—a musician’s musician with an approach all of his own. 

With Æ, Eger’s confidence and craftsmanship are on full display and the result is nothing short of spectacular. Thanks to some deliciously hooky melodies, off-kilter beats and a melting-pot of production techniques, there’s no end to the album’s imagination, complexity and textures. Even Eger’s description of the music, “a genre-defying mix of electronica, hardcore contemporary beats and retro musical guilty pleasures,” is enough to inspire curiosity.

Eger is one of the most original and inventive drummers on the scene, but the writing, the production and the bandleading are all on par. Æ is an all-encompassing representation of a man at his most creative and spirited; a masterpiece of unpredictability that makes complexity sound simple and old ideas sound new. This is a debut without comparison and an album that is bound to propel Eger to new heights in 2019.