There’s something about Berlin in May that hums with creative friction. And nowhere does that frequency resonate louder than at the XJAZZ! Festival — the city’s flagship celebration of music that understands jazz as a verb, not just a genre. In 2025, the festival returns with even more intention, joy, and genre-defying brilliance.

As someone who first stumbled into XJAZZ! back in 2023 and left forever changed, I can say this: the magic isn’t just in the music. It’s in the spaces in-between — where sounds bleed into conversation, into movement, into something you carry home in your bones. That spirit is alive and pulsing in this year’s lineup, a constellation of local heat and international fire.

We are thrilled to be on the ground again this year, soaking up every note, bass drop, horn squeal and percussive pulse. Ahead of the festival, we caught up with a few of the artists who will be lighting up stages across Kreuzberg—and trust us, you’ll want to be there.

“XJAZZ! is much more than a festival—it’s a platform that explores jazz not only as a genre but also as a powerful cultural and social force. Every year, I’m reminded of how vital it is for local artists and collectives to have a platform to share their vision and push boundaries.” – Anna Grubauer

corto.alto

Glaswegian trombonist and producer Liam Shortall — aka corto.alto — bends jazz into new, elastic forms. corto.alto‘s sound is gritty and refined all at once: think brass-led improvisation fused with boom-bap beats, broken rhythms, and a dancefloor pulse. Live, it’s an explosive communal experience, where sharp musicianship meets a punk ethos. After speaking with him, OFFKEY editor Anna Grubauer said, “I’m especially looking forward to catch his set and see how his ideas come to life on stage.” It’s jazz that moves — and moves you.

Jembaa Groove

If Berlin had a house band for soulfully reimagined Afrobeat, Jembaa Groove would be it. Founded by Ghanaian singer-percussionist Eric Owusu and German bassist/producer Yannick Nolting, the band melds West African highlife with 70s soul, neo-jazz textures, and the fire of live percussion. Their grooves don’t just entertain — they uplift, provoke, and call bodies to the dance floor. Jembaa Groove just brings such infectious energy. And their performances are like rituals — joyful, magnetic, deeply rooted.

Aron & the Jeri Jeri Band

In a festival lineup full of boundary-pushers, Aron & the Jeri Jeri Band bring ancestral power. Merging traditional Senegalese sabar drumming with modern jazz and electronica, this project is rhythm incarnate. It’s music you feel in your chest before your mind catches up — visceral, raw, spiritual. A collaboration born from transcontinental dialogue, their sound is a lesson in history as much as it is a statement of the future.

Alabaster DePlume

Nothing about Alabaster DePlume can be explained in a single sentence — and that’s the point. The Manchester-born, London-based poet, saxophonist, and composer weaves spoken word into ambient jazz and folk with disarming intimacy. His live shows feel like soft revolutions: tender, awkward, hilarious, devastating. After speaking to him, I’m especially looking forward to his performance because he reminded me — us — that vulnerability is not a weakness — it’s a portal.

Photo by Thomas Ram

D.$AHIN

Berlin’s own D.$AHIN fuses Turkish psychedelia with jazz, electronica, and hip-hop. Her set at the HHV pre-party was OFFKEY author Alice Vyvyan-Jones’s first XJAZZ! encounter and a revelation: “Let’s just say my expectations are now sky high,” Alice reported back. A beat alchemist with a keen sense for atmosphere, D.$AHIN doesn’t just perform — she creates whole worlds, rooted in dual heritage and emotional density.

Àbáse

Hungarian producer and multi-instrumentalist Àbáse lives in the intersections: Afrobeat, future jazz, broken beat, and spiritual funk all coalesce in his sonic palette. His collaborations (including with Ghanaian vocalists and Brazilian percussionists) speak to a global mindset that still feels deeply personal. Anna, who interviewed him ahead of the festival, noted, “There’s a clarity and purpose in his vision — and I can’t wait to see how it translates live.”

Community, Dance, and All That Jazz

XJAZZ! has never been just about music — it’s about movement, collectivity, presence. The SHUSH dance party, always a highlight, promises to blur the line between performer and audience once again.

“I love how the festival doesn’t just showcase international names, but really spotlights the creative energy bubbling up right here in the city.  After speaking to Àbáse and corto.alto ahead of this year’s edition, I’m especially looking forward to catch their live sets and see how their ideas come to life on stage. Also, I can’t wait to get my dancing shoes out for the SHUSH dance. It’s going to be fun!” – Anna Grubauer

As Alice put it, “Jazz is a boundless genre that fosters such a beautiful community.” This year, as she experiences her first XJAZZ! after many Brick Lane editions, she joins that community ready for every drop, every stanza, every improvisation: “Honestly, I’m just excited to experience XJAZZ! for the first time. As a recent Berliner and having attended the Brick Lane Jazz Festival for many years, I can’t wait to see what the Berlin equivalent holds. I am particularly excited to hear some live poetry, plus the performances from Yukimi and the New York duo musclecars will be insane.”

“Anything that holds space for jazz has a place in my heart – it is a boundless genre that requires the most insanely talented musicianship and fosters such a beautiful community. Technically and sonically, jazz just blows my mind and I’m always looking to expand my horizons within the genre. Bring XJAZZ! on!”
– Alice Vyvyan-Jones

So, Berlin — we’ll see you in the smoke and shimmer.
We’ll see you on the floor, in the front row, and backstage.
We’ll see you at XJAZZ! 2025.

XJAZZ! 2025 Line Up

XJAZZ! Berlin will take place from May 14 to 18, 2025. Tickets are available via DICE. Follow XJAZZ! Berlin on Instagram.