Rave Underdog Nights 2026

Experimental Groove Art Spaces: All-Time Grooves in a New Guise

Catfish – Funk & Jazz
Herbe.Quartett – Jazz Fusion
Silk – Funk / Soul
Grup Beste – Anatolian Psychedelic
Malstatt – Psychedelic Jazz
Honey Bizarre – Electro / Jazz / Pop
Gamma Burst – Fusion / Afrobeat / Neo-Soul / R&B

• Grup Beste 

is a psychedelic Anatolian rock band from Dortmund. The band’s musicians come from a wide variety of genres and fuse these influences into a danceable, driving sound blending Anatolian rock, reggae, Latin, and psychedelic elements. Futuristic and traditional sounds—powerful, sensual, and unique.

• Gamma Burst

is the newest fusion band from Arnhem. They combine fresh sounds with profound lyrics and complex rhythms. The band consists of singer and bassist Eddie Ita, guitarist Haaije Bergstra, drummer Jochem Janssen, and Dax Hemelrijk on keys, who met while studying music at the Artez Conservatory in Arnhem. They describe their biggest influences as a mix of fusion, Afrobeat, and neo-soul/R&B, with musical role models such as Casiopea, Opa, Fela Kuti, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Willow.

• Catfish

This all-girls band brings together five young female musicians from Dortmund’s local scene in a funk combo that has recently been taking the whole city by storm with a fusion of music and internet meme culture. The Catfishs came together through their love of jazz, their desire for a feminist safe space, and their fascination with all kinds of internet phenomena. Fasten your seatbelts—it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!

Lineup: Tuba, saxophone, drums, bass, keys

• HONEY BIZARRE

are the rebellious theremin and saxophone player Gilda Razani and the keyboard god Hanzō Wanning, who fly through the universe in their spaceship, yearning for freedom and improvisation; always on the hunt for new adventures and unusual sounds that make the world dream and dance.

They take you on an energetic sonic journey through the world’s great symphony with cinematic soundscapes, driving rhythms, and haunting melodies—and the sky is deep, dark, heavy, and sweet!!

We dance for laughter, we dance for tears,

we dance for madness, we dance for fears,

we dance for hopes, we dance for screams,

we are the dancers, we create the dreams.

Gilda Razani: Theremin, saxophone; Hanzō Wanning: synthesizer, electronics; Fethi B.O.: percussion

• SILK  

Silky-smooth sound, relentless groove!

Funk and soul band from North Rhine-Westphalia

• Malstatt

plays psychedelic jazz. Their soundscapes have a finely arranged, cinematic character that bursts the bubble of the jazz-rock tradition. Long builds of tension and bursts of sound are enriched with impressionistic harmonies, improvisation, and poetic melodies. This creates synergies that allow the band to explore new sonic and rhythmic realms. As a result, the rich riffs and progressive structures of the songs appear in a completely different light at every performance.

Lineup: Desislava Markova (vocals), Dmitro Fedoruk (guitar), Max Ischebeck (guitar), Tilmann Geske (bass), Philipp Buck (drums)

• herbe.quartett

is the second incarnation of one of the most notorious jazz-fusion ensembles of the past decade. Initiated by Dortmund local hero Peter H. Köcke, the group—after years of radio silence—plays virtuoso grooves with a freshness like never before; featuring an exquisite lineup with saxophone maestro Milan Kühn, founding member and bass veteran Malte Winter, and powerhouse Benny Hoffmann on drums. These four veterans present broad-shouldered, powerful jazz fusion with a tart edge—it’ll take you to a safe place!

Peter H. Köcke – keys, Milan Kühn – sax, Malte Winter – bass, Benny Hoffmann – drums

Doors open: 7:30 p.m.
Show starts: 8:00 p.m.

B.O.: €10.00

Tickets:https://stagedates.com/events/rave-underdog-nights-2026-fzw-20260626-Ti38H

Organizers: City of Dortmund Youth Welfare Office / EastWestJazz / Dortmund Musik / Exzellenz Jazz Academy