daoud

Bringing a little more Zen into the world and offering an auditory escape route for tormented souls in a broken capitalist system: Luc Klein Ben Abdeslam – aka daoud – achieves nothing less with his shimmering nu jazz compositions that defy all clichés. The trumpeter and producer is regarded as the rebellious problem child of contemporary jazz because – like all the genre’s past greats – he refuses to play by the rules of his time. Here, hip-hop rhythms mingle with funk grooves whilst progressive electronica enchants danceable beats with the charm of an exceptional artist who sees the cosmos as his muse and traditions as a call to further development. Right from his debut album, “Good Boy” (2024), daoud has emphasised this subversive spirit, sounding playful and serious at the same time, overwhelmed by solemn introspection but also by ecstatic outbursts. In this eclectic sonic landscape, there is room for the absurd as well as for the bitterly serious – not least to put any form of conservative purism in its place. Indeed, his follow-up album, “Ok” (2025) – which was released last year by the Hamburg-based jazz pioneers ACT – thrives on its stylistic openness, its unconventional approaches, and its spirited experimentation. daoud is a rising talent from whom we will undoubtedly be hearing much more in the future.