"Floros Floridis: musician / film music - painter, was born in Thessaloniki, Greece.

He studied Physics and Mathematics in Aristotelion University of Thessaloniki where he got his diploma. Exploring his evident creativity beyond science, Floridis then studied classical clarinet under the Romanian professor Konstantin Ugureanou and started his career as a professional musician in the end of 70s.

He counts as one of the main figures of jazz in Greece, not least because in 1979 Floridis together with Sakis Papadimitriou recorded the first modern jazz album that was produced in Greece - "Improvising at Barakos" (double LP). That moment marked the roots of the Greek domestic scene of improvisation and free jazz which then grew to the one we know today.

His rich and diverse career as well as his ever-progressive vision has been and keeps on pushing his work down often unexplored avenues and certainly beyond the Greek scene from very early on.

Building a name as a top impro and free jazz performer and creator, he had the opportunity as a leader and co-leader to collaborate and record with international improvised-free jazz music names like Peter Kowald, Guenter "Baby" Sommer, Paul Lytton, Okay Temiz, Nicky Skopelitis, Paul Lovens, Phil Wachsman, Carlos Zingaro, Hans Schneider, Louis Moholo, Vincent Chancey, Jean-Marc Montera, Milos Petrovic, Ivo Papazov,...

as well as with prominent Greek musicians Michalis Siganidis, Savinna Yannatou, Dimitris Polizoidis, Babis Papadopoulos, Yiannis Mourtzopoulos,, Kostas Vomvolos, Antonis Anissegos, Yorgos Dimitriadis, Ilias Papadopoulos, Yiannis Anastasakis,Spyweirdos...

in Berlin with Matthias Bauer, Michael Griener, Jan Roder, Chris Dahlgren, Olaf Rupp, Harri Sjöström, Gerhard Gschlössl, Achim Kaufmann, Elena Kakaliagou, Nikolaus Neuser, Dag Magnus Narvesen...

This has resulted in the release of more than 100 albums throughout the years with his contribution in various productions as included guest of other artists in Greece as well as abroad.

Floridis has played concerts and festivals in Greece, Europe, China, Australia and USA with a great number of European and American musicians - Evan Parker, Peter Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark, Irene Schweitzer, Ivo Papazov, Andrew Cyrille, Barre Phillips, Conny Bauer, Johannes Bauer, Hans Reichel, Sirone, William Parker, Steve McCall, Andre Jaume, Barry Guy,...

Some of the international groups, in which he was a founder and/or member, are The Black Sea Orchestra, The Inter-Balkan Orchestra, Mediterranean Ensemble...

Floridis also participated in the well-known Greek group Chimerinoi Kolimvites ("Winter Swimmers") for more than 20 years, "Florina's Brass Band", in the Euro-American Orchestra of Cecil Taylor in Berlin in 1987...

2015",Nickelsdorfer Konfrontationen 2015" ,2016 "Jazzatelier Ulrisberg":with Nate Wooley,Paul Lytton,Sten Sandell,Floros Floridis,Phil Wachsmann.Later in 2018 CD "Featuring"came out..

Has taught at "Aristotelean"university, Thessaloniki improvisation courses,2002 in the music department, as composing method. Also in 2019, lectured in China's universities of Beijing, Fuzhou, Wuhan, Hanyang about improvisation as a creative method for audio-visual art products..."

"He has been playing the violin for 30 years and in that time has played all genres of music ranging from contemporary music to free jazz and improvised music, live and in the studio.

His main interest shifted towards contemporary improvised and composed music.

The relationship with his instruments is focused in sonic and textural elements.

Electronic music was an early influence on his approach to violin playing, which challenges traditional romantic concepts of the violin/viola through use of preparations and micro tuning.

Active in different settings on the Portuguese scene for free improvised music, both as a collaborator and in leading his own groups.

Music for Dance, Cinema, Video and Performance.

Has created the record label Creative Sources Recordings in 1999, which mainly concentrates on releasing experimental and electro-acoustic music."

"Was born 1988 in Lisboa, Portugal and started playing cello and trumpet at Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa at the age of 7. In 1999 joined Conservatório Nacional de Música de Lisboa to study classical and music theory and in the current year recorded his first album - Multiples - with Ernesto Rodrigues and José Oliveira out on Creative Sources Recordings.

Apart from work in music ensembles ranging for contemporary classical to free improvisation, also works with live music poetry, theatre and film-music. After lengthy residency in Lisboa, (1988-2016) moved to Berlin and has been active as composer and improviser in the scene.

Worked with some international and renewed artists like Ernesto Rodrigues, Jean-luc Guionnet, Margarida Garcia, Manuel Mota, Alfredo Costa Monteiro, Sei Miguel, Tim Goldie, Jeffrey Morgan, Oren Marshall, Gerhard Uebele, Klaus Kurvers, Gabriel Paiuk, Nicolas Field, Jaime Fennelly, Blaise Siwula, Will Guthrie, Pawel Grabowski, Michael Thieke, Wade Matthews, Leonel Kaplan, Diego Chamy, Gabriel Paiuk, Barry Weisblat, Joe Giardullo, Jassem Hindi, Tisha Mukarji, Masahiko Okura, Taku Unami, Toshihiro Koike, Sharif Sehnaoui, Christine Abdelnour, Alexandre Bellenger, Carlos Zingaro, Romaric Sobac, Nuno Rebelo, Nuno Torres, Naoto Yamagashi, Heddy Boubaker, Gerhard Uebele, Guillermo Torres, Tomas Gris, Carlos Santos, Bruno Parrinha, Miguel Leiria Pereira, Miguel Ivo Cruz, Alberto Cirera, Nuno Morão, Mark Sanders, Dennis Gonzaléz, Alípio Carvalho Neto, Raymond Macdonald, Neil Davidson, David Stachenas, Lisa Ullén, D'incise, Cyril Bondy, Miguel Mira, Rodrigo Amado, Abdul Moimême, Monsieur Trinité, João Madeira, Álvaro Rosso, Gil Gonçalves, Marian Yanchyk, Filipe Passos, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Christian Wolfarth, Thanos Chrysakis, Bechir Saade, Kurt Liedwart, Miguel A. Garcia, Ilia Belorukov, Andrew Lafkas, Gao Jiafeng, Eric Wong, Johan Moir, Casey Moir, Magda Mayas, Matthias Muller, Alexander Frangenheim ...

Has performed and toured in all Europe. Released more than 30 albums of his own projects."

Ulf Mengersen is a German bassist living in Berlin. He studied at Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar. He is a member of Berlin Improvisers Orchestra, Ensemble MIA.