10.07.26—CPH Jazz Festival 2026—Balders Plads

A free, day-long journey through soul, jazz, ambient and groove under the limetrees at Balders Plads. Six hours where soul-jazz nostalgia met the present tense in a show of cross-continental coming together. Curated by Christian d'Or and Thank You For Clapping.

The day brought together live performances from Eddie Chacon, Knats and Vinnie Who, blended seamlessly with vinyl sets from Christian d'Or, Kasper Bjørke and Astrid Engberg.

The story behind the day unfurled from Eddie Chacon's recent performances at Loppen and TYFC's connection to Stones Throw Records, leaving us wanting to present their music outside and under the good sun. A long-held wish to bring Stones Throw to Copenhagen, realised on the right day, in the right place.

Eddie Chacon
Eddie Chacon made an indelible mark in popular music as half of the duo Charles & Eddie, whose 1992 single "Would I Lie to You?" was a number one hit heard around the world. The group's four-million-records-sold rocket to the stars lasted a few years, and Eddie spent the next couple of decades carving out a career as a photographer and creative director.

He returned to music in 2020 in collaboration with John Carroll Kirby, and signed to Stones Throw Records in 2022. Acclaimed for his thoughtful strain of R&B, musing on themes of mortality, failure and growth, Eddie's third solo album Lay Low delves into the grief that attended the loss of his mother, Patricia. Recorded over two years in Nick Hakim's Brooklyn studio, with Hakim helping build an intuitive framework for songs of love and letting go.

At Balders Plads, Eddie was accompanied by Knats, bringing a new energy to his music in their collective Danish debut.

Knats
Described by Jazzwise as "one of the most exciting new bands in the UK" and by The Guardian as a band that "gleefully rewires jazz with a hard-as-nails rhythm section, drum'n'bass energy and punk aggression."

Knats are a hard-hitting trio from Newcastle upon Tyne channelling rock rawness, fusion fire and floor-filling grooves into a bold new sound they call "Geordie Jazz". The band was formed by two lifelong best friends from Newcastle's West End, bassist Stan Woodward and drummer King David Ike-Elechi, and completed by trumpet phenomenon Ferg Kilsby.

After moving to London in 2022 to sharpen their jazz skills at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Knats quickly built a reputation for explosive live shows, selling out headline concerts at Jazz Refreshed and Rough Trade East, playing support for Str4ta at a packed Jazz Cafe and for Theon Cross at BBC Proms.

In March 2025 they released their self-titled debut on Gearbox Records, earning a nomination for Jazz Newcomer of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. They later toured with Geordie Greep before signing to Fontana Records and releasing their second album, A Great Day In Newcastle, in May 2026, produced by Greep. Beyond The Guardian and Jazzwise, Knats have been covered in DownBeat, Rolling Stone Japan, The Line of Best Fit, Mojo and Record Collector, and received radio support from Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum, Soweto Kinch, Jamz Supernova, Tom Ravenscroft and Tony Minvielle.

Their performance at Balders Plads marked both their standalone Danish debut and a first collaboration with Eddie Chacon.

Vinnie Who feat. Zier Romme Larsen and Oilly Wallace
After a year away from the spotlight, Vinnie Who returned to the live stage with songs from Slow and Kind, joined by long-time collaborators Oilly Wallace and Zier Romme Larsen. An intimate, jazz-tinged setting where Vinnie Who's crooner vocals and guitar blend with Zier Romme Larsen's warm Wurlitzer tones and Oilly Wallace's saxophone and flute.

The performance mirrors the organic, bossa nova-coloured atmosphere of Vinnie Who's fourth album Slow and Kind. A warm and sensory expression about time, change and finding a new way of being. After years around the name and the tempo that came with it, Niels Bagge moved to Møn and began a long, open process without clear direction. Sketches, experiments and detours slowly grew into the material now coming to life, where the trio lets the music develop at its own pace.

The first tracks from this world, "Coniunctio Solis et Lunae" and "Irresistible", point toward this organic, jazz-tinged sound. One landed directly in rotation on DR P8 Jazz, while the other found airplay on both DR P5 and DR P6 Beat.

Christian d'Or
Over the course of the last 15 years, Christian d'Or has been a permanent, leftfield fixture on the Copenhagen music and nightlife scene. His compelling, personal take on the culture of music coupled with his ability for matching the records of old with the sound of now has seen him carve out a resilient space within the restless Copenhagen scene.

Growing up as a hip hop kid in Holstebro, his love of the vinyl record pushed him further into nuanced musical horizons and increasingly esoteric vibrations. Today, Christian's name represents a singular perspective on musical freedom, centred around the amorphous blobs of energy known as soul, jazz, disco, house and psychedelia.

At Balders Plads, Christian served as co-curator and musical glue, holding the day together with ambient, jazz and soul-drenched vinyl sets between the live performances.

Kasper Bjørke
Danish producer, DJ and label owner Kasper Bjørke has been shaping electronic music for over two decades, moving fluidly between club anthems, radio-friendly pop and introspective ambient soundscapes.

He launched his solo career with In Gumbo in 2007 and solidified his reputation with albums such as Fool and After Forever, while later exploring expansive ambient work via The Fifty Eleven Project and jazz through the Kasper Bjørke Quartet. In 2023 he founded Sensitive Records as a home for his more ambient-leaning projects.

The day opened with a vinyl listening session of the Kasper Bjørke Quartet's Passages in Time, setting the tone for everything that followed. Kasper also joined Christian d'Or behind the decks for ambient sets throughout the afternoon.

Astrid Engberg
Astrid Engberg is a passionate record collector, musician and DJ. She has made mixes for KEXP and Crack Magazine, held residencies on Balamii Radio in London and MMH Radio in Copenhagen, and been a guest DJ on DR P8 Jazz. Live, she has played stages big and small: Heartland, STRØM, Drift Radio, Distortion and more.

Astrid's sets are always marked by an intuitive movement between personal musical narratives, organic grooves and leftfield bangers.

Line up
14:00 Kasper Bjørke Quartet "Passages In Time" (vinyl listening session)
15:00 Christian d'Or & Kasper Bjørke (ambient DJ set)
16:30 Vinnie Who feat. Zier Romme Larsen and Oilly Wallace
17:20 Christian d'Or (ambient jazz soul DJ set)
17:45 Knats
19:00 Eddie Chacon accompanied by Knats