bodies: When Jazz Meets Electronics, Brussels Comes to Istanbul

Jazz has never been a genre that stands still. It absorbs new influences, pushes at its own boundaries and keeps finding new ways to connect people. On Saturday, November 14, Istanbul audiences can hear that spirit in action when bodies, an experimental quartet from Brussels, takes the stage at Roxy in Cihangir as part of the Beyoğlu Jazz Festival.

Founded in 2022 by saxophonist and composer Alejandra Borzyk, bodies brings together four musicians exploring the space between contemporary jazz, electronic music, free improvisation and alternative pop.

Their sound combines saxophone melodies, synthesizers, electronic effects, basslines and dynamic drumming. Rather than following traditional jazz structures, the quartet builds layered compositions that move between atmospheric passages, pulsing grooves and spontaneous improvisation.

An Exclusive Smileys Community Offer

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Smileys Community members get an exclusive 2-for-1 ticket offer for this concert.

Sign in and tap Show my member offer on this page to get your discount code. Then select exactly two tickets on the festival’s ticket page and enter the code in the discount-code field during checkout.

• Buy two tickets, pay for one.

• Valid only for orders of exactly two tickets.

• Each email address can use the code once.

• Limited to 20 redemptions.

First come, first served. Bring a friend and discover something new together.

More Than Just Music

At the heart of bodies is its debut album, quiero amor, released in January 2026 on the Belgian independent label Igloo Records.

The album is an intimate yet collective journey through vulnerability, empathy, emotional transformation and joyful resistance. Its central idea is that tenderness, solidarity and love can be powerful responses to anger, violence and injustice.

One striking track is un violador en tu camino, which takes its title from the feminist protest chant created by the Chilean collective LASTESIS.

First performed as a protest against sexual violence and the way institutions respond to it, the chant was taken up by feminist movements around the world. The band released its own piece as the album’s first single on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It weaves distorted recordings of protesters’ voices together with street sounds, saxophone and synthesizers, and Borzyk describes it as an act of memory and tribute.

This political and emotional dimension gives quiero amor an identity beyond musical experimentation. It is also an invitation to reflect on the world around us.

Meet the Musicians

• Alejandra Borzyk – saxophone

• Camille-Alban Spreng – piano, keyboards and synthesizers

• Elie Gouleme – drums

• Mateusz Malcharek – electric bass

Together, they create a hybrid sound that draws on Brussels’ electronic music scene, contemporary jazz and alternative pop.

After two EPs, bodies (2023) and fluidos (2024), the group appeared on Sdban Records’ Jazz Cats Vol. 3 compilation and opened for British saxophonist Nubya Garcia at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The band counts Björk and Alabaster DePlume among its inspirations.

Discover the Music Before the Concert

Curious about what bodies sounds like? The debut album is the best introduction. Give it a listen before the concert and you’ll arrive knowing the sounds and ideas behind the performance.

Listen: bodies – quiero amor on Bandcamp

The Opening Act: Dual Pulse

The evening begins with Dual Pulse, a collaborative project by percussionists Danae Palaka and Nihal Saruhanlı, presented under the festival’s Eskiz banner.

Rather than treating drums as accompaniment, the duo puts rhythm at the center of the music. Inspired by the transformation of living organisms, their performances range from acoustic drums and percussion instruments to electronic sounds.

It sets up the experimental mood that bodies continues later in the evening. One ticket covers both performances.

A Different Kind of Saturday Night in Cihangir

For international residents, music lovers and anyone curious about Istanbul’s alternative cultural scene, this is a chance to discover something beyond the mainstream concert circuit.

Roxy is in Cihangir, one of Beyoğlu’s liveliest neighborhoods, so it’s easy to make a night of it with dinner or drinks before heading to the venue. The main set starts at 22:30, so check your last transport home or plan a taxi.

The concert is part of the wider Beyoğlu Jazz Festival program, which brings international and local musicians, experimental projects, workshops and conversations to venues across the district.

Why go? If you enjoy discovering emerging international artists, contemporary jazz, electronic experimentation and music with a message, this concert belongs on your Istanbul calendar.

Event Details

bodies – Live in Istanbul

• Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026

• Doors open: 20:30

• Opening performance: Dual Pulse (Eskiz), 21:00

• Main performance: bodies, 22:30

• Venue: Roxy, Cihangir, Beyoğlu, Istanbul

• Standard ticket price: 600 TL

• Festival: Beyoğlu Jazz Festival 2026

Tickets: beyoglucazfestivali.com/bilet/bodies
Event information: beyoglucazfestivali.com/en/event-details/bodies

Remember your Smileys offer: two tickets for the price of one with your member code. Exactly two tickets per order, one use per email address, limited to 20 redemptions.

Discover new sounds, explore Istanbul’s independent music scene and enjoy exclusive cultural experiences with Smileys Community.