Embryo

For more than five decades, Embryo has been moving between worlds. Founded in Munich in 1969, the internationally connected collective is not a conventional band but a living organism: Kraut rock dissolves into jazz, free improvisation merges with inner- and outer- European rhythms, and sound rituals from distant cultures meet urban avant-garde. Generations, genres, and borders blur—driven by an openness that has always made Embryo singular. After legendary collaborations with figures such as Mal Waldron, Okay Temiz, Fela Kuti, and Charlie Mariano, the spirit of the group continues today in a renewed form. Since 2015, Marja Burchard, daughter of founder Christian Burchard, has carried Embryo forward—guided by curiosity, wanderlust, and an unrelenting desire to embrace new musical ways of thinking. On this album, released on Toy Tonics’ sublabel Kryptox, decadeslong friendships crystallize into a shimmering weave of melody, pulse, and improvisation. Embryo joins forces here with Indian musicians Deobrat Mishra and Prashant Mishra, with whom they have shared musical paths for more than fifteen years. Their first encounter with Christian Burchard and Embryo in 2008—during a concert at Zurich’s Wasserkirche—marked the beginning of a deep and lasting sonic kinship.