Even though Àbáse is both the artist name and solo project of the classically trained Hungarian jazz pianist, producer and DJ Szabolcs Bognar, Àbáse is never about artistic solo efforts. Àbáse, as the term borrowed from the West African Yorùbá language suggests, stands for community: for collective endeavors, collaborations and a communal vibe. Szabolcs Bognar, living in Berlin since 2018, has already released several singles and EPs with his project Àbáse, always in musical collaboration and always operating at the interface of live improvisation and modern production techniques. He combines traditional West African and Afro-Brazilian music with jazz, hip-hop and club culture, artistically questioning not only genre distinctions but also cultural boundaries in the medium of sound.
For 2020, Àbáse is receiving a grant of 4,000 euros for the release of his collaborative album debut, developed in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador de Bahia.