Biography

Dock In Absolute is a stellar trio from Luxembourg comprised of Jean-Philippe Koch on piano and composition, David Kintziger on bass and Victor Kraus on drums, young musicians who breathed new life into the music scene.

With a shared love of music, they combine different styles of progressive Jazz, classical and rock, playing the pianist’s own compositions and co-created their unique jazz style in 2012. Its music is sparkling, varying, forceful, pressing, rich in twists and turns in mood: from lyrical to unrestrainable, from wild to graceful, from virtuosic and crystalline to assertive and dramatic, from subdued to airy and demonstrative. It can be charged-up one moment and calm the next, then take off again to reach vibrant sounds. An endless variety of melodic cells, often with a hypnotic pattern, alternating against a flamboyant, bright sonic background with unfaltering dynamics, never a half-way approach from this trio. Dock In Absolute proves that Jazz has myriads of stories to tell: thus, it should be allowed free rein.

Dock In Absolute brought his first album out in 2017, under the Label CAM JAZZ, the second one in 2019 and the third one in 2023. DIA has been named twice the “Export Artist of the Year” by music:LX in result of being the most active band from Luxembourg and “Discovery artist of the year” by the Jazznews magazine. Their album UNLIKELY belongs to the "100 Greatest Albums of the year" as part of the Jazzit Magazine Awards.

Their fresh approach to jazz allows them to push boundaries, to touch a wide audience and to explore the potential of new unique wave of sounds while adding strength to the jazz field.

Jean-Philippe Koch started learning the piano at the age of four and went on to study at the Luxembourg Conservatoire. At the age of 17, he continued at the Musikhochschule in Saarbrücken, and completed a Master’s degree course at the Liège Royal Conservatoire, where he graduated with ‘grande distinction’ and also won the prize for the highest mark in his Master’s course. Having also studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, as well as at the Codarts University of Arts Rotterdam, he has been awarded a scholarship by Berklee for his studies.
Always on the lookout for new approaches to piano, Jean-Philippe has attended many master classes. Alongside this, he obtained Baccalaureates in composition, musical analysis and musical notation.
In 2014, he became piano teacher at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg.

Jean-Philippe has recorded many Cds with Dock In Absolute as well as with his father, Philippe (violin), and his sister, Laurence (violin), as part of the Trio Koch which latest CD has been nominated at the ‘International Classic Music Awards’. The Trio played inter alia at the Berliner Philharmonie, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Christophori Salon in Berlin, Paris Goethe Institut, London Conway Hall, Dublin, Madrid … and continues to present its music to the world.

Jean-Philippe was awarded the gold medal, with a special commendation from the panel of judges, at the UGDA International Young Soloists Competition in Luxembourg. In the same year, he was also awarded the SACEM Prize, the EMCY (European Union of Music Competitions for Youth) Prize and the prize for the best composition for piano at the Artistes en Herbe international composition competition.

Victor Kraus is born in 1982 and enjoys a creative character. His percussive education is made at the music universities of Karlsruhe (Germany) and Strasbourg (France). His self- conception is defined by an enormous desire for research, conceptualisation and creation. In the past years he created or was involved in creation of a myriad of different musical projects in different styles and artistic spheres. For 13 years he was playing in the percussion duo « KrausFrink », a reference in the percussion world. This duo represents the base for a career bringing him to famous stages such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, the Guangzhou Opera House (China) or the Festspiele Mecklenburg- Vorpommern (Germany), but also making him work as soloist with orchestras like the WDR, OPS, DRP or OCL. This intensive duo work gave him also the opportunity to raise in electronic, minimal, film and chamber music composition such as in silent-movies accompaniment.

Numerous are his participations in all style records. Victor Kraus creates his own musical production company under the name of «Victor Kraus Group». He plays at: «noMad the group», «ArsNovaLux», «Scandal», is often a guest musician at different orchestras and ensembles like the «KammermusekVeräinLëtzebuerg”» (KMVL) or the famous «Trombone Unit Hannover» and gives percussion lessons at CML.

Originating from several renowned schools in Belgium, David Kintziger decides to develop his creative knowledge with an intention to devote it to an intergenerational audience. Passionate about guitar, bass and percussions since his teenage years, he studies jazz harmony, writing, ensemble music as well as electric fretless bass and double bass at the "Académie de Jazz Marcel Désiron" in Amay. Eclectic musician, he then attends improvisation and polyrhythms courses at the "Conservatoire Royal" in Liège under the guidance of Michel Massot and Garrett List.

He composes numerous music pieces for short films' projects, children's puppet shows and theater plays. Naturally curious, his thurst for knowledge and versatile experiences brings him to find interest in many artistic disciplines. Amongst them, illustration, comics, art therapy, theatrical improvisation, danse, “lutherie sauvage”, video, stop-motion, cinema and teaching.

Moreover, David works in two centres of expression and creativity (Atelier Graffiti in Liège/Les Z'ateliers from Houffalize) as an illustrator and accompanies children and adults in expressing themselves through various forms of creative arts. He also proposes many pluridisciplinary artistic formations and workshops in Belgium as well as abroad. Since 2014, he has been studying somatotherapy in order to enrich his global human knowledge with benevolence, strength and determination. In 2006, he represents Belgium for an international contest of silent film music, “Strade Del Cinema”. He takes the third place, along with pianist Baptiste Vaes.

He's also the bassist of “Valetlesbateleurs”, “Isamia” and “Undo3”.