Mop Mop
Style: Jazz, Afro, Funk, Electronic
Mop Mop is the acclaimed music project led by Italian multi-instrumentalist, drummer, and producer Andrea Benini. Founded in Bologna and currently based in Berlin, the band has achieved international cult status with a distinct style they playfully describe as a „bastard performance of modern jazz.“ Over two decades, Mop Mop has pioneered a sonic signature where organic rhythms meet club-ready grooves, blending elements of jazz, afrobeat, funk, and dub into a hypnotic, exotic cocktail.
The project’s sound breaks traditional genre boundaries by clashing archaic African and Caribbean percussion with modern post-jazz sensibilities, all captured through vintage analog recording gear for a warm, dusty 1960s feel. This timeless aesthetic caught the ear of legendary filmmaker Woody Allen, who propelled the band into the global spotlight by featuring their track „Three Times Bossa“ in his 2012 movie To Rome With Love. Further accolades followed, including their single „Run Around“—featuring funk icon Fred Wesley—being named the best dancefloor jazz track of the year by the Red Bull Music Academy, while global tastemakers like Gilles Peterson and rock icon Iggy Pop frequently champion the band on their radio shows.
With tens of millions of streams worldwide, Mop Mop’s discography on labels like Agogo Records represents a rich evolutionary journey. Early records like Kiss of Kali and Ritual Of The Savage established them in the global club-jazz scene, but it was 2013’s Isle Of Magic, featuring Trinidadian poet Anthony Joseph, that perfected their signature voodoo-jazz sound. Their subsequent release, Lunar Love, pushed boundaries even further by weaving spiritual Moroccan Gnawa rhythms with heavy dub baselines. Whether delivering explosive live performances at major international festivals, performing as a stripped-back trio, or shaking up dancefloors through Andrea Benini’s global DJ sets, Mop Mop remains a driving, innovative force in contemporary world music.
Style in five words:
Voodoo Jazz, Hypnotic Groove, Funk, Organic Dub, Soul
Genres that struck us first:
Jazz (A Bastard Performance Of Modern Jazz)
Most influential artists:
Sun Ra, James Brown, Piero Umiliani
Greatest moment of our career:
Collaboration with Funk Legend Fred Wesley
Weirdest thing that happened on tour:
The performance was so „hot“ during a show in Berlin that a few girls started to undress.
Shouts to the clubs & promoters / recent favourite gigs:
Fusion Festival, Club Der Visionaere, The Jazz Cafe, Nu Spirit