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Blood Quartet is an experimental band formed in Barcelona in 2015 by New Yorker Mark Cunningham (Mars, Don King, Raeo) and Catalan musicians Kike Bela, Lluís Rueda and Carles Esteban. Their sound, with a hypnotic and cinematic aesthetic, blends no wave, jazz noir, industrial rock and free improvisation.
They have released five albums: Dark Energy (2015), Deep Red (2016), Until My Darkness Goes (2018), Root 7 (2022) and Terra Ignota (2025).
In 2024, they collaborated with the Korean group Dongyang Gozupa, performing at Mercat de Música Viva de Vic and at BAM, where they explored intercultural fusion with rhythms such as bulería and flamenco. The result is Terra Ignota, released in October 2025 on Foehn Records.
With almost ten years of activity, Blood Quartet has established itself as a cult project within the European experimental scene. In 2025, they celebrate their 10th anniversary with a tour of venues and festivals, both national and international.
Their sound combines improvisation, unsettling atmospheres and free structures inspired by free jazz and industrial rock, with a clear underground and experimental sensibility.
They stand out for their ability to adapt to other disciplines such as film, dance, poetry or performance, and have collaborated with artists such as Miguel Ángel Blanca, Konik Thtr., Blanca Haddad, Ben Brooks, Laila Tafur, and in music with Za!, Seward or Julio César Palacio, among others.
Their sound is defined by processed trumpet with effects, distorted guitars, dense bass and fractured rhythms, creating dark, cinematic and eerie compositions — like the soundtrack of a distorted film noir or an abstract thriller — always with a strong dose of improvisation and a radically free attitude.
LINE-UP
Mark Cunningham | trumpet & guitar
Lluís Rueda | guitar
Kike Bela | bass & synthesizer
Carles Esteban | drums
Dongyang Gozupa is an experimental and progressive rock trio with roots in traditional Korean music. Yanggeum, bass and percussion shape their distinctive sound. They have performed internationally, including a concert at the prestigious Lincoln Center, and have been selected for markets such as WOMEX, PAMS and Circulart, standing out for their stage power and sonic innovation.
LINE-UP
Mark Cunningham | trumpet & guitar
Lluís Rueda | guitar
Kike Bela | bass & synthesizer
Carles Esteban | drums
Yun Eun Hwa | yanggeum
Ham Min Hwi | bass
Jang Do Hyuk | percussion
Blood Quartet (Barcelona) and Dongyang Gozupa (Seoul) join forces as a septet to bring Terra Ignota to life — a musical project that transcends borders and genres. This artistic collaboration creates a sonic universe projected into a science-fiction realm, where Korean musical tradition dialogues with sound experimentation, alternative rock, free jazz, electronics and ambient atmospheres.
The project emerges from the reinterpretation of previous compositions by both bands, as well as new works created during shared artistic residencies in Seoul (Seoul Music Week) and Barcelona (Fabra i Coats: Art Factory). Terra Ignota is a living work, built from the fusion of traditional instruments such as the yanggeum (Korean dulcimer) with Mark Cunningham’s dreamlike trumpet and Blood Quartet’s cinematic narrative.
Improvisation and the pursuit of a transcendence of cultural origins drive this musical and visual co-creation.
The show unfolds as a sensorial experience inspired by Eastern sonorities and the mystery of rhythmic effects, blending electronics, analogue instrumentation and visual scenography in an unusual combination.
If you want more information about any of our artists or if you are interested in hiring, please contact us!
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