Moka Efti Orchestra

Pre-Opening Kultursommer 2026 - A night under the sign of the Golden Twenties

In keeping with this year's motto, the Kultursommer 20 26 will open with a top-class pre-opening on May 1 at 20:00 in the Kammgarn Kaiserslautern casino. The Moka Efti Orchestra - THE swing big band that impressively brings the true-to-the-original sound of the 1920s to life - will kick things off. The ensemble is known to a wide audience not least for its participation in the hit series Babylon Berlin.

From 22:00 in the Cotton Club, the British formation Nubiyan Twist takes over the musical sceptre and builds a bridge to the present: with an energetic mix of jazz, Afrobeat and hip-hop, enriched with subtle references to the swing of the 1920s, they reinterpret the sound of the Roaring Twenties in a new and contemporary way.

An evening that unites past and present - a rousing pre-opening for the 2026 summer of culture!

MOKA EFTI ORCHESTRA
The original big band from "Babylon Berlin" with the songs from the series live in concert!

The world is a different place in 1929. Berlin is wild, dirty, glamorous and party-loving at the same time.
The MOKA EFTI ORCHESTRA, a 14-piece ensemble led by composers Nikko Weidemann and Mario Kamien and saxophonist/arranger Sebastian Borkowski, brings back the music and attitude to life of the 1920s, literally inviting concert-goers into the "Moka Efti", one of Berlin's entertainment palaces of the 1920s and a prominent plot location from the series "Babylon Berlin"!

Nikko Weidemann and Mario Kamien are no strangers to the music business, but the job of supervising all the music in the picture for "Babylon Berlin" is new territory. They were trusted by directors Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloetgen and Achim von Borries to compose all kinds of pieces, from blues and piano ragtime to chansons and opulent big band Charleston numbers. However, the title song "Zu Asche, Zu Staub" in particular is more about a lively feeling that can be transferred to today than about historical accuracy.

Weidemann and Kamien were commissioned not only to produce the music, but also to cast musicians for both the film shoot and the soundtrack recordings. Together with Sebastian Borkowski, they put together the MOKA EFTI ORCHESTRA. Since then, they have become an integral part of the German live music scene and have also played acclaimed concerts abroad.

If you really can't afford the tickets, please send an e-mail to info@kammgarn.de and we will find a solution.