Kilian Sladek to release new album Colorblind
Jazzmedia & More is pleased to welcome Munich vocalist and composer Kilian Sladek to its roster, ahead of the release of his new album Colorblind on 9 October 2026 through Bergson Music.
Sladek has been one of the more active and versatile figures in the Munich jazz scene for the better part of a decade — a trained jazz and classical vocalist who studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and in Riga, and who has built a career that extends beyond performing to encompass artistic direction, project management and a long-term involvement with Bergson Kunstkraftwerk, the multi-use cultural venue in the Aubing district of west Munich. His earlier recordings, made under the name Fragments on Unit Records, drew praise from Jazzthing and the Süddeutsche Zeitung and established him as a vocalist willing to work at the edges of his instrument — using extended techniques, scatting and atmospheric production in ways that set him apart from the mainstream of jazz vocal music in Germany.
Colorblind is a different kind of record. Where the Fragments releases embedded his voice within broader ensemble textures, this album places it front and centre, and builds the music around song — melody, lyric, harmony — rather than atmosphere and arrangement. The shift draws on a clear set of influences: the Robert Glasper generation, neo-soul, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, the rhythmic thinking of hip-hop. But the roots remain in jazz, and the harmonic language — built from piano up, in close collaboration with pianist and producer Sam Hylton — is distinctive and consistent throughout. The album was developed over roughly three years, with Sladek writing the compositions first and then developing and producing the tracks together with Hylton, whose work as both musical director and keyboard voice on the record is central to its identity.
The release is structured around three singles, each featuring a different guest artist. Torsten Goods appears on “Gravity” (26 June); Joo Kraus on “All Yours” (7 August); and Karoline Weidt, Lisa Buchholz and Niko Zeidler on “Café Indigo”, due on 18 September. The full album follows on 9 October, with additional contributions from producer Joshua Milo and drummer Lisa Wilhelm, on LP and all streaming platforms. A release concert at Bergson Kunstkraftwerk on 16 October will present the album live, with Torsten Goods and Karoline Weidt joining the band on stage as part of the conclusion of the ongoing “Kilian Sladek meets…” concert series.
The Colorblind project fits comfortably within the kind of work Jazzmedia & More takes on. It is a fully developed campaign with a strong artist at its centre, a distinctive and well-considered record, and a collaboration story that gives us multiple angles for media outreach and press. Sladek’s profile in Munich is already established; our role is to extend that profile into the national and international jazz press and radio landscape as the album rolls out over the coming months. We are looking forward to the campaign.
Full information about Kilian Sladek and Colorblind is available on his artist page.