DeutschIncense of Music 71
A multisensory concert – Friday, 27th March 2026, 8 pm
Julia Biłat: cello
Zuza Jasinska: vocal, effects
Simon Jermyn: bass guitar
Incense burning: Eucalyptus, Dittany
PANDA Platforma in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin
Join us for a unique sensory experience that brings together two distinct musical voices for a special double set. Julia Biłat expands the cello solo format, creating emotional and intense musical structures shaped by cello, body, voice, and movement. Her work moves between improvisation, composition, and performance, where sound and performative presence become inseparable. Zuza Jasińska & Simon Jermyn present a dialogue of voice and bass. Zuza, a vocalist and composer, blends folk-pop intimacy with jazz inflection and the fearless spirit of experimental improv. Her evocative voice is met by Simon’s intricate and sensitive bass work, creating a sound that is both delicate and powerful. A carefully selected, curated incense blend will accompany the auditory journey and deepen the evening’s atmosphere with its botanical aromas. Eucalyptus, for its clear, invigorating freshness, and Dittany (Burning Bush), for its purifying, mentally-sharpening tradition, will be smoldered. Let the music fill your ears and the fragrance transport your mind. This event is not recommended to people sensitive to smoke.
Julia Biłat – classically trained cellist, improviser and composer, lives in Berlin and move across classical, jazz, performance and experimental scenes. She performs with Stegreif.Orchestra, Camila Nebbia’s The Hanged One, and Fabiana Striffler’s Archiotic Quintet. She has composed and co-directed productions for Stegreif.Orchestra (most recently #bechange Hildegard von Bingen, 2022/23). Her solo work integrates improvisation, composition, and performance using cello, body and voice. Performances include Butohpolis Festival (Warsaw), Into The Open (Berlin), and Intermittenze (Catania).
Zuza Jasinska: “I am a vocalist based in Berlin, Germany. I compose and sing music like folk-pop, jazz, and experimental improv. I I was raised in Poland, in a city called Toruń, nestled by the Vistula River and famous for its gingerbread. There’s a moment caught on camera from when I was just a little bean—my mom turning to my dad and saying, “I’m telling you, she’ll be singing.” And here we are. I shaped my style by mimicking the sounds around me—it got so out of hand that I started calling myself a chameleon. Copy, paste, repeat. I loved it. Today, I sound more like me. I stopped copying, and it turned out pretty well. For now, that’s it. I’ll add more later.”
Simon Jermyn is an Irish guitarist and electric bassist based in Berlin, after 11 years in NYC. He leads his own band, Obsany and is a member of many more. He has worked with musicians including Jim Black, Aaron Parks, John Zorn, Chris Speed, Gerald Cleaver, Chris Lightcap, Anna Webber and many others. He holds a PhD from Ulster University in Northern Ireland and has performed at venues and festivals around the U.S. and Europe, including the Village Vanguard.
Eucalyptus, originally native to the forests of Australia, is a distinctive, fast-growing, and evergreen tree. It is cultivated worldwide in warm regions and is particularly known for its long, leathery, and often sickle-shaped leaves, which are rich in essential oils. These oils not only give the plant its unmistakably fresh, camphor-like scent but are also the reason for its versatile uses. As incense, the dried leaves of eucalyptus release their powerful effect when smoldering. As they burn, a clear, invigorating, and minty fragrance unfolds—one that has long been valued in various cultures. Traditionally, burning eucalyptus is believed to have a strong purifying and clarifying effect on the air and atmosphere of a space. Above all, however, it is associated both symbolically and practically with the respiratory system: the rising smoke is said to clear and support free breathing—a property drawn from traditional folk medicine. Beyond this physical aspect, the scent is also considered mentally stimulating and conducive to concentration, making it suitable for meditation or focused work. In modern incense practice, eucalyptus is often blended with warmer resins such as frankincense or with citrus notes to balance its intense, cool character. Due to its potent effect, only a small amount should be burned at a time, and this should be done in well-ventilated spaces. The smoke can be irritating for people with asthma, young children, or pets, so special caution is advised here. In this way, eucalyptus as an incense connects ancient knowledge with a powerful, tangible presence that remains relevant to this day.
Dittany, also known as the “Burning Bush” or “Gas Plant,” is an impressive, rare, and protected perennial plant native to warm, limestone-rich regions of Southern and Central Europe. Botanically, it belongs to the rue family (Rutaceae). It is characterized by its upright, glandular flower spikes in pink or white and its feathery, citrus-scented leaves. The entire plant is rich in essential oils, which on hot summer nights can form a cloud-like, flammable atmosphere around the plant—giving rise to its biblically inspired name, “Burning Bush.” As incense, dittany is a highly traditional but now rarely used and protected plant. In the past, primarily the dried and crushed roots and seeds were used for smudging. The smoke has an intensely aromatic, spicy-bitter scent, with a clearer, lemony to camphor-like note compared to its more famous relative, frankincense. It is often described as “purifying” and “mentally sharpening.” Since antiquity, dittany has been regarded as a powerfully protective and cleansing incense. It was burned to ward off negative influences and to bless spaces and people.
