Moka Efti Orchestra | Freilichtbühne Weißensee

The MOKA EFTI ORCHESTRA is a 14-piece ensemble from Berlin that brings the electrifying sound of the 1920s into the 21st century. Founded in 2016 specifically for the globally successful TV series Babylon Berlin, the orchestra used the favor of screen fame as a springboard to conquer the stages of Europe. Named after the iconic Moka Efti Tanzpalast in Berlin in the 1920s, the band looks for inspiration in the glamor and party-crazy inscrutability of a lost time. The orchestra was founded by songwriters Nikko Weidemann and Mario Kamien and arranger/saxophonist Sebastian Borkowski and mixes swing, hot jazz and Afro-Latin rhythms with contemporary flair. As the title song for Babylon Berlin, “ZU ASHE ZU STAUB” became an internationally acclaimed hit for the band. Since its debut at Berlin's The debut album First Edition (2020) reached #23 in the German charts, followed by the second long-playing record Telegram (2022). The latest release from the MOKA EFTI ORCHESTRA is the 10 inch vinyl single HERZ/WO ICH BORN with singer/actor Christian Friedel, popular for his role in Babylon Berlin as police photographer Gräf.

Friedel also plays a leading role in THE ZONE OF INTEREST, the Oscar winner in 2024, and is currently shining in the internationally successful TV series THE WHITE LOTUS. In 2025, the MOKA EFTI ORCHESTRA, together with actor Benno Fürmann and cabaret performance artist Le Pustra, brought an innovative musical reading and concert entitled “THE WET FISH” on 13 of the most beautiful stages in Germany. The sold-out tour took, among others, to the Laeiszhalle Hamburg and the Prinzregententheater Munich.

Entry 6:00 p.m.
Starts 7:30 p.m.

presented by Festsaal Kreuzberg & Gastspielreisen