Binker & Moses

Biography

Binker & Moses is a London-based jazz duo formed in 2014 by tenor saxophonist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd, two key figures in the new wave of UK jazz. They first met and developed their rapport while working as touring members in vocalist Zara McFarlane’s band, discovering a strong musical chemistry that encouraged them to explore a stripped-back sax-and-drums format outside of that context. As part of the vibrant South and East London jazz scenes, they quickly became associated with a younger generation of players blending traditional jazz language with contemporary urban influences.

Their debut album, “Dem Ones” (2015), released on Gearbox Records, showcased a raw, semi-free approach built around tightly interlocked rhythms, open-form improvisation, and a gritty, live-in-the-room sound. The record attracted significant attention within the UK jazz community and beyond, earning them a MOBO Award for Best Jazz Act and Jazz FM Awards that highlighted both their breakthrough status and importance to the national scene. Subsequent releases such as “Journey to the Mountain of Forever” (2017) and the live album “Alive in the East” expanded their palette by adding other musicians, drawing on free jazz, spiritual jazz, and fusion while still keeping the core duo dynamic at the center.

By the time they released “Feeding the Machine” (2022), Binker & Moses had evolved into one of the most adventurous and recognizable duos in contemporary British jazz, bringing in electronic musician and bassist Max Luthert and incorporating tape loops, modular synthesis, and minimalism-inspired textures into their sound. Their music often balances high-energy, groove-driven passages with more exploratory, avant-garde episodes, reflecting Boyd’s background in jazz, grime, and electronica and Golding’s grounding in modern and free jazz traditions. Within the broader UK jazz resurgence, they are widely regarded as trailblazers who helped push a drum-and-sax format into new territory while remaining firmly rooted in improvisation and live interaction.

Note: Specific dates of birth and early childhood details for the duo as a unit are not well documented in public sources, so this biography focuses on their careers and musical development rather than personal life.

Fun Facts

• Binker & Moses first came to wider UK television audiences through a high-profile appearance on Jools Holland’s “Later…” show, which helped introduce their intense drum-and-sax interplay to listeners beyond the jazz specialist circuit.
• Their debut album “Dem Ones” was recorded in a notably stripped-back way, emphasizing the raw, live sound of just saxophone and drums rather than relying on studio polish or overdubs.
• The duo has been repeatedly cited as part of a broader new London jazz movement that fuses street-level energy, club culture, and traditional jazz techniques, placing them among the leading acts in a generational shift in UK jazz.
• For “Feeding the Machine,” they deliberately entered the studio without fully fixed compositions, using modular synths and tape loops as tools for spontaneous exploration and then carving finished tracks out of extended improvisations.

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Zara McFarlane - Both Binker Golding and Moses Boyd toured as members of Zara McFarlane’s band, where they first solidified their musical rapport before forming Binker & Moses as a standalone duo. (Touring and live performances with Zara McFarlane’s ensemble) [Early–mid 2010s]
• Evan Parker - Legendary UK free-jazz saxophonist who guested with Binker & Moses, contributing to their move toward more expansive and free-form ensemble pieces. (Guest appearances on the album “Journey to the Mountain of Forever” and the live album “Alive in the East”) [Late 2010s]
• Byron Wallen - Trumpeter who joined Binker & Moses on expanded ensemble recordings, helping to deepen the group’s spiritual and modal jazz dimensions. (Guest appearances on “Journey to the Mountain of Forever” and “Alive in the East”) [Late 2010s]
• Tori Handsley - Harpist whose contributions brought an ethereal, textural layer to the duo’s extended works. (Guest appearances on “Journey to the Mountain of Forever” and “Alive in the East”) [Late 2010s]
• Yussef Dayes - Drummer who appeared alongside them in expanded live and studio contexts, reinforcing the connection between different strands of the London jazz scene. (Guest on “Journey to the Mountain of Forever” and “Alive in the East”) [Late 2010s]
• Max Luthert - Electronic musician and bassist who joined the duo to incorporate modular synths, tape loops, and processed sound into their music. (Key collaborator on the album “Feeding the Machine”) [Around 2021–2022]
• Village of the Sun (with Simon Ratcliffe) - Collaborative project blending the duo’s improvisational jazz energy with electronic and production work from Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx. (Non-album singles such as “Village of the Sun” and “Ted” credited to Village of the Sun featuring Binker & Moses and Simon Ratcliffe) [Around 2020]

Discography

Top Tracks

1. Battle (feat. Binker & Moses) (Beautiful Vinyl Hunter)

External Links

• Spotify